National Sports Powell frustrated with long jump return

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2001-06-25

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--> --> Powell frustrated with long jump return EUGENE (AP) - Mike Powell didn't make the U.S. team for the World Championships in his return to the long jump. But the world record-holder is confident the United States will be well represented in the event at Edmonton, Alberta, in August. Two-time NCAA champion and Olympian Savante Stringfellow of Mississippi and two others spoiled the 37-year-old Powell's bid Friday to make the world team. Powell placed fourth at the USA Championships with a wind-aided leap of 26 feet, 7 inches. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to be out there," said Powell, who has been training hard since Thanksgiving to lose weight. "I make no excuses. The guys jumped well and I'm proud of them and the way they competed." Stringfellow won with a wind-aided leap of 27-9 1/2. "It's a chance of a lifetime," Stringfellow said of facing Powell. "He's the one I've always looked up to. Competing against him is a dream come true. I want to thank him for coming back." Also finishing ahead of Powell were Miguel Pate at a wind-aided 27-4 3/4 and Dwight Phillips at a wind-aided 27-0. "It's definitely an honor to compete against the world-record holder," Phillips said. "It's something you put on your resume later. I would say he brought the best out of all of us." Powell jumped 29-4 1/2 in 1991 to break Bob Beamon's record. He hoped to go more than 27 1/2 feet Friday, but said he struggled with his technique. "He's still the greatest long jumper ever," Stringfellow said. Elsewhere, decathlete Kip Janvrin won his first national title. Janvrin, who will turn 36 on July 8, became the oldest to win the decathlon. He coaches at Central Missouri State, and one of his athletes also was in the competition. In his 76th decathlon, Janvrin won the 1,500 meters in the final event Friday to win for a world-record 33rd time. His 8,241 points marked the 26th time he has gone over 8,000, an American record for the two-day, 10-event competition. Phil McMullen was second with 8,220. "When you're out there warming up for the javelin and your back is sore and you know you have to run the 1,500 in an hour, you think to yourself, 'Do I really want to do this?"' Janvrin said. "But now, when it's done, it's worth it." Defending champion Tom Pappas, the leader after seven events in the decathlon, withdrew before the pole vault. He has not thrown or vaulted this year following surgery on his left shoulder. Olympian John Godina, attempting a shot put and discus double, won his third national shot put title at 70-10 1/2. The discus is scheduled for Saturday. "You know it's a good year when you throw that far and you're not satisfied," said Godina, the Olympic bronze medalist. Competition in the shot put was delayed about 25 minutes when an official, Jason Pompel, 30, of Portland, was hit by an errant throw by Christian Cantwell. Pompel was struck on the back of the neck and cut his head when he fell. He was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center with a superficial laceration, but was expected back at the track Saturday. In the absence of Maurice Greene and Marion Jones in the men's and women's 100, Olympian Tim Montgomery won the men's title in a wind-aided 9.95 seconds, and two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Chryste Gaines took the women's title in a wind-aided 10.89, the fastest under any conditions in the world this year. Greene ran only in Thursday's 100-meter preliminaries as a requirement to be eligible to defend his titles in the 100 and 200 at the World Championships. Greene congratulated the top three finishers, high-fiving each in the media tent. "That's my team!" he shouted. Montgomery was thrilled with his victory. "It was very overwhelming because the United States has a strong history of sprinting," he said. "To win this race is a huge accomplishment. Even though Maurice Greene didn't compete, Bernard Williams and Curtis Johnson made this an exciting race. "I got caught sitting (in the blocks). I had to run a spectacular race." American record-holder Bob Kennedy won his fourth national 5,000 title at 13:28.72 to make his sixth World Championship team. Alan Culpepper, who made the 10,000 team Thursday, finished second in the 5,000 at 13:29.66. Dawn Ellerbe won her sixth national women's hammer throw title and third in a row at 226-8. The distance broke her championship record of 212-5 set in 1999 and the Hayward Field record of 219-4, by France's Florence Ezeh this year. Olympian DeDee Nathan won her second straight heptathlon title with 6,174 points, the most by an American this year. Nathan won only one event, the long jump, in the seven-event, two-day competition. Tyree Washington, the world leader in the men's 400, pulled his right hamstring during the preliminaries and finished sixth in his heat, failing to make the final and the World Championships team. Washington, who has run 44.28 this year, was timed at 46.02. Email your... 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