Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, September 12, 2009 Gay beats Powell in 100 at meet in Greece Associated Press THESSALONIKI, Greece — Tyson Gay beat Asafa Powell in the 100 meters at the World Athletics Final on Saturday, finishing in 9.88 seconds in his last major race of the season. Gay overcame a slow start to pull away from Powell, who was timed in 9.90. Darvis Patton of the U.S. was third in 10.00. World record-holder Usain Bolt skipped the race. “It was a tough race,” Gay said. “I think Asafa kind of relaxed. ... I didn’t quit the race, even though I was far behind him.” Gay has beaten Powell four times this season, with the Jamaican winning once. Bolt, the Olympic champ who smashed the 100 and 200 records at last month’s world championships in Berlin, will race the 200 on Sunday. On Saturday, the Jamaican ran onto the track to applause from a crowd of 20,000 at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. Allyson Felix won the women’s 200, beating fellow American Sanya Richards in a photo finish after both finished in 22.29. Kerron Stewart of Jamaica was third in 22.42. In the women’s pole vault, world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva cleared a modest 15 feet, 9 inches for an easy victory. The Russian, who has broken the world record 27 times in her career, then failed at 16-7½. Brazil’s Fabiana Murer and Poland’s Monika Pyrek shared second at 15-1¼. Isinbayeva said her win felt like “revenge” for her loss last month in Berlin, where she failed to clear a height. She rebounded days later to set a world record of 16-7¼ in Zurich. She said she believes a 17-foot jump is possible. “This season was very up-and-down. ... I tried my best today,” she said. In the 400, Olympic and world champion LaShawn Merritt of the U.S. won in 44.93 seconds. Chris Brown of the Bahamas was second in 45.49 and David Neville of the U.S. was third in 45.60. Merritt extended his unbeaten streak to 12 races, but was unhappy with his time after finishing in 44.06 at the worlds. “All that matters in these races is victory. I think I can be called the best 400-meter runner (this season) — I’ve earned it.” Brittney Reese of the U.S. won the long jump in 23-2¾, pushing Russian duo Elena Sokolova (22-4¼) and Tatyana Lebedeva (22-3½) to second and third place. Javelin world champion Steffi Nerius ended her international career after throwing 205-4 for third place. The 37-year-old German wore her trademark headband, with “Goodbye” written in English, Greek and German. “The journey ends here,” Nerius said. “All these years I won many medals — Olympic, world, European. I achieved everything I could dream of.” Maria Abakumova of Russia won the event at 212-0. World record-holder Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic was third at 208-2. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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