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Freeman
OSLO, CANA-Reuters -
TRINIDADIAN Ato Boldon sped to his second international sprint double success this month when he won the 100 and 200 metres at the Bislett Games last night.
Boldon, a strong gold medal candidate at the Sydney Olympics, landed the 100 metres in 10.00 seconds, and the 200 in 20.26, to complement his Lausanne double three weeks ago.
Barbadian Obadele Thompson was third to Boldon in the 200 metres, and Jamaica's Michelle Freeman was another Caribbean top-three finisher, with third in the women's 100-metre hurdles.
The 26-year-old Boldon has much to gain from the failure of Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene to make the US 200 metres team for the Sydney Olympics.
He was unable to defend his title in Seville last year through injury. Instead he watched from the stands as his training partner Greene won the title for the United States.
Boldon, who now lives in Los Angeles, was again in the stands during the US trials this month and was on hand to see both Johnson, the 1996 Olympic champion and world record holder, and Greene pull up with hamstring injuries during the 200 final.
The race was expected to provide a prelude for a spectacular showdown between the pair in Sydney this September, a perception which annoyed Boldon, the 1997 world 200-metre champion.
"I felt insulted, I felt totally excluded," said Boldon, who had gone faster 9.95 (100 metres) and 19.97 (200 metres) with his wins in Lausanne.
Boldon beat American Greg Saddler (10.10) in the 100 metres, and stopped Ramon Clay (20.32) and Thompson (20.60) in the 200 metres. Boldon is the IAAF 100-metre grand prix leader with 45.5 points.
Freeman, the 100-metre hurdles grand prix leader, ran 12.84 seconds as American Gail Devers, confirmed she will start as favourite in Sydney with an untroubled win in 12.56 seconds. Nigerian Glory Alozie was second in 12.69 seconds.
Freeman (45 points) is now just one point ahead of Devers in the grand prix standings for the event.
Norwegian Trine Hattestad broke the world women's javelin record for the second time within a month before her home crowd, the 62nd world record to fall at the historic stadium.
The 34-year-old former world champion hurled the redesigned javelin 69.48 metres with her sixth and final throw to break her own mark of 68.22 set at the Rome golden league meeting on June 30.
