Dashing performance in 100
Fraser wins gold, Jamaica sweeps
BEIJING - In the frenetic aftermath of a Jamaican sweep in the women's 100-meter dash, gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser received one congratulatory phone call after another. The first came from her mother, Maxine Simpson. The second from Jamaican prime minister Bruce Golding.
Jamaica's sweep was cause for a national celebration, and the prime minister wanted to join the party live. But while it rejoiced, the United States, for the second night in a row at the National Stadium, found itself on the wrong side of history in the 100.
It was the first 100-meter sweep in either the men's or women's race since the US men in the 1912 Games. For the first time since 1976, an American sprinter failed to win a medal in the women's 100 in a fully-attended Olympics. (Marion Jones won the 100 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but she later was stripped of the gold for steroid use.) In fact, when Belarusian Yuliya Nesterenko won the 100 in Athens in 2004, she broke a streak of five Olympics with first-place finishes by American women.
"Nobody expected me to win, so there was no pressure and all I had to do was execute," said Fraser, speaking through a braces-filled smile that never disappeared after she crossed the line in 10.78 seconds. "All three of us will be on the podium. That is going to be an amazing and historic moment for Jamaica."
Added runner-up Kerron Stewart, "I grew up watching the Olympics and see how many times Jamaica comes so close to getting a gold medal. For us to go one, two, three, Jamaican is saying something."
Even more shocking, Jamaica went 1-2-3 without reigning world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown. At the Jamaican Olympic trials, Campbell-Brown failed to qualify in her signature event, even though she is widely considered her country's best female sprinter. She will focus her energies on the 200 competition, which starts tomorrow, and the 4 x 100-meter relay. In addition to Fraser and Campbell-Brown, the relay should feature Stewart and Sherone Simpson, who finished in a dead heat for silver in 10.98.
Lauryn Williams led the US women with a fourth-place finish in 11.03, followed by Muna Lee (11.07) in fifth and Torri Edwards (11.20) in eighth. Williams said Jamaica's sweep will provide motivation for the relay.
"I knew Jamaica had a strong team," said Williams. "I knew we had a strong team. It was anybody's game, anybody's day getting on that line. They chose to show up and we didn't . . . It definitely hurts. It's very humbling. We kind of take for granted the fact that we've been on top of tons of Olympics before. It was hard on me getting second in 2004, so it's definitely hard on us for nobody to medal."
There was trouble from the gun for the Americans when Edwards thought she false started. She hesitated in the starting blocks, believing a second gun would call competitors back to the start. In the lane next to Edwards in the middle of the track, Lee also thought Edwards false started and expected a do-over. Instead, the two Americans never recovered from their poor starts. In Lane 8, Williams was unaware of any issues at the start. She simply did not have enough closing speed to overtake the Jamaicans.
The sweep comes on the heels of Jamaican Usain Bolt's dominance in the men's 100. Until Bolt, the Caribbean island nation known for producing world-class sprinters had never won Olympic gold in the 100. Considering both Bolt and Fraser are 21 years old, Jamaica may be ready to start a few historic streaks in the marquee sprint event. After Bolt's world record-setting victory, Jamaican sports minister Olivia Grange said she was on top of the world. She went even further after the women's race.
"I'm on top of it and all over it," said Grange. "It's an inspiration to all Jamaica and particularly to our young people."
Not wanting any suspicions about performance-enhancing drug use to ruin the moment, Grange was quick to add that the Jamaicans are always available for drug testing and are some of the most-tested athletes in the world.
The stunned Americans hope to regain some status in the sprint events in the 200 with Lee and Allyson Felix contenders for gold.
"I'm just going to focus on my next race and not worry about this one because I still felt great," said a noticeably upset Lee. "It was just a fine tune-up for my 200."
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com. 