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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 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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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles

Posted August 13th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles

The Schedule: heats, Friday Aug 15; semifinals, Saturday Aug 16; finals, Monday Aug 18
The Americans: #1 Kerron Clement [Pictured], #2 Bershawn Jackson, #6 Angelo Taylor
The Contenders: #3 Danny McFarlane (JAM), #4 L.J. van Zyl (RSA), #5 Marek Plawgo (POL)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Clement, Jackson, van Zyl; SI - Clement, Jackson, Taylor
The Story: This is an American race for gold, and a medal sweep by the USA is a distinct possibility. Jackson failed badly (for him) at the Golden League meet in Paris; other than that, he and Clement have lost to no one but each other. Clement is a tremendous talent who has a history of inconsistency (which is lessening with time), while Jackson’s best times are less stunning but he rarely has a bad race. If Clement is at or near his best, he will win, but otherwise it will be Jackson.
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Clement Bested by Anderson in Qual Heat 4 of Men’s 400m Hurdles

Posted June 27th, 2008 at 10:35 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Heat 1
1 Terry Thornton unattached 49.54 Q
2 Justin Gaymon Georgia 49.64 Q
3 Robert Griffin Baylor 49.74 Q
4 James Carter Nike 49.94 q
5 Johnny Dutch South Carolina 49.96 q
7 Ben Clark VS Athletics 50.88

Heat 2
1 Bershawn Jackson Nike 49.63 Q
2 LaRon Bennett unattached 49.99 Q
3 Joey Woody unattached 50.34 Q
4 LaBronze Garrett unattached 50.46
5 Rickey Harris unattached 50.56
6 Kai Kelley U S C 52.29
7 Kenneth Ferguson adidas 53.13
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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: 04/25/2008

Posted April 25th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Bryan Clay Faces Risky Combination of Beijing Pollution and Asthma
The Honolulu Bulletin features an article about native son, Athens Olympic silver medalist Bryan Clay, and the challenges he faces in dealing with asthma, challenges which could be compounded in the polluted air of Beijing.
Read more at: [Honolulu Star-Bulletin]

Canadian Equivalent of Hanson’s-Brooks Running Project
The Hanson’s-Brooks Running Project has its equivalent up in Canada and it’s called Brooks Canada Marathon Project. Husband-and-wife team members Andrew Smith and Tara Quinn-Smith, who won the men’s and women’s Canadian Half Marathon Championships, and other Brooks Canada runners are featured in an article by the Toronto Sun.
Read more at: [Toronto Sun]

Hamburg Marathon Preview
German correspondent Jörg Wenig has written a preview of the Hamburg Marathon for the IAAF. He spotlights Spaniard Julio Rey, who has won the race four tines and Kenyan Wilfred Kigen, who has won three times, as the favorites in the men’s race. Compatriot Ulrike Maisch, the 2006 European Champion, is the favorite in the women’s race. She told Wenig that “I will definitely have to run 2:29 to qualify for the Olympics. But I believe that I can achieve 2:28.”
Read more at: [IAAF]
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Stars headed for Yokohama

Posted September 29th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

A handful of the stars who competed in Shanghai will travel to Japan to compete in the Seiko Super Track and Field meet on Sunday, September 30 in Yokohama.

Three-time gold medalist at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships Tyson Gay is back in the men’s 100 meters, looking to avenge his loss from Shanghai. Anwar Moore also will be looking for the win in the men’s 110m hurdles and will be challenged by two-time Junior College National champion Dexter Faulk.

It will be a battle of the world champions in the men’s 400m hurdles as 2007 World Outdoor champion Kerron Clement will face 2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson.

Sanya Richards, who owns the top five times in the world this year over 400m, is entered in her specialty and will be aiming for a new personal best in her final race of the season.
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U.S. stars invade Shanghai

Posted September 27th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Team USA standouts Tyson Gay, Sanya Richards, Jeremy Wariner, Michelle Perry, Allen Johnson and Lauryn Williams will lead an accomplished group of U.S. stars Friday at the 2007 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in China.

This third edition of the Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai has been designated as a qualifying event for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final 2008. Competing athletes at the meet will have the opportunity to get an early start on qualifying for next year’s final, to be held September 13-14.

Current world and U.S. men’s 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay will compete in the 100 meters in a field that includes fellow Americans JJ Johnson and Marcus Brunson. The men’s 110m hurdles also should prove interesting as four-time world champion Allen Johnson and 2007 World Outdoor Championships bronze medalist David Payne do battle with world record holder and reigning world and Olympic champion Liu Xiang, who will compete in front of an enthusiastic hometown audience.
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IAAF World Athletics Final: Men’s 400m Hurdles

Posted September 22nd, 2007 at 8:14 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Although the men’s 400m Hurdles race was dominated by Americans with 5 in the race, Marek Plawgo of Poland was the upset winner in a photo finish. Both Plawgo and Kerron Clement, the World Champion at Osaka, recorded a time of 48.35. Here are the final results:

1. Marek Plawgo (POL) 48.35
2. Kerron Clement (USA) 48.35
3. James Carter (USA) 48.36
4. Bershawn Jackson (USA) 48.58
5. Angelo Taylor (USA) 49.27
6. Kenneth Ferguson (USA) 49.45
7. Felix Sanchez (DOM) 49.61
8. L.J. Van Zyl (RSA) 49.62

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U.S. stars set to compete at World Athletics Final

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 7:40 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Team USA standouts Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, Brad Walker, Wallace Spearmon, Lauryn Williams, Reese Hoffa and Walter Davis lead a strong cast of U.S. stars slated to compete this weekend at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

The 2005 World 200m women’s champion, Allyson Felix defended her title at the World Championships in Osaka with the largest margin of victory in World Championships history, striding to the gold medal and a huge personal best of 21.81 seconds, the fastest time run by a woman this century. Felix, who has posted the three fastest 200m times in the world this year, also won gold in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays, splitting 48.0 in the 4×4. She will compete in the 100 meters in Stuttgart.

For the second consecutive year, Richards earned a share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot by winning the women’s 400 meters at all six prestigious European meets. She enters Stuttgart with the four fastest women’s 400m times in the world this year, including the world-leading 49.27 she ran Sunday to close out her Golden League victories in Berlin.
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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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