EUGENE, Ore. — Former LSU sprinter Xavier Carter lined up against a world-class field Sunday at the 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic and crossed the finish line with his first 200-meter title of the outdoor season at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Carter cut through a stiff headwind measuring 2.3 meters per second down the home straightaway to edge runner-up Wallace Spearmon at the finish line with a time of 20.23 seconds.
Spearmon ? the reigning U.S. champion and runner-up at the world championships in 2005 ? finished just a split-second behind Carter with a time of 20.25. Jamaican Asafa Powell (20.55) and Americans Shawn Crawford (20.58) and Jeremy Wariner (20.78) were also in one of more elite 200-meter fields in meet history.
Crawford is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 200 meters, while Wariner won gold in the 400 meters at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and Powell is the current world record holder in the 100-meter dash with a lifetime best of 9.77 in the event.
“It was a little windy at the start, and I just tried to pull myself through,” Carter said. “I’m used to running two to three races a weekend like I did in college, and I’ve just been training, running races to get into shape. They counted me out. Now, I’m just preparing myself for worlds.”
Carter is now preparing himself to compete at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held at the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., from June 20-24. It has yet to be determined whether he will run the 100, 200 or 400 meters, according to LSU head coach Dennis Shaver.
In addition to Carter’s win in the 200 meters, other former LSU track and field standouts enjoyed outstanding performances at the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday.
Sprinter Muna Lee and pole vaulter Russ Buller earned meet runner-up honors in their respective events as Lee took second place in the women’s 100-meter dash after clocking a time of 11.21 and Buller cleared a height of 18 feet, 4 ? inches to finish second in the pole vault.
Former Lady Tiger hurdler Lolo Jones placed third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.80, and jumps specialist Walter Davis took fifth in the men’s long jump competition after recording a mark of 25-5 ? as he was the only participant to jump into a headwind. Quarter-miler Alleyne Francique finished seventh in the men’s 400-meter dash at 46.17.
Each athlete will now look to earn a spot on the world championship team for their respective countries as the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships are slated to begin Aug. 25 in Osaka, Japan.