Walter Dix spoiled Tyson Gay’s return, winning the 200m at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in 19.72 seconds, edging Gay by 0.04 seconds.
Gay has not competed since May because of a hamstring injury. The Prefontaine, which did not include a men’s 100m, was a first step toward challenging Jamaican Usain Bolt’s dominance in the sprints.
“It’s not bad for a first race,” Gay said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100m and 200m, did not compete at Saturday’s meet, part of the elite IAAF Diamond League series.
Dix was coming off a victory in the 100m last week in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, where he finished second to Walter Spearmon in the 200m.
Earlier this year, Dix ran the 200m in 19.86 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Rome.
“Glad I got the competition against Tyson and came out victorious,” Dix said.
Gay last ran in May in Manchester, England, when he put up 19.41 seconds in a straight-track 200m. His effort was a record on the straight track, but it is not recognized as an official world mark because track and field’s governing body only recognizes the 200m run around a curve.
Gay swept the 100m and 200m at the 2007 world championships and owns the US record in the 100m, but in recent years he’s been dogged by injuries and surpassed by Bolt.
Gay has long maintained that he can better Bolt. Both sprinters were supposed to meet last month at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York, but sat out because of injuries. Right now, a date for a possible showdown is uncertain.
American Ryan Bailey finished third in the 200m in 20.17 seconds.
The Pre, as it is known, is in its 36th year and first as part of the Diamond League, a series of 14 meets worldwide. The event is named after distance runner Steve Prefontaine, an Olympian killed in a 1977 car accident at 24.
Kenyan Asbel Kiprop won the Pre’s signature Bowerman Mile in three minutes, 49.75 seconds.
Bernard Lagat, coming off a victory in the 5,000m in Des Moines, finished a disappointing ninth in three minutes, 54.46 seconds.
Australian Ryan Gregson won the International Mile competition in three minutes, 53.20 seconds.
Olympian Allyson Felix won the 400m in 50.27 seconds. While her specialty is the 200m, Felix is experimenting with the longer distance and has said she could double in the 2012 Olympics.
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