Willis, Pierce and Rupp join Dibaba as distance headliners

BOSTON (Jan. 11) – Following in its tradition of delivering track fans world-class endurance races at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, organizers announced additional athlete commitments for the 2010 event today. The athletes announced include Olympic Medalist Nick Willis, number one ranked American 800m runner Anna Pierce (née Willard) and former University of Oregon star Galen Rupp. They join the previously announced Double Olympic Champion, Tirunesh Dibaba from Ethiopia.

Willis, who in 2008 became New Zealand’s first male track athlete in 32 years to bring home an Olympic medal, returns to the track for his first international competition since suffering a season ending injury last March. A 2006 Commonwealth Games champion and national record-holder at 1500 meters, Willis also broke the New Zealand indoor mark and NCAA record for 3000 meters here in 2004 while competing for the University of Michigan. He won the 2009 Reebok Boston Indoor Games Mile in 3:53.54 and is travelling to Boston from his winter training base outside of Wellington, New Zealand.

Anna Pierce, whose 2009 campaign was one of the best seasons ever by an American middle distance or distance runner, will compete in the women’s 1000m. The winner of three IAAF Golden League events as well as at the World Athletics Final, she ranked #2 in the world at 800m. In addition to her success over 800m, Anna also established herself as the third fastest American in history at 1500m, with her time of 3:59.38. She finished 2009 with a top three US Ranking at 800m (1st), 1500m (3rd) and 3000m steeplechase (2nd). The current American Record of 2:34.19 was set by Jen Toomey in 2004.

Galen Rupp led the University of Oregon men to the their first indoor national team title and became the first person in NCAA history to win the 5,000 meters, 3,000m and the Distance Medley Relay in the same championship. During last year’s indoor campaign he also set the American Record at 5000m (13:18.12) and finished his NCAA career with an impressive six NCAA Titles. Rupp will line up at 5000m at this year’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games.

The 15th-annual Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 6 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Information is now available on-line at www.BostonIndoorGames.com. Follow us on Twitter at @BostonIndoor and become a fan on Facebook at www.bostonindoorgames.com/facebook. Tickets are available on-line or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.

Michael Johnson’s company adds Rupp & Other Stars to client list

The Senior is now part of Superman’s family.

Galen Rupp, who recently completed his senior season winning six NCAA titles — one of the most decorated seasons in NCAA history , is the newest client of Michael Johnson’s athlete management company.

Johnson founded Ultimate Performance Sport Management, which handles the endorsements of Jeremy Wariner, Ebonie Floyd, Natasha Hastings, and Jackie Johnson.

“When I retired in 2001, I felt that I was uniquely qualified to offer other athletes the same quality and personal attention that helped me to achieve success as a professional athlete, so I created Ultimate Performance,” Johnson said. “We’re incredibly selective about whom we represent, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with and for these three amazing young men.”

Johnson also signed Michael Bingham of North Carolina, the reigning NCAA 400m Indoor Champion with a personal record of 45.02 seconds. This former Wake Forest All-American competed for Great Britain’s 4×400 meter relay that placed fourth in Beijing.

400-meter hurdler Javier Culson Perez will be represented by Johnson and will also train at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, a 24,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in McKinney, Texas, about 20 miles north of Dallas. Perez boasts a personal best of 48.83 seconds and competed for Puerto Rico at the Beijing Olympic Games.

The good feelings are flowing all around.

“I’ve always surrounded myself with good people, and it’s a tight circle,” Rupp said. “I felt an immediate connection with Michael. I knew I could trust him, and that’s one of the most important things to me.”

Day 1 Wrap Up - 2009 U.S. Nationals

Photo by Glenda Boyd.

-Eugene,Oregon.

Sporting his University of Oregon singlet for the last time, Galen Rupp gave Duck fans quite a show in the 10,000m. He sat in the front third of the pack for most of the race, but there was no doubt he would eventually deliver his powerful finish for a 27:52.53 win.

“I could not ask for anything more than to close out [my college career] with a win,” Rupp said.

Abdi Abdirahman, the 2008 10k champion, looked strong as he led the first 3000 meters in 8:36.24, followed closely by Meb Keflezighi. Dathan Ritzenhein, James Carney and Rupp stayed comfortably with the pack. At 5000 meters, Ritz made a bold move to the front and Abdi fell back to 7th.

They went through in 14:12.09. Now it was between Ritz, Rupp, Carney and Tim Nelson. With a mile to go, Carney fell off the pack. Ritz and Rupp broke away.

Rupp unleashed his relentless kick at the last 500m. Ritz stayed strong, but did not have the speed left to catch him.

“I could tell in the last laps that I didn’t have that 10k specific training,” Ritzenhein said. “I knew he’d make a move at some point.”

“I have a lot of confidence in my kick,” Rupp said. “I was ready to go. I made sure when I went, I went. There could be no doubt at all.”

The favorite in the women’s 10,000m was 2008 Olympic bronze-medalist Shalane Flanagan. However, Flanagan soon found herself in an unexpected battle with Amy Begley. Begley led at first, and when Flanagan made her move to the front, the two broke away from the pack and took turns with the lead.

“Shalane and I wanted to put on a show, so we traded laps for the first 5K. It really made the race go faster,” Begley said.

Flanagan sat on Begley’s shoulder, but Begley held her off through the bell lap. Flanagan made a final dash to the lead at the last 200 meters, but it was too little, too late as Begley quickly reacted and hammered through the finish line in 31:22.69. Flanagan was right behind in 31:23.43. Begley represented the Oregon Track Club well by running a new Hayward Field record.

There were no other finals on Wednesday, so the athletes in the prelims focused on conserving their energy.

Tyson Gay is back on track. In one of the most exciting performances of the day, he ran 9.75 (wind-aided). However, he said he was unhappy with how he felt after a false start rattled him.

“The false start threw me off. I had too much going through my mind,” Gay said. “I ran a horrible race. It felt like a blow-up.”

After this 1st round race, Gay will not compete in the finals as he is already qualified for the World Track & Field Championships. Gay’s performance did not look bad from a spectator’s perspective, but hopefully this got the kinks out before Berlin.

In the women’s 800m, NCAA champion Geena Gall qualified in her preliminary race, wearing green. Gall, formerly of the University of Michigan, is now a member of the Oregon Track Club. Christian Smith, Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds led the qualifying times in the men’s 800m.

The 1500m prelims had some talented fields. Leo Manzano ran the fastest time of 3:39.91. Alan Webb had a good-looking race and the 7th fastest qualifying time.

2009 National Champions - Eugene, Oregon

About the meet

PreRaceJitters will provide Live coverage from the 2009 National Championships hosted at the University of Oregon in Eugne. The final two days will be aired on television. Check out the meet’s official website.

Live television coverage:
• ESPN, June 26, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET
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Instant Analysis The daily wrap up upon conclusion of meet.

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PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show with Tasha Danvers

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week, Great Britain’s Tasha Danvers joins Jay Hicks and John W. Davis to discuss her unlikely story of earning an Olympic bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles in Beijing, her six degrees separation in the track & field and the inspiration behind her latest ventures which include the Tasha Danvers internet radio shows.

That and much more on the latest episode of PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show.

-Galen Rupp NCAA Interview
-Tasha Danvers
-Tasha Danvers’ Internet Radio Show - Real Women, Real Talk, Real Speed
-Tasha Danvers’ Internet Radio Show - Building on Bronze

Special thanks to Tasha Danvers.

“PreRaceJitters Track & Field Radio Show, where the real playas come to hang out.”

NCAA Indoor Championship Is Where Amazing Happened

-College Station, Texas

- After a two day campaign at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Gilliam Track & Field Stadium at Texas A&M the standout star was Galen Rupp, who stood at the center of Oregon’s 16th national championship.  The 22-year old Olympian swept the 3000m, 5000m and anchored the Distance Medley Relay to victory.

Over the last two laps of the 5,000m, Rupp unleashed a fierce kick to win in 13:41.45.  Less than two hours later, he anchored the DMR relay to a first place finish.

Tennessee senior Sarah Bowman picked up her first NCAA Indoor title and third national crown in dramatic fashion, out-leaning Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego at the finish to win in 4:29.72. Bowman’s time, a personal best and school record, is the seventh fastest in the world this season and broke the NCAA meet record of 4:30.63 set in 1989 by Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor.

Bowman’s victory denied Kipyego a 10th career national title.

There is a first time for everything.  Tennessee’s Sarah Bowmen won her first NCAA Indoor title in a dramatic race, out-leaning Texas Tech Sally Kipyego at the finish to win in 4:29.82.  The time is a personal best and school record broke the NCAA meet record of 4:30.63 set by Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor in 1989.

A new star emerges at nearly every national meet. The year that billing goes to South Carolina’s LaKaya Brookings for entering the 60 meter with the slowest qualifying time of the field.  On Saturday she surprised nearly everyone when she won the NCAA title in 7.13 seconds.

Timing is everything and Hampton’s Francena McCorory was not the favorite coming into the race as a matter of fact she came into the meet relatively unknown despite having run some fast times this season already.  After winning the 400 meters in 51.55 seconds out the first heat the a number of the working media was not familiar with the Historical Black University located in Hampton, Virigina.  Now more people know Francena McCorory and Hampton University after her first NCAA title.

Michael Johnson is the last Baylor 200 meter NCAA title at Baylor.  That is until Trey Harts wrote his name in the record books won the 200 meters with a personal-best time of 20.63, recording the second-fastest time in Baylor history behind Michael Johnson’s 20.59 set at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in 1989.

Jacob Hernandez University of Texas won the men’s 800m in 1:48.04. Hernandez added the men’s 800-meter championship to the outdoor title he won last June at the distance.  Hernandez led most of the race and managed to hold off Oregon’s Andrew Wheating at the end. Wheating had a great kick at the end as he passed the field to finish second in 1:48.54.

You may not be in full practice but get used to saying the name Tiffany Ofili.  The University of Michigan senior defended her NCAA indoor title in the 60 meter hurdles Saturday and has the skills to run on professional level. Ofili clinched her fourth national title in the process.

Luckily for Ronnie Ash it’s not about how you start the race but how you finish the race. The year the Bethune-Cookmen sophomore was fourth or fifth going into the first hurdle.

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer led the women’s 3000m by a relatively large margin. She finished nearly 15 seconds in front of the field. In a post-race interview, she said her goal was to get a fast time. Barringer got her fast time and a new NCAA meet record of 8:42.03.

Tennesee’s Phoebe Wright (2:04.38) confidently took the lead in the women’s 800m after winning the DMR Friday. Despite a strong effort, she was passed by Lacey Cramer of BYU (2:04.27) at the finish line.

Oregon’s men blew the competition away with 54 points, and the Ducks were followed by Florida (36), Florida State (32), LSU (29) and Baylor (25).

The Aggies finished ninth with 23 points, while Texas followed in 10th with 22.5 points. The Red Raiders earned a 13th place finish with 18 points.

The Tennessee women won their second team title since 2005 with 42 points to 37 for host Texas A&M. The Aggies won the meet-ending 4×400 relay to make it close.

Galen Rupp Named USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week

USA Track & Field Press Release:

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