i Black College Sports Review ??mm Black college By CRAIG T. GREENLEE Special To The Review .. . rBlack-college tracksters more than held their own at the recent Martin Luther King Jr. International Freedom Games, winning seven events in a field that included some of the prime talent in the nation and the world. ^ In the men's competition, Florida A&M's Rpffffie Davis claimed victory in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, taking advantage of Tony Rambo's fall between the ninth and 10th hurdles I with a 49.71 clocking. Rambo, ranked among the world's Top 10 last year, found himself locked in a tight duel witfr4^avis as the two came down the I final stretch. Davis is no stranger to rankings, either, having recorded the thirdfastest time in the nation in '85 (48.90). But even though Rambo was heavily favored, Davis was confident he could i pull off the mild upset. "1 wasn't too surprised about winn[ 1 "* I _ f- ^ ^ ' x-?Br ^ i^v^' ;>': I jmT wM Fllll? V - I^B Bft^T .^ Pagt 14-May, 1006 BSS5BS55SSS55S fr k. ) I r f ; v j ; v i ? . j a 4 ? %. . V . M * * *. u 4 * * S / S 7 . ?????????ili^????? 5S fare wel V> 4-> '" ".I^.-V ': J?: 'gST*^. r ... tk. lJ ? &w OTjKaU j?L:. fe,. " ^gl^,. .-A^ H I B I ra I |i^| I 1 - - ' C 7. Vi * <1 M. . j A ?l H l. V i m 11: 6 4 I in '86 King J f . Sfj-ii I M I I mci r - .vji PP^ P&'^ - : Hp JP-;,...-' P^| Tough Tigers Above, Adina Valdez anchors the Jackson State 4X400 women's relay team. Below, JSU's Oslen Barr, whose fast finishes keyed the Tiger men in the 800 meters and the 4X400 relay (photos by Craig T. Greenlee). ing," he says, "but I was surprised to draw lane seven. However, I just made the adjustments because I was the rabbit on the occasion. "At. the start, I went out, my cadence wasn't right, and suddenly Rambo caught up with me quickly. So I just paced myself off of his race. Then, as we were coming home, he made an error and I corrected mine and that helped me to come out on top." BBSSBSSS * . " ' 4 ? ft * C ft * Xt* U s C 3 - T. U ? + Games The Rattler hurdler also competes in the 110-meter highs but said he doesn't favor one race over the other. However, he was quick to add that he'll devote all of his time to the intermediates for the remainder of the outdoor season. Davis also placed third in this year's high hurdles race. With all of his concentration going to the intermediates, Davis said he plans to launch a major challenge against the best as the NCAA championships approach. "1 have to go for the number one man, which is Danny Harris," he said. Harris, of Iowa State, was an Olympic medalist at the *84 games in Los Angeles and is expected to be one of the runners to push Edwin Moses in the next few years. His going against Harris and Henry Amike of Nigeria, he added, should make for some outstanding races. Amike is also a world-class athlete who finished eighth in last year's world rankings and was runner-up in the '85 NCAA championships. In the 800, spectators were treated to an exciting finish as Jackson State's Oslen Barr accelerated at the 200-meter mark to win in 1:48.36. The win was Barr's third straight at the King Games since the meet moved to Atlanta three years ago. The middle-distance runner from Guyana is known for his speedy bursts near the end of the race. At the start, he was content to let the frontrunners seize the lead. But when the gun fired for the final lap, he steadily moved up in the pack to set the stage for his racehorse kick. A jubilant Barr crossed the finish line in a classic "I'm number one" pose directed at trackside photographers. Barr also holds the meet record (1:46.42 in *84) and used his final-curve dash to anchor the Jackson State 4x100 relay team to a second-place finish behind Seton Hall. Rlirlr^nlUw nr/unm miSaumI ?* ,,?,y ?rmM ticularly strong day with victories in the open 400, both relays and two field events. Rochelle Stevens of Morgan State walked away with a first in the metric quarter in 51.90, despite being placed in die slowest heat. Stevens was under control for the entire distance and has shown tremendous improvement over her personal best in '85 (53.31). Alice Jackson, a Or ambling alumna who now competes for the Police Athletic League, was second, even though she won her heat, which was presumably the swiftest. TV. 1? - -* - - a uk