Yokohoma - Everyone NH's in bad weather except Parnov

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MPV
ASANO, Yoshihiro JPN
ARIKI, Takehito JPN
SASASE, Hiroki JPN
HARTWIG, Jeff USA
SAWANO, Daichi JPN

WPV
NAKANO, Mami JPN
ABIKO, Tomomi JPN
NISHIKORI, Ikuko JPN
PARNOV, Vicky AUS
KONDO, Takayo JPN

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I think everyone NH'd

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http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=41917.html

Just one clearance in two Pole Vault competitions

The event most affected by the weather, of course, was a Pole Vault. In the women’s event, the reigning World Youth champion Vicky Parnov of Australia won with a relatively low height of just 4.00m; of the five vaulters entered the competition, Parnov was the lone vaulter to clear the opening height. The men fared even worse; all vaulters contesting the event, including American Jeff Hartwig and Japan’s Daichi Sawano failed to clear a height.

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http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28372/Mario-Sonic-game-dated

Blame it on the rain: Gay pulls through, Powell pulls up lame at Seiko Super Meet
Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter

YOKOHAMA--Tyson Gay sloshed his way to one of his slowest winning times in recent years. That's a lot better than can be said for sprint rival Asafa Powell.

Gay won the men's 100 meters in 10.23 seconds at the Seiko Super Meet on a dreary Sunday afternoon, while Powell continued a Japan jinx that started at this same meet last year by pulling up in the 200.

"The race was OK, considering the conditions," said Gay, the triple gold medalist at last month's IAAF world championships in Osaka. "I'm a little fatigued right now from the long season. I'm definitely happy with the win."

Powell was on track to leave Japan with his first win here but suffered a left hamstring strain coming off the curve to the shock of the sparse crowd at Nissan Stadium that braved the chilly rain.

While American J.J. Johnson went on to win the race in 20.64 seconds, Powell was limping down the track on his way to the first aid room.

"I'm very disappointed to end the season this way," Powell, the world record-holder in the 100, said in a statement released by organizers.

"I was really feeling good and was ready to run very fast.

"This is unfortunate because I really wanted to put on a good show for my Japanese fans who have supported me."

Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, said the Jamaican was in great shape and had been looking to run under 20 seconds, perhaps even threaten the national record of 19.75.

"As you could see in the first 100 meters on the turn, he was running quite well," Doyle said. "But unfortunately it wasn't meant to be today."

That seems to be the case whenever Powell steps on the track in Japan.

Last year, Powell came into the Super Meet undefeated for the season, only to be disqualified in the 100 for a second false start.

Then, at the world championships in Osaka, he cracked under pressure and allowed Gay to pass him in the 100 final, eventually fading to third place.

"It certainly has been three bad experiences in Japan the three times he's been here," Doyle said.

"It's certainly in his mind now. But I don't think it's something that would prevent him from coming back."

The only consolation for Powell is that the injury, which Doyle speculated was a minor muscle tear, came in his last race of the season.

"It's not the worse timing in the world for this to happen," Doyle said.

The combination of foul weather and the late date resulted in gritty but less-than-memorable performances.

In a near repeat of the top three from Osaka, world champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus won the men's hammer with a throw of 77.55 meters, more than six meters off his seasonal best.

Slovakia's Libor Charfreitag, third in Osaka, swapped places with silver medalist Primoz Kozmus, finishing second in 75.77. Slovenia's Kozmus had to settle for third at 75.29 on his 28th birthday.

Japan's Koji Murofushi, suffering from a fever, fouled on his last two attempts and placed fourth in 74.61.

Two recently crowned world champions came up short in their events, with Kerron Clement slipping to fifth in the men's 400 hurdles and Donald Thomas flopping to fourth in the men's high jump.

Bershawn Jackson, the 2005 champion who failed to make the 400 hurdles final in Osaka, came from a long way back to pass surprise leader Kenji Narisako of Japan and win in 49.80 seconds. Narisako was second in 49.92.

"When I first started, my body was so cold and it took awhile to get it warm and I eventually got going at 150 [meters] to go," Jackson said. "I had to really dig in the last 50 meters to catch him."

Thomas could only clear 2.15 meters, leaving him fourth in the event won by Sweden's Linus Thornblad at 2.21.

In other events, American Sanya Richards, winner of half of the 1 million dollars Golden League jackpot, cruised to victory in the women's 400 in 50.27, while Russian world champion Tatiana Lebedeva won the women's long jump with a leap of 6.63 meters.

With respect to Powell, the hardest toll from the rough weather came in the pole vault events.

None of the four men, including American Jeff Hartwig and Japan record-holder Daichi Sawano, were able to clear a height. Sawano missed three times at 5.30, while Hartwig was unsuccessful on his three attempts at 5.40.

Earlier in the women's event, Australia's Vicky Parnov was the only one of the five competitors to clear the opening height of 4.00, which also became the winning mark, the lowest in meet history.

(Oct. 1, 2007)