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<< 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: Sunday, September 13, 2009 Jeter becomes 3rd fastest woman ever in 100 Associated Press THESSALONIKI, Greece — It would take something special to upstage Usain Bolt at the World Athletics Special. Carmelita Jeter provided it. The 29-year-old American sprinter ran the fastest women’s 100 meters in 11 years, winning in 10.67 seconds and blowing away world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser. It was easily the best performance in an event marked by pedestrian efforts from athletes tired after a long season. “When I got into the race and the gun went off I didn’t think, I just ran to the line,” Jeter said. “Everything felt slow, and when my coach says that it feels slow, it’s actually fast.” Her coach, John Smith, said after the race that he was “still in shock” after seeing his athlete become the third fastest woman of all time. Only world-record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner and Marion Jones have had faster times. Griffith-Joyner’s record from 1988 is 10.49, while Jones clocked 10.65 in 1998. Jeter trailed Fraser at the start but flew past her for a small measure of revenge after losing to the Jamaican at last month’s worlds in Berlin. Jeter was quick to credit Smith with her success, saying that hooking up with the coach in November last year was “the best decision I ever made.” However, it hasn’t been a totally smooth transition. Smith, a veteran coach whose many charges include former 100 greats Maurice Greene, Ato Boldon and Torri Edwards, overhauled Jeter’s training regime so drastically that she initially wasn’t sure it would work. “In the beginning, I felt frustrated,” Jeter said. “He changed everything.” Smith said she expects Jeter to keep improving and become the dominant women’s sprinter in future championships. “She had the potential, like Bolt did for the men, to take the 100 to another level, to regular (performances) in the 10.60s, possibly the 10.50s,” Smith said. “But I would really like to see her run the 200.” Griffith-Joyner’s 21-year-old record has long been considered impregnable, and Jeter wasn’t about to start thinking about breaking it. “Chasing certain times will only get you hurt,” she said. “Right now, my objective is to return home healthy.” 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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