Track roundup | Americans drop out, Romanian wins women's marathon

BEIJING — Constantina Tomescu-Dita ran away from the competition to win the women's marathon.

The 38-year-old Romanian mother pulled away from the lead pack near the halfway mark Sunday and kept building her lead nearly to the finish. Reigning world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya out-sprinted China's Zhou Chunxiu for the silver to the disappointment of the roaring crowd at National Stadium.

Tomescu-Dita, bronze medalist at the 2005 world championships, blew kisses to the crowd and raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 44 seconds.

American Deena Kastor pulled out early in the race with a foot injury.

Kastor, the top U.S. runner in the field in the race, dropped to one knee and held her right foot about the 3-mile mark. She got up and tried to walk it off but dropped back down again and was forced to give up.

"I felt a pop in my foot. I couldn't stand on it," Kastor said. "I didn't expect to be finishing the marathon on a bus."

She said the foot had been sore for the past week.

Another American, Magda Lewy, also pulled out of the race.

"I hurt my knee a few days ago," she said.

Women's heptathlon

Nataliia Dobrynska of the Ukraine claimed the gold medal with 6,733 points, followed by countrywoman Lyhudmila Blonska at 6,700. Hyleas Fountain became the first American medalist in the heptathlon since Jackie Joyner-Kersee's gold at Barcelona in 1992 when she compiled 6,619 points for the bronze.

Women's 100 meters

All three Americans advanced out of the quarterfinals and into the semis. Muna Lee was second in her race in 11.08, Lauryn Williams ran second in hers in 11.07 and Torri Edwards cruised to a win in her quarterfinal in 11.31.

"It was better than it could have been," Lee said. "If I would have pushed harder it would have been better. I still shut it down. I go round by round. I don't want to think about it too much."

The fastest three times in the second round were put up by Jamaicans Kerron Stewart in 10.98, Sherone Simpson in 11.02 and Shelly-Ann Fraser in 11.06. The Americans will be in deep against these three in the semifinals and final.

Note

• Stanford graduate Jill Camarena made the shot-put final but did not advance to the final round of three throws.

• Americans Angelo Taylor (47.94) and Bershawn Jackson (48.02) finished 1-2 in the first semifinal of the 400 hurdles. Kerron Clement of the U.S. eased to a 48.27 win and made the final.

• Americans Trevell Quinley, Brian Johnson and Miguel Pate failed to make the men's long jump final.