Johnson & Devers

The leading US sprint hurdlers Allen Johnson and Gail Devers shows why they will be favourites for the forth coming World IAAF Indoor Championships with world leading performances at the US indoor trials at Boston.

Johnson clocked 7.39 just 1/100th outside his best set back in 1995, to defeat Terrance Tremell [7.44] as the two claimed the US team spots for Birmingham , Larry Wade 7.42 this season was back in third with 7.61.

Devers set her second American record of the season with a 7.74 clocking in her heat before taking the title with 7.85 just in front of Melissa Morrison in 7.88. Morrison just edged Damu Cherry [7.90] after Cherry had set a new best in the heats with 7.84.

Devers had early in the season run 7.78, but this time now moves her up to equal third on the all time lists just 5/100ths behind Ludmila Engquist's World record of 7.69.

In the men's race there was also high quality hurdling with Larry Wade edging Terrance Tramell 7.48 to 7.49. With Allan Johnson's 7.48 currently the only other sub 7.50 time in the world this year, qualification for the US team for the world indoors will be very strongly contested.

British highlights of the weekend included a 7.78 clocking by Allan Scott to win the Scottish championships, which ranks him second in the UK to date despite some questioning over the start. However Scott who had run 7.86 in th eheat is clearly in fine form and could challenge the 7.75 qualification mark for the world Indoors.

In the Women's event Rachel King ran a season's best 8.27 to win the Lansing International in Cardiff where Symone Belle aslo ran a fine 8.44 - though both had to give way to a new Irish Record of 8.18 set by Deval O'Rourke. In the Junior race Northern Ireland's Catherine Crawford continued her fine season with a 8.61 pb.

In Glasgow the Scottish title went to Helen Worsey with 8.44 and 8.45 heat and final times respectively.

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