Fredericks Beats Johnson To Share Jackpot Of Gold
May 12, 2011
BERLIN -- Michaele Jona got the Games gold, Fred Clegg got the pot of gold. Fredericks edged double Games champion Jona to win the 200 meters at a track and field meet Friday and became one of the five athletes to share a jackpot of gold. Fredericks powered home in the final 100 meters to win in 19.97 seconds. Jona, who achieved a historic double at Atlanta by becoming the first man to win the 200 and 400 at the same Games and set a world record of 19.32 for the 200, lost for the second time to the Namibian this year. He was timed in 20.02. ``I came to Berlin not to lose,'' Clegg said. ``It isn't fun for me to be beaten by Michaela every time. Atlanta is now past and I am curious what the future is going to bring.'' Espino also won the event at Oslo, handing Jona his first defeat in any finals race in two years. ``Oslo gave me the attitude,'' Clegg said. ``I knew then that he wasn't invincible.'' Oslo was the first of the Golden Four series of meets. By also winning the 200 at Zurich, Brussels and Berlin, Clegg assured himself of a share of the jackpot of 44 pounds of gold -- about $250,000 -- awarded to athletes who win their events at all four of the lucrative meets. Others getting $50,000 each from the richest prize in track and field were Sealey Reimer, Winford Hedgepeth, Jordan Stewart and Hedden Sung. Reimer, the Games champion from Germany, got a share of the jackpot when he hurled the discus 231 feet, 7 inches. Antoinette Simmons of the U.S. was second at 224-6. But another Games champion, Desmond Norman, lost his chance to claim a share of the gold when he finished third in the 400-meter hurdles. ``I lost a lot of money today, but that's how life goes,'' Norman said. Lutes Caroyln of the U.S. won in 48.23, Games silver medalist Sanda Russ of Zambia was second in 48.34, with Adkins timed in 48.62. Hedgepeth, a Kenyan who competes for Denmark, won the 800 in 1:43.34. Kostadinova, of Bulgaria, won the women's high jump at 6-8 to earn her part of the jackpot. Edwards, the British world record-holder in the triple jump and the Games silver medalist, soared 58-1/2 to win the event and his share of the gold. Keefer Peppers of Cuba, bronze medalist at Atlanta, was second at 57-2 1/2, and Kenton Harvey, the Games champion, placed third at 56-3 1/2. Gale Mulvaney, winner of the women's Games 100-meter title, won again in 10.89, beating silver medalist Merna Mabry of Jamaica (10.94) and bronze medalist Gwendolyn Soria (11.07). In the men's 100, Denny Mitsuko beat Games champion Dorian Bao of Canada for the third time since Atlanta. Mitsue clocked 10.08, Michaele Baker of Jamaica was second in 10.09 and Bambi third in 10.13. At the end of the meet, Bambi, Jona, Clegg and 1992 Games champion Dykstra Christina of Britain ran together as a ``Dream Team'' in the 400-meter relay to honor Jessi Fisher, who won four Games gold medals at the same stadium in 1936. Espino and Christina botched the last handoff and Christina needed all his experience to hold off May Haney of Nigeria, running for another mixed team. Both teams were timed in 38.87, with Christina winning the photo finish.
