BERLIN, GERMANY — Two-time Drake Relays champion David Payne earned a bronze medal in the men's 110-meter hurdles that ended with a three-way photo-finish Thursday at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Nine athletes, who combined to win 19 Drake Relays titles, competed during day six of competition at the 1936 Olympic Stadium
Drake Relays alumni Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie from the Bahamas and Allyson Felix of Team USA advanced to a medal showdown in the finals of the women's 200-meter dash which will be run Friday.
The duo were part of a group of six Drake Relays alumni who advanced into finals in their respective specialities.
Three other Drake Relays alumni — Amy Acuff, Chaunte Howard, Tiffany Williams — placed high in the finals that were concluded in the women's high jump and women's 400 hurdles.
Payne, who won the 2004 Drake Relays university-college 110 hurdles and the 2006 Drake Relays invitational 110 hurdles, ran stride-for-stride with Terrence Trammell of Team USA and Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados.
Payne and Trammell fell short in the chase for the gold medal by the narrowest of margins to Brathwaite who crossed the line first in 13.14 seconds.
Payne, the 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist and 2007 World Championships bronze medalist, and Trammell were both clocked at 13.15 with Trammell judged to finish barely ahead.
Williams, who won the 2009 Drake Relays women's invitational 400 hurdles, posted a season beat time of 53.83 to finish fifth in the finals of the 400 hurdles Thursday.
Howard, who won the 2009 Drake Relays women's invitational high jump and was the 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist, tied for seventh in the finals of the women's high jump at 6-5.
Four-time Olympian and eight-time world outdoor championships team member Amy Acuff cleared one height at 6-1.5 to finish 12th. Acuff was four-time Drake Relays champ and inductee in the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame.
Ferguson-McKenzie, another member of the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame, posted the top qualifying time in the semifinals of the women's 200 in 22.24.
Two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix, who was third in the 2006 Drake Relays invitational 100, sailed to the finish in heat two of the women's 200 semifinals unchallenged, winning easily in 22.44.
Reigning world outdoor champion Bernard Lagat, the Drake Relays invitational mile champion in 2002 and 2004, was fourth in the second heat of the men's 5,000 in 13:23.73, easily moving to the final on Sunday.
2008 Olympic Trials champion Derek Miles, who finished fourth at the Beijing Olympics and ended the 2008 campaign ranked No. 3 in the world, advanced into Saturday's finals of the men's pole vault.
Miles, owner of three Drake Relays invitational pole vault titles, tied for 12th place in qualifying at 18-6.5.
2009 USA Indoor champion Jeremy Scott, who was runner-up at the 2009 Drake Relays, finished 16th, also at 18-2.5, but did not advance due to the two attempts he needed to clear that height.
Toby Stevenson, who won the 2004 Drake Relays title en route to earning a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, went 17-8.5 before going out with three misses at 18-2.5.
Amber Campbell and Erin Gilreath, who competed in the women's hammer throw at the 2009 Drake Relays, took different routes in Thursday morning's qualifying round of the hammer throw.
Campbell, a 2008 Olympian and three-time U.S. Indoor champion, had a best effort of 231-5 that placed her 10th overall in qualifying and advanced her to the final.
Gilreath, who also competed in the 2008 Olympics, finished 25th at 218-11 and did not advance.
Moise Joseph of Haiti, who has run the invitational mile at the 2007 and 2009 Drake Relays, advanced through the opening round of the men's 800-meter run being timed in 1:46.68.
2008 Olympian Miguel Pate, a two-tme Drake Relays champ, soared 24-11.75 in the preliminaries of the men's long jump but did not advance.
Two-time NCAA champion and 2009 USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Ashton Eaton, who won the 2008 NCAA decathlon title at Drake Stadium, finished 18th in his speciality with 8,061 points.
