BEIJING // Sanya Richards of the United States is poised for a gold medal in today's 400 metres final after completing the fastest qualifying time (49.90) in the semi-finals. "In the final I'm not going to be running for a time, I'll be running for a gold medal," Richards said. "But I definitely feel like I'm in great shape. I think I'm very close to seeing a 48 [seconds]." Richards' 2007 season was marked by a rare illness - known as the Behcet's disease - and the loss of training time, but she has rebounded nicely in 2008.
In running her 49.90, she looked capable of going considerably faster. In fact, she was reportedly dizzy and needed rest after her qualification round. "It's not the race," she said. "It's just going through the mixed zone and everything, the lights and everything got me kind of light-headed. "I felt really great in my run. I felt strong afterwards. But the stopping and talking sometimes takes a lot out of me."
About the race, she said: "I did well in the first 300 metres and stayed relaxed from there." Richards, who has never won a world championship or Olympic gold medal, added: "The final is going to be tough. Oh, man, I feel I can just taste it now." However, no other Americans ? the 2004 relay gold medallist Dee Dee Trotter and Mary Wineberg ? flopped in the semi-finals. Trotter, 25, a two-time world and 2004 Olympic finalist was outrun from the start of the race.
Richards will turn up against the world champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain, who the American said was fortunate to be competing after serving a one-year ban for missing three doping tests and under BOA rules should not be allowed to run in the Olympics, timed 50.14sec to win her semi-final. But the major athletes who missed out on qualification for the final included Ohuruogu's compatriot Nicola Sanders and Jamaica's Novelene Williams.
* Agencies
