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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Brussels sprouts outstanding field for Memorial Van Damme

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Matt Kappel

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The women’s 400 meters and men’s 200m will be the events to see Friday, September 14, at the fifth event of the IAAF Golden League, the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium. The IAAF Golden League 2007 offers a $1 Million Jackpot, which represents international athletics’ biggest annual payday. Athletes must win at all six meetings to acquire at least a share.

2006 IAAF Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards will run the women’s 400m Friday in a field that includes 2007 U.S. third-place finisher Mary Wineberg, 2007 World Outdoor silver medalist Nicola Sanders of Great Britain and bronze medalist Novlene Williams of Jamaica. Richards is the only American left standing in the hunt for the Jackpot.

Richards’ only competition in the hunt for the Jackpot is the world-record holder in the women’s pole vault, Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. They are the only athletes to have taken victories at all four meetings of 2007 - Oslo, Norway (15 Jun), Paris, France (6 Jul), Rome, Italy (13 Jul), Zürich, Switzerland (7 Sep).
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Richards, Carter, Lagat
win in Zurich

Posted September 7th, 2007 at 7:27 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The 2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Sanya Richards is now the only American alive in the hunt for the Golden League Jackpot after winning the women’s 400 meters Friday at the fourth meeting of the six fixture series, the Weltklasse Zürich in Switzerland. Athletes must win at all six meetings of the IAAF Golden League series to claim a share of the $1,000,000 Jackpot.

2005 World Outdoor silver medalist Sanya Richards destroyed the field in the women’s 400m, winning in a world-leading 49.36 seconds. Novlene Williams of Jamaica was a distant second in 50.85 while reigning World champion Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain was fourth in 51.32 and Mary Wineberg was sixth in 51.53.

2006 NCAA 100m and 400m champion Xavier Carter (Pictured) stole the show in the men’s 200m, winning in 19.92 seconds ahead of 2007 World Outdoor silver medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaice, who took second in 20.19. J.J. Johnson finished fourth in 20.49 while Rodney Martin was fifth in 20.53.

Reigning World Outdoor 1,500m and 5,000m champion Bernard Lagat continued his winning ways today in the men’s 3,000m.
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IAAF Men’s World Rankings: Who Climbed and Who Dropped (8/07/2007)

Posted August 7th, 2007 at 5:09 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

This week I begin a weekly glance at the athletes who climb and drop in the IAAF World Rankings Top 100 list. In this post, I take a look at the men. I’ll cover the women in a later post.

Some highlights on the men’s side: Jeremy Wariner climbed from 6th place in the rankings to 4th place after his outstanding 43.50 400m in Stockholm. Stefan Holm climbed 9 places after his impressive world-lead tying high jump of 2.35m at the DN Galan meet.

Reese Hoffa jumped 87 places to 21st after his outstanding world-leading 22.43 heave in the shot put. Haile Gebrselassie’s 59:24 at the NY 1/2 Marathon earned him a spot on the rankings at number 32.

Here are the rest of the climbers from this week in the IAAF World Rankings:

4. (6) Jeremy WARINER, USA, 400m
12. (14) Wallace SPEARMON, USA, 200m
21. (29) Reese HOFFA, USA, Shot Put
25. (31) Usain BOLT, JAM, 200m
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Hoffa reaches 22.43 (73-7.25) and Gay, Wariner and Richards dominate in London

Posted August 3rd, 2007 at 12:12 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Shot Putter Resse Hoffa stole the spotlight from the sprinters at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix tonight.

The U.S. champion won the event with a mammoth 22.43 (73-7.25) effort in the final round to wrestle the victory and the 2007 world lead from compatriot Christian Cantwell. It was a massive personal best for the 29-year-old, his first beyond 22 meters outdoors, and an effort which lifted the reigning world indoor champion to spot No. 11 on the all-time world list. This was Hoffa’s seventh win in 10 outings outdoors this season, setting him up as a strong favorite for the world title later this month in Osaka.

The pre-meet 100m world record hype turned out to be just that, but Tyson Gay did dominate the short dash with a commanding 10.02 win, well ahead of European champion and Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal who clocked 10.18.
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The Golden League continues at Meeting Gaz de France in Paris

Posted July 6th, 2007 at 12:45 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The women’s 400 meters and men’s 400m hurdles will be the most anticipated events at the second event of the IAAF Golden League, the Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis in France. The IAAF Golden League 2007 offers a $1 Million Jackpot, which represents international athletics’ biggest annual payday. Athletes must win at all six meetings to acquire at least a share.

• The women’s 400 meters will see a rematch of the 400 final from the U.S. Championships, as 2007 U.S. champion DeeDee Trotter is challenged by 2007 NCAA champion and 2007 U.S. runner-up Natasha Hastings, 2007 U.S. third-place finisher Mary Wineberg and 2006 IAAF Athlete of the Year, Sanya Richards. Richards is a contender for the Golden League Jackpot, having won the women’s 400m at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games, and is determined to win after her surprising fourth-place finish in Indy.

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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: More winners and other top stories

Posted June 24th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2005 USA champion Kristin Heaston won her second national title in the women’s shot put with a personal-best throw of 18.74m/61-5.75. Jillian Camarena was second with 18.50m/60-8.5, and Sarah Stevens third in 18.02m/59-1.5.

USA indoor men’s triple jump champion Aarik Wilson added the outdoor title to his career highlights, jumping 17.06m/55-11.75 (+1.7mps). Lawrence Willis was second with 16.97m/55-8.25, and 2004 Olympian Kenta Bell was third with 16.87m/55-4.25. Wilson and Bell both have the A standard, and Walter Davis has a bye as the defending World Champion.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Sunday event previews

Posted June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

WOMEN’S 20K RACEWALK FINAL

Key Athletes: Teresa Vaill, Sam Cohen, Jolene Moore

Vaill won two in a row before yielding to Joanne Dow last year. Dow is not competing this time, so look for the 44-year-old Vaill to win here based on her victory at the Pan Am Cup Trials in March.

GILL WOMEN’S POLE VAULT FINAL, 12:00 p.m.

Key Athletes: Jenn Stuczynski, Jillian Schwartz, Niki McEwen

Stuczynski has been the dominant US vaulter since bursting onto the scene in 2005, setting her latest American record with the nation’s first 16-0 clearance at the Reebok meet June 2. She is best in the world so far this year. Schwartz was the USA runner-up 2006, and McEwen was third at the Reebok meet with a 14-10 3/4 vault.

AT&T MEN’S 200 SEMIFINAL & FINAL, 12:00 p.m. & 2:20 p.m.

Key Athletes: Tyson Gay, Wallace Spearmon, Xavier Carter

All of the major players who showed up for the prelims advanced easily to the next round, led by Gay’s 20.66 in the fourth heat. Spearmon won last year and went on to record the third-fastest time ever at 19.65. Carter zipped to the #2 time ever at Lausanne in ‘06, clocking 19.63, and he won this year’s Pre Classic with a season-best 20.23.
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Richards wins as Golden League gets underway

Posted June 15th, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards is off to a good start in the IAAF Golden League 2007, winning the women’s 400 meters at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games Friday in Oslo, Norway.

In only her second meet of the season, Richards ran 50.29 to steal the show in the women’s 400m. Amy Mbacke Thiam was runner-up, nearly a second behind Richards, in 51.22. Richards must win the five remaining Golden League meets and compete in the World Athletics Final in order to win at least a share of the $1,000,000 jackpot.

2004 Olympic gold medalist Meseret Defar of Ethiopia smashed her own world record by almost 8 seconds in the women’s 5,000 meters, cruising to the finish line in an astounding 14:16.63. Her previous record was 14:24.53.
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