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Lead Stories: Saturday, November 22, 2008

LaShawn Merritt, Sanya Richards Reign Supreme

Posted July 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Five served by picapp.com

Sanya Richards put to bed all debate about who is the best women’s 400 meter, running 49.89 on Thursday night.

Afterwards Richards said “I was very happy to go sub 50 seconds. Today might have been the worst day for sprinting, it was very windy down the backstretch. I am extremely happy to have executed a race that allowed me to finish in the top three. Her fiancé, New York Giants corner back Aaron Glenn was in the stands to watch her victory.

Joining her on the Olympic Team is Mary Wineberg (50.85), and Dee Dee Trotter (50.88). Trotter managed to make the team even though her right knee needs surgery at the end of the season. “I was like Tiger [Woods] at the U.S. Open, only I was running at the Olympic Trials to qualify for Beijing.“
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Richards Is Beijing Bound After Dominating Women’s 400m Final

Posted July 3rd, 2008 at 11:15 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Five served by picapp.com

1 Sanya Richards Nike 49.89
2 Mary Wineberg Nike 50.85
3 Dee Dee Trotter adidas 50.88
4 Monique Henderson Reebok 50.98
5 Natasha Hastings Nike 51.13
6 Ebonie Floyd Nike 51.26
7 Monica Hargrove unattached 51.94
8 Debbie Dunn unattached 52.41

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Wineberg, Richards, Trotter Lead Women’s 400 Meter

Posted July 1st, 2008 at 12:49 AM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The women’s 400 makes for good theatre. The world’s top ranked women in 400-meters, Sanya Richards finished fourth last year, and failed to qualify for the U.S. team to compete in the world championships in Osaka last year.

This year there are question marks and doubts about whether Richards can qualify for the U.S. team in a field loaded with talent. Sanya has been waiting a year to make up for last year but the talented field stands in her way.

A leading contender, Mary Wineberg (50.57) won her heat in the fastest qualifying time of the night, ahead of Natasha Hastings (51.04) , Debbie Dunn (51.79), and Monica Hargrove (51.88).

In the following heat, Sanya Richards (50.75) got out well winning her heat narrowly over Dee Dee Trotter (50.90). Monique Henderson (51.07) and Ebonie Floyd (51.49) rounded out the remaining athletes that qualified for the women’s 400 meter final on Friday.
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Richards One Step Closer to Beijing, Runs Fastest Time in 400m Quarters

Posted June 29th, 2008 at 6:31 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Sanya Richards, America’s dominating 400m medal threat, continued on the road to Beijing by running the fastest time (51.08) in today’s women’s 400m quaterfinals. In addition to Richards, who easily won the third heat, Mary Wineberg, Natasha Hastings and Dee Dee Trotter all won their respective heats.

After the race, Richards remarked: “I was so excited to watch Lauryn Williams make the team again last night. I couldn’t imagine being on the team without her … not that I’ve made it yet. I was anxious to get out there today. The fans are incredible. Coach wanted me to run the first 200, then maintain and control the race enough to win it. I’m as close as I can be to 100 percent healthy. I’m very motivated. Last year at Nationals I was fourth. I haven’t forgotten that.”
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Team USA ties gold medal record; Lagat and Felix make history

Posted September 2nd, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

It was a night of firsts, and one of history, for Team USA Sunday night in the final session of competition at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

With victories in the men’s and women’s 4×400m relays, the United States became the first country to sweep all four relays at a World Outdoor Championships.

Bernard Lagat became the first man to win the 1,500/5,000m double at Worlds, and the first American ever to medal in the 5,000.

Allyson Felix became the second woman in history to win three gold medals at a single World Championships, as the relay team of Dee Dee Trotter, Felix, Mary Wineberg and Sanya Richards ran the fastest time in 14 years.

The men’s 4×400m relay of LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, Darold Williamson and Jeremy Wariner ran the third-fastest time in history.

Breaux Greer became the first American since the inaugural World Championships in 1983 to win a medal in the men’s javelin.

At the close of competition, Team USA tied the all-time World Championships record for gold medals with 14, matching its feat from 2005, and tied the American all-time medal tally at a World Outdoor Championships with 26. Team USA led a medal table in which a record 46 countries won medals; Kenya had five gold and 13 overall, and Russia had four gold and 16 overall. The other occasion on which the United States won 26 medals, in 1991, just 29 countries were on the medal table.

Not a bad night.
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USA sweeps 4×100 relays, Walker takes first U.S. gold in pole vault

Posted September 1st, 2007 at 12:10 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Team USA swept the men’s and women’s 4×100m relays for the first time in 20 years, and Brad Walker won Team USA’s first-ever men’s pole vault gold Saturday night at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.

With one day of competition and six final events remaining, Team USA remains atop the medal tables with 22 medals, including 11 gold.

The men’s 4×100m victory made Tyson Gay the third man in World Championships history to win three gold medals at a single championship, but that feat was by no means assured heading into the relay.
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USATF: 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Champs mark phenomenal successes

Posted July 6th, 2007 at 3:20 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track& Field Championships last month in Indianapolis were among the most successful in recent history.

The excitement of close finishes in the middle-distances, a packed house that provided loud encouragement to the athletes, and the fastest 100-200 double in history by Tyson Gay tell a compelling story. Television ratings, Website traffic and merchandise sales all saw significant rises over 2006. These were just a few of countless highlights.

In hard numbers, the meet measures up impressively:

0 - Number of stadium evacuations due to weather.

1 - The number of American records set (Breaux Greer, men’s javelin, 91.29m/299-6).

2 - Number of Visa Champions crowned (Tyson Gay and Tiffany Williams)

4 - Number of national television broadcasts of the meet (2 on NBC, 2 on ESPN2). NBC’s live coverage from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, June 24, won its time slot and was the #2 sports program of the day on network television. In aggregate, TV ratings for the meet saw a 144 percent increase over 2006.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Trotter wins 400m; Richards shocks everyone with 4th place finish

Posted June 23rd, 2007 at 2:36 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Sanya Richards was the favorite coming in; coming off of an incredible 2007 where was was chosen as the Athlete of the Year. However, this 400m field also included DeeDee Trotter and Natasha Hastings.

As soon as the gun went off Richards went out hard. Hastings remained close and DeeDee Trotter started to come on fast at the mid-way point.

However, Trotter was able to surge forward for the lead and Richards shockingly finished 4th. Richards, who skipped competition this spring, may have been affected by her lack of racing thus far in 2007.

Hastings finished was very impressive and she really blew away the rest of the top sprinters.

After the race, Richards said how disappointed she was to finish 4th (which will deny her a spot in the 400m for the World Champs), but will still have an opportunity to compete for Team USA in the 200m.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Thursday event previews

Posted June 21st, 2007 at 11:21 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

WOMEN’S STEEPLECHASE 1st ROUND, 4:15 p.m.

Key Athletes: Lisa Galaviz, Anna Willard, Lindsey Anderson

Galaviz, the defending champion, won the Belem GP race in May. Willard and Anderson recently placed first and second at the NCAA Championships. Willard won in 9:38.08, the current U.S. leader.

WOMEN’S 800 METERS 1st ROUND, 4:45 p.m.

Key Athletes: Alice Schmidt, Hazel Clark, Alysia Johnson

Two-time defending champion Clark, who has three USATF titles, headlines a talented field. Clark recently claimed the Reebok GP in 1:59.07. Schmidt is the current US leader at 1:58.75. Johnson won the NCAA title with the second-fastest collegiate time ever, 1:59.29. Another win for Clark would tie her with sister Joetta for most consecutive wins in this event.

TYSON MEN’S 800 METERS 1st ROUND, 5:05 p.m.

Key Athletes: Khadevis Robinson, Derrick Peterson, Nick Symmonds

Robinson and Peterson are both three-time USATF champions, with Robinson winning the past two titles. A three-time NCAA Division III champion and the 2006 USA runner-up, Symmonds posted a U.S.-leading time of 1:44.54 to win the Nike Prefontaine Classic while Robinson, who won the Reebok GP, was third in 1:44.99.
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Richards faces tough field in AT&T women’s 400

Posted June 15th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Imagine sprinting as hard as you can for 200 meters. Now, imagine sprinting another 200 meters, without stopping. Are your arms and legs burning? Do they feel like they weigh about 100 pounds each?

Welcome to the AT&T women’s 400 meters at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships!

Nobody ever chose to run the 400 meters because it’s a barrel of laughs. But it is an event filled with pride and history. Nobody is making more history lately than Sanya Richards, the two-time defending U.S. champion in this event. She hasn’t done it alone, though. Thanks to an amazing crop of sub-50-second performers, Richards has excellent company in Dee Dee Trotter and Monique Henderson. Look out for the red-hot University of South Carolina’s Natasha Hastings, too.
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