All friends from the same training camp in Florida, Jamaica’s Steve Mullings (10.26), American Tyson Gay (10.26), Trinidad’s Keston Bledman (10.33) and Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade (10.36) ran first-second-third-fourth in the men's 100m dash, billed as the main event, at the adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet in New York today, June 11.

It was a wet and chilly day with strong head winds, quite the opposite of the 90+ and 80+-degree temperature that preceded on Thursday and Friday, and the miserable conditions took a toll on sprinters and their times as evidenced by the slow 10.26secs clocking by Mullings and Gay, and Mulling’s asthma attack.

Running in lane four with Gay to his right in five, Mullings left the blocks with Gay but stepped ahead of him and managed to hold off Gay’s second-half burst to win in a photo finish.  The starting line-up was reduced by three as a result of the false start rule.

After the race, Mullings was wrapped in a blanket and given oxygen to ease the pressure around his chest brought on by the weather. “Every time I run in the cold my chest gets tight,” he told the media.

Top photo shows Mullings a step ahead of Gay. Below, a call for help as Mullings' chest tightens. 
                   
Report and  photos by Desmond G. Palmer