Johnson Back on Right Track in 200

Michael Johnson ran the sixth-fastest time ever in the 200 meters Monday night in Stockholm, hoping that his victory in the Galan Grand Prix will grow into a new winning streak.

Johnson was clocked in 19.77 seconds, leading all the way in his first race after a bitter loss to Frankie Fredericks of Namibia in Oslo on Friday snapped a two-year, 21-race streak.

Fredericks did not race Monday.

“I can’t be in better shape than I’m in now,” said Johnson, who begins his quest for an unprecedented Olympic 200-400 double in Atlanta later this month. “I’m extremely pleased with my 19.77 here tonight. I’m not surprised with it.

“People say this is a slow track, but I think you only have slow athletes, no slow tracks. I got a good start. That was the mistake I made in Oslo.”

It was Johnson’s 11th race in 23 days, and he will not compete again in the 200 before Atlanta.

Johnson holds the world mark, 19.66 seconds, set in the U.S. Olympic trials late last month.

Ato Boldon of Trinidad, who ran for UCLA and who won the 100 in 10.07 seconds an hour earlier, finished second in 19.94. Jon Drummond of the United States was third in 20.05.

Two false starts cost Briton Tony Jarrett’s chance to compete in the 110 hurdles. After Jarrett was disqualified, world champion Allen Johnson held off world record-holder Colin Jackson of Britain by 12 hundredths of a second. Johnson’s time was a relatively slow 13.25.

Daniel Komen, fourth in Kenya’s Olympic trials, ran the third-fastest 5,000 in history at 12:51.60. Only Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia (12:44.39) and Salah Hissou of Morocco (12:50.80) have recorded faster times.

Bob Kennedy of the United States established himself as an Olympic contender by becoming the first non-African to run below 13 minutes, clocking 12:58.75 to finish second behind Komen. South Africa-born Sydney Maree set the previous U.S. record of 13:01.15 in 1985.

In the 3,000 steeplechase, Gideon Chirchir set a world seasonal best of 8:07.97. Kenyan runners finished 1-7 in the race.

Gwen Torrence, the world’s top female sprinter, withdrew from the 100 after “waking up early in the morning with a swollen mouth, lips, eyes and itching all over her body,” meet director Rajne Soderberg said.

“She has a general allergic reaction,” Soderberg said.

Chryste Gaines of the United States won the race in 11.11.

*

Carl Lewis, who has anchored six U.S. 400-meter relay teams to world records, doesn’t figure to be a part of the final foursome at the Olympic Games.

“He can’t make the team right now,” Erv Hunt, coach of the U.S. men’s track and field team said in Chapel Hill, N.C. “He’s not even in [training] camp yet.”

Hunt explained that the team as presently constituted is Dennis Mitchell, Mike Marsh, Jon Drummond and Leroy Burrell.

If, however, one of those four is unable to run because of injury or withdraws from the relay for any other reason, Lewis would then get consideration for the open spot.

“If something happens to someone, we would have to take from the pool,” Hunt said, adding that the pool consisted of Lewis, Tim Harden, Tim Montgomery and Jeff Williams.

The U.S. team will compete in the Gold Rush International Meet at Duke on Saturday night and possibly in a meet in The Bahamas next Monday.