SACRAMENTO ““”“ After setting a new personal record in
the 400-meter semifinals two days earlier, UCLA sprinter Monique
Henderson just didn’t have enough left in Saturday’s
400m final. During the race at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Henderson
came out quickly but couldn’t muster the energy in the final
150 meters to propel her into the top three as she finished fifth
in 50.75 seconds. “I went out really fast, and I lost
focus,” Henderson said. “I didn’t have enough
juice in the end.” During her semifinal race Thursday,
Henderson broke her old record of 50.62 by almost a tenth of a
second, running to a second place finish in her heat in a time of
50.53. And though she wasn’t able to secure one of the three
invitations to compete in the 400m in Athens, Greece, she could be
a member of the 4x400m relay team. Henderson was an alternate in
the 2000 Olympics, but this summer’s Olympics will provide a
more significant chance for her actually to compete. “This
time around means so much more to me,” Henderson said after
her race.
100M HURDLES HEYDAY:Â This weekend three
members of last year’s National Championship team competed in
the 100m hurdles. Both Sani Roseby and Sheena Johnson advanced to
Sunday’s semifinals, but neither could break into the top
eight to advance to the finals. Meanwhile, junior Dawn Harper did
not get past the quarterfinals. For Johnson, not moving forward to
the finals was not a major concern. She already heads to Athens as
the top 400m hurdler in the world after winning the event last
week. While she could have at least given some more competition for
the top three spots in the 100m hurdles, Johnson got heavily
smashed up in Sunday’s warm-ups just 10 minutes prior to the
race. “I told myself just to try and race and see what
happens,” Johnson said. “While I wanted to make the
finals, it’s not that big of deal since I’m already
going (to Athens).” Meanwhile, Roseby and Harper used this
weekend’s competition as an opportunity to gain valuable
experience. “I wanted to see if this is what I wanted to do
after college,” Harper said after finishing last in her heat
in 13.3 seconds. “I think it is.” For Roseby, though
she didn’t make the finals, nothing in this experience was
disappointing. “There’s no way I can be disappointed.
I’m happy I made it here to the semifinals,” Roseby
said. “And in four more years I’ll be here in the
finals.”
JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:Â In last
week’s world championships in Grosetto, Italy, UCLA
men’s hurdler Brandon Johnson finished second in a blistering
time of 48.62. Though Johnson was beat by American rival Kerron
Clement of Florida, he set a new personal record, beating his old
time of 48.85. “The race was easier for me because I let the
race come to me,” Johnson said. “I got out pretty well
since I’ve been doing what I normally do and not think about
hitting any hurdles.” In the past several months Johnson
hadn’t come near his old personal record since setting it at
the Pac-10 Championships. While he and Clement had the two best
collegiate times coming into the National Championships, Johnson
couldn’t even make the finals as Clement won it all. But now
Johnson definitely has proven his Pac-10 time wasn’t a fluke.
“This is the greatest feeling since I did not get any further
than Pac-10 (Championships). This is also a (personal record), so I
am extremely excited about that as well.” Now Johnson will
return to Los Angeles and face another challenge ““ summer
school.