Sore Suhr Soars

At a news conference Friday, high jumper Jesse Williams was asked how it felt to be a track star living in the track and field-happy city of Eugene, Ore.

“I’m a field star,” Williams pointed out.

Saturday, at the USA Track & Field Indoor National Championships, Williams proved himself to be No. 1 in his field. He won his specialty with a jump of 7 feet, 6 inches.

But was it easy? No, it was not.

“I got a little bit lucky tonight,” Williams, the reigning outdoor world champion, told an announced crowd of 2,036 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. “They’ll have to take me out in a wheelbarrow; I’m exhausted.”

The meet concludes today, starting at noon.

The source of Williams’ exhaustion Saturday was twofold: his own inconsistent series – more misses than makes – and a game of high-stakes poker played by fellow competitor Jamie Nieto.

Nieto, a 2004 Olympian and a past indoor and outdoor national champion, cleared 7-5 on his first attempt. He had no misses in the competition to that point.

Williams, meanwhile, missed his first two attempts at 7-5 before clearing on his third. When the two went to 7-6, the only jumpers left in the competition, Nieto was the leader on fewer misses.

But Nieto missed all three of his attempts at 7-6. On his third try, Williams sailed over the bar for the victory.

“l’ve done that so many times,” Williams said of his flirtations with elimination at 7-5 and 7-6, “that I’m used to it.”

Williams said Nieto’s clean slate as the bar was raised to 7-6 didn’t intimidate him.

“I was expecting him to jump (7-5) on his first attempt, and then I was going to have to jump two more heights,” Williams said. “He did just that, and luckily I was able to make those third attempts.”

Williams and Nieto both earned trips to Istanbul for the World Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 9-11.

Until he boards a plane bound for Istanbul, Williams said, he’ll be essentially earth-bound – and, for a change, more track star than field star.

“I’ll just train on the track,” he said. “No jumping for a little while.”

On the track Saturday, the expected men’s 3,000-meter duel between Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp did not materialize. As Lagat sprinted to the finish like a quarter-miler for an easy victory in a time of 7:47.54, Rupp faded to third behind Lopez Lomong.

Afterward, Lagat was interviewed with two of his children in tow. “I wanted to show these guys that daddy can still kick,” he said of his furious finish.

In the women’s pole vault, U.S. indoor-record holder Jenn Suhr passed on a number of heights en route to her victory Saturday with a winning vault of 15-3 3/4.

She might pass on a trip to Istanbul, as well.

“Monday’s the decision-maker,” said Suhr, who has a painful Achilles injury. “… Last year I competed in Europe injured every time, so I’m not gonna go over there (unless healthy).”

Suhr attempt to break her indoor record of 16-0 with three attempts at 16-0 3/4, but missed each time.

“In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have,” she said, “but when you’re feeling good and you’ve got the crowd there, you just want to try.”

In the men’s triple jump, William Claye made some history. His winning jump of 57-10 1/4 was the best indoors by an American in 25 years and moved him past Willie Banks, a former outdoor world-record holder, into third place on the all-time U.S. indoor list.

“It’s an honor (to pass Banks),” Claye said. “My goal was (to jump) a little bit further, but I’m thankful for what I did today and thankful for the win.”

In the women’s 800-meter prelims, Albuquerque native Lyndsay Harper finished fourth in her heat with a time of 2:08.03 and did not advance to today’s final.

As expected, two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell and 2008 bronze medalist David Oliver advanced to today’s semifinals of the men’s 60-meter hurdles. But Dexter Faulk surprised Trammell, and everyone, by winning the third heat in a 2012 world-best time of 7.40.

“I came to handle bizness just in case you ain’t know!!!!!!” Faulk tweeted afterward.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal