Anchor Leg

Hawthorne High School set a national prep record in the girls' 800-meter medley relay Friday with a time of 1 minute 42 seconds in the Mt. SAC Relays at Mt. San Antonio College. Adienna Thomas and Deaundra Wheeler ran the first two 100-meter legs, followed by Deanna Amy running the 200-meter leg. Kee-sha Adams ran the anchor leg, covering the final 400 meters in 53.7 seconds. Sterling High of Houston held the old mark of 1:42.12, set last year.

LONDON -- Allison's aim was true. That would be American Allison Schmitt, who is having those lifetime moments, day after day, at the London Olympic Games. This time Schmitt was swimming the anchor leg for the U.S. women in the 800-meter freestyle relay, lifting the Americans from second to first with a determined effort on Wednesday night. The U.S. took the gold with in an Olympic record time of 7 minutes 42.92 seconds. Australia, which had led after three legs, was second in 7:44.41 and France was well back in 7:47.49 to take the bronze.

Jenna Johnson didn't need to make excuses. Not after winning the 50-yard freestyle and swimming on two winning relay teams. Not with her Stanford team leading the Pacific 10 Women's Swimming Championships by more than 100 points. But she was asked about it as she dripped her way off the deck at the East Los Angeles College Swim Stadium Friday night, so she admitted that, yes, she has a cold. She has missed some workout time and she is on antibiotics.

If the torch can be passed in a swimming pool, it happened here in the final event Saturday, the women's 400-meter freestyle relay at the Olympics. The greatest relay swimmer in recent history couldn't hold a lead, and a new generation, led by Australian Jodie Henry, stepped right up. So often, 31-year-old American Jenny Thompson has been the closer on successful relays, but this time, it wasn't even close.

When Beno Bryant of Dorsey High School runs the 400 meters, he looks at ease with himself, unlike his preparation that is anything but easy. "I really dislike the quarter (-mile), especially when it comes time to run," said Bryant, who set a new City record of 46.63 last Thursday night at the City Track and Field Championships at Birmingham High School. "The only time I like it, is after I am done." Bryant, who only started to run the 400 meters late last season, has found success in this one lap race despite his pre-race jitters.

The girls' track team from Locke High School, which has embraced victory as its own in the City finals the past three years, was there by the fence on the far straightaway at Birmingham High in Van Nuys hugging and crying for a different reason Saturday.

Michael Spindler, running the anchor 1,600-meter leg, led Cal Poly Pomona to victory in the college division distance medley relay Saturday at the 80th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. It was Cal Poly's second relay title of the meet. The Broncos won the 3,200-meter relay Friday. Spindler, who led throughout his leg, held off Emporia State's David Kipelio in the final 50 meters as Cal Poly won in 9:57.48. Stephane Franke led off for Cal Poly on the 1,200-meter leg and was followed by Dario Robinson in the 400 and Marc Spina in the 800. Franke, Spina and Spindler also ran on the winning 3,200 team, joining TeFere Gebre.

Rio Mesa High track and field co-Coach Brian FitzGerald believes it was best for Marion Jones and the Spartans that the school's 1,600-meter relay team did not qualify for Saturday's Southern Section 3-A Division preliminaries at Camarillo High. The team finished fourth at the Channel League finals May 3 with only the top three advancing to the preliminarie. An athlete is allowed to compete in only four events, and the sophomore sprinter was kept pretty busy as it was Saturday.

Just as most of the 3,000 athletes competing in the U.S. Olympic Festival were saying hello to North Carolina Friday night, Sarah Anderson was saying goodby. In a unique twist, the Festival had its opening ceremony at Carter-Finley Stadium on the North Carolina State campus five days after the opening of competition.

It's a good thing the well-wishers were waiting for her just beyond the finish line, because Leslie Maxie didn't plan to be on her feet much longer. "I felt good in one respect," the USC freshman said, "but, in another, I was dying. I was really hurting." While the aching body might have said otherwise, Maxie was, indeed, feeling very good.

Reality did not disrupt the years of Ian Thorpe's daydream-believing in the swimming pool. Incredibly, this was better than some fantasy on career day at school. Call it Ian's World. Back when Thorpe's foot size was still measured in single digits, who would have believed he would win two Olympic gold medals--setting two world records, the second with three of his buddies in a relay to beat the favored Americans--all in front of his family, friends and country?

Fred Williams of Taft High was battered and bruised after a West Valley League track and field showdown Friday against visiting Birmingham. But the pain was worth it after the senior anchored Taft to a come-from-behind victory in the mile relay to push the Toreadors past the Patriots, 68-59. Taft, the top-ranked team in the region by The Times, had a 63-59 lead over No. 2 Birmingham entering the mile relay, the final event of the meet.

Rio Mesa High track and field co-Coach Brian FitzGerald believes it was best for Marion Jones and the Spartans that the school's 1,600-meter relay team did not qualify for Saturday's Southern Section 3-A Division preliminaries at Camarillo High. The team finished fourth at the Channel League finals May 3 with only the top three advancing to the preliminarie. An athlete is allowed to compete in only four events, and the sophomore sprinter was kept pretty busy as it was Saturday.

Carl Lewis anchored the Santa Monica Track Club's 400-meter relay team to victory and won the 100-meter dash at the New York Games Sunday. After taking a poor baton pass from Floyd Heard, Lewis began the final 100-meter leg about a half-meter behind Tony Dees of the Florida Clippers. But about 40 meters later, Lewis was in the lead. Instead of bursting through the tape, however, Lewis slowed before it and the winning time was 38.18 seconds, short of the world record of 37.83 set by the 1984 U.S.

When Beno Bryant of Dorsey High School runs the 400 meters, he looks at ease with himself, unlike his preparation that is anything but easy. "I really dislike the quarter (-mile), especially when it comes time to run," said Bryant, who set a new City record of 46.63 last Thursday night at the City Track and Field Championships at Birmingham High School. "The only time I like it, is after I am done." Bryant, who only started to run the 400 meters late last season, has found success in this one lap race despite his pre-race jitters.

Michael Spindler, running the anchor 1,600-meter leg, led Cal Poly Pomona to victory in the college division distance medley relay Saturday at the 80th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. It was Cal Poly's second relay title of the meet. The Broncos won the 3,200-meter relay Friday. Spindler, who led throughout his leg, held off Emporia State's David Kipelio in the final 50 meters as Cal Poly won in 9:57.48. Stephane Franke led off for Cal Poly on the 1,200-meter leg and was followed by Dario Robinson in the 400 and Marc Spina in the 800. Franke, Spina and Spindler also ran on the winning 3,200 team, joining TeFere Gebre.

LONDON -- Allison's aim was true. That would be American Allison Schmitt, who is having those lifetime moments, day after day, at the London Olympic Games. This time Schmitt was swimming the anchor leg for the U.S. women in the 800-meter freestyle relay, lifting the Americans from second to first with a determined effort on Wednesday night. The U.S. took the gold with in an Olympic record time of 7 minutes 42.92 seconds. Australia, which had led after three legs, was second in 7:44.41 and France was well back in 7:47.49 to take the bronze.

Reality did not disrupt the years of Ian Thorpe's daydream-believing in the swimming pool. Incredibly, this was better than some fantasy on career day at school. Call it Ian's World. Back when Thorpe's foot size was still measured in single digits, who would have believed he would win two Olympic gold medals--setting two world records, the second with three of his buddies in a relay to beat the favored Americans--all in front of his family, friends and country?

Just as most of the 3,000 athletes competing in the U.S. Olympic Festival were saying hello to North Carolina Friday night, Sarah Anderson was saying goodby. In a unique twist, the Festival had its opening ceremony at Carter-Finley Stadium on the North Carolina State campus five days after the opening of competition.

The girls' track team from Locke High School, which has embraced victory as its own in the City finals the past three years, was there by the fence on the far straightaway at Birmingham High in Van Nuys hugging and crying for a different reason Saturday.