WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES : U.S. Track Team Shows Midas Touch on Final Day

The United States closed the World University Games at Buffalo, N.Y., with a flourish in track and field, sweeping all four relays and getting eight individual medals, including gold in the men’s long jump and women’s high jump.

The victories in the men’s and women’s 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays, along with Kareem Streete-Thompson’s gold medal in the long jump and Tanya Hughes’ victory in the high jump, put a golden cap on a stellar performance by the U.S. team.

The six golds, five silvers and one bronze Sunday gave the United States 28 track medals--20 more than second-place finishers Nigeria and Cuba.

The overall count had the United States well ahead with 75 medals--30 gold, 24 silver and 21 bronze. Canada was next with 40, 12 of them gold.

“All of us have run against each other collegiately, and to come together and run the best time in the world is amazing,” said Cheryl Taplin of Louisiana State, part of the 400-meter relay team.

“We were able to come together. Unlike other American teams, we haven’t had a lot of egos to have to mess with,” said Tony Miller of UCLA, a member of the men’s 400-meter squad.

Streete-Thompson of Rice took the long jump with a leap of 26 feet 11 3/4 inches. Hughes, of Arizona, won the high jump by clearing a height of 6-4 3/4.

Organizers had hoped to sell 500,000 tickets for the games but didn’t come close. Minus the 70,000 at the opening ceremony, ticket sales barely surpassed half the projected goal.