One hundredth of a second. Not enough time to bat an eye, snap your fingers, or even think a random thought. But in track and field, it’s enough to separate the contenders from the champions, the runners-up from the winners. That’s what happened during last night’s Millrose Games at the Garden.
Much of the preceding hype was about Terrence Trammell’s attempt at an unprecedented double in the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles within the span of a half-hour. But a funny thing happened to Trammell on the way to his coronation: He encountered defending hurdles champion Larry Wade.
Trammell got out of the blocks ahead of mentor and training partner Allen Johnson and was leading halfway through, but Wade came on strong at the end for the win. Wade’s 7.48 finish is the fastest time in the world this winter; Trammell was 1/100th of a second behind in second place.
The 28-year-old Trammell didn’t have much time to stew. His experience at doubling – he’d won both events at the 2000 NCAA indoor meet and the next year at Pocatello, Idaho – helped him bounce back against a loaded field in the dash.
Fast-starting vet Jon Drummond was first out of the blocks as usual, but Trammell and rising young Brooklyn-born star Justin Gatlin came on strong near the middle of the race. Trammell pulled away from Gatlin and world indoor record-holder Maurice Greene to win in 6.51.
Trammell’s time is the fastest on the planet this winter. Gatlin finished second in 6.54, Greene was third at 6.57.
“[I’m not] angry, but a little disappointed. But I didn’t want to put everything into that first race as far as dwelling on it,” said Trammell. “I just praise God to be able to come out here and be able to run and not get injured and be able to come away with a victory in the dash.”
Wade’s victory over Trammell wasn’t the only race decided by a matter of milliseconds. In the women’s 60-meter dash, Chryste Gaines overcame a shaky start to pull an even more stunning rally against Angela Williams. Both runners clocked identical 7.23s, but Gaines was awarded her first Millrose victory.
“I had to struggle through [a bad start] and bring it on in the end for my first Millrose games win,” Gaines said. “I had to have faith in myself and have confidence in myself that I could do it.”
In the Wanamaker Mile, Bernard Lagat jumped ahead quickly and stole the race in a slow 4:00.36, regaining the title he’d won in 2001. Lagat went out in a modest 1:58, but Laban Rotich couldn’t keep pace. It was the fifth victory by a Kenyan in six years, but the slowest winning time since ’96.
“I wouldn’t have believed [I could win at 4:00] if somebody had told me,” Lagat said. “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.”
Romania’s Elena Iagar won the Fred Lebow Women’s Mile in a modest 4:36.08 when 39-year-old Regina Jacobs – who set the world indoor 1,500-meter record last weekend in Boston – pulled out with an injured adductor muscle.
In other events: Derek Miles pole vaulted 18-81/4 and upset Jeff Hartwig; defending women’s high jump champ Tisha Waller tied Amy Acuff with a 6-43/4; Mark Boswell won the men’s high jump at 7-7; Columbia H.S. grad Hazel Clark won the women’s 800 in a slow 2:07.66; David Krummenacker won the men’s 800 in 1:50.20; Tyree Washington won the men’s 400 in 48.80.