Ben Johnson Escapes Injury After Sprint Win

Sprinter Ben Johnson came within a whisker of shattering a world-best mark and suffering a potentially serious injury in a 60-meter race at the University of Sherbrooke indoor track meet Sunday in Sherbrooke, Canada.

Johnson ran .06 seconds slower than his world mark of 6.41, but it was the end of the race that provided the most excitement and a brief moment of concern.

As he crossed the finish line, his momentum carried him up the incline of the track and he tumbled over some padding that protected the runners from hitting a railing.

Johnson fell over the barrier and landed on the floor, a drop of about five feet.

“I grabbed onto the curtain--that’s what helped,” Johnson said. “If I hadn’t done that, I might have landed on my neck and got hurt pretty badly.”

In bracing himself for the fall, Johnson said he numbed his finger. He hurt his back slightly when he landed on the floor.

The incident, which brought gasps from the crowd, almost obscured the race.

After one false start, Johnson did not get his usual burst from the starting line. Brian Cooper was at his side for the first 45 meters, but the American was left behind by a Johnson burst, finishing .05 behind in 6.52.

Johnson, who went unbeaten in 21 races last year, has been named the Associated Press male athlete of the year. Johnson had 322 points in balloting by sportswriters and broadcasters, 100 points ahead of second-place Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers.