Kirkland Clears All Obstacles

Not until she saw the U.S. flag rising against the blue prairie sky after her victory in the 100-meter hurdles did Anjanette Kirkland let a tear slide down her cheek.

She had developed a steely resolve after she was dropped by the Irvine-based HSI group and was dismissed by her coach, John Smith. Her protective shield thickened when she overcame injuries to her neck and back to win the world indoor 60-meter hurdles title, and again when she was involved in a brawl with Smith June 24, leading her to file a $1-million civil suit against Smith and HSI.

To the end, there were more obstacles in her path than the 10 hurdles in Lane 1 Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Not only had she been crowded in her semifinal at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she had been overshadowed by teammate Gail Devers, the three-time world champion. Another teammate, Jenny Adams, was considered the up-and-coming U.S. hurdler.

Kirkland soared over those woes to run the race of her life and win in 12.42 seconds, a personal best and the world’s fastest time this year. Devers was second, in 12.54 seconds, and Adams fifth in 12.63 seconds.

“I couldn’t let my distractions defeat me, because that’s not me,” said Kirkland, who was third at the U.S. championships and has trained in Tampa, Fla., with Tony Dees since she was dropped by HSI.

“That’s not the kind of person I am. I knew the gold was mine. If I gave up, what would that have said about me? I’m a survivor.”

She survived four tough rounds in a competitive field. Devers, 34, was poised to become the first woman to win the event four times until she hit the eighth hurdle and lost her rhythm. “It’s always between me and the hurdle,” Devers said.

This time, the hurdle won.

“I’m not disappointed,” she said. “I’m happy to win the silver. When I looked at it, it didn’t look like I was second. I knew with the caliber of race it was, I’d have to be perfect.

“Anjanette had a tough year, but now she’s the indoor and outdoor world champion. You look back to ’91 [world championships], with me being the only American in the final, and now we got three in the final and almost had three on the medal stand. It’s great for American hurdlers.”

Kirkland remembered nothing of the race after hearing the starter’s gun. “I ran my race. Nobody else’s race, A.J.’s race,” she said, using her nickname. “I didn’t know if I was first. I couldn’t see anybody else, so I said, ‘Keep running.’ Even after the finish line, I kept running.

“I showed the world I’m a champion. I’m not one to think negative. I knew I could have gold.”

Olga Yegorova, proclaiming she knows she’s not a drug cheat even though rival Gabriela Szabo believes otherwise, won the women’s 5,000 in 15 minutes 3.39 seconds.

Yegorova, the world indoor 3,000-meter champion, tested positive for the banned hormone EPO at a meet in Paris last month but was permitted to compete here because the drug test wasn’t properly carried out. Sazbo had threatened to boycott the final but backed off.

Szabo faded in the ninth lap and finished eighth.

Yegorova was showered with boos from many in the sun-drenched crowd of 47,312 but she shrugged off the hostile reception. “I do not consider myself guilty,” she said through a translator. “It’s their business.”

Szabo, the two-time defending 5,000-meter champion, didn’t change her mind about her rival. “Yegorova is not the champion here,” she told reporters from her native Romania. “Yegorova is not the champion in my mind. . . . I ran today for fair play. I did not want anyone to think I was afraid of the Russians.”

U.S. long jumper Savante Stringfellow wasn’t afraid of anyone. Wearing his trademark Superman T-shirt between jumps, he leaped 27 feet 1/2-inch to win a silver medal in the long jump. Olympic and world champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba won with a jump of 27-63/4, and Carlos Calado of Portugal and Miguel Pate of the U.S. each jumped 26-111/4. Calado won the bronze because his previous jump was better than Pate’s.

“Superman got a medal,” Stringfellow said. “My expectations were to win. I didn’t come here to finish second. But I had a couple of fouls over [his final jump] and I had to settle for that.”

*

The U.S. men and women’s 1,600-meter relay teams posted the fastest qualifying times and advanced to today’s finals. Jerome Young, Andrew Pierce, Leonard Byrd and Derrick Brew combined for a time of 3 minutes .07 seconds in the men’s event. Demetria Washington, Michelle Collins, Mickey Barber and Suziann Reid were timed in 3:21.97 seconds.

Former UCLA standout Seilala Sua had the second-best throw in the first round of the women’s discus final but fouled on her next five throws, leaving her sixth. “I was doing some things right in practice, but I couldn’t bring them to the final,” she said.

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Today’s Finals

Schedule for the final day of the World Track and Field Championships in Edmonton, Canada:

* Women’s marathon, 9:20 a.m.

* Women’s high jump, 1:30 p.m.

* Men’s javelin, 1:40 p.m.

* Men’s 1,500, 3 p.m.

* Men’s 1,600-meter relay, 3:20 p.m.

* Women’s 1,600-meter relay, 3:40 p.m.

* Men’s 400-meter relay, 4:10 p.m.