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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

USOC Displays Bad Form in Media Summit

Posted April 18th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, SoundOFF, Columns, Olympics

I spotted an interview titled “U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit Press Conference” that featured Brian Clay, Walter Davis, Lashinda Demus, Allyson Felix, Reese Hoffa, Carmelita Jeter, LaShawn Merritt and Terrence Trammell and it left me scratching my head for a minute. Since the US Olympic Track & Field team has yet to be determined, I thought this might be an error.

I dug a little further and discovered that the USOC’s media machine is acting a bit presumptuously, billing their 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit as “a preview of the 2008 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams that will be competing in China.” The USOC member who wrote the article does go on to call the athletes who attended the conference “hopefuls” but, still, it is a bit misleading, to say the least. Sure, all of the athletes who were interviewed are indeed favorites to make the team, but they haven’t made the team yet.
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Richards, Walker and Jeter win at World Athletics Final

Posted September 24th, 2007 at 8:30 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Sanya Richards closed out her European season in style Sunday, winning the women’s 400 in the second and final day of competition at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

Richards continued in her impressive string of world-leading wins in the women’s 400. Coming off world leaders in the last three Golden League meets, Richards dropped another WL on Sunday with her time of 49.27, tying her winning time from Berlin last Sunday. Novlene Williams of Jamaica was second in 50.12; American Mary Wineberg was seventh in 50.73.

World champion Brad Walker continued his excellence in the men’s pole vault. As the only person in the field to clear 5.91m/19-5.75, Walker topped the rest of the field by 5 cm. American Jeff Hartwig placed sixth in the field with 5.70m/18-8.25.

World Outdoor bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter posted her second big win of the season, taking the women’s 100 in 11.10, with Osaka 200m gold medalist Allyson Felix second in 11.15 and World Outdoor 100m silver medalist Lauryn Williams fifth in 11.31. Jeter also won the 100 in Berlin last Sunday.
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Richards, Carter, Lagat
win in Zurich

Posted September 7th, 2007 at 7:27 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The 2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Sanya Richards is now the only American alive in the hunt for the Golden League Jackpot after winning the women’s 400 meters Friday at the fourth meeting of the six fixture series, the Weltklasse Zürich in Switzerland. Athletes must win at all six meetings of the IAAF Golden League series to claim a share of the $1,000,000 Jackpot.

2005 World Outdoor silver medalist Sanya Richards destroyed the field in the women’s 400m, winning in a world-leading 49.36 seconds. Novlene Williams of Jamaica was a distant second in 50.85 while reigning World champion Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain was fourth in 51.32 and Mary Wineberg was sixth in 51.53.

2006 NCAA 100m and 400m champion Xavier Carter (Pictured) stole the show in the men’s 200m, winning in 19.92 seconds ahead of 2007 World Outdoor silver medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaice, who took second in 20.19. J.J. Johnson finished fourth in 20.49 while Rodney Martin was fifth in 20.53.

Reigning World Outdoor 1,500m and 5,000m champion Bernard Lagat continued his winning ways today in the men’s 3,000m.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: More winners and other top stories

Posted June 24th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2005 USA champion Kristin Heaston won her second national title in the women’s shot put with a personal-best throw of 18.74m/61-5.75. Jillian Camarena was second with 18.50m/60-8.5, and Sarah Stevens third in 18.02m/59-1.5.

USA indoor men’s triple jump champion Aarik Wilson added the outdoor title to his career highlights, jumping 17.06m/55-11.75 (+1.7mps). Lawrence Willis was second with 16.97m/55-8.25, and 2004 Olympian Kenta Bell was third with 16.87m/55-4.25. Wilson and Bell both have the A standard, and Walter Davis has a bye as the defending World Champion.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Sunday event previews

Posted June 24th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

WOMEN’S 20K RACEWALK FINAL

Key Athletes: Teresa Vaill, Sam Cohen, Jolene Moore

Vaill won two in a row before yielding to Joanne Dow last year. Dow is not competing this time, so look for the 44-year-old Vaill to win here based on her victory at the Pan Am Cup Trials in March.

GILL WOMEN’S POLE VAULT FINAL, 12:00 p.m.

Key Athletes: Jenn Stuczynski, Jillian Schwartz, Niki McEwen

Stuczynski has been the dominant US vaulter since bursting onto the scene in 2005, setting her latest American record with the nation’s first 16-0 clearance at the Reebok meet June 2. She is best in the world so far this year. Schwartz was the USA runner-up 2006, and McEwen was third at the Reebok meet with a 14-10 3/4 vault.

AT&T MEN’S 200 SEMIFINAL & FINAL, 12:00 p.m. & 2:20 p.m.

Key Athletes: Tyson Gay, Wallace Spearmon, Xavier Carter

All of the major players who showed up for the prelims advanced easily to the next round, led by Gay’s 20.66 in the fourth heat. Spearmon won last year and went on to record the third-fastest time ever at 19.65. Carter zipped to the #2 time ever at Lausanne in ‘06, clocking 19.63, and he won this year’s Pre Classic with a season-best 20.23.
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World’s best to compete at 33rd Nike Prefontaine Classic

Posted June 7th, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Many of the world’s finest track and field athletes, including Jeremy Wariner, Allen Johnson, Asafa Powell, Michelle Perry, Bryan Clay, Reese Hoffa, Walter Davis, Maria Mutola, Bernard Lagat, Kenenisa Bekele and Liu Xiang, among many others, will compete Sunday at the 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

The fourth event of USA Track & Field’s 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic will be televised live on NBC, Sunday, June 10, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Lagat, Webb to continue rivalry in Bowerman Mile

As always, the headline event of the Nike Prefontaine Classic is the Bowerman Mile, which this year features nine runners with lifetime mile bests under 4-minutes. The Hayward Field and Prefontaine Classic record of 3 minutes 49.92 seconds set six years ago by Hicham El Guerrouj could be in jeopardy.
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Phillips headlines long jump field at Nike Prefontaine Classic

Posted June 5th, 2007 at 9:33 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

World and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips will take on a strong field - including the world’s top jumper in 2006 - in the men’s long jump at the 33rd Nike Prefontaine Classic, held at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field in Eugene.

The fourth event of USA Track & Field’s 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic will be televised live on NBC, Sunday, June 10, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Others to keep an eye on include Panamanian standout Irving Saladino, who ended the 2006 season ranked #1 in the world after winning 15 of 17 competitions. Also look for reigning U.S. Outdoor champion Brian Johnson, 2005 U.S. Outdoor champion Miguel Pate, reigning world indoor and outdoor triple jump champion Walter Davis and 2005 World decathlon champion Bryan Clay.
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Will the Indoor World Champion rise above or “blend with the champions”?

Posted February 15th, 2007 at 1:53 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2006 World Indoor Champion Walter Davis of the U.S. will face Australian Fabrice Lapieere in the inaugural New Mexico Invitational “Blending of Champions” at the Albuquerque Convention Centre, February 16, 2007. Lapieere recently competed in the USA versus Great Britain match as a member of the Commonwealth select team and is one of several world class international athletes invited to compete against America’s best.

The New Mexico Invitational will also play host to national high school talent in the two-day event, sponsored by Vector Sports Management and the University of New Mexico. Meet Director Charlie Wells has assembled some of Track & Field’s top Olympians, bringing in such stars as 2005 World Outdoor 4×100m relay gold medalist and 2005 USA Indoor 60m Champion Angela Daigle-Bowen, who will face Tahesia Harrigan, Central American and Caribbean Games 100m Champion of the British Virgin Islands in the women’s 60-meter dash.
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Richards; Wariner receive 2006 Jesse Owens Award

Posted December 6th, 2006 at 2:15 PM by Jennifer Lipman

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Sanya Richards and Jeremy Wariner were chosen to receive the coveted Jesse Owens Award for 2006. These two outstanding athletes had an incredible year; going undefeated in the 400 meters.

The Jesse Owens Award was started in 1981 and is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female track & field performers of the year. The winners are chosen through ballot voting by members of the U.S. Track & Field media.

Sanya Richards, only 21 years old, had a year that most can only dream of. Not only did she go undefeated in the 400 meter, but she was also named female World Athlete of the Year. In addition, Richards shattered the 22 year-old 400m world record of 48.83 seconds (previously held by Valerie Brisco) at the IAAF World Cup in Athens, on September 16 with a time of 48.70

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