Team USA dominates the World at the first stop on the Visa Championship Series
Posted January 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 AM by Jeanie Rebb
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
With wins in 11 of 16 events, Team USA dominated Team World Monday evening at USA vs. the World at the Run for the Dream at the Save Mart Center, located on the campus of Fresno State University in California. Scored as a dual meet, Team USA won 96-66.
Three-time Olympian Amy Acuff won the women’s high jump with her clearance of 1.95 meters/6 feet 4.75 inches. After three near-misses at the Indoor American record, Acuff was named Visa Athlete of the Meet for her efforts. 2005 NCAA Outdoor champion Sharon Day was second with her clearance of 1.90m/6-2.75.
After one false start and one call back, 1996 Olympic gold medalist and four-time 110-meter hurdle champion Allen Johnson led the men’s 55m hurdles wire-to-wire to win the race in 7.14 seconds. 2001 NCAA Indoor champion Aubrey Herring was second in 7.27.
Reigning World Indoor and Outdoor champion Reese Hoffa [Pictured] stole the show in the men’s shot put with his winning heave of 21.06m/69-1.25. 2007 U.S. Outdoor runner-up Dan Taylor was the runner-up with 19.99m/65-7.
2007 World Outdoor 100m bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter edged out hometown favorite and 2005 Visa Indoor champion Angela Daigle-Bowen in the women’s 55m dash, crossing the line in 6.84 to Daigle-Bowen’s 6.85. On the men’s side, Fresno State’s Josh Norman won in 6.20. 2004 Olympic long jump gold medalist and two-time World champion Dwight Phillips took third in 6.35.
In the men’s 600 yards, four-time U.S. Outdoor 800m champion Khadevis Robinson took the lead with one and a half laps to go and never looked back, winning in 1:09.97. 2005 World Outdoor 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson was edged out at the end to take third in 1:10.61 to two-time Olympian Michael Blackwood’s (Jamaica) 1:10.58.
In the women’s 600 yards, 2005 World Outdoor 400m hurdle silver medalist Lashinda Demus led the entire race, before being caught on the final straight by Ysanne Williams (Jamaica) who won in 1:21.75. Demus, in her first race back since giving birth to twins last year, was the runner-up in 1:22.11.
2004 Olympic silver medalist John Moffit won the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.69 meters/25 feet 2.75 inches. On the women’s side, 2001 U.S. champion Jenny Adams, who returned to the long jump after a four-year hiatus from the event, was the runner-up with her mark of 6.33m/20-9.25.
Team USA won the men’s and women’s 4×400m relays. The men’s team of Daryl Terrell, Mike Mitchell, Derrick Brew and Chris Berrian crossed the line in 3:21.53 for the win while the women’s team of Sheena Johnson, Sherron Rhetta, Angel Perkins and Jessica Cousins held off a late charge by Team World to win in 3:45.87.
The men’s pole vault saw three-time NCAA champion Tommy Skipper and 2006 U.S. Outdoor champion Russ Buller clear 5.58m/18-3.75 with Skipper taking the win on fewer misses. 2004 Olympian Jillian Schwartz won the women’s pole vault with a height of 4.37m/14-4.
Also on the track, 2006 U.S. Indoor and Outdoor runner-up Damu Cherry was second in the women’s 55m hurdles in 7.58. In the men’s mile, Said Ahmed was the runner-up in 4:05.74 and 2003 U.S. steeplechase champion Steve Slattery was third in 4:11.01.
The Visa Championship Series continues January 26 with the Reebok Boston Indoor Games; February 1 with the Millrose Games in New York City; February 15 with the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and February 23-24 with the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston. For more information, including TV broadcast schedules, visit www.visachampionshipseries.com
Race recap provided by: Vicky Oddi, USA Track & Field
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Tags: allen johnson, Amy Acuff, angela daigle bowen, Bershawn Jackson, California, Carmelita Jeter, fresno state university, indoor track and field, Khadevis Robinson, Reese Hoffa, Run for the Dream, Said Ahmed, Save Mart Center, sharon day, Steve Slattery, Team USA, team usa vs. the world, team world, USA Track & Field, usatf, Visa Championship Series, Visa Indoor Championship Series
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The Final Sprint