Webb Will Have to Wait to Make a Run at World

There will be better, more triumphant days for Alan Webb, days when his frail shoulders will more capably bear the enormous burden of having been anointed the next great U.S. middle-distance runner.

The 18-year-old from Reston, Va., overwhelmed to be competing against a seasoned group of runners in the 1,500-meter finals at his first U.S. track and field championships, lacked the final kick that has made him so precocious and successful. With 9,118 fans on their feet at Hayward Field hoping to witness history, Webb finished fifth in 3 minutes 38.50 seconds, slower than the high school-record 3:38.26 he set on the same track last month at the Prefontaine Classic. He missed qualifying for the world championships, but he considered the competition anything but a total loss.

“I think it was just a little too much for me,” said Webb, who this year also became the U.S. high school record-holder in the indoor mile (3:59.56) and outdoor mile (3:53.43). “I’m just not ready yet.

“I’m excited about the year. I had a good year. You can’t win ‘em all. This will give me a little bit of motivation for my summer training. Things don’t always work out the way you plan them to. I enjoyed the week and I learned a lot about competing at this level. I guess you live and learn.”

Webb was never closer to the lead than his final placement. Sydney Olympian Gabe Jennings was the leader at 1,200 meters, but he faded badly down the stretch and finished fourth. Unheralded Andy Downin, sixth at the Olympic trials in 1996 and 2000, outleaned 2001 indoor mile champion Seneca Lassiter to win in 3:37.63, with Lassiter 0.03 behind and Paul McMullen third at 3:37.94. The top three qualified for the world championships at Edmonton, Canada, in August.

“Nobody really thought I had a chance except me and my coach and my family,” Downin said. “I didn’t go to any of the other big meets. . . . My plan was to put myself in it and give myself a chance with 200 to go. I told myself I was going to see where the leader was and give myself a chance to be in the top three.”

Webb said he tried to catch up in the final lap, but the leaders were too far ahead. “I proved I can hang in there,” said Webb, who will attend Michigan this fall. “I didn’t have it to win. I didn’t embarrass myself.”

Said Jennings: “This is just a preview of the blowout that’s going to come next year with Alan Webb. We have a revolution on our hands in the mile and the 1,500. Webb is inspiring. Mark my words, it’s a revolution.”

Webb said he plans to be around a long time; Downin, 10 years his senior, hopes so too. “I would hope he learns you get a long time in this sport and there are a lot of ups and downs,” Downin said. “I hope he doesn’t put the weight of the world on his shoulders, the weight of the sport. I hope he enjoys to run. He’s going to lose. Everyone’s going to gun for him, especially with the media in his face. It’s like Tiger Woods, an icon.”

Downin’s victory was the biggest surprise of a busy day.

Marion Jones won her semifinal of the 200--her only event here--in 22.23 seconds, the world’s fastest time this year. Angel Perkins of Gahr High in Cerritos had the fourth-fastest time, 23.19. Allyson Felix of L.A. Baptist High barely missed the cut at 23.44 seconds.

“I feel really good, especially with all these young ladies running so fast these days,” Jones said after bemoaning the cancellation of the preliminary heat, which forced runners to warm up twice. “My turnover [rhythm] was there and I did feel relaxed.”

Stacy Dragila, the world-record holder in the women’s pole vault, defended her U.S. title with a Hayward Field record of 15-1 3/4 and narrowly missed three attempts at 15-7. Alicia Warlick of the Santa Monica Track Club was second at 14-5 1/4, with Mary Sauer third at the same height but more misses. Dragila remains sure she will clear 16 feet this season.

“I took some good shots at 4.75 [meters],” said Dragila, who raised her world record to 15-9 1/4 this season. “Going to Europe, I’m going to continue to get better. It’s important for me to win, but it’s also important to put the bar up.”

Regina Jacobs burst past Suzy Favor Hamilton in the final 50 meters to win the women’s 1,500 in 4:06.12, her 10th U.S. title in the event. She has also won the 5,000 three times. “I knew the pace was slow, that it would come down to a kick,” Jacobs said. “I knew I could get her in the stretch.”

Deena Drossin repeated as the women’s 10,000 champion with a time of 32:05.14. She took the lead after about 6,500 meters and was never in trouble, recording the fastest time by a U.S. woman this year.

Antonio Pettigrew won his fifth 400 title, with a time of 45.08 seconds, beating Leonard Byrd (45.26) and Jerome Young (45.32). “I came to the meet just to finish in the top three,” said Pettigrew, the 1991 world champion in the 400. “I didn’t think I had a chance until [Friday]. I’ve only run in two meets this year.”

LaTasha Colander-Richardson, a Sydney gold medalist in the 1,600 relay, won her second consecutive U.S. 400 title with a time of 50.79 seconds, ahead of Michelle Collins (51.00) and Monique Hennagan (51.20). Angelo Taylor won the 400 hurdles for the third consecutive year, in 48.53 seconds, and Sandra Glover won the women’s 400 hurdles in 55.08.

Lisa Nye, running for Nike Portland, set a U.S. record in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:49.41. That beat the 9:49.73 set by Elizabeth Jackson at the NCAA championships. Jackson was second in 9:49.94. The event will not be contested at the world championships.

Adam Setliff of Valencia, who was fifth in the Sydney Olympic discus competition, won his second U.S. title in a row with a throw of 219 feet 4 inches. John Godina, who won the shotput Friday, was second at 214-6. . . . Curt Clausen, who trains at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, won the 20-kilometer walk in a time of 1 hour 24 minutes 50 seconds. Clausen, the Olympic trials winner last year in the 50-kilometer walk, will compete in the 50K at the world championships. . . . Tiombe Hurd’s winning mark of 46-0 3/4 in the triple jump was a Hayward Field record. . . . Jenny Adams ran the second-fastest time in the world under any conditions in winning her heat of the 100 hurdles in a wind-aided 12.61 seconds.