TRACK AND FIELD Guevara sets meet, field marks for 400 meter at Prefontaine
The meet is one of three Grand Prix international events held in the U.S.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Ana Guevara took off, while Cathy Freeman struggled.
Guevara won the women's 400 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday with both a meet and field record of 49.34 seconds.
Freeman, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist at the distance, appeared to lose steam and finished fifth.
In the other premier event at this meet, Kim Collins of St. Kitts won the men's 100; world record holder Tim Montgomery withdrew earlier in the week because of a foot injury.
Runner-up
Freeman was running in her first international 400 since the Sydney Olympics, when she became the first aboriginal Australian to win a gold medal.
The victory made her a national hero, but she then took an extended break from running, and she's working on a comeback in preparation for the 2004 Athens Games.
Guevara, who set a world record in the 300 earlier this month in Mexico City, pumped her arms into a strongman pose after she crossed the finish line, thrilling the Hayward Field crowd. Then she paused to give Freeman a hug.
Tonique Williams of the Bahamas finished second at 50.39 seconds, and Ronetta Smith of Jamaica was third at 51.44.
Montgomery ran 9.78 in the 100 meters last September in Paris, breaking Maurice Greene's 3-year-old record by one-hundredth of a second. But he withdrew from the Prefontaine after injuring his foot earlier this week.
Collins, who outran Greene last week at the Oregon Track Classic with a time of 10.21 seconds, won again Saturday in 10 seconds even, tying the meet record set by Coby Miller in 2000.
Steve Prefontaine
The Prefontaine is named after Oregon distance-running great Steve Prefontaine, who died in a car accident in Eugene in 1975.
The meet is one of three international Grand Prix events scheduled for the United States this season. It's also the second event this season on USA Track & amp; Field's Outdoor Golden Spike Tour, following last weekend's Oregon Track Classic in Gresham.
Montgomery's girlfriend, star sprinter Marion Jones, is taking time off to have the couple's baby, meaning the top ranking in the women's 100 is up for grabs.