Johnson warms up for Bailey

DOUBLE Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson warmed up for his big-money match race with Donovan Bailey next Sunday with a victory in the 200 metres in the Prefontaine Classic IAAF Grand Prix athletics meeting in Eugene, Oregon, yesterday.

For Ireland, Sonia O'Sullivan was back in form to win the 1,500 metres in 4:06.35, while Marcus O'Sullivan was fourth behind Kenya's Laban Rotich in the mile, 3:55.86. Cormac Finnerty was 11th in the 3,000 metres in 7:57.86, while in the women's event Valerie Vaughan finished a strong fourth in 9:07.07.

Johnson, who completed an unprecedented 200 metres-400 metres double at the Atlanta Games last August, won the 200 metres in 20.17 seconds, outside his best this season of 20.05.

But Johnson said he fulfilled his aim of squeezing in one more competitive race before the meeting with Bailey, the Olympic 100 metres champion and world record holder, which carries a prize of 1.5 million dollars.

"It wasn't my best race, that was back in August," said Johnson, who trailed runner-up Jon Drummond through the first 90 metres but won comfortably.

"But it was a race, that's what I needed to run a race. That's all I needed to do."

The meeting, the only US event left on the IAAF Grand Prix calendar, produced three fastest times in the world this year.

Rotich, already owner of the fastest 1,500 metres in the world this year, clocked the fastest mile of the season with a victory in 3:52.68.

Rotich said the damp, heavy air of Eugene contributed to his inability to break 3:50.

"The climate is not good for me," he said. "I think I can do under 3:50 when I get the right conditions, maybe in Nice or Monte Carlo."

World champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique also clocked a world best for the season, winning the women's 800 metres in 1:57.57. That improved on the meet record of 1:58.01 set by world record-holder Jarmila Kratochilova of Czechoslovakia in 1985.

Jearl Miles of the United States was second in 1:57.98 and Germany's Linda Kisabaka was third in 1:58.38.

And US veteran Bob Kennedy clocked the fastest time in the world this year in the 3,000 metres with a time of 7:39.22.

The big disappointment of the day came in the men's 100 metres, in which nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis was forced to scratch because of a nagging Achilles tendon injury.

Lewis, who had expected the race to be his last competitive 100 metres in his home country, said the tight tendon hindered him getting out of the blocks, but not when he was actually running.

The 35-year-old said the cool morning weather may have made it worse, but he expected to be fit for most of the meetings which he has entered in Europe - where he will continue his farewell tour.