Maurice Greene slips during the 100m dash at US Championships in Carson, California, on Saturday

Carson (California): Olympic champions Jeremy Wariner and Justin Gatlin shook off a stumble and a smack in the face on Saturday to win the men’s 400m and 100m and make the US team for the August Helsinki world championships.

Wariner ran the year’s fastest 400, 44.20 seconds, after stumbling badly at the start, to lead a US team that is aiming for a world championship sweep.

Gatlin, who a day earlier thought he was out of the race with a false start, won the 100 in 10.08 seconds after taking a blow to the face from Maurice Greene, who crashed out 70m into the race with a hamstring injury.

Training partner and Olympic 200m gold medallist Shawn Crawford took second in 10.17 seconds and Leonard Scott placed third in 10.18 seconds in the race, which was run into a headwind of 2.3m per second.

Greene flailed as he went down, hitting Gatlin in the face and breaking his concentration, Gatlin said. “I was just going to make my move and start to accelerate and I felt my hamstring pop,” said Greene.

Gatlin said he hesitated after being hit by Greene. “Once he wasn’t there, I felt I was behind a little bit, so I had to make a quick surge to the finish line,” said Gatlin, who was reinstated after an official review showed there was motion in the lane next to Gatlin in the Friday race, perhaps causing him to move.

Wariner said he did not panic after stumbling out of the blocks and standing straight up.

“I worked the turn real well and set myself up for a good kick,” said Wariner, who pulled away over the last 125m.

Gatlin and Crawford also cruised through the preliminaries of the 200m with Gatlin running 20.53 seconds and Crawford 20.77.

Darold Williamson finished behind training partner Wariner in 44.62 seconds in the men’s 400, with Andrew Rock taking third in 44.70.

World junior champion LaShawn Merritt ran 44.73 seconds for fourth but did not make the US team in the event. Only the top three finishers comprise the American squad. Merritt, however, should be on a very fast 4x400m relay.

The US women were equally impressive. Sanya Richards won the women's 400 metres in the year’s fastest time, 49.28 seconds, the third fastest ever by a US woman. Three American women dipped under 50 seconds for the first time in the same race. Dee Dee Trotter claimed second in 49.88 seconds and Monique Henderson was third in 49.96 seconds.

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World 100m record-holder Asafa Powell booked his trip to the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in August by capturing the 100m crown at the Jamaican athletics championships, adds a report from Kingston. Powell captured the Jamaican final in 10.04 seconds. (Reuters)