American women stymied in 400 meters

By MIKE PRATER

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece — DeeDee Trotter wasn’t even a year old the last time the United States produced an Olympic medallist in the women’s 400 meters.

She’s 21 now, and will have to wait at least another four years to break that drought.

The event bit the Americans again Tuesday night in Athens, even though they had three spots in the finals. Monique Hennagan was fourth at 49.97, followed by Trotter (50.0) and Sanya Richards (50.19).

Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas, a product of the University of South Carolina, picked up gold in 49.41, Ana Guevara of Mexico won silver in 49.56 and Natalya Antyukh of Russia the bronze in 49.89.

The American group is young, with Hennagan 28 and Richards only 19. If the three return for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the incentive still will be there — Valerie Brisco and Chandra Cheeseborogh finished 1-2 at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the Americans haven’t figured out the event since.

Trotter, the University of Tennessee junior from Decatur, Ga., may have had the toughest task coming out of lane one.

"I think I ran a pretty good race for being out of lane one. I did the best I can do and I’m not upset with my finish at all. It was a personal best and I’m proud of myself,’’ she said. "I was confident that I could win it, even though it’s tough out of lane one. That’s the toughest lane on the track, but you just got to go with it and that’s what I did tonight.’’

Hennagan, a North Carolina alum who was born in Columbia, S.C., said she felt good about the race until the final turn.

"I didn’t execute my last turn like I should have. … I guess I didn’t go into it with enough power. I wanted to win and I think I was capable of it, but I didn’t have my best race and they did,’’ she said.