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Lead Stories: Saturday, July 19, 2008

Indoor Track: NCAA Div. I Men’s Rankings (Week 1)

Posted January 31st, 2008 at 3:46 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Arkansas went from a preseason rank of 9th all the way to 1st in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) men’s rankings in NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field. Tennessee and Oklahoma were ranked 2nd and 3rd and Boise State and Texas Tech rounded out the top 5.
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Indoor Track: NCAA Div. I Women’s Rankings (Week 1)

Posted January 31st, 2008 at 2:46 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

LSU topped the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) week 1 women’s rankings in NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field on the strength of sophomore sprinter Samantha Henry’s world-best 200m performance. Tennessee and Texas A&M were 2nd and 3rd, while Arkansas and Michigan rounded out the top five.
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Rupp Hopes Wanamaker Mile Will Help Him Get to Beijing, Faster

Posted January 29th, 2008 at 5:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, College

When he steps on the track Friday night for the Wanamaker Mile at the 101st Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden, Galen Rupp will be looking well past the finish line, all the way to Eugene, Ore. It will be there in six months time that the 21 year-old NCAA 10,000m record holder will be trying to make his first Olympic team, and he wants to be ready if his 10,000m qualifying race comes down to a kick.

“Obviously, the 10-K is my best event and that’s what I’ll be running this summer and at the Trials,” Rupp said at today’s New York Track Writers’ luncheon as he sat next to his coach, Alberto Salazar. “The goal this winter is to drop down in distance.”

Rupp, who is on a leave of absence from the University of Oregon, has yet to break four minutes for the mile. He has terrific endurance, evidenced by his 27:33.48 10,000m personal best. But improving his raw speed, Salazar said, will give him another tool to win longer races, even if it means losing in the short term.

“I’m going to take my licks,” said Rupp boyishly.
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Nick Symmonds:
Season Opener
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #5)

Posted January 28th, 2008 at 1:41 PM by Nick Symmonds

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds

Welcome to the official blog of elite American middle-distance runner Nick Symmonds. For more information about Nick please visit: www.nicksymmonds.com

This weekend marked the real beginning of 2008 for me. Traveling across the country to race at the Boston Indoor Games was a decision not easily made. Many factors go into choosing a season opener and Coach Gags [Frank Gagliano] and I vacillated all fall whether or not to open up here. Fortunately, we were on the same page as to what we hoped to gain from my 2008 debut. It might seem strange that so much thought went into a race that is run in January and does not qualify me for anything in particular, but I will try to explain our thought process and what we were looking for in a season opener.
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BIGgest Moments from Boston

Posted January 27th, 2008 at 8:09 PM by Jared Markowitz

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

The 2008 Reebok Boston Indoor Games featured many exciting events on the track and in the field. As usual the meet attracted many of the world’s finest athletes- Olympic Medalists, World Champions, seasoned vets and rising stars. Each event at the Boston Indoor Games brought thrills to the crowd at the Reggie Lewis Center, but below we give our recaps and rankings (the latter being completely subjective) of the excitement delivered by each event:

1.) Women’s 2 Mile- Defar and Smith shatter previous WR

The Women’s 2 mile was a distance running clinic put on by two of the world’s finest distance runners, Meseret Defar (ETH) and Kim Smith (NZL). Defar’s goal in this race was to break the Women’s Indoor 2 Mile World Record of 9:23.38, set by disgraced American star Regina Jacobs.
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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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Reebok Boston Indoor Games: Start Lists

Posted January 25th, 2008 at 11:07 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Here are the start lists for the middle and long distance events for tomorrow’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Also, stay tuned for complete event recaps and analysis following tomorrow night’s event - right here at TheFinalSprint.com.

MEN -
BostonNOW 800m:

Said Ahmed, USA
Andrew Ellerton, CAN
Sam Burley, USA
Nick Symmonds, USA
Khadevis Robinson, USA
Mike Pachella, USA
Larry Brooks, USA

Mile:

Boaz Cheboiywo, KEN
Rob Myers, USA
Chris Lukezic, USA
Max Smith, NZL
Galen Rupp, USA [Pictured]
Fumikazu Kobayashi, JPN
James Nolan, IRL
David Freeman, PUR
Jason Jabaut, USA
Pablo Solares, MEX
Moise Joseph, HAI (pace)
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Note on the News: Nick Symmonds Video Interview

Posted January 24th, 2008 at 2:25 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Nick Symmonds gave an interview to RunnerSpace.com, commenting on his lead-up to Saturday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games and the rest of the indoor season.

You can watch the interview at:

http://www.runnerspace.com/

In addition, check back on Monday for Nick’s latest entry in his TFS Elite Athlete Blog where he’ll recap his performance in Boston and much more!

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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.
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Gold Medalists Defar & Dibaba to Both Race in Boston on Saturday

Posted January 22nd, 2008 at 3:27 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The gold medalists of the women’s 5000m and 10,000m at last summer’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Meseret Defar [Pictured] and Tirunesh Dibaba, will both compete at Saturday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games (RBIG), organizers have confirmed. Although the two athletes will run similar distances, the two Ethiopian stars will not be running head-to-head; Defar will run two miles and Dibaba 3000m.

“Defar and Dibaba did not want to race each other in the first meet of the year, and a 5000 didn’t fit into the training of either one right now,” explained Mark Wetmore of Global Athletics & Marketing, the Boston-based athlete management firm which manages the meet and represents the two athletes. “This was a way to get them both into the event, and that was our priority.”

Both athletes have enjoyed record-breaking performances –and disappointments– at the RBIG which is held at the Reggie Lewis Track Facility at Roxbury Community College.
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