Gordon Williams, Freelance Writer

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania:

A DROPPED baton at the first exchange, compounded by a scary collision between runners, wiped out one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes at the Penn Relays yesterday and ended Jamaica's bid for the women's sprint medley relay title.

Jamaica, getting electrifying support from a vociferous flag-waving crowd eager for the team to topple the host country in a race billed as the "USA v. the World", failed to get beyond Nadine Palmer's attempted hand-off to Sherone Simpson after the first 200-metre leg.

Nursing a sore head

The incident, described as an accident by members of both teams, left Palmer nursing a sore head after she stumbled into the path of American second-leg runner Miki Barber. Barber's leg struck Palmer as she attempted to leap over the fallen Jamaican.

"Nadine just dropped the baton," the American said. "I don't know how she fell, but she seemed to have fallen into my lane and then I kept running and I ran into her. I tried to jump over her, but her head was kind of up and my right leg hit her head. I kind of got pushed over and I almost fell."

As Simpson watched her teammate sprawl to the track and the baton roll away, Barber completed her leg. She was not injured in the collision. But the incident dampened the early build-up for Jamaica's teams on the final - and warmest - day of the three-day meet at Franklin Field stadium here.

Disappointment

Simpson, for whom the sprint medley was her only run of the meet, did not hide her disappointment.

"We had a pretty good team," the world's top ranked female sprinter said after the race. "It's just unfortunate we didn't get to run."

Members of "USA Red", which won the event ahead of "USA Blue", were also disappointed at the Jamaicans' fate as they too were keyed up for a competitive showdown.

"I really looked forward to race the Jamaicans," said Hazel Clarke, who anchored the winning team. "They were the one to beat so the race was easier without them. I was really pumped up to race against them, you really have to be on your Ps and Qs against the Jamaicans."

Palmer recovered to run a leg for Jamaica in the "USA v. the World" 4x100 event about an hour and 15 minutes later. That team finished second to "USA Red". Jamaica's men also finished second in the 4x100, beaten by "USA Red". However, Clarke and others said the sprint medley incident marred a good spectacle for the crowd.

"As soon as the Jamaicans dropped the baton the stadium hushed," Clarke said. "I could feel it."

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.