Jackson Is Unfazed by the Weather

Every event resembled the steeplechase, but with more water hazards.

A thunderstorm brought lightning to the skies here and dumped a deluge of cold rain onto the Olympic Stadium track Tuesday night, delaying the program by two hours and pushing some events back a day or two.

For Bershawn Jackson, it just postponed the inevitable.

Jackson, nicknamed “Batman” as a youngster for his splayed ears and seeming ability to fly, led a 1-2-4 U.S. finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 47.30 seconds -- compensation for not making the U.S. Olympic team last summer. James Carter was second in 47.43, and Japan’s Dai Tamesue outleaned a stutter-stepping Kerron Clement to finish third in 48.10 to Clement’s 48.18.

USC alumnus Felix Sanchez, winner of the last two world titles and the Athens gold medal, apparently injured his right hamstring after he cleared the first hurdle and did not finish. But that didn’t diminish the occasion for Jackson.

“I had a great season and I want to keep it going for years to come,” he said. “This is what I ran for all year. I wasn’t going to let anything stop me, neither rain nor the lightning.”

However, he was stopped from wearing a headband bearing the initials of his beloved uncle, Richard Jackson, who died of cancer 10 years ago. He said meet officials told him the band couldn’t have writing, even if it were on the inside. “He’s not here to see me, so I want to carry him with me,” Jackson said. “I know he’s watching.”

Clement, who set the world indoor 400-meter record in March when he was five months past his 19th birthday, struggled in Lane 1. Yet, he might have finished third and given the Americans a sweep if he had maintained his rhythm or had lunged at the finish line.

“I guess I wasn’t thinking at the time,” he said. “It was a learning experience.”

Contestants in the women’s 100 hurdles learned the value of patience during the rain delay. Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes pulled out a book of Sudoku puzzles, and Ginnie Powell of USC tried to stretch while crammed into a holding room with 30 other women.

Tuesday’s rain descended after Michelle Perry won the first heat in 12.64. “She got a huge advantage on us, so we’re going to make her pay for it,” said Hayes, who won her heat in 12.79.

Hayes said she and defending world champion Perdita Felicien of Canada asked the other women if they wanted to continue or wait a day, “but because they ran that first heat there would have been a lot of drama and controversy,” Hayes said. “I was kind of back and forth. It was crazy.”

By the time Powell finished fourth in her heat in 12.91 and qualified for today’s semifinal, “it was three or four hours since I warmed up,” she said. “I was hoping to run faster and do better, but [today] hopefully I’ll be a lot sharper and my intensity will be better.”

The first round of the men’s 200 and men’s 400 were completed in afternoon sunshine and produced no surprises. The rain postponed the 200 quarterfinals to today, with the semifinals to follow.

Tyson Gay led the 200 qualifiers at 19.99, faster than he’d intended. “I need to save that for the finals,” he said. Defending world champion John Capel ran a season-best 20.40 to advance, and Wallace Spearmon Jr. (20.51) and 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin (20.90) followed.

Timothy Benjamin of Britain had the fastest 400 qualifying time, 44.85. The three U.S. men won their respective heats, Andrew Rock in 44.98, Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner in 45.24 and Darold Williamson in 45.97. “I’m surprised but happy,” Rock said.

The pole vault took an interesting turn when Athens silver medalist Toby Stevenson of the U.S. withdrew because of a left hamstring injury he’d sustained in his last pre-meet practice. The event then turned bizarre when Matti Mononen of Finland, who sports a blue Mohawk haircut, landed atop the bar with his full weight and brought down the standard being used by competitors in Group B.

The shifting winds became gusts during the hour that officials spent trying to fix the equipment. On the advice of Sergei Bubka, a member of the International Assn. of Athletics Federations’ council and the pole vault world-record holder, competition continued with one landing pit and the qualifying standard was lowered from 18-10 1/2 to 18-4 1/2 .

“The conditions all day were rough, but it was very tough conditions to jump in after that,” said U.S. champion Brad Walker, who advanced to Thursday’s final by clearing 18-4 1/2 . Nick Hysong of Phoenix, the Sydney Olympic gold medalist, also reached the final by passing until 18-4 1/2 and clearing that on his first try.

Athens decathlon silver medalist Bryan Clay of Glendora threw the shotput a personal-best 53-3 3/4 and leads gold medalist Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, 4,527 to 4,513, entering today’s final five events.

“It was a very strong day for me,” Clay said. “I certainly can’t complain.”

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Tianna Madison of Knoxville, Tenn., leaped a personal-best 22 feet 5 inches and was the top qualifier for today’s women’s long jump final. U.S. champion Grace Upshaw of Redwood City advanced with a jump of 21-7 1/2 .... Hazel Clark finished last in women’s 800, in 2:01.52. Zulia Calatayud of Cuba won in 1:58.82, followed by Athens silver medalist Hasna Benhassi of Morocco (1:59.42) and Tatyana Andrianova of Russia (1:59.60).... Six-time U.S. javelin champion Breaux Greer, who had shoulder surgery last week, withdrew before Tuesday’s qualifying round.