OLYMPIC REPORT 15 DAYS TO THE GAMES : Fredericks Barely Misses in 100

Frankie Fredericks of Namibia came within one-hundredth of a second of the 100-meter world record Wednesday in Lausanne, Switzerland, but is considering bypassing the race in the Olympics to challenge Michael Johnson over 200 meters.

Fredericks beat an Olympic-caliber field at the Athletissima Grand Prix meet, finishing in 9.86 seconds and equaling the second-fastest time in the event.

Only Leroy Burrell’s 9.85 world record is better and only Carl Lewis’ 9.86 was as fast.

“I haven’t decided yet. I am doing the 200 for sure,” Fredericks said.

Fredericks is now the only person to run under 9.88 twice under permissible conditions, going 9.87 in Finland last week.

Bailey of Canada was second in 9.93 and NCAA champion Ato Boldon of UCLA and Trinidad was third in 9.94.

Linford Christie of Britain, the 1992 Olympic champion, was fifth in 10.04. Burrell was seventh in 10.05 and Dennis Mitchell, the U.S. Olympic trials winner, was eighth and last in 10.15.

Boldon returned later to win the 200 in 19.85, the seventh-fastest time ever.

Gwen Torrence won the women’s 100 in 10.97.

Johnson ran 43.66 in the 400 meters, falling short of a 400-meter world record of 43.29.

In a showdown between the fastest 110-meter hurdlers, American Allen Johnson edged Briton Colin Jackson, 13.08-13.13.

Tonya Buford finished in 53.61 to lead Kim Batten (53.85) and Tonya Williams (54.17) in a 1-2-3 sweep for the United States in the women’s 400 hurdles.

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Former Olympic gold medalist Kipchoge Keino, head of Kenya’s Olympic team, criticized his country’s athletic officials for jeopardizing the team’s Olympic prospects by allowing track agents to take athletes out of Kenya after last weekend’s Olympic trials to compete in Europe instead of training in the United States. Keino fears that the athletes will be “misused and over-exhausted” and gave them until Monday to report to training camp in Hattiesburg, Miss., or be replaced by alternates.