Reniewicki breaks 40-year-old Drake Relays 1,500m record / Photo: Ben Stansall - AFP/File
Reniewicki breaks 40-year-old Drake Relays 1,500m record
American John Reniewicki broke a 40-year-old meet record in the men's 1,500 meters and Britain's Cindy Sember captured the women's 100 hurdles on Saturday at the 114th Drake Relays.
Reniewicki won the 1,500 in 3:36.44 to snap the old mark of 3:38.27 set in 1984 by American Steve Scott in the annual athletics classic at Des Moines, Iowa.
"Breaking a record that old at a meet this historic just makes it so much more fun," said Reniewicki, who defeated US runner-up Vince Ciatti by .13 of a second.
Sember took the 100 hurdles in 12.59 with Jamaica's Demisha Roswell second in 12.68 in an early tuneup for the Paris Olympics.
"I'm very happy," Sember said. "It's still early. I'm very grateful I can put my race together and come away with a win today.
"I've been working on my strength in the weight room this year. I'm just going to continue to work on that and get better."
Lolo Jones, a 41-year-old hometown hero, was fifth in 13.10. The two-time world indoor 60m hurdles champion and former Olympian and world champion brakewoman in bobsledding, was disappointed she couldn't duplicate top practice efforts in the race.
"Training has been going great. Races though, whole different ball game," Jones said. "Hard coming from bobsled to get back into track mode... what's killing me is the start.
"I truly wish I could have showed them I'm not a washed-up 41-year-old. I have a 12.9 in my legs but I just didn't have it today."
KC Lightfoot, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, won the men's pole vault by clearing 5.84m. Lightfoot set an American record of 6.07m last June to rank fourth on the all-time world list.
Canada's Aurora Rynda closed strong to win the women's 800 in 2:00.97, edging American Julia Nielsen by .02 of a second.
"I was so happy," Rynda said. "I'm happy I finished strong."
American Deshae Wise won the women's 400 hurdles in 55.52 second with Lauren Hoffman of the Philippines second in 55.72.
Aldrich Bailey won the men's 400 hurdles in 48.82 seconds, defeating fellow American Trevor Bassitt by .11 with Shakeem Hall-Smith of the Bahamas third in 49.52.
Bailey hungers for the chance to compete in Paris after placing fourth in the US trials for the Tokyo Olympics.
"Definitely going to boost my confidence," Bailey said. "I want to feel this at the Olympic trials. I got fourth place (last time). I definitely didn't like that."
Payton Otterdahl, a Tokyo Olympian, won the men's shot put with an effort of 22.14m while fellow American Jalani Davis, the US college indoor champion, won the women's shot put at 18.23m.
A.Wallace--EWJ
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