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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Switching Roles, Kiprop & Kamel Prevail in Lausanne

Posted September 2nd, 2008 at 8:19 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Trying their hands at alternate distances, Olympic 1500m silver medalist Asbel Kiprop and 800m finalist Yusuf Saad Kamel traded places to take impressive victories at the Athletissima Super Grand Prix here tonight.

For Kiprop, the tall Kenyan who chased Rashid Ramzi to the line in Beijing, it wasn’t so much a case of moving down in distance, but more of a move back to where the 19-year-old began his breakout season. Battling with Olympic champion Wilfred Bungei heading off the final turn, he passed his compatriot with about 50 meters to go to take a convincing victory in 1:44.71, a personal best.

Just behind Kiprop, Alfred Kirwa Yego (1:44.77) and then Ugandan Abraham Chepkirwok (1:45.00) overtook Bungei, who faded badly down the homestretch to finish fourth (1:45.31).
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Mutola Set for Final Prefontaine Classic Appearance

Posted May 20th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Maria Mutola will put her 15-race Prefontaine Classic win streak on the line when she makes her final appearance at the premiere U.S. meet on June 8.

Mutola, now 35, has announced that this will be her final season, and nowhere has she been a more respected fixture than at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, where she lived, attended high school and trained in the late 1980s and 1990s.

“There has never been another competitor like her,” said meet director Tom Jordan in a media release. “An Olympic gold, three world championship golds, seven world indoor gold medals– she has dominated her event like no other athlete.”
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Wins by Jamal, Sinclair the highlights in chilly Lausanne

Posted July 11th, 2007 at 7:55 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Running in chilly conditions that dipped below 50 degrees F (9 C.), Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Jamaican Kenia Sinclair produced the chief highlights at the Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne tonight.

After a dismal 13th place finish in Paris last Friday, Jamal was clearly trying to illustrate a point 1500. Running before a supportive hometown crowd –the 22-year-old Ethiopian-born Bahraini has been based in Lausanne since fleeing Ethiopia in 2002– Jamal cruised to a front-running victory in 4:03.61. Never seriously challenged –she had a near four second lead at the bell– Jamal easily held off the late race charge of Ukraine’s Iryna Lishchynska (4:04.27) and Russians Olga Yegorova (4:04.64) and two-time world champion Tatyana Tomashova (4:05.48).

U.S. champion Treniere Clement briefly followed Jamal and pacesetter Olga Komyagina’s solid tempo, but paid for it dearly 800 meters into the race. Fading badly over the final lap and a half, she finished 22nd in the 23 woman field.
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Prefontaine Classic: Recap of middle & long distance events

Posted June 11th, 2007 at 1:57 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

prefontaine classic 2007 poster If the late Steve Prefontaine was watching this meeting from above his beloved Hayward Field, he surely had a smile on his face as gutsy performances in the middle and long distance events dominated this meeting.

For the second year in a row, the meet was held in cool and sometimes rainy conditions, and that was just perfect for the rollicking two-miler which was won by Australian Craig Mottram in the fastest time every on U.S. soil. John Jefferson and Bernard Kiptum set the early pace, and Tariku Bekele and Mottram were running 1-2 when Kiptum left the track after about 2000 meters.

Bekele led out of turn-2 on the final lap, but Mottram started his long sprint with more 250 meter to go. Bekele just couldn’t answer, and the big Aussie motored to the line in a sparkling 8:03.50, blowing through Eliud Kipchoge’s U.S. all-comer’s best of 8:07.68 set at the same meet in 2005.

“It comes down to the size of your balls, really,” said Mottram on live television after the race.

Bekele ran a personal best 8:04.83, while a hard-charging Matt Tegenkamp broke Alan Webb’s U.S. best of 8:11.48 with a terrific 8:07.07 clocking. Dathan Ritzenhein nearly got under Webb’s mark, finishing in 8:11.74 in fourth place. As for Webb, he finished a disappointing 9th, surely a letdown after his commanding victory over Bernard Lagat in the Reebok Grand Prix last Saturday.
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Runners wow Hayward Field crowd at 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic

Posted June 11th, 2007 at 8:04 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Mottram_HK_06_Run 2007 USA Indoor 3,000m champion Matt Tegenkamp set an American record in front of a standing room only crowd Sunday at the 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., which is the fourth event of USA Track & Field’s 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series.

Tegenkamp finished third in men’s two mile race in the American record time of 8 minutes 7.07 seconds, which betters the previous American standard of 8:11.48 set here in 2005 by Alan Webb. Tegenkamp was led to the finish line by Australia’s Craig Mottram, who won the race in 8:03.50, which is the sixth-fastest performance all-time in the two-mile. Ethiopia’s Tariku Bekele was the runner-up in 8:04.83, which is the eighth-fastest time ever.

Komen wins amazing Bowerman Mile

Kenyan Daniel K. Komen ran the fastest time ever on American soil to win the signature event of the Nike Prefontaine Classic, the Bowerman Mile. In a race that saw nine competitors finish under the 4-minute barrier, Komen was victorious in a blistering time of 3 minutes 48.28 seconds, which is the fastest time in the world this year. Two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat was the runner-up in 3:50.56, which is the fastest time by an American this season.
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Record-holder Stuczynski to compete at Reebok Grand Prix

Posted May 24th, 2007 at 10:10 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Jenn Stuczynski, who on Sunday ended the 11-year reign of Stacy Dragila as American Record-holder in the women’ pole vault, will compete at the Reebok Grand Prix on June 2, organizers announced this week. Among her rivals in New York will be Dragila, on the comeback trail after missing last season with an injury.

Also added to the lineup are Torri Edwards (100-meter dash), Michelle Perry (100-meter hurdles), Kenia Sinclair (1500 meters), Novlene Williams (400 meters), Kenneth Ferguson (400-meter hurdles) and Long Island native Anthony Famiglietti (5,000 meters). All are coming off big wins in Sunday’s adidas Track Classic, as are the previously announced Allyson Felix and Tyson Gay. Gay’s scorching time of 9.79, had it not been just over the allowable tailwind limits, would have tied the American Record.
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Two American records and a WR fall at adidas Track Classic

Posted May 20th, 2007 at 9:22 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Breaux Greer and Jenn Stuczynski set American records in their respective events Sunday, while Meseret Defar (Pictured below) broke a world mark to highlight a day full of top performances at the adidas Track Classic. Held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the meet is the second event of USA Track & Field’s 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series.
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adidas Track Classic: Culpepper breaks too early; Topped by Sinclair in the 1500m

Posted May 20th, 2007 at 5:05 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenia Sinclair The women’s 1,500 meter field featured 18 runners. Four of the top 5 American female milers were in the field that included notables Shayne Culpepper, Sara Hall and Jen Rhines.

However, Treniere Clement, a star in the mile, was able to follow closely behind the pacesetter to take the lead quickly and maintain it for the first half of the race.

Then, after about 1,000m Culpepper made her move and really took off down the home stretch. However, she began too early as Kenia Sinclair was able to really show off her 800m speed to pass her over the final 400m to claim the win. Sinclair’s time was the third fastest of the year.
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