Olympic medalists headline men’s sprints & hurdles at USA Outdoor Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - 2008 Beijing Olympic medalists Jeremy Wariner, Shawn Crawford, Walter Dix, David Oliver and David Payne will headline a talented group of men’s sprinters and hurdlers at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 23-27 at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

The third event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships will be televised on the following dates (All times Eastern):

June 25 - 8:00 - 10 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. on NBC
June 27 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 27 - 3:00 - 4 p.m. on NBC

USATF will partner with RunnerSpace to provide real-time coverage of all events not broadcast on television beginning on Wednesday, June 23. Highlighted competitions include Friday’s men’s and women’s 10,000m as well as extensive field event coverage. In addition to the events’ video coverage, the webcasts will also include the voices of elite athletes as guest commentators.

The webcasts will be found on the USATF 2010 Championships page in addition to an already posted video clip from USATF CEO Doug Logan on the partnership at: www.usatf.org

Visa Men’s 100m

Two-time NCAA Outdoor 100m champion Walter Dix is on the way back from a disappointing 2009 season following his incredible breakthrough 2008 campaign. That year Dix finished fourth in the 100m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and second at the U.S. Olympic Trials before capturing the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games and a #4 world ranking from T&FN. Dix owns the third-fastest time this season by an American of 9.98 seconds from his May 8 win in Tallahassee, Fla.

2004 Olympic Games fourth-place finisher Shawn Crawford will also be in the mix along with 2004 World Junior champion Ivory Williams, who posted the second-fastest time this year by an American from his 9.95 clocking on April 17 in Lawrence, Kans. Other challengers include three-time ACC champion Travis Padgett, who finished fourth the last two years in this event, and Monzavous “Rae” Edwards, who finished third at last year’s championships in Eugene, Ore. Longtime 200m specialist Wallace Spearmon, also will line-up for the 100m in Des Moines.

Nike Men’s 200m

This always highly competitive event will feature two of the world’s top five athletes from the 2009 season.

2008 Olympian and two-time World Outdoor Championships (2007, 2009) bronze medalist Wallace Spearmon will be one of the favorites as he attempts to win his second career USA Outdoor title. Spearmon, who finished third at this event last year, ended the 2009 campaign ranked #4 in the world and #2 in the U.S. by T&FN. Spearmon will face a strong challenge from 2004 Olympic 200m gold medalist and reigning national champion Shawn Crawford, who finished fourth at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics and ended the 2009 season ranked #5 in the world by T&FN.

Others to watch include 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix, who currently owns the third and fourth-fastest times in the world this year (19.86, 19.89), and 2009 USA Outdoor Champs fifth-place finisher Xavier Carter. Rodney Martin, who has finished third at this event twice and placed fourth at the 2008 Olympic Trials, should be a factor, and up-and-comer Curtis Mitchell, a junior at Texas A&M who finished second this month at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, could also be a factor.

Visa Men’s 400m

2004 Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner, who was ranked #1 in the world from 2004-2007, enters the USA Outdoor Championships looking for his third career win at nationals. A two-time World Outdoor champion and the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, Wariner is looking to reign again as the world’s top quarter-miler. Wariner posted the fastest time in the world this year with his win at Rome on June 10 in 44.73 seconds.

Wariner’s challengers will include his 2008 Olympic Games gold medal winning 4×400m relay teammate David Neville, who will always be remembered for his dive across the finish line in the 400m final in Beijing, which secured him the bronze medal. Neville, who finished the 2009 season ranked #9 in the world and #3 in the U.S. at 400m by Track & Field News, will be vying for his first ever USA Outdoor title.

2008 Olympic silver medalist and two-time World 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement will also take on Wariner in the open 400m. No stranger to the event, Clement owns two World Championships 4×400m relay gold medals, and a relay gold from the 2008 Olympic Games, and he finished third in the one-lapper at last year’s USA Outdoor Championships in Eugene. Clement, who entered this season ranked #5 in the nation at 400m by T&FN, has been ranked #1 in the world in the 400m hurdles over the last three years.

Others to watch include the University of Florida’s Calvin Smith, who finished fourth earlier this month at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and owns the fourth-fastest time in the world this year in running his personal best time of 44.81 seconds in Gainesville, Fla., on April 17. Others to watch include Jamaal Torrance, who finished the 2009 season ranked #9 in the U.S., reigning USA Junior champion Tavaris Tate, who owns the sixth-fastest time in the world this year (44.86), and two-time Big 12 Conference outdoor champion and 2008 NACAC champ LeJerald Betters.

Nike Men’s 110m Hurdles

With four of the world’s top ten ranked competitors on their way to compete in Des Moines, the men’s 110m hurdles figures to be one of the most competitive and exciting events at this year’s championships.

2008 Olympic Games silver medalist David Payne enters as the favorite after winning his first USA Outdoor title last year in Eugene. Payne captured his second World Outdoor Championships bronze medal in Berlin last year before ending the season ranked #4 in the world and #2 in the U.S. by T&FN.

His toughest challenge should come from 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist David Oliver, who owns three of the top four times in the world this year, including the fastest clocking globally this season of 12.99 seconds from his win in Shanghai on May 23. Others to watch include 2009 USA Outdoor Championships third-place finisher Aries Merritt, who ended last season ranked #7 in the world, and Dexter Faulk, who posted wins last year at Grand Prix events in Paris and Berlin before ending the season ranked #5 in the world. 2008 Olympic Trials fifth-place finisher Antwon Hicks could also be a factor in this race.

Hershey Men’s 400m Hurdles

2005 World Champion Bershawn “Batman” Jackson is the prohibitive favorite in this race as he looks to win his third consecutive USA Outdoor 400m hurdles crown. Jackson, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, also won bronze at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships before ending his season ranked #2 in the world by T&FN. Jackson, who posted wins last year at Grand Prix events in New York, Eugene and Ostrava, won the 400m at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., to go along with his previous title from 2005. Jackson posted the third-fastest time in the world this year of 47.94 seconds with his runner-up finish at the adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 12.

2009 World Outdoor Championships competitor and 2010 NCAA champion Johnny Dutch should provide the strongest challenge to Jackson after finishing second last year at the USA Outdoor Championships. Dutch, who began this season ranked #3 in the U.S., posted the fourth-fastest time in the world this year with his May 28 win in Greensboro, N.C., in a personal best time of 48.12 seconds.

Others to watch include 2009 USA Outdoor Champs fourth-place finisher Michael Tinsley, who placed fourth at last year’s World Athletics Final, and 2009 NCAA and Pac-10 Conference champion Jeshua Anderson.

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