Gail Devers and Stacy Dragila are both champions in their 30s, each at an age that has their doubters waiting for the years to catch up with them. Keep waiting, because the competition surely hasn’t caught them.
Both set U.S. records in front of 11,800 during last night’s Millrose Games at the Garden. The 36-year-old Devers ran 7.78 to win the women’s 60-meter hurdles, and Dragila – who turns 32 next month – continued her comeback from an injury-plagued season to vault 15-53/4.
Devers is the best hurdler-sprinter ever and ranked No. 1 in the world last year in the hurdles. She wanted to concentrate on sprinting this season, but meet director Howard Schmertz prodded her into running the hurdles instead. Good thing he did.
She got out of the blocks first and finished that way, easily beating meet record-holder Melissa Morrison (7.95). Her time was the eighth-fastest in history and broke Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s U.S. mark of 7.81.
“I wanted to sprint this winter. Howard told Greg [Foster, her agent] they wanted me to hurdle,” said Devers, coy about how much longer she’ll compete. “The American hurdlers are great. They make me [run faster]. If you’re not going to retire, you’re going to have to step it up.”
Dragila stepped it up as well. After a foot injury led to a disappointing campaign last season – during which she had to watch Russian Svetlana Feofanova break her world record – Dragila showed she’s back in form and silenced her doubters.
Last night Dragila experimented with a bigger pole and soared 15-53/4. She missed three attempts at 15-73/4, which would have broken Feofanova’s world mark of 15-71/4.
“I walked off the pit angry, which is good to have something to shoot for. I’m excited that I’m back. I can flush last year down the toilet. I had lot of critics saying, ‘Oh, she’s done.’ I wish I would’ve had the world record to say: ‘Hey, I’m not done. I’m not even close to being done.’
“I’m the oldest competitor out there, and a lot of people thought, ‘She’s old, has foot problems,’ and that just made me upset. I worked on getting fit again, and I just want to prove my critics wrong.”
Devers and Dragila stole much of the thunder from the featured Wanamaker Mile, which 2001 champ Bernard Lagat stole early and won in a slow 4:00.36. He went out in a modest 1:58, but defending champ Laban Rotich couldn’t keep pace, dropping to third as Russian Vyacheslav Shabunin took third.
“I wouldn’t have believed [I could win at 4:00],” said Lagat, who was the fifth Kenyan victor in six years, but had the slowest winning time since 1996. “I was expecting 3:53 to win the race. I thought they were right behind me, but when I looked back they weren’t there.”
Romiania’s Elena Iagar won the Fred Lebow Women’s Mile in a modest 4:36.08 after Regina Jacobs – who set the world indoor 1,500-meter record last weekend in Boston – pulled out with an injured adductor muscle.
Derek Miles won the men’s pole vault at 18-81/4; defending women’s high-jump champ Tisha Waller agreed to a tie with Amy Acuff at 6-43/4 after both failed several attempts to go for the win; and Mark Boswell won the men’s high jump at 7-7.
Tyree Washington won the men’s 400 in 48.80 and Jearl Miles-Clark the women’s 400 in 55.08, while sister-in-law Hazel Clark won her first Millrose 800 in 2:07.66. David Krummenacker won the men’s 800 in 1:50.20.