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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Bolt Amazes with 9.69 100m World Record in Beijing

Posted August 16th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Underscoring the world record performance that thrust him into the sprint spotlight late last spring, Usain Bolt did himself even one better in Beijing, cruising to a 9.69 world record to demolish the field in the final of the men’s 100 meters on the second day of action at the National Stadium.

“My aim was just to be the Olympic champion,” said Bolt, who lowered the 9.72 mark he set in New York City on May 31. “I wasn’t thinking about a world record.”

With a performance that defied the imagination, Bolt’s assessment seemed to be quite on target. Clearly ahead of Trinidad’s Richard Thompson 40 meters into the race, he then forged onward to build a lead so massive that some 75 meters into the race, he began to look side to side, dropping his arms and gesturing as if to ask, ‘Where is everybody?’
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Dix, Crawford, and Spearmon Top Standings in Gay-less 200m Final

Posted July 6th, 2008 at 9:29 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Eight served by picapp.com

The 200-meters was a wide open race for any of the talented sprinters to win in the absence of Tyson Gay. Who would have thought that the race would be so fast that Rodney Martin would put down 19.90 and not make the team even without Gay in the race? Well it certainly happened that way today.

Coming off the turn Shawn Crawford looked like the runner of old as he lead the pack over the first 100 meters of the race. The 2004 Olympic champion held the lead until Walter Dix closed the gap in the final 5 meters to win at the finish line by the slightest of margins.

Wallace Spearmon was deep in the pack coming off the turn and his chances to make the team were not looking good and then he began picking off runners with a massive kick that resulted in a third place finish and the last spot of the 200-meter team heading to Beijing.
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Tyson Gay Breezes Through 200m Prelims

Posted July 5th, 2008 at 1:15 AM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Three served by picapp.com

After winning the 100-meter Olympic Trials final in 9.68 on Sunday, Tyson Gay is now back to compete in the 200-meters. The reigning 200-meter World Champion jogged easily to victory (20.43) in the preliminaries.

There were not any surprises, as everyone that was expected to move forward, did so tonight. Saturday are the semi and quarterfinal rounds with the finals taking place on Sunday.

Shawn Crawford qualified for the semifinal heat (20.18),along with Xavier Carter (20.86), and Walter Dix (20.66). Wallace Spearmon did not qualify for the 100 meters but then again it’s not his main race either. He hopes to get his ticket to Beijing and challenge Tyson Gay in the 200 meters.
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Gay Cruises Through Men’s 100-Meter Semifinals

Posted June 29th, 2008 at 6:18 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Three served by picapp.com

Tyson Gay cruised to 9.85 in the semifinals and secured a spot in the final. After the race he said “I am a little tired, but I feel good.” It is evident that Walter Dix (9.93) is poised to compete for a top three finish in the finals after a solid showing in his second place finish.

The second heat of men’s 100-meter semifinal heat was easily won by veteran Darvis Patton (10.04). He has fought injuries for two years to come back to top form. When asked about his mental state he said said “one more to go.”

Wallace Spearmon had a disappointing end to his bid to make the 100-meter team spot on the U.S. Olympic Team with a fifth place finish. High school national record holder Jeffrey Demps had a good run through the rounds against elite runners but did not qualify for the nationals.
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The Week in the Rear View: Racing News June 9 - June 15

Posted June 16th, 2008 at 4:11 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, College, Week in Rear View

The Week In the Rear View is a weekly column wrapping up the week’s events in running and track & field. I am normally found at PreraceJitters.com, writing about the fast life of track and field.

The week in track and field was a wild and exciting one. The NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa provided a sneak peek of the next set of runners who just forged their name into the history books of this sport and hope to achieve the same kind of success at the next level.

Is LSU ready to be crowned the new collegiate sprint capital? Both the women’s and men’s 100-meter champions hail from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Richard Thompson (10.04) and Kelly-Ann Baptiste (11.20) scored major points for the Tigers this past weekend.

Things certainly did not go as planned for Florida State University’s Walter Dix, but he still found a moment to shine. After a disappointing fourth place finish in the 100-meters, Dix looked like he was shot out of a cannon as he won (20.04) the men’s 200 over Richard Thompson. The Seminole now has his eyes laid squarely on the monumental task of the making the Olympic Team.

Leonel Manzano (Pictured) of the University of Texas showed that Bernard Lagat is not the only 1500 meter runner with a vicious kick. Manzano led wire to wire in wearing out the field in his NCAA championship run while showing incredible heart.

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TFS News Briefs: 5/31/2008

Posted May 31st, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, TFS News Briefs, College

Walter Dix Advances To 100m and 200m Finals at NCAA East Regional
FSU senior Walter Dix has been hampered by a hamstring injury all season so it’s no wonder he coasted to the finish line in both the 100m and the 200m heats at the 2008 NCAA East Regional Championships. In fact, he finished 3rd behind his FSU teammates. With Dix’s help, the Seminoles are in good position to win their 4th straight NCAA East Regional team championship.
More: Tampa Tribune

Aussie Tamsyn Lewis Prefers Stiff Competition
Surprise world indoor 800m champ Tamsyn Lewis of Australia begins her outdoor campaign by facing 2007 outdoor champ Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya at the DKB-ISTAF 2008, an IAAF Golden League meet in Berlin . Her reasoning? “I’d prefer to be in a field like that than an easier race. The only way to get ready for the Olympic Games is to race against these women some time. It might as well be now.”
More: The Age, Australia

Kara Goucher Aims For Olympic “A” Standard Tonight
The USATF recently announced that all Team USA athletes must have met their Olympic “A” standards either before or during the Olympic Trials, not after. It is much easier to achieve that standard without the added pressure of having to claim one of three spots in a major competition. That may be why Kara Goucher has decided to go for her “A” standard of 31:45 in the 10000m at a low-key meet in Oregon tonight. Galen Rupp will be running the 5000m.
The Oregonian
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TFS News Briefs: 3/21/08
Special NCAA Track & Field Edition

Posted March 21st, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

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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TFS News Briefs: 12/20/07

Posted December 20th, 2007 at 2:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, TFS News Briefs

Florida State Men Ranked #1 in NCAA Indoor T&F
The Florida State men’s track & field team is ranked #1 in the USTFCCCA preseason indoor rankings. Led by Walter Dix, they won the 2006 and 2007 Outdoor NCAA titles. Washington is ranked 2nd and Tennessee is ranked 3rd. Read more at: [USTFCCCA]

LSU Women Ranked #1 in NCAA Indoor T&F
The LSU women lead the USTFCCCA preseason NCAA Div. I Rankings for indoor track & field. They are led by hurdler Jessica Ohanaja and sprinter Kelly Ann Baptiste. Arizona State
begins the season ranked 2nd and Tennessee is ranked 3rd. Read more at: [USTFCCCA]

IAAF To Begin End-Of-Year Reviews On Saturday
This Saturday marks the first day of the IAAF’s annual end-of-year reviews. The IAAF is the world’s governing body of track & field. Here are the publication dates: Combined Events (Saturday, 12/22), Throws (Monday, 12/24), Jumps (Wednesday, 12/26), Hurdles (Thursday, 12/27), Road Running / Race Walks (Friday, 12/28), Long Distance/ Steeplechase (Saturday, 12/29), Middle Distance (Sunday, 12/30), Sprints (Monday, 12/31). Read more beginning this Saturday at: [IAAF]
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Gay doubles at USA Champs, Takes 200M title on final day

Posted June 24th, 2007 at 4:15 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Former Hogs Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon, Jr. took first and second place, respectively, in the 200-meter finals on day four of competition at the AT&T USA Championships at Indianapolis’ Michael A. Carroll Stadium on the campus of IUPUI.

With a personal best and the fastest time run in the world this year, Gay won the event with a clocking of 19.62 into a headwind. The clocking moves him to No. 2 on the all-time list behind Michael Johnson’s 19.32. Before today’s race he sat at No. 5 with his former PR of 19.68.
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AT&T USA Outdoor T&F Champs: Saturday event previews

Posted June 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

HEPTATHLON, Day Two

Key Athletes: GiGi Johnson, Hyleas Fountain, Diana Pickler, Jacquelyn Johnson

The past two USATF champions are in the field with GiGi Johnson (2006) and Fountain (2005), but it is US list leader Pickler who topped the standings with 3,636 points after the first day. Fountain is 18 points adrift, with Johnson two more behind her. NCAA champ Johnson is fifth at 3,495.

DECATHLON, Day Two

Key Athletes: Tom Pappas, Paul Terek, Jake Arnold

Four-time U.S. winner Pappas, who leads with 4,394 points, is the defending champion and could tie Bill Toomey and Dan O’Brien for most U.S. titles in the event after the withdrawal of ‘05 world champion Bryan Clay. Arnold recently claimed his second NCAA title, scoring 8,215 for the victory, and is sxth after five events. Terek scored 8,134 to win at Desenzano on May 6 and is seeking his third Worlds team berth.
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