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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Team USA: Day 4 Track Recap

Posted August 18th, 2008 at 2:42 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Team USA earned five medals Monday in Beijing, two of them gold.

BROWN-TRAFTON WINS FIRST GOLD MEDAL FOR U.S.

Stephanie Brown-Trafton surprised many as she became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the discus since 1932. After a rocky first three days, this was the first gold medal for the U.S. at the Beijing Games.

Brown-Trafton’s first throw of 64.74m/212-5 was unmatched by her competitors.

“I told people when you make the final anything can happen. I had a far throw and nobody else stepped up. I won a gold medal!” she said after her victory.

U.S. DOMINATES SWEEPS MEDALS IN 400m HURDLES

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Angelo Taylor won his second Olympic gold medal in 8 years, running a personal-best time of 47.25 seconds.
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Medal-Threat Womens Jumpers Look to Make Olympic Team

Posted June 27th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Jenn Stuczynski, Chaunte Howard, Brittney Reese and Shani Marks lead a strong contingent in the women’s vertical and horizontal jumps at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, June 27 - July 6 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

The top three finishers in each race, who have met Olympic performance standards, will earn the ultimate prize of a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Pole Vault

Two-time U.S. Outdoor champion and 2008 World Indoor silver medalist Jenn Stuczynski leads the field in the women’s pole vault. Already in her short career, Stuczynski has set three American records with the most recent coming at the 2008 adidas Track Classic when she became only the second woman ever to clear 4.90 meters/16 feet 0.75 inches.
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adidas Launches Olympic Website RoadsToBeijing.com

Posted June 21st, 2008 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

adidas has launched a new website focused on adidas-sponsored athletes who are likely to compete in the Olympic Games across the full spectrum of sports. The site, roadstobeijing.com, includes athlete profiles, videos, photos, blogs (still in development) and polls.

“Most of us only get to see the athletes in the competitive arena and, understandably, rarely fully appreciate what it takes to get to the top of their sport,” said Jocelyn Robiot, adidas’s head of global sports marketing through a media release. “RoadstoBeijing.com breaks new ground and offers a unique insight into that journey.”
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World Points Standings:
Women’s Jumps

Posted June 19th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Rankings, World Standings

High Jump
1. Blanka Vlašic, 108
2. Ariane Friedrich, 59
3. Yelena Slesarenko, 55
4. Vita Palamar, 51
5. Ruth Beitia, 46
6. Marina Aitova, 38
7. Anna Chicherova, 36
7. Tia Hellebaut, 36
9. Ekaterina Savchenko, 32.5
10. Chaunte Howard, 32

Vlašic is the overall points leader for all events, men and women. She goes to all the biggest meets, is undefeated, and regularly jumps higher than any other active jumper’s PR. American Howard should climb the ranks as she continues to improve in her return to competition after having a baby.

Pole Vault
1. Jennifer Stuczynski, 64
2. Yelena Isinbayeva, 48
3. Yuliya Golubchikova, 45
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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: 2/15/2008

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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TFS News Briefs: 1/29/08

Posted January 29th, 2008 at 2:32 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, TFS News Briefs, Trail / Ultra

Richmond, VA Designated As U.S. Men’s 10K Championships Site
The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K road race in Richmond, VA will be the host of the U.S. Men’s 10K Championships this April 5th. Prize money will total $25,000 with the winner getting $7500.
Read more at: [USA Today]

Ultra-Runner May Get To Keep His Toes
Andrew Wells, an ultra-runner from Davenport, IA, who won the Frozen Otter Ultra Trek in Wisconsin last week but suffered severe frostbite, was scheduled for surgery to remove his toes. He may, in fact, get to keep at least some of his toes.
Read more at: [Des Moines Register]

Olympic Hurdles Champion Hayes, Other Stars to Compete at Millrose Games
Joanna Hayes, the Olympic 110m hurdles champion, and Kara Goucher, the world-championships bronze medalist in Osaka, will be competing at this Friday’s 101st running of the storied Millrose Games. A Stuczynski-Dragila showdown in the pole vault and a talented Wanamaker Mile field (Bernard Lagat, Craig Mottram, Nick Willis, Galen Rupp) are also among the highlights of the meet which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Read more at: [IAAF][Millrose Games]
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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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