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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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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High Jump
1. Yaroslav Rybakov, 56.5
2. Stefan Holm, 56
3. Andrey Silnov, 49.5
4. Ivan Ukhov, 42
5. Andra Manson, 33
6. Jesse Williams, 30
7. Dusty Jonas, 29
8. Kabelo Kgosiemang, 29
9. Linus Thörnblad, 26
10. Kyriakos Ioannou, 23
World Indoor champ Holm and world list leader Rybakov are neck-and-neck. Silnov’s win last Sunday at the Prefontaine Classic tightened his grip on third. As I type this, Nebraska’s Dusty Jonas is competing in the NCAA championships, which would move him into fourth if he wins as expected.
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Meet records fell across all event groups, none bigger than Brad Walker’s American record in the pole vault, and Maria Mutola had a historic exit Sunday at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.
The fourth event of USATF’s Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic drew a meet-record 14,221 fans to Hayward Field, site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field June 27-July 6. They were treated to a formidable show, including no fewer than eight meet records and Walker’s AR.
The 2007 world champion, Walker looked magnificent throughout the competition. He had just one miss, at his opening height of 5.70m/18-8.25, then passed to 5.90m/19-4.25, which he cleared on his first attempt and which won the competition for him. Walker then elevated the bar to 6.04m/19-9.75. On his very first attempt, he cleared, brushing the bar just a bit, but leaving it up.
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Continuing with our preview of Sunday’s meet in Eugene, Oregon, here are the tentative start lists for the field events. The IAAF also has a field event preview.
Women’s Hammer Throw
3:10 p.m. EDT (12:10 p.m. local)
Hawyard Field & Pre Classic records: 229′ 1″ / 69.82 meters, Erin Gilreath (USA), 2006
Betty Heidler (Germany)
Superfan World Ranking: #2
PR: 76.55 meters (2006) 2008 best: 72.91 meters
The defending World Champion has thrown over 70 meters five times already this season; her lone loss came at the European Throwing Cup.
Ivana Brkljacic (Croatia)
PR: 74.08 meters (2007) 2008 best: 73.62 meters
Has competed only twice this year (and hence not in my World Rankings), but has put up very big marks both times.
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2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field: Week 1
The 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field season officially kicks off in fine style this weekend with 38 (count ‘em, 38!) meets throughout the country. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has links to all of them on their website. Schedules like this one are truly a track junkie’s dream come true.
Read more at: [USTFCCCA]
ASU Opens Outdoor Season At Home
ASU, the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champions, will open their outdoor season at home this weekend at the Baldy Castillo Invitational. Both the men’s team and the women’s team won the NCAA national titles last weekend. The meet will be contested on the Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe, AZ.
Read more at: [Sun Devils]
Oregon Host First Meet At Revamped Hayward Field
The University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field has had an $8 Million facelift in preparation for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, and now the Ducks want to show her off to the world. Folks will get their first look at the freshly-reminted stadium by hosting the Oregon Preview on Saturday, March 22nd, 2008. Over 550 athletes from throughout the Northwest will be competing in the meet.
Read more at: [Go Ducks][Hayward Field]
Image courtesy of GoDucks.com.
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Asafa: 80% Chance He’s Race Thursday
Asafa Powell, still healing after cutting his knee, says he is “70 to 80″ percent sure he start in Thursday’s Melbourne Grand Prix. He also wants a lifetime ban for drug cheats, against whom he says he’s certain to run in Beijing.
Read more at: [Melbourne Herald Sun][Jamaica Gleaner]
Central Florida: New Hotbed of Track
With new residents Tyson Gay and Veronica Campbell leading the way, Central Florida’s Clermont is the newest hotbed of elite track and field. Gay and Campbell, along with several other adidas-sponsored athletes are training there for the Beijing Olympics.
Read more at: [Orlando Sentinel]
Tariku Bekele - Craig Mottram Showdown Will Have To Wait
Tariku Bekele has pulled out of Thursday’s Melbourne Grand Prix, leaving Craig Mottram disappointed. Mottram had wanted to race the Ethiopian at the 5000m distance in front of a home crowd.
Read more at: [The Age, Australia]
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2007 World High Jump champion “Way Ahead” Of Where He Was Last Year
Even though he didn’t win his first competition of his -08 season, 2007 high jump world champion Donald Thomas of the Bahamas said that, “I’m way ahead of where I was at this time last year, that’s for sure…. The results won’t show it, but physically and every other way, I know it… “I’m just a little rusty right now, I need a little more time.” It should be an exciting year for the high jump.
Read more at: [IAAF]
Mottram Determined to Show That Big Runners Can Run Indoors
Craig Mottram, at 6′ 2″ and 162 lbs, is much bigger that the average middle-distance runner. He is determined to proved tonight that a big guy like him can take on the best in the world in an indoor, 11-laps-to-the-mile race, and beat them. His determination will surely be challenged by a smaller (5′ 8″, 134 lbs.) Bernard Lagat, the current world champion at 1500m and 5000m.
Read more at [The Age, Australia]
USC Graduate Allyson Felix Begins Two-A-Days
Now that she has graduated from USC with a degree in Elementary Education, Allyson Felix suddenly has a little more spare time, time to step up her training regimen to include two workouts a day. This is all part of her plan to do a 200m/400m double (maybe even tripling in the 100m!) in Beijing.
Read more at: [AFP]
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Two reigning World Champions, shot putter Reese Hoffa (Pictured) and pole vaulter Brad Walker, will return to Madison Square Garden on Feb. 1 to compete in the 101st Millrose Games, organizers announced today. Both were ranked #1 in the world for 2007 by Track & Field News magazine.
Hoffa, a longtime Millrose Games and New York favorite, is coming off the best year of his career, winning world titles both indoors and outdoors in 2007 and notching the two longest throws of the year. Walker, the defending Millrose pole vault champ, is also the 2006 World Indoor Champion and a silver medalist from the 2005 World Championships.
Joining Hoffa will be the #2 and #3 shot putters in the world: 2005 World Champion Adam Nelson, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and three-time World Championships silver medalist, and Christian Cantwell, the 2004 World Indoor Champion who last year set a Millrose Games record with his victory here.
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Masters athletes shredded the record books over the weekend as a half-dozen competitors set a total of eight world indoor records at the 18th annual National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada.
Some 60 Masters men and women as old as 72 were among 2,400 athletes racing down a dozen elevated runways arrayed like spokes of a bicycle at Reno’s Livestock Events Center.
In the elite men’s division Friday, American record holder Jeff Hartwig led the way — becoming the first over-40 jumper to clear 18 feet in legitimate competition. Jumping 5.50 meters/18 feet .50 inch, Hartwig broke a record only an hour old. In a separate competition, longtime rival Pat Manson of Colorado (who also turned 40 in late 2007), upped the listed world indoor record twice, finally to 5.36m/17-7.
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