Shawn Crawford blew away the competition to win the 200m title at the US athletics championships on Sunday, punching his World Championships ticket with a wind-assisted 19.73 seconds.
“I figure whenever the wind is behind you no matter what the time is you still have to make your body move that fast,” said Crawford, whose time came with a following wind of 3.3m per second.
“That’s the fastest my body has ever moved in its lifetime, so I’m happy with that,” added Crawford, whose personal best with a legal wind is 19.79, recorded back in 2004, the year he won Olympic 200m gold.
PHOTO: AFP
Charles Clark was second in 20.00 and Wallace Spearmon third in 20.03, earning the right to join reigning 100m and 200m world champion Tyson Gay in the field at the worlds in Berlin in August.
The clear-cut victory was a contrast to the performance that brought Crawford a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics — after two runners who finished ahead of him in the 200m were disqualified.
Crawford never felt good about that and later gave the silver to its original winner, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles.
“I felt like it was a burden off my shoulders,” said Crawford, even though authorities haven’t changed the official result.
“I can’t do anything about that,” he said. “He knows where my heart is.”
Crawford said he used a race plan advocated by coach Bobby Kersee.
“We’ve been practicing just driving the first 120m and let your body carry you the rest of the way,” said the 31-year-old, who admitted he was a little skeptical. “I’ve been doubtful about doing it in my previous races. But I was like, in the final, what have I got to lose?”
Unlike Gay, who made only a cameo appearance here in the first round of the 100m, two-time defending women’s 200m world champion Allyson Felix decided to go for the national title despite her world championship bye. She duly collected, winning in a wind-aided 22.02 seconds.
“I felt this was a stepping stone,” Felix said. “I’ve got a lot more work to do.”
Other athletes booking their World Championship berths on the final day of the trials included last year’s Olympic hurdles champions Angelo Taylor and Dawn Harper, Beijing shot put silver medalist Christian Cantwell and bronze medal-winning hurdler Bershawn Jackson.
Jackson, who earned 400m hurdles bronze in Beijing behind Taylor and Kerron Clement, turned the tables with a victory in the fastest time in the world this year, 48.03 seconds.
Unheralded Johnny Dutch was second in 48.18, and Taylor was third in 48.30. With reigning 400m hurdles world champ Clement also Berlin bound, Merritt said he liked the US’ chances of repeating the sweep they accomplished in Beijing.
Harper gave herself a shot at adding a world title to her Olympic 100m hurdles gold with a victory in a wind-aided 12.36 seconds. Virginia Powell was second and Damu Cherry third as reigning world champ Michelle Perry opted to sit out the final.
Lolo Jones’s world title hopes were dashed as she crashed out of the 100m hurdles semi-finals.
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