US showdown with Jamaicans begins with women’s 100 metre beat

Saturday, August 04, 2012 - London — The only way for the United States to turn the Olympic sprints into a real rivalry with Jamaica is to start winning every now and then. When the women begin the 100-meter heats Friday, the Americans might find that’s easier said than done. Lining up for Jamaica will be 2008 gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, silver medalist Kerron Stewart and Veronica Campbell-Brown, who has five Olympic medals but wasn’t fast enough to qualify for the 100 in Beijing. And the U.S.? Well, there’s 100 world champion Carmelita Jeter of Gardena, Calif., but she’s joined by a converted long jumper, Tianna Madison of Sanford, Fla. And there’s Allyson Felix of Santa Clarita, Calif., who readily admits the 100 is little more than a warmup for her “real” event, the 200.

“We do enjoy racing against each other,” Campbell-Brown said. The Jamaicans really do. They keep outdoing the Americans.

There was Jamaica’s three-medal haul in the 100 four years ago. And two of the three medals in the women’s 200, too. “It didn’t matter who it was who beat you, you wanted a rematch and you wanted to get out there and prove yourself,” Felix said.

Heading into the last Olympics, this was actually viewed as a genuine rivalry, with opinions divided about which country was better. In the 100 final there was no doubt.

All three American runners, Muna Lee, Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards, got off to slow starts, delayed off the block because they thought Edwards had false started. Jamaica was so good it won gold (Fraser-Pryce) and not one.—Agencies