American Andre Cason set a world indoor 60 meters record when he clocked 6.45 seconds Wednesday after an earlier false start wiped out another sprinter`s apparent record.
Cason`s mark at an international meet beat the previous record of 6.48 set by American Leroy Burrell last February in Madrid.
Cason, the world 60-meter indoor champion, got home one-tenth of a second ahead of disappointed Namibian Frankie Fredericks.
Fredericks won the first ”race” in 6.45, seemingly world-record time, but made a false start. Since the recall gun failed to go off, Fredericks raced on. Cason, who had slowed down after 20 meters, finished last.
”You could say the false start was a blessing in disguise,” said Cason, who was raised in Virginia Beach but now lives in Tampa. ”It opened my eyes and proved that anyone could break the world record.”
Cason said he discovered he was in top condition when he clocked 6.49 in the heats. ”I`m in outstanding form,” said Cason, 23. ”My main goal this year is to win the Olympic gold medal.”
Jamaican Merlene Ottey almost matched Cason`s showing by winning the women`s 60 meters in 7.09, just nine-hundredths of a second off the world record of Nellie Fiere-Cooman of the Netherlands.
