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 last night during the Millrose Games at the Garden.
Most of the talk coming in was about Terrence Trammell’s attempt at an unprecedented double in the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash within the span of 30 minutes. But last night a funny thing happened to Trammell on the way to his coronation: defending hurdles champion Larry Wade.
Trammell got out of the blocks ahead of mentor and training partner Allen Johnson, and was leading halfway through the hurdles race, but Wade came on strong at the end for the win. Wade’s 7.48 is the fastest time in the world this winter. Trammell, just 1/100th behind, took second.
The 28-year-old Trammell – who won the world indoor 60-meter hurdles title in 2001 and the U.S. 60-meter crown last winter – didn’t have much time to stew. British runner Dwain Chambers’ injury last week had let him slip into the 60-meter dash field, but he had barely a half-hour between races.
This wasn’t completely new territory for Trammell; he’d won both events at the 2000 NCAA indoor meet, and at the Golden Spike Invitational in Pocatello, Idaho, in 2001. And he showed no ill effects last night, besting 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 break the tape for a 6.51 win.
Trammell’s time is the fastest on the planet this winter. Gatlin finished second in 6.54 and Greene was third at 6.57.
“[I’m not] angry, but a little disappointed,” Trammell said of narrowly missing a double victory. “But I didn’t want to put everything into that first race as far as dwelling on it. 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.
“There was a little fatigue, but not a lot. I did have 30 minutes. But again I just give it to God because he made it possible for me.”
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 pulled an even more stunning rally against young Nike teammate Angela Williams.
Williams got out first and seemed to have a commanding lead, but Gaines never panicked, breaking away from the pack behind Williams and running her down. They leaned at the tape and clocked identical times of 7.23, 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 other events, Gail Devers ran a 7.78 in the hurdles to easily beat Melissa Morrison and break the latter’s meet record of 7.87.
Defending women’s high jump champ Tisha Waller tied crowd favorite Amy Acuff with a jump of 6-4 3/4 . Stacy Dragila broke her own meet record in the pole vault, but failed in three attempts at the world record.
Meanwhile, world indoor 1,500-meter record-holder Regina Jacobs pulled out of the women’s mile.