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The Official Publication of USA Track & Field
Volume X • Issue 2 • Summer 2009
Permit #351 Bolingbrook, IL NON PROFIT ORG U.S.POSTAGE PAID
Visa Champions Dwight Phillips and Dawn Harper
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
18 4 Running in Jesse’s Footsteps 8 USATF Youth Rewind with Sanya Richards 10 USA Masters Championships 12 USATF Running Club Spotlight 14 USATF on the Roads
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15 Get to Know Us 18 Visa Championships Series Rewind 26 Resource Exchange Center 27 World Youth Championships 28 Win With Integrity 30 USATF Events Calendar
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Fast Forward is an official publication of USA Track & Field, 132 E. Washington St., Suite 800, Indianapolis, IN 46204, published quarterly by USA Track & Field. EDITOR Ivan P. Cropper ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michele Cooper CONTRIBUTING EDITORS DESIGN & LAYOUT Tom Suber, Vicky Oddi Basedoor Graphics LLC PRINTED BY Shooting Star Media, Inc. W.D. Hoard & Sons COVER PHOTO Errol Anderson/The Sporting Image For more information, visit www.usatf.org or call us at 317-261-0500. Questions or comments about Fast Forward ? Send email to: Membership@usatf.org For advertising inquiries, contact Larry Eder, The Running Network LLC at 608-239-3785.
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GETTY IMAGES
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Running in Jesse’s Footsteps B Y TOM SU R B E R
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he 2009 members of Team USA who will compete at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany, will compete at the 1936 Olympic Stadium where National Track & Field Hall of Famer Jesse Owens
became an international star and the ultimate icon of USA Track & Field. The 2009 World Championships will be the first major international meet to be held at the Berlin Olympic Stadium since the 1936 Olympic Games, where Owens
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LEGENDFEATURE
won four gold medals (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay & long jump). At the time when Owens competed in Berlin, Adolf Hitler ruled Nazi Germany, which was preparing for World War II. Hitler used the Games as a vehicle to showcase a resurgent Germany under Nazi rule. Nazi propaganda at the time unabashedly proclaimed the twisted belief that the Aryan race was superior to all others, while depicting those of African and Jewish descent as inferior. With his remarkable performance in Berlin, Owens, the humble son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave, debunked forever the misguided notion of any race being superior, while conducting himself at all times with grace and class. As for Hitler and the Nazis, they initiated World War II in Europe when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, proving that Hitler’s Germany hosting the 1936 Olympic Games was a tragic farce. In contrast to Hitler’s notions of Aryan supremacy, Owens was enthusiastically cheered in the stadium each day by 110,000 mostly German citizens, and he was constantly besieged for his autograph while at the Games. Years after his 1936 triumph, Owens was invited back to Berlin, where a packed stadium cheered him as he ran a ceremonial lap and was greeted warmly by the city’s mayor. Additionally, in 1984, a street near the stadium was named in his honor. The remarkable story of Owens at the Olympic Games and the joint affection between him and the German people was personified during the long jump competition at the 1936 Olympics. During long jump qualifying, Owens had fouled during his first
’09 TEAM: 1ST STOP, BERLIN MEN
5000m Bernard Lagat RC Matt Tegenkamp Chris Solinsky 10,000m Galen Rupp Dathan Ritzenhein Tim Nelson
100m Tyson Gay RC Michael Rodgers Darvis Patton Monzavous Edwards 200m Tyson Gay RC Shawn Crawford Charles Clark Wallace Spearmon 400m Jeremy Wariner RC LaShawn Merritt Gil Roberts Lionel Larry 800m Nick Symmonds Khadevis Robinson Ryan Brown 1500m Bernard Lagat RC Lopez Lomong Leonel Manzano
Marathon Dan Browne Nate Jenkins Justin Young Fernando Cabada Matt Gabrielson 110m H David Payne Terrence Trammell Aries Merritt 400m H Kerron Clement RC Bershawn Jackson Johnny Dutch Angelo Taylor 3000m SC Joshua McAdams Daniel Huling Kyle Alcorn High Jump Tora Harris Andra Manson Keith Moffatt
Pole Vault Brad Walker RC Jeremy Scott Derek Miles Toby Stevenson Long Jump Dwight Phillips Brian Johnson Triple Jump Brandon Roulhac Walter Davis Shot Put Reese Hoffa RC Christian Cantwell Dan Taylor Adam Nelson Discus Casey Malone Jarred Rome Ian Waltz Hammer AG Kruger Thomas Freeman Michael Mai Javelin Chris Hill Mike Hazle Sean Furey
RC = Reigning Champion 4x100 & 4x400 Relay Teams TBD Roster as of July 23rd, 2009. Team subject to change based on standard chasing. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
two attempts. If he were to foul on his third and final attempt, he would fail to make the final and would be out of the competition. Prior to his final qualifying attempt, German long jump star Lutz Long, who set the Olympic record during qualifying and had become friendly with Owens during the competition, suggested to Owens that he
move back his starting point knowing that he would takeoff well before the end line, and would then certainly sail past the automatic qualifying mark of 7.15 meters/23 feet 5.50 inches. Owens followed Long’s advice and easily qualified for the final, where he won the competition with a leap of 8.06m/26-5.50, which became the new Olympic record. Long, who won 5
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’09 TEAM: 1ST STOP, BERLIN CONTINUED
Decathlon Trey Hardee Ashton Eaton Jake Arnold
WOMEN
5000m Kara Goucher Jennifer Rhines 10,000m Amy Begley Shalane Flanagan Katie McGregor Marathon Kara Goucher Desiree Davila Paige Higgins Zoila Gomez Tera Moody
100m Carmelita Jeter Muna Lee Lauryn Williams 200m Allyson Felix RC Muna Lee Marshevet Hooker Charonda Williams 400m Sanya Richards Debbie Dunn Jessica Beard
100m H Michelle Perry RC Dawn Harper Ginny Powell Damu Cherry 400m H Lashinda Demus Sheena Tosta Tiffany Williams 3000m SC Jenny Barringer Bridget Franek Lindsey Anderson
800m Hazel Clark Geena Gail
20km RW Teresa Vaill
1500m Shannon Rowbury Christin Wurth Anna Willard
High Jump Chaunte Howard Amy Acuff Sharon Day
Pole Vault Jennifer Stuczynski Chelsea Johnson Stacy Dragila Long Jump Brittney Reese Brianna Glenn Fumi Jimoh Triple Jump Shakeea Walsch Erica McLain Shot Put Michelle Carter Jillian Camarena Kristin Heaston Discus Stephanie Brown Trafton Aretha Thurmond Becky Breisch Hammer Jessica Cosby Amber Campell Erin Gilreath Javelin Kara Patterson Rachel Yurkovich Heptathlon Diana Pickler Sharon Day Bettie Wade
RC = Reigning Champion 4x100 & 4x400 Relay Teams TBD Roster as of July 23rd, 2009. Team subject to change based on standard chasing.
the silver medal, was the first to congratulate Owens and the two walked arm-in-arm out of the stadium. Following the competition, Owens expressed his gratitude toward his German friend. “It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me 6
in front of Hitler”, Owens said. “You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four carat friendship that I felt for Lutz Long at that moment.” Although Owens died in 1980,
FAST FACTS Owens is most remembered for his magnificence at the 1936 Olympics, but his greatest accomplishment at a track meet may have occurred on May 25, 1935 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. On that day, Owens remarkably set five world records and tied another in a span of just 45 minutes to pace Ohio State University at the Big Ten Championships. Owens set world records in the 220 yards and 200 meters straightaway, 220-yard and 200m low hurdles on a straightaway and the long jump, and tied the world record at 100 yards. His long jump mark of 8.14m/26-8.50 stood for the next 25 years.
his legend will live on forever. USA Track & Field honors his memory and accomplishments each year when the Jesse Owens Awards are presented to the nation’s top male and female athletes at USATF’s Annual Meeting. The Jesse Owens Awards are the most prestigious awards presented by USA Track & Field. Since the beginning of international track competition, the history, tradition and success of USA Track & Field has been second to none around the world. However, with that history comes an enormous responsibility to continue the unrivaled success achieved by Jesse Owens and countless others who have won more Olympic and world championship medals than any other country. Those wearing the Team USA singlet in Berlin at this summer’s World Championships will have the cherished opportunity to add to that glorious history. #
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3X Ironman Champion CHRIS LIETO
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USATF YOUTH REWIND
Up Close with Sanya Richards B Y I VA N P. C ROP P E R any people know that Sanya Richards as the World’s best 400m runner. She has been ranked #1 the last four years and has represented the country at World Championships and the Olympic Games. In 2008 at the Beijing Games, Sanya ran one of the most impressive 400m relay anchor legs in history to secure the gold for Team USA. What many people don’t know is that she has been running and winning since she was a young girl in Florida, including USATF’s Youth Programs. It wasn’t long ago
Q: As a young kid, given your parents’ sacrifice in coming to the U.S. and their own personal athletic achievements, did you feel pressure to run…and win? A: I never felt pressure to win as a youngster. Our education was always the priority and whatever I did on the track was extra. They hoped my sister and I would go to a great university, and the opportunities that came from my success on the track was simply icing on the cake.
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that she was heading to the USATF’s Junior Nationals, Junior Olympics and setting Junior Records.
Sanya Richards, Juniors Champion and 400m record holder
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Q: 2002 was a great year for you, including being named the USATF Youth Athlete of the Year. That year you set the 400m Junior Record of 50.69 at the USATF Junior Nationals. What is your most vivid memory from that race? A: It was the perfect race. I remember lining up as a high school senior against Monique Henderson, who was the previous record holder and already in college at UCLA. I was so nervous but as the race progressed I felt really strong. I remember being right beside her on the curve and then pulling away on the straight. When I looked up and saw the time I couldn't believe it! I couldn’t believe I really ran below 51 seconds.
Q: What advice do you have for a young track & field athlete out there who might be struggling to find success on the track? A: Never give up! There have been so many great late bloomers in our sport. Sometimes it’s something small that changes everything. Maybe a new piece of information, a new coach, or a change of scenery. If you love to run don't give up on your dream, success could be just around the corner.
Q: How important was your USATF youth running experience, and do you think it has played a role in your current success? A: Running as a junior played a huge role in my current success. Making the team in 2002 was so difficult that it prepared me for the upcoming years. It also helped that so many of my peers progressed right along with me. Bershawn Jackson, Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Lashinda
Q: Given all that you have achieved in your career, what are your goals for the next few years? A: I still have tremendous goals for myself before my career is over … my number one goal is winning a major championship title! With no Worlds or Olympics in 2010, the highlight for me will be marrying my college sweetheart! I also hope to make the World Championship team in 2011 and the Olympic Team in 2012. #
Demus, and Tiffany RossWilliams were just a few of my teammates in 2002 and we encouraged each other to keep pushing for the next level. I was also thrilled to be a part of the youth programs because it left me hungry for the next level.
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USA MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Have visor, Will hurdle BY JILL GEER he only thing stronger than the tailwinds at the 2009 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships were the performances, spirit and camaraderie of the nearly 1,000 athletes who took part in the event. Held July 9–12 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium, the 2009 edition of the meet stood as the premier masters event in the United States. Many athletes in attendance woke up Thursday morning to find that the issues of USA Today left at their hotel room doorsteps featured their own Nadine O’Connor on the front of the sports section. The 67-year-old wonder was indeed a star of the show in Oshkosh, winning the W65 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, high jump, discus and pentathlon, and finishing second in the shot put and javelin. With regular, expansive front-page coverage in the local newspaper and video coverage on TV stations, it was a group of 70-something women and 90-something men who stole the show. The men’s 95–99 age group was a hit as three athletes —Leland McPhie, Max Springer and Frank Levine— competed against and with one another, taking down records almost every time they donned their competition bibs. The performance of Springer, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was made more impressive by the retired
ALL PHOTOS: USATF
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professor’s return to competition after two years fighting cancer. While most cancer survivors of any age would be happy to merely survive, Springer was back on the track at the spry age of 95. Among the women, it was all septuagenarians, all the time. One of the meet’s highlights came in the final event women’s of the competition—the shuttle hurdle relay. The race provided unmatched star power in masters circles as record breakers Barbara Jordan, Flo Meiler, Christel Donley and Becky Sisley combined to run 1:14.92 in the W70–79 exhibition event, thrilling the crowd with each barrier cleared. Donley was especially remarkable for beginning her leg of the relay by four-stepping between hurdles, rather than using the customary five. Sporting a signature visor, green singlet and perfectly coiffed hair, Meiler was a top record breaker at the meet, with two American records and one world record in W75. Sisley had three W70 ARs, herself, and Donley and Jordan each posted two wins in W70. Not to be outdone, W75 ace Audrey Lary broke two world records and one American record. # Fans can read all about it and view photo galleries at http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/ USAMastersOutdoorTFChampionships/
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Bear Butte Bares All Nike’s most recent commercial featured professional athletes and runners training au naturale…but who where the running club members and where did they come from? A USATF member running club provided the bodies and what bodies they are! BY MCKENZE MURPHY ot only did USATF member and Track Club Los Angeles (a USATF member club) runner Laura Landgreen make her television debut last April in Nike’s Free 5.0 commercial, she did it naked! At least, mostly naked. Flesh-toned underwear and Nike shoes were the only items covering her bare bones as she ran “Supernatural” at the Bear Butte
PHOTO COURTESY OF L. LANDGREEN
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Running Camp for Nike’s promotion of the lightweight 5.0 Nike Free shoe. Highlighting the shoe’s barefoot-like freedom yet resilient cushioning, this Nike campaign was part of ESPN2 and NBC television broadcasts for USA vs. the World at the Penn Relays, the Nike Prefontaine Classic, and the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Because Landgreen, who competed in the 2008 Club Cross Country Championships, is one of the 25 Nike Pack athletes that regularly tests Nike products and completes surveys to provide Nike with real runner input, she received Nike’s email for the Bear Butte audition in Simi Valley, California last March. “I figured just go to the audition and see what it is about and ask my questions once I get there,” said the Eugene, Ore., native and long-distance running aficionado. Nike had the story board up and I saw that Kara Goucher, Nick Symmonds and Lauren Fleshman were involved. Members only: (l-r) Mark Batres, Jonathan Tan, Lauren Fleshman, Laura Landgreen, Claudia Garcia
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKE
USATF RUNNING CLUB SPOTLIGHT
I thought it can’t be inappropriate if someone like Kara Goucher is going to sign-up. Nike is not going to put her in a position to make a fool out of herself. Dressing or undressing in the barely-there uniform, Landgreen, former member of the University of Nebraska swim team, decides to get back to basics with running. While acting out the scene where she and 14 other Bear Butte runners listen to a Nike representative present the Nike Free 5.0’s flexibility and agility, a fully clothed Fleshman enters the set. We were sitting there pretty much in pasties and g-strings and up walks Lauren Fleshman and I thought oh my god, this is so weird … this is so strange to be meeting one of my running heroes and I am basically naked. It was different but [Lauren] was super cool. More than just being cool toward the club runners, Fleshman offers her utmost respect to Landgreen and her new Bear Butte buddies. “People may think my aspirations in life are to win Olympic medals and achieve the highest physical prowess that I can in my sport”, said Fleshman, 2006 USA Outdoor 5000m champion. My real goals are lifestyle based and long-term so I look up to athletes like Laura and the other people that are there and are already finding a way, as young as they are, to balance their sport with their jobs, marriages, partnership and friendships and aren’t letting it go like so many people do. I am really inspired by them and think that is what I want to be when I grow up.” Even though Symmonds, 2008 Olympic Trials 800m champion, was only on the set for half-a-day out of the 48-hour commercial shoot, he is equally complimentary toward his latest campmates. “The club runners were really good sports,” said Symmonds. I was nervous watching them [while clothed] and thought it wasn’t fair that I got to be there in my jeans. At first, I shot by myself on a hill away from everyone else, but then they brought out the extras and we all got to run together so it was all for one, one for all. Just as Symmonds fully embodies Nike’s go-for-it posture, Landgreen is not bashful talking to friends and family about her supernatural running participation: “Now that I have done it, I just embrace it and say yes, that was me and it was fun. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was pretty interesting.” # To see the Nike Supernatural Running Camp commercial go to: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/2009/
LAURA LANDGREEN Age: 27 Hometown: Eugene, OR Current residence: Los Angeles, CA College: University of Nebraska Collegiate sport: Swimming (50, 100, and 200m breaststroke) Current running races: 5k, Triathlons, 1500m PR: 19:52 in 5k and 3rd place in the 2008 Playa Del Carmen Triathlon Series Weekly running mileage: 35 miles Career: Elementary School Teacher Favorite sport to watch: Distance running USATF member since: November 2008 USATF Running Club: Track Club Los Angeles
Q: How did you become a fan of distance running if you were a swimmer? A: Growing up in Eugene, our big sporting event is to go to Hayward Field and watch a track meet. The crowd is always getting into distance and with the Nike Prefontaine Classic. If you are in Eugene, you just love distance running. Q: Back to running naked in Bear Butte, what did your family have to say about it? A: I didn’t tell my dad. Actually, I was watching PRE on TV with my boyfriend and his dad. My boyfriend didn’t tell his dad [about the commercial] and when it came on there was a moment of awkwardness. His dad is looking at me on the screen and then looking at me next to him like, ‘what did you do?!’ I looked at my boyfriend and said, “You didn’t tell him?” Q: What do you enjoy about being a USA Track & Field member? A: I like getting emails about what is going on and [the Fast Forward ] magazine. I put the stickers on my car. I’m a nerd, I love USATF! It is fun to be a part of it, to get the updates and be in the circle of what is going on. I have enjoyed it.
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USATF ON THE ROADS
2009 USA Running Circuit Mid-Year Recap B Y J I M E ST E S
s the 2009 edition of the USA Running Circuit (USARC) approaches the mid-point of the year, USA Champions have been crowned in events ranging from the mile to half marathon. The fifteenth edition for the men and fourteenth for the
PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTA TRACK CLUB
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women, the 2009 USARC features eleven events for both men and women. The USARC began in 2009 in Houston, Texas, with the USA Half Marathon Championships, hosted by the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, Calif.), and
Abdi Abdirahman wins his third straight Men’s 10km.
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Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) won the men’s and women’s titles in 1:01:25 and 1:11:47, respectively. For the 15th year, the USARC made a stop in Jacksonville, Fla., for the USA 15 km Championships, hosted by the Gate River Run where Olympians Anthony Famiglietti (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Amy Yoder Begley (Portland, Ore.) won close races for the respective men’s and women’s titles. Famiglietti used a last-second burst of speed to win the men’s race by one second in 43:36, while Yoder Begley kicked into the lead in the final 400 meters to win the women’s race by six seconds in 49:51. The third stop on the 2009 circuit saw the first ever USA 1 Mile Road Championships, hosted by the Medtronic TC 1 Mile in Minneapolis, Minn. 2008 Olympian Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco, Calif.) and David Torrence (Oakland, Calif.) took the respective women’s and men’s titles. Rowbury’s time was 4:33.4, while Torrence was timed in 3:59.3. Also a regular stop on the USARC, the Fifth
Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Mich., once again hosted the USA 25 km Championships, where 2004 Olympian Dan Browne (Beaverton, Ore.) won his third U.S. 25 km title as Sally Meyerhoff (Tempe, Ariz.) won her first U.S. title. Browne timed in 1:15:56 and Meyerhoff ran 1:27:28. The most recent stop on the 2009 USARC was the USA Men’s 10 km Championship, where three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.), won his third straight USA Men’s 10 km Championship in 28:11. The championship was hosted at the 40th running of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2009 USARC features a record total prize purse of $613,000. Famiglietti currently leads the men’s circuit with 27 points and Boulet leads the women with 27 points. The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. For more information on the 2009 USARC visit www.usatf.org. #
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YOUTH
YOUTH
RAEVYN ROGERS Houston, TX Middle distances
Rogers, a 12-year old member of the Wings Track Club in Houston, Texas, shattered the Youth Girls’ division national record in the 800m at the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships on the 4th of July in her first year of competition. Rogers clocked a time of 2:06.90 as she beat the old record of 2:09.00 flat. Rogers also ran an impressive 400m in a blazing time of 53.36 seconds.
JUNIORS
MASTERS
ROBIN REYNOLDS
CURTIS BEACH
AUDREY LARY
Miami, FL Sprints and Long Jump
Albuquerque, NM Decathlon
Frederick MD Track and Field
Beach won the decathlon at this year’s USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a meet-record 7599 points. Beach was named the 2008-09 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year and became the first-ever student-athlete from New Mexico to be named a Gatorade National Player of the Year in any sport and is also the first decathlete honored as Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Lary, a member of the Potomac Valley Track Club, set two World records and one American record in the women’s 75–79 age division at the 2009 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Lary jumped 7.43 meters/244.5 to capture the World record in the triple jump and ran 1:27.41 for the World record in the 400m. She also recorded an American record weight throw of 10.40m/ 34-1.5. Along with Lary’s three records, she also won the long jump, 100m and 200m.
Reynolds, a freshman from Miami Jackson High school and a member of Miami Northwest Express Track Club, was a quadruple winner at the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Adding to an impressive resume that includes four state titles, Reynolds also swept the 100m, 200m, 400m and long jump in the Intermediate Girls’ division at the Championships. She also set a new personal best in the 400m of 54.07 seconds.
BEACH & RODGERS: THE SPORTING IMAGE; BARRINGER: IMAGE OF SPORT; ALL OTHER IMAGES: USATF
GET TO KNOW US
WINNING IMAGES ###
THE THRILL OF VICTORY Michael Rodgers (l) and Jenny Barringer
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USA Championships 2009 Rewind B Y TOM SU R B E R n what seems to have become an annual ritual, the race for the title of the 2009 women’s Visa Champion came down to the final events of the USA Outdoor Championships. Having dominated the outdoor sprint season, Carmelita Jeter sat atop the women’s leaderboard heading into the final two events, the 100 hurdles and 200 meters. 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper left nothing to chance by winning the Nike Women’s 100m hurdles in 12.36. A tailwind of 2.2 meters per second helped her in posting the fourth-fastest time ever by an American under any conditions. Harper’s performance captured her first-ever USA Outdoor national title and the lead in the race for the Visa title with 1,220 points, but there was one race remaining. Harper waited nervously at the finish line for the women’s 200m to start. Knowing that Allyson Felix was in the race and that she was capable of posting a time that could take the Visa title made the waiting more excruciating for a visibly tense Harper. As the athletes got into the blocks, Dawn looked up to the heavens, only to see herself on the diamond vision screen… she turned
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allowable. Not fast enough. Harper jumped for joy, shared a hug with Felix and collected her Visa Champion trophy and a $25,000 Visa check card. 2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor champion Dwight Phillips earned the men’s crown via his monster long jump effort June 7 at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. Phillips easily won that event with a jump of 8.74 meters/28 feet 8.25 inches, tying Larry Myricks and Erick Walder for the eighth-best outdoor mark in history. Phillips’ mark was also the longest jump in the world since National Track & Field Hall of Famer Mike Powell set the world record in 1991. Phillips won his fifth U.S. men’s long jump title in Eugene with a leap of 8.57m/28-1.50 (+2.2 mps). His Visa Championship title was made all but certain when two-time defending Visa Champion and reigning World Champion Tyson Gay elected to run a single round of the Visa Men’s 100m in Eugene. Gay’s slightly DWIGHT PHILLIPS wind-aided time of 9.75 would away. Watching the race proved to be have given him the title if he had run too much, so instead she watched the the time in the final. clock. Coming from behind to win Phillips emerged victorious with over Muna Lee, Felix broke the tape 1,290 points to claim his first Visa in 22.02 with a wind well over the Championship Series title. #
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VISA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
ATHLETE PHOTOS WITHIN THIS ARTICLE: USATF, THE SPORTING IMAGE, AND PHOTO RUN
DAWN HARPER
DOC PATTON, MIKE RODGERS
AMY BEGLEY, SHALANE FLANAGAN
KARA PATTERSON
TYSON GAY CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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Highlights 2004 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford won the men’s 200m in 19.73 seconds (+3.3 mps), which is the fastest time ever run under any conditions at Hayward Field. 2007 World Outdoor Championships bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter and 2008 Olympic Trials champion Muna Lee staged a tremendous battle in the Visa Women’s 100m final with both crossing the finish line in 10.78 seconds (+3.3 mps). Jeter was declared the winner by one-1,000th of a second, 10.776 to 10.777.
Nick Symmonds won a dramatic battle with Khadevis Robinson to win the Nike Men’s 800 meters in 1:45.86. 2005 World champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson captured his second consecutive national 400m hurdles title with his time of 48.03 seconds. 2008 Olympic silver medalist Jenn Stuczynski won her fourth consecutive U.S. women’s outdoor pole vault title with her clearance of 4.65 meters/15 feet 3 inches.
2009 USA Indoor 60m champion and two-time NAIA outdoor sprint champion Michael Rodgers won his firstever U.S. national title in 9.91 seconds (+3.1 mps),
2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Christian Cantwell won the Visa Men’s Shot Put with a toss of 21.82 meters/71 feet, 7.25 inches.
Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton won her first career national title in the women’s discus with a throw of 64.25m/210-09.
American record holder Jenny Barringer took control of the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final early on and cruised to her second U.S. steeple title in 9 minutes 29.38 seconds.
LASHAWN MERRITT
CURTIS BEACH
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
TYREE WASHINGTON
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VISA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
MUNA LEE
BERSHAWN JACKSON
NICK SYMMONDS
ASHTON EATON
ANNA WILLARD
CHAUNTE HOWARD CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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HAZEL CLARK
Highlights
CONTINUED
In his last race at Hayward Field in a University of Oregon singlet, 2008 Olympian Galen Rupp battled two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein most of the way in the 10,000m final, until Rupp broke away with 150 meters to go, winning the race in 27:52.53. Two-time Olympic silver medalist and reigning World Outdoor champion Allyson Felix won her fifth U.S. women’s 200m title in the last six years with her time of 22.02w. 2008 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist and 400m bronze medalist Sanya Richards captured her fourth U.S. Outdoor title in winning the Visa Women’s 400 meters in 50.05 seconds. 2004 Olympian and 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist Lashinda Demus took the lead for good over the final hurdle and beat 2008 Olympic silver medalist Sheena Tosta and won her third career U.S. Outdoor title in 53.78 seconds in the Hershey Women’s 400m Hurdles.
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2008 Olympic gold medalist LaShawn Merritt remained unbeaten during the outdoor season, winning the Gatorade Men’s U.S. 400m title in 44.50. 2008 Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson defended her U.S. women’s javelin title on her fifth attempt with a personal best throw of 63.95 meters/209-10, just shy of the American record. Two-time Olympian Tim Seaman captured his sixth career USA 20 km race walk title with his time of 1 hour 26 minutes 14 seconds. The women’s high jump team for Berlin includes Chaunte Howard, Sharon Day and Amy Acuff, who in placing second made her 12th consecutive U.S. national outdoor team. Three-time Olympian Hazel Clark won her fifth career USA Outdoor women’s 800m title, and her fourth in the last five years, by crossing the finish line first in the final in 2:00.79.
CARMELITA JETER
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VISA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
WOMEN’S 200M GALEN RUPP
YVETTE LEWIS
MEN’S 400 HURDLES CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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AMY ACUFF
MATT TEGENKAMP, CHRIS SOLINSKY LASHINDA DEMUS
MEN’S 5000M
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VISA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES BERNARD LAGAT
MEN’S 100M
ANGELO TAYLOR
MEN’S 3000 STEEPLECHASE
KARA GOUCHER
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
USATF helps members make informed decisions on supplements SA Track & Field has entered into a partnership with Drug Free Sport to enable all USATF members to access information about supplements and their ingredients, around the clock. USA Track & Field believes that athletes on all levels should avoid supplements in order to avoid inadvertently testing positive for drugs. But we also recognize that most Americans take some kind of
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supplement as part of their daily lives. The new partnership will help members make informed decisions and compete clean. In 2009, any USATF member—including athletes, parents, coaches, officials and volunteers— can access the REC to obtain confidential information about dietary supplements and dangerous or prohibited substances. It provides requested information and the status of
ingredients of supplements with regard to U.S. AntiDoping Policy. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) already has a hotline that elite athletes can call to determine if a medication or specific substance is banned. The REC broadens this concept by expanding access. The REC doesn't provide legal advice, and neither Drug Free Sport nor USATF can be responsible if an unlabeled substance in
a supplement causes a positive drug test. But, we can help our members negotiate this complex topic to the greatest extent possible. For more information about how to use your USATF membership to access the Resource Exchange Center, visit http://www.usatf.org/about /legal/antidoping/rec.asp For more on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, visit http://www.usantidoping. org/
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WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Crouser and Eutsey bring home the hardware from Bressanone
B Y V IC K Y ODDI
he 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships, July 8–12 were held in a quaint village, tucked into the foothills of the Alps on the Austrian border in Bressanone, Italy. 180 countries participated with a record 46 countries winning medals. Team USA was led by Ryan Crouser and Ebony Eutsey. Had these Team USA stars been a country unto themselves, they would have placed sixth in the final medal table. Crouser jump-started Team USA by winning the squad’s first medal of the competition when he captured silver in the boys discus throw final. He had the lead from his first throw of 61.58 meters/202 feet, but in the fifth round he was overtaken by Hamid Manssour (SYR), who eventually won the competition with a toss of 64.20m/210-7. Crouser’s fifth attempt of 61.64m/ 202-2 was his best of the competition, but not enough to retake the lead. Said Crouser later, “I was frustrated after the discus, not with the silver, but with the way that I threw. After that, I really focused on the shot for two days.”
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That focus paid off. In the boys’ shot put final, he started off with a foul and then launched a competition-leading 20.52 meters/67 feet 4 inches on his second throw. He continued to extend his lead on throws three (20.55m/ 67-5.25) and four (21.05m/ 69-0.75). On his fifth throw of the competition, the six-foot, six-inch Crouser unleashed a monster heave of 21.56m/ 70-9. This throw secured the gold medal and set the World Youth Championships record. To get gold and silver and to get the championship record, it just couldn't get any better than this, said Crouser when his work in Bressanone was finished. Ebony Eutsey was the lone individual female gold medalist for Team USA, bringing home the World Youth title in a dominant 400m race. Making up the stagger in the first 150m, reminiscent of three-time Olympic medalist Sanya Richards, Eutsey powered to the finish in 52.88 seconds to win the gold medal. Countrywoman Michelle Brown was second across the line in 53.44
GOLD (6) Prezel Hardy (Killeen, Texas) Boys 100m, 10.57 Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.) Girls 400m, 52.88 Dale Morgan (Van Nuyes, Calif.) Boys 110m hurdles, 13.28 Ryan Crouser (Damascus, Ore.) Boys shot put, 21.56m/70-9 BOYS MEDLEY RELAY: Colin Hepburn (Glenview, Ill.) Keenan Brock (Birmingham, Ala.) Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) Josh Mance (Pomona, Calif.) 1:50.33
SILVER (5) Kori Carter (Claremont, Calif.) Girls 100m hurdles, 13.26 Ryan Crouser (Damascus, Ore.) Boys discus throw, 61.64m/202-2 Josh Mance (Pomona, Calif.) Boys 400m, 46.22 Michelle Brown (Shamong, N.J.) Girls 400m, 53.44 Alex Collatz (Bakersfield, Calif.) Girls discus throw, 50.09m/131-6
GIRLS MEDLEY RELAY: Jordan Clark (Southfield, Mich.) Ashton Purvis (Oakland, Calif.) Briana Nelson (Greenville, S.C.) Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.) 2:04.42
BRONZE (5) Ashton Purvis (Oakland, Calif.) Girls 100m, 11.48 Bridgette Owens (Oak Park, Mich.) Girls 100m hurdles, 13.39 Ashton Purvis (Oakland, Calif.) Girls 200m, 23.15 Keenan Brock (Birmingham, Ala.) Boys 200m, 21.39 Jennifer Clayton (Monsey, N.Y.) girls long jump, 6.05m/19-10.25
to win the silver. Eutsey also ran the anchor leg of the girls’ medley relay that claimed the gold medal in 2:04.42. Runner-up Hungary finished over 10 meters and approximately five seconds back in 2:09.22. Eutsey was overwhelmed
with her victories saying, “I didn't think I could come to another country and win a medal like this. This means a lot to me. It takes me to the next level.” Team USA topped the medal tally in Italy with 16 total, including six gold. #
WORLD YOUTH BEST
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ALL PHOTOS: ERROL ANDERSON/THE SPORTING IMAGE
USATF’s Win With Integrity program continues to promote healthy and active lifestyles to young Americans.
To find out more about Win With Integrity, log onto www.usatf.org 28
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USATF COMMUNITY OUTREACH
So far in 2009, USATF has conducted over 15 Win with Integrity events featuring 25 professional athletes from varying disciplines. The visits to schools and community centers have reached approximately 8,750 young people and millions more via mini-features in all Visa Championship Series broadcasts on NBC, ESPN and ESPN2. USATF Alumni athletes Dan O'Brien, Joanna Hayer, Joetta Clark-Diggs and Kevin Young were participants during the indoor and outdoor seasons. 29
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USATF EVENTS CALENDAR DISTANCE RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS
RACE WALKING CHAMPIONSHIPS
SEPTEMBER 7
OCTOBER 11
SEPTEMBER 13
USA 20 km Championships New Haven, CT USA Masters 15 km Championships Buffalo, NY
USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships St. Petersburg, FL
USA 40 km Race Walk Championships Ocean, NJ
OCTOBER 12
OCTOBER 3
USA Women's 10 km Championship Boston, MA
USA 5 km Race Walk Championships Kingsport, TN
NOVEMBER 1
OCTOBER 11
USA 50 Mile Championships Boalsburg, PA
USA Men's Marathon Championship New York, NY
USA 1 Hour Race Walk Championships Waltham, MA
OCTOBER 4
NOVEMBER 7
USA Masters 5 km Championships Syracuse, NY
USA Marathon Trail Championships Ashland, OR
USA Masters Marathon Championships Minneapolis, MN
DECEMBER 1
SEPTEMBER 20 USA 5 km Championships Providence, RI OCTOBER 3
USA Men's 10 Mile Championship Minneapolis, MN
USATF National Club Cross Country Championships Lexington, KY
YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS DECEMBER 12 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships Reno, NV
USA Women's Marathon Championship Minneapolis, MN USATF National Disability 5 km Cross Country Championships Kings Park, NY
O F F I C I A L U S AT F S P O N S O R S
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OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS
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TOTAL FIT
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