Osaka, Japan – Despite being slower out of the blocks, Tyson Gay caught and surged past Asafa Powell in the 100-meters final, finishing in 9.85 seconds to claim his first gold medal at a major international championship on Sunday at the world track and field championships.
“After 60 meters I saw that I could catch him – and it worked,” Gay said. “I stayed relaxed and believed in my top speed even though I had a bad start.”
Powell, sensing defeat, was passed by Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas at the tape in 9.91. Powell was third in 9.96, and even though he is co-holder of the world record at 9.77, he admitted he ran scared.
“I panicked. I felt him coming on,” Powell said. “That slowed me down. … I made a big mistake.”
Although the 100 was tough to predict, nothing was easier than picking Carolina Kluft for an unprecedented third straight heptathlon title. And the 24-year-old Swede did it with a European record, becoming the second best heptathlete of all time after American Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Kluft easily stretched her five-year unbeaten streak, earning 7,032 points to eclipse Russian Nikitina Larisa’s 18-year-old European record by 25 points.
In the women’s 100 second-round heats, Veronica Campbell of Jamaica cruised into the semifinals with a time of 11.08.
Her main rival, U.S. champion Torri Edwards, won her heat in 11.13, easing up at the finish.
WNBA
Mercury claims West semifinal series
Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points as the Phoenix Mercury blew a 22-point second-half lead but recovered for a 95-89 win Sunday and a sweep of the visiting Seattle Storm in the best-of-three WNBA Western Conference semifinals.
Diana Taurasi, who had 20 points and six assists, hit a 3-pointer and made a free throw in the final 2:30 after Seattle had tied it at 85 with 2:50 left. The Storm trailed 60-38 with 8:21 left in the third.
Lauren Jackson scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Seattle.
“Yeah, a huge disappointment,” Jackson said. “But I think Phoenix is a better team and they definitely demonstrated that throughout the series.”
Cheryl Ford scored 11 points, including a basket with 44 seconds remaining, and the Detroit Shock staved off elimination by beating the visiting New York Liberty 76-73 in Game 2.
MOTORSPORTS
Dixon seizes IndyCar points lead
Scott Dixon took advantage of Dario Franchitti’s late collision with Marco Andretti, winning for the fourth time this season and taking the lead in the IndyCar Series championship with two races remaining.
Franchitti, starting from the pole and beginning the Motorola Indy 300 with an eight-point lead over Dixon in the title fight, dominated the 80-lap race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., controlling it until the last round of pit stops.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa won his third race of the year and his second consecutive Turkish Grand Prix by beating teammate Kimi Raikkonen in Istanbul.
Two-time defending Formula One champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren was third.
Overall leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren had been in third place but dropped to fifth after shredding a tire on the 43rd lap. Nick Heidfeld was fourth.
Sebastien Bourdais, bidding to become the first driver to win four straight Champ Car series titles, won Champ Car’s inaugural Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder, Belgium, for his sixth victory this season.
Bruno Junqueira of Brazil was second on the 2.5-mile circuit at Zolder. Graham Rahal, Bourdais’ rookie teammate at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, was third despite starting from 13th on the grid.
FOOTNOTES
Russell, R. Williams on Olympic team
Gary Russell Jr. dominated Roberto Marroquin, and Raynell Williams outlasted Hylon Williams in the final two matches of the U.S. Olympic boxing trials in Houston.
Russell beat Marroquin 18-14 to win the 119-pound (bantamweight) spot on the Olympic team, while Raynell Williams won 24-22 to take the 125-pound (featherweight) berth.
The 19-year-old Russell, of Capitol Heights, Md., pounded Marroquin with a flurry of punches in the opening seconds of the match and never lost control. In the third round, Russell sent Marroquin into the ropes with a hard right, then landed two quick lefts to take a 16-9 lead into the final round.
In the second fight, Raynell Williams built a 10-point lead in the first two rounds, then hung on as Hylon Williams rallied back.
Samantha Hunt scored in overtime to lead Canada to a 4-3 victory over the United States, giving the Canadians a three-game sweep in the under-22 women’s hockey series in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The United States got second-half goals from Kirk Urso and Mykell Bates to beat Belgium 2-0 and advance to the second round of the under-17 World Cup soccer tournament in Ulsan, South Korea.
Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in thoroughbred racing history, was suspended for 15 days and fined for using his whip on an injured horse who later died.
Boyd Duckett won his second Bassmaster event this season with a two-day total of 30 pounds, 1 ounce to beat Jason Quinn and three-time angler of the year Kevin VanDam in Russellville, Ark.
James Posey agreed to a contract with the Boston Celtics. Terms were not released.
