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August 22, 2004 7:11 pm

Hennagan, Trotter among top qualifiers in women’s 400

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece — Team USA hasn’t had an Olympic medalist in the women’s 400 meters in 20 years, a situation that Monique Hennagan, DeeDee Trotter and Sanya Richards intend to amend Tuesday night.

Hennagan was 8, Trotter 1 and Richards not yet born when Valerie Brisco and Chandra Cheeseborough ran 1-2 in the 400 at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The long drought may be over if these three come up big in the most important racing assignment of their lives.

Hennagan, a University of North Carolina alumnus now living in Columbia, S.C., was fastest of all qualifiers Sunday night with an impressive 49.88 time.

Trotter, a University of Tennessee junior from Decatur, Ga., advanced with a 50.14 clocking, good for second place in her heat behind Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas, a former University of South Carolina standout, who ran 50 flat.

Richards, a University of Texas sophomore from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ran third in the opening heat with a 50.54, then had to sweat out the next two races until she was assured she’d get into the final on a time basis.

Ana Guevara, the 2003 world champion who hopes to be the first Mexican runner — male or female — ever to medal at the Games, and Russia’s Natalya Antyukh will be among Tuesday’s primary challengers for the Americans.

"Just to be in the final is an accomplishment and it means the world to me," said Trotter. "It’s a dream come true, pretty much.

"I’m very excited going into the final and feel like I can do something very interesting and spectacular."

She had to work hard down the homestretch to assure her second place but was happy she didn’t have to work any harder than she did.

"I didn’t want to give away too much of my race strategy," she said, smiling.

Hennagan succeeded in her goal, but knows the task remains incomplete.

"All I had to do was win my heat," said Hennagan. "Now I’m going to do what I have to do and focus on the final.

"I’m going for the gold."

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