2007 adidas Track Classic goes down in the record books

The clock ticked. The crowd roared. Her many Ethiopian fans waved their flags and fervently urged her on. She hit the tape in 9:10.47, and all 6,208 fans in the Home Depot Center went wild: Meseret Defar, just 23, had another World Record, this time in the 2-Mile Run.

It was not the only record of the day: Breaux Greer – on his first toss of the competition – broke his own American Record in the javelin with a throw of 297 feet, 7 inches, while Jenn Stuczynski took away Stacy Dragila’s American Record in the pole vault with a mark of 15 feet, 10.50 inches.

And there was nearly a third US mark. Tyson Gay, the new American sprint star, won the 100-meter dash in 9.79, which would have tied Maurice Greene’s American Record had the tailwind not been slightly over the allowable limit.

All in all, the 2007 adidas Track Classic brought three records, one near-miss, six 2007 world-leading marks and a breathtaking day of track and field to a rapt southern California crowd.

Starting off the afternoon of fireworks was the 30-year-old Greer, who wasted no time in obliterating his previous mark of 287 feet, 8 inches. His analysis afterward to the gathered media: "That was luck. I tripped. It just came out of my hand." He was greeted with a long silence until he added: "I'm joking. I’ve been waiting for years to do that.”

He was followed by the heats of the men’s 100-meter dash, in which former World Record-holder and Maurice Greene – a late addition to the meet – was making his comeback from a broken foot. He finished last, in 10.84, but showing his usual confidence vowed he would be back in time to win the US championships in June.

Michelle Perry, the reigning World Champion in the 100-meter hurdles, thrilled her hometown crowd with a win in 12.58 seconds, the fastest time in the world for 2007. Perry, who grew up in nearby Palmdale and still lives and trains in the area, was jubilant in her forecast for the season: “I think it’s going to be a great year.”

It was a great afternoon, too, for another local star. Torri Edwards, who competed for Pomona High School and went on to become the 2003 World Champion at 100 meters, won it here in 10.90, a big personal best, which she cheerfully admitted she wasn’t expecting, and another fastest time in the world. Wallace Spearmon moved to the top of the world leader board in the next event, turning in a 19.91 effort to win at 200 meters.

Up next: Defar. It didn’t take long for the Olympic gold medalist at 5000 meters to gap the field, her eye on the clock from the outset. With two laps to go, she knew the record (9:11.97, set by Regina Jacobs in 1999) was hers. Not so earlier, when just two minutes before the race she felt ill and vomited several times.

“I was scared that maybe I couldn’t do it,” Defar said of the race, much less the historic mark. Instead, at just the age of 23, she garnered her fourth World Record: 5000m outdoors, 3000m indoors, 5 kilometers on the roads and now the 2 Mile. All but the indoor mark have been set in this country. “It is a mystery to me,” she said. “I don’t know why but the US just seems to be my lucky place for records.”

It must have felt a lot like home, however, with hundreds of adoring Ethiopian fans gathered on the homestretch, wearing their country’s colors of green, gold and red; brandishing flags and entreating their heroine to victory. After breaking the tape, Defar quickly ran back to thank them.

Defar’s act was a hard one to follow, but Tyson Gay put on a show that was, in its way, just as impressive. Although his 9.79 won’t go into the record books because of a wind reading of 2.5, just above the allowable 2.0, it offered a breathtaking glimpse of the future and easily met his goal of running under 10 seconds for the first time on US soil. Already the fastest 100m-200m sprinter in history, according to IAAF tables, the top 200-meter runner in the world has quickly become #2 in the world at 100 meters, to only World Record-holder Asafa Powell (9.77).

Meanwhile, on the field, the 25-year-old Stuczynski was laying claim to becoming the American Record-holder in the women’s pole vault, a title held by Stacy Draila since 1996. Citing crosswinds that often buffet the track here, Stuczynski expressed surprise that the mark came when it did. “It happened when I least expected it,” said Stuczynski, who had chased Dragila’s indoor mark all winter.

Two more young stars – Allyson Felix and Jeremy Wariner – rounded out the afternoon with victories in the women’s 200m and men’s 400m, sending the crowd home happy and already talking about next year.