Richardson wins at adidas Outdoor Championships

Jason Richardson of Cedar Hill, Tex., set a new meet record in winning the men's 400m hurdles in convincing fashion Saturday at the 2004 adidas Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, N.C. The event featured high school standouts from all 50 states.

Despite a stumble near the finish that may have cost him a national high school record, Richardson won the race in 49.79 seconds, eclipsing the two-year-old meet record of 50.55. Julius Jiles-Tindall (Kansas City, Mo.) was the runner-up in 52.51, with junior Justin Gaymon (Stewartsville, N.J.), running in an earlier section, third in 52.87.

Richardson was named the 2003 Verizon Youth Athlete of the Year after winning the gold medal in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles at the 2003 IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada.

Also at Raleigh, Kneshia Sheard, Nicole Leach, Erica Gerguson and Latavia Thomas from West Catholic High in Philadelphia, completed the 1600m sprint relay in 3:52.22, breaking the national record of 3:53.28 set last year.

For more information on the 2004 National Scholastics Championships, including the complete results, visit http://adidasoutdoor.nationalsc holastic.org/index.php