Williams's High-Jump Dominance Carries Into New Meet at Garden Jesse Williams could not have asked for better timing, really, the way things have been coming together of late. Williams, 28, won the men's high-jump event at the U.S. Open Track and Field meet with relative ease Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, and for him, it was a satisfactory start to a year in which everyone's sights are firmly set on summer and the London Olympics. "It's a good sign for the year to come," Williams said after the competition. Every day, we're always counting down the days to the trials and the Olympics, and we know when it comes down to it, London is where we want to shine. Williams has been the top-ranked high jumper in the United States since 2006, but he is beginning to reach new levels in his career. Last September, Williams won gold at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, raising his profile globally. His confidence level has been elevated as well. "The target's going to be on my back," Williams said the day before the event, "and I want to keep it up there, and I don't want anyone to hit it." Williams has been motivated in part by the United States" poor showing at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where no American high jumpers advanced beyond the qualifying round. "It was embarrassing for the U.S.A. jumpers," Williams said. It's not going to happen again. Williams won the event Saturday with a height of 7 feet 6 inches - "not too shabby," he said - while experimenting with a tweak in his form that brought his jump closer to the bar. "I'm just going to work them out in the next couple of competitions," Williams said of the adjustments. I guarantee you, in the next couple, I'm going to go a lot higher. The competition Saturday was created this year in part to fill the void left by the Millrose Games, one of the country's signature track and field meets, which will head uptown to Washington Heights in February after having been held at the Garden since 1914. The hallmark event of the Millrose Games is the Wanamaker Mile, and in many ways, the mile event Saturday captured its look and feel. Most important was the presence of Bernard Lagat, a runner whose name in the last decade has become synonymous with the event. Sticking to Millrose tradition, the lights in the arena were dimmed before the race for a performance of the national anthem. The runners were then introduced as the Metallica song "Enter Sandman" blared on the public address system. "I didn't feel anything different whatsoever," Lagat said. It was the same routine I've been used to for a long time. The outcome, though, was a change from the routine. Lagat, who won the Millrose event a record eight times, was outmaneuvered in a slow, tactical race by Silas Kiplagat of Kenya. In the race's final moments, Kiplagat surprised Lagat by passing him on the curve, rather than on the straightaway, which is a more customary move on an indoor track. Afterward, the two runners, who are friends, were full of praise for each other. "Someone like Bernard is very experienced," said Kiplagat, who finished with a time of 4 minutes 0.65 seconds to Lagat's 4:00.92. It's a very big achievement for me. The crowd of 5,844 was smaller than the crowd at last year's Millrose Games, which drew 9,611 people to the Garden. But the meet's organizers seemed pleased with the turnout. "This is a very strong starting point in creating a new brand," said Jill Geer, a spokeswoman for USA Track and Field. The field of athletes was the best we've have in years at the Garden. The field included Lolo Jones of the United States, who won the women's 50-meter hurdles event comfortably, finishing in 6.78 seconds. It was an encouraging result for Jones, a two-time world indoor champion who has been recovering from a nerve injury in her lower back. In the men's hurdle event, Terrence Trammell defeated his fellow American David Oliver with a time of 6.45. Another American, Ryan Whiting, won the men's shot-put. Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica won the women's 50-meter dash with ease, finishing in 6.08 seconds, 0.12 faster than Jessica Young of the United States. The night ended with Asafa Powell of Jamaica winning the men's 50, defeating a field that included the American Justin Gatlin. Powell, who finished the race in 5.64 seconds, 0.03 faster than his countryman Nesta Carter, echoed a sentiment shared by many competitors at the meet. "It wasn't the best time," Powell said. But it's the first race of the season, so it's still a good performance.