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Lead Stories: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Walker breaks AR, Mutola wins for 16th time at Nike Prefontaine Classic

Posted June 8th, 2008 at 11:34 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Meet records fell across all event groups, none bigger than Brad Walker’s American record in the pole vault, and Maria Mutola had a historic exit Sunday at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

The fourth event of USATF’s Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic drew a meet-record 14,221 fans to Hayward Field, site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field June 27-July 6. They were treated to a formidable show, including no fewer than eight meet records and Walker’s AR.

The 2007 world champion, Walker looked magnificent throughout the competition. He had just one miss, at his opening height of 5.70m/18-8.25, then passed to 5.90m/19-4.25, which he cleared on his first attempt and which won the competition for him. Walker then elevated the bar to 6.04m/19-9.75. On his very first attempt, he cleared, brushing the bar just a bit, but leaving it up.
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2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview

Posted May 31st, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With the 2008 IAAF Golden League kicking off in Berlin this weekend, outdoor track is in full swing. This being an Olympic year, every major meet from here on out can offer a piece of what the final Olympic track & field puzzle might look like. The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight:

100m

Men: Fresh off a sizzling 9.76 (just 0.02 slower than Asafa Powell’s world record), Usain Bolt will face World Champion Tyson Gay, who is facing some pre-Olympic jitters. Both men are fully capable of blowing their starts, which would offer Shawn Crawford and Xavier Carter some hope. There’s an A race and a B race. That’s always a letdown, isn’t it?

Women: Loaded with stellar American and Jamaican sprinters, this race should be a preview of the Olympic final: Veronica Campbell Brown, Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Torri Edwards, more.

200m

Men: Wallace Spearmon is the only man in the race to have broken 20 seconds. It’s his race for the taking.

Women: Lashauntea Moore, the 9th fastest 200m runner of 2007 (22.46) faces Muna Lee, the 2nd fastest in the world (22.30) from 2008 and Shalonda Solomon, the 7th fastest in the world (22.36) in 2006. Keep an eye out for University of Texas freshman Bianca Knight, who turned pro this year after running a fabulous 22.40.
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TFS News Briefs: 2/26/08

Posted February 26th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

Controversial Front-Runner For USATF Presidency
Montreal 4×400m gold medalist Herman Frazier is being considered for the role of president, according to an article on the UH website. Frazier is a controversial choice, having made some unpopular decisions while athletic director at two different universities.
Read more at: [University of Hawaii][Wikipedia]

Incipient Shot Put Feud?
Christian Cantwell may have begun a feud with fellow shot-putter Reese Hoffa by calling him a hypocrite when Hoffa refused to bring Cantwell’s shot put to the US Indoor Championships. Hoffa defended himself against the volatile Cantwell, saying he wasn’t going to help his competitor. Adam Nelson was mentioned during the verbal exchange. Is this fuel to spark the big men’s competitive fires, or is it a major distraction in an Olympic year?
Read more at: [Boston Globe]

Pre-Worlds Profile of the Great Maria Mutola
The IAAF website has a profile of the great 800m runner Maria Mutola, who will toe the line in Valencia, Spain for her 8th gold medal in the indoor world championships. Mutola will retire after the Beijing Olympics to devote her time to her charity Foundation in Mozambique.
Read more at: [IAAF]
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Nelson Launches Huge Throw at Tyson Invitational

Posted February 16th, 2008 at 10:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The most decorated shot putter in World Outdoor Championships history, Adam Nelson continued a streak of amazing performances to win the Visa men’s shot put Friday night in front of 4,519 screaming fans at the 2008 Tyson Invitational.

The fourth stop of the 2008 USA Track & Field Visa Championship Series, the Tyson Invitational will be televised on February 17 from 5-7 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

Nelson’s world-leading throw of 22.40 meters/73 feet 6 inches in the Visa men’s shot put is the third-best performance of all time in the shot, and he offered it up in front of the second-largest crowd in meet history at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. For his efforts, the four-time World Outdoor medalist was named the Team USA Athlete of the Meet, presented by Visa.
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TFS News Briefs: 2/15/2008

Posted February 15th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs, Masters

Tyson Invitational Has High Profile Athletes
The Tyson Invitational meet will be held this weekend at the University of Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Indoor Track in Fayettville. Some huge names will be competing, including Sanya Richards, Wallace Spearmon, Jenn Stuczynski and the shot put and an all-star shot put shootout that will feature Adam Nelson, Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell and Dan Taylor.
Read more at: [Google News][Tyson Invitational Start List]

Lagat To Run 10000m in London?
Bernard Lagat has hinted that he may move up in distance for the 2012 London Olympics, saying that, “athletes like Haile Gebrselassie [have shown] how possible it is to be stronger as you get older.” Lagat will compete in the 3000m event this weekend at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham, England.
Read more at: [BirminghamMail.net, UK]

IAAF Tokyo Marathon Preview
The Tokyo Marathon will be held this Sunday, February 18th and it will be doubling as Japan’s Olympic Men’s marathon Trials. A slew of speedy foreign runners has been invited, including Daniel Njenga of Kenya, a 2:06 marathoner. Historically, Japan has been strong in the marathon at the international level, so – with its mix of domestic and foreign talent – this should prove to be a high-octane race.
Read more at: [IAAF][Tokyo Marathon Website]
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Visa Championship Series pushes ahead at Tyson Invitational

Posted February 14th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Many of America’s most accomplished track and field stars, including several former University of Arkansas athletes, will compete Friday night at the 2007 Tyson Invitational at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center on the UA campus in Fayetteville.

The fourth stop of the 2008 USA Track & Field Visa Championship Series, the Tyson Invitational will be televised on February 17 from 5-7 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

After the second scoring meet of the 2008 Visa Championships Series, 2005 world champion shot putter Adam Nelson leads the men’s Race for the Visa Championship with 1,245 points. 60m hurdler Antwon Hicks is second with 1,202 points. Hurdler Damu Cherry leads the women with 1,172 points, with Arkansas alum Christin Wurth-Thomas second with 1,166 points. Wurth will contest the mile in Fayetteville.

Spearmon leads sprints

Two-time World Outdoor individual medalist Wallace Spearmon, a former Razorback and a resident of Fayetteville, is entered in both the 60 meters and the 200m.
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Goucher Surprises, Lagat Wins Again at Millrose Games

Posted February 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kara Goucher hadn’t run on a banked track since 1999, but she had apparently been watching Bernard Lagat roll up his five previous Wanamaker Mile victories here. Goucher, last summer’s IAAF World Championships bronze medalist at 10,000m, stepped way down in distance to win the mile in her first-ever Millrose appearance, while Lagat, the reigning 1500m and 5000m world champion, notched his sixth. They appeared to be equally happy.

“This is good,” said Goucher of her narrow victory over Sara Hall. “This is why I’m running these races. I didn’t know if I could win here, but I wanted to be competitive.”

Hall was running aggressively in the final lap of the race and was leading through the final two turns, but Goucher felt as though the race still wasn’t over. Coming out of the final turn, she took the inside line towards the finish, just pipping Hall at the tape by 8/100ths of a second.
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USATF Race Preview:
Reebok Boston Indoor Games

Posted January 25th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, College, High School

Reese Hoffa, Jenn Stuczynski, Dwight Phillips, Adam Nelson, Khadevis Robinson , Angela Daigle-Bowen and Galen Rupp headline a top international field that includes Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar for this Saturday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the second event of the 2008 Indoor Visa Championship Series.

Track fans around the country will have limitless opportunities to catch all the action from Boston. ESPN2 will broadcast the meet, hosted at the Reggie Lewis Center, from 3-5 Eastern Time on Sunday. Beginning Tuesday morning, the meet will be available via Webcast, linked from www.usatf.org.

Men’s shot put leads the way

The world’s top three men’s shot putters will battle it out in what promises to be a memorable competition. Hoffa [Pictured] enters the event #1 world ranked as the reigning world indoor and outdoor champion.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Saturday event previews

Posted June 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

HEPTATHLON, Day Two

Key Athletes: GiGi Johnson, Hyleas Fountain, Diana Pickler, Jacquelyn Johnson

The past two USATF champions are in the field with GiGi Johnson (2006) and Fountain (2005), but it is US list leader Pickler who topped the standings with 3,636 points after the first day. Fountain is 18 points adrift, with Johnson two more behind her. NCAA champ Johnson is fifth at 3,495.

DECATHLON, Day Two

Key Athletes: Tom Pappas, Paul Terek, Jake Arnold

Four-time U.S. winner Pappas, who leads with 4,394 points, is the defending champion and could tie Bill Toomey and Dan O’Brien for most U.S. titles in the event after the withdrawal of ‘05 world champion Bryan Clay. Arnold recently claimed his second NCAA title, scoring 8,215 for the victory, and is sxth after five events. Terek scored 8,134 to win at Desenzano on May 6 and is seeking his third Worlds team berth.
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The road to Eugene continues this weekend

Posted May 25th, 2007 at 10:09 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Many of the world’s best athletes will compete in 18 events Sunday, May 27 at the Road to Eugene ‘08 at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Three of the 18 events–the men’s and women’s 5,000-meter races and the men’s 3,000m steeplechase-will be run Saturday night, May 26, following the conclusion of the NCAA West Regionals at Hayward.

The Road to Eugene ‘08 is a cooperative effort between the Local Organizing Committee for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, USA Track & Field, and the USATF Athletes Advisory Committee. The second edition of this meet will feature many of America’s top track and field athletes who will be competing for over $150,000 in prize money. The meet is a benefit for the Professional Athletics Association (PAA), a newly formed union of professional track and field athletes.
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