Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley outlasted former 400m rival Michael Norman to win the men’s 200m race of the USATF Golden Games on Saturday, April 16th at Mt. SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California.
The 26-year-old sprinter, who had impressive performances last year by moving from 400m to the 100m and 200m races, clocked in at 19.80 seconds, beating out Norman, who crossed the finish line at 19.83 seconds.
His 19.80 seconds was also the fastest in the world this year, further bolstering his reputation as the premier US male flat sprinter in the world.
“I came in pretty confident. The race felt good and I finished strong. I got the W. The whole part of track is competing and that’s what I love to do,” Kerley said.
Rounding up the top three was Olympic 400m hurdles silver medalist Rai Benjamin who finished at 20.01 seconds.
Neck-and-neck battle for Kerley and Norman
Unlike the initial World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series in Bermuda, the second stop proved a highly contested battle.
Norman managed to score an early lead, but Kerley was able to chase down Norman thanks to a legal tailwind that enabled him to eclipse his previous best this season of 20.04 seconds.
For his part, the Tokyo gold medalist Norman said that he understood the mistake he had made in the race, citing that he will be making some adjustments heading into the following events.
“I kind of got excited and let the race plan leave my mind. I didn’t run a great race but it was a good opener so I just need to make the adjustments,” Norman added.
Thomas bounces back, wins Women’s 200m Race
Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas won the 200m race after finishing third in the 100m race, 24 minutes earlier.
Thomas clocked in with an impressive 22.02 seconds, which is 1.9 m/s off the world-leading 21.96 run by Favour Ofili in Florida on Friday, April 15th.
Source:
https://www.nbcsports.com/video/fred-kerley-edges-michael-norman-200-meter-win-usatf-golden-games