TRACK AND FIELD Devers wins both 60 events for precedent

She became the first American to win both events at the U.S. Championships.
BOSTON (AP) -- Gail Devers used her head to make track history Saturday.
Devers won the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships, becoming the only American to win both events at this meet. In the 60, Devers fought Torri Edwards down to the wire. But Devers snapped her head forward at the line, beating Edwards in a photo finish by three one-thousandths of a second.
Devers won in 7.12, officially the same time as Edwards.
While it was a momentous day for Devers, it was another disappointing one for Maurice Greene.
The former 100-meter world record holder qualified for the 60 finals earlier in the day in 6.61 seconds, but later pulled out of the final with a strained right hamstring.
Showed a lot
As for Devers, she showed plenty with her 37-year-old legs. She won the 60 hurdles in 7.81 seconds, easily beating runner-up Joanna Hayes by 0.10 seconds.
The only other person to win the 60 and 60 hurdles at the U.S. Indoors was Chi Cheng of Taipei in 1970, when foreigners were allowed to compete in the meet.
Terrence Trammell unsuccessfully tried the double in 2002.
Devers, a two-time Olympic champion in the 100, perhaps is eyeing the upcoming Athens Games as her chance to finally win gold in the 110 hurdles.
Greene, who has been hampered by various injuries over the last three years, took the cautious route in withdrawing from the final. With Greene out, Shawn Crawford won the 60 in 6.47, and John Capel was second in 6.52.
"It tightened up a little bit at the end of the race," Greene said. "I can go out there and run but it doesn't make sense to chance it now and interrupt all my training and everything else. It's nothing big. It's nothing to be concerned about. I'll jut go home, get back to work and get ready for the outdoor season."
Repeated as champion
Allen Johnson repeated as 60 hurdles champion. The 32-year-old Johnson won in 7.44, an easy victory over Duane Ross, who had the fastest times in qualifying. Ross finished in 7.59.
"I just wanted to make it to worlds and defend my title," Johnson said. "It was nothing major. I just wanted to see if I can win another world title. You never know, this might be my last one."
Hometown favorite Jen Toomey won the 800 in 2:00.02. Toomey, a former diver who emerged this season as a top contender in the middle distances, trains at the track where the indoors is being held and had plenty of support.
She also plans on running in the 1,500 Sunday, the final day of the meet.
"It's so amazing to win here," she said. "I've always dreamed of winning a national title. It's a great feeling."
Winners
In other events, Tiombe Hurd won the women's triple jump and Tim Seaman won the 5,000 race walk.
Hurd, the 2001 world indoor bronze medalist, placed first with a leap of 45 feet, 5 inches despite feeling under the weather. Two-time defending champion Vanitta Kinard was fourth, jumping 44-7 1/2.
"It wasn't pretty, but it was just enough to win the competition," Hurd said.
There was a moment of silence for racewalker Albert Heppner, who died last week. Heppner apparently drove to one of the tallest bridges in San Diego County and jumped 450 feet to his death. His body was found in a thicket of sagebrush and manzanita at the bottom of a rocky gorge.
Runners pay homage
Runners wore a black ribbon in memory of Heppner.
Seaman won his seventh straight U.S. title in the 5,000 race walk. Afterward, he said winning did not mean as much because of what happened to Heppner.
"My mind-set today was somewhere else," Seaman said. "I have been mentally drained with everything. I didn't want to be here, but my friends and family said, 'No, you have to do it, do it for Al.'
"[The win] almost doesn't matter to me. In the overall scheme of things, it is insignificant compared to what I have had to deal with lately, and what everyone has had to deal with."
The top two finishers in each event qualify for the world championships, next week in Budapest, Hungary.