Gay, Phillips, Richards, Harper, Clement & Vessey conquer in Rome

Press Release Courtesy of USA Track & Field.

Tyson Gay, Dwight Phillips, Sanya Richards, Dawn Harper, Kerron Clement and Maggie Vessey all were winners in their respective events Friday at the 2009 Golden Gala, AF Golden League meet in Rome, Italy.

Reigning world 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay surged to the front of the pack midway through the race before crossing the finish line first in the men’s 100 meters in 9.77 seconds. Gay’s performance is the fastest time in the world this year and equals his American record originally set in the quarterfinals at last year’s Olympic Trials.

Former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica was the runner-up in 9.88 seconds, with reigning USA Outdoor champion Michael Rodgers finishing sixth in 10.03.

2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor champion Dwight Phillips, who posted the longest jump in the world since Mike Powell set the world record in 1991 with his leap of 8.74 meters/28 feet 8.25 inches in winning the Nike Prefontaine Classic on June 7, won easily today on his first attempt when he sailed to 8.61m/28-3. 2008 Olympic gold medalist Irving Saladino of Panama was the runner-up with a best of 8.27m/27-1.75.

2008 Olympic bronze medalist Sanya Richards stayed alive in the Golden League competition with her victory in the women’s 400 meters, finishing in 49.46 seconds. 2008 Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams from Jamaica was the runner-up in 50.31, with two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time defending World Outdoor 200m champion Allyson Felix finishing fifth in 50.94.

2008 Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist Dawn Harper was victorious in her specialty, stopping the clocks in 12.55 seconds. Harper’s nearest pursuer was runner-up and 2008 Olympic Games fifth-place finisher Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica, who finished in 12.67, with fellow Jamaican and Olympic finalist Brigitte Foster-Hylton third in 12.68.

Reigning World Outdoor champion and 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Kerron Clement won the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.09 seconds. Jamaica’s Isa Phillips was second in 48.11, with L.J. van Zyl of South Africa, who finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics, third in 48.37.

USA Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Maggie Vessey won the women’s 800 meters in a dramatic finish in 2:00.13, which bettered her previous career best time of 2:00.18 from her win at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic.  The 2005 NCAA Outdoor runner-up while at Cal Poly SLO, Vessey finished just ahead of Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione, who finished in 2:00.14. Spain’s Mayte Martinez was third in 2:00.21, with reigning U.S. champion Hazel Clark finishing seventh in 2:01.41.

Elsewhere, 2008 USA Outdoor Championships women’s 1,500m runner-up Christin Wurth-Thomas finished second in her specialty and cracked the four-minute barrier for the first time in her career with her finish in 3:59.98. Wurth-Thomas bettered her previous personal best of 4:01.72 from her fifth-place finish June 7 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

Also setting a personal best was 2008 NCAA 1,500m runner-up and 2009 USA Outdoor Championships third-place finisher Dorian Ulrey, who finished 12th today in 3:35.23. With his performance Ulrey bettered the 2009 World Outdoor Championships “A” qualifying standard of 3:36.20 and he’ll now join Bernard Lagat, Leonel Manzano and Lopez Lomong as the Team USA men’s 1,500m contingent that will compete in Berlin.

For more information on the 2009 Golden Gala, including complete results, visit: www.iaaf.org.

Usain Bolt run 19.59 at Lausanne Super Grand Prix

Golden League Meet In Eugene?

Is it possible?

Doug Logan in his speech at the USA Track & Field convention on December 7, left little doubt that he will put every ounce of his energy in landing major track meets in the U.S.

“We will not be taken seriously in the corridors if the IAAF until we host an outdoor World Championship competition on our shores,” said Logan. “Therefore, we pledge to find both a venue and financing and will successfully bid on the outdoor World Championships for 2015.”

This year is beginning with some big potential news.  The IAAF is looking to expand the Golden League series from six to twelve meets and Eugene is on the short list with Beijing, and Doha, Qatar to be added.

“The actual final composition of the new tour will not be known until the summer at the earliest, once negotiations have revealed who wants to be a part of it,” IAAF spokesman Nick Davies told The Associated Press.

Simply put, hosting a Golden League meet means a larger purse, international media attention, and the ability to attract the world’s best runners to U.S. soil in the absence of an Olympic Games being held here.

Hosting a IAAF Golden League in the U.S., is the necessaru infusion of energy to maintain the momentum gained from the 2008 U.S. Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene.  Whether or not Eugene lands the meet, it indicate real progress in terms of the U.S. being legimiate player on the international stage, and that there are real effors in place to propel elite track and field in this country to the next  level.  Either way, this is a good new for track in the field in North America.

Instant Analysis - Asafa Powell Shows Up

-Stuttgart, Germany - It looked like another Jamaican track practice. Asafa Powell made overtures about breaking the 100-meter world record after running 9.87 in the rain of Gateshead, 9.72 in Lausanne and 9.82 in Brussels.

The chilly weather thwarted Powell’s run at the record but he had two impressive runs. He ran 9.77 to win his heat and, within an hour, 9.82 to win the final.

Preview - IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final

Catch all of the live action on Sept. 13 - 14, at Universal Sports TV and Universal Sports.com.

The IAAF World Athletics Finals from Stuttgart, Germany brings together some of the sports top performers for the conclusion of the 2008 IAAF Track & Field Season. Athletes are competing for $30,000 in prize money and $100,000 for any new world records established at the meet.

It will be open season without Usain Bolt on the scene. It can be expected that Asafa Powell is will be running loose and bring a fast time.

The U.S. decathlon record may very well be in jeopardy. Bryan Clay is making a run to challenge the existing record which is currently held by the former World record holder Dan O’Brien, who in 1992 achieved 8891 points.

How much noise can they make in Stuttgart? Adam Nelson, Christian Cantwell, and Reese Hoffa struggled in Beijing, and hope to finish the end of the season on a much better note.

Look for a major collision in the 110-hurdles. Olympic bronze medalist David Oliver is fresh off a recent win over the Olympic gold medalist Dayron Robles of Cuba.

How fast can the most influential runner over the last year cover a lap against LaShawn Merritt? There are doubters, but look for Jeremy Wariner to make a huge statement with his performance and time.

It’s been a long and tough season for the sport’s most exciting athletes this season. Can Lolo Jones continue her near-domination in the 100-meter hurdles?

These three men know each other extremely well. The 400-meter hurdles has the usual suspects of Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement, and Bershawn Jackson. Currently, Taylor is riding the hot hand as he is coming off an Olympic victory and a seasons best time of 44.30 in the open 400-meters. But that was then and Clement and Jackson can grab victory at a moments notice.

By Jay Hicks.

Instant Analysis: Bolt Fabulous in Brussells

-Brussells, Belguim–It’s the Usain Bolt Show!

ESPN interrupted its normally scheduled programming to deliver news that Usain Bolt ran 9.77 over 100-meters–track is coming slowly coming back. This afternoon, rainy weather, a slow start, and fatigue could not keep Bolt from ending arguably one of the greatest seasons recorded. Bolt is headed on a plane back to Jamaica, while Powell heads to Rieti, Italy where he set the 100-meter world record a year ago. The Jamaicans took the top four places with Asafa Powell, about a half second back in 9.83.

A crowd of 47,000 came out to see the new Jamaican star at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme in Belguim.

She’s rich. Or should we say a $1 million richer as Pamela Jelimo easily won the 800-meters in 1:55.16 and ran away with $1 million as the straight up winner of the ÅF Golden League Jackpot.

Without LaShawn Merritt in the mix, Jeremy Wariner (44.44) won in a commanding fashion. and Kerron Clement followed suit in the the 400 hurdles-winning in 48.29.

It’s been a long season and fatigue is starting to show. In a rare occurrence, Lolo Jones (12.71) took second in the 100-hurdles to Jamaica’s Delloreen Ennis-London in 12.65.

It is impressive to see a young, up and coming sprinter get a late season win. Everyone is tired, so no one would think twice if she cruised the race. But Marshevet Hooker (22.62) scored a victory at 200-meters over Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (22.76).

We Finally Get Bolt, Gay, and Powell In Brussels

The Golden League race from Belgium set to run on Friday at 2 p.m. EST.

After the long awaited 100-meter show down featuring the big three is finally going to happen. The wait was extended after Tyson Gay did not make the Olympic 100-meter final in Beijing. The fans and media will finally get a glimpse of the showdown between Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Asafa Powell at Van Damme Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

Sure, Tyson Gay is still working to get back to top form after his hamstring injury, but he is coming off a win at 200-meter (20.26) on Sunday at Gateheads, Great Britain.

Gay recently said, “looking forward to it” but “I’m not at 100% yet”. Making the race more compelling is that Asafa Powell just ran a personal best time of 9.72 and Usain Bolt put down 19.63.

The race is ripe for an upset. With the kind of times that Powell is capable of running in non-major race, Bolt will have to fight through fatigue and bring his big race in order to deliver a late season win.

The meet will be webcast live at Trackshark.

Instant Analysis - Bolt Makes It Reign In Zürich

Usain Bolt meet the world’s sports fans. World sports fans meet Usain Bolt of Jamaica—the track’s newly crowned megastar.

-Zurich, Switzerland-The Golden League meet in Zürich was the perfect setting for lightening quick times. A sold out crowd of 22,000 spectators provided an electric atmosphere that produced some extremely fast times. A bit of fatigue from the Olympic Games appeared evident on the part of distance runners, but the sprinters put down some fast times.

Before the gun went off, it was the usual routine. Usain Bolt was bobbing and weaving and playing it up before getting into the blocks. When his name was called out, the fans gave went wild for the man who less than two weeks ago was apart of three world record performances. The Olympic champion could have at least made it look somewhat difficult. Bolt gave the fans their money’s worth. He got out to a slow start before blazing 9.83 seconds over 100-meters. The reigning Olympic champion was ahead of Walter Dix (9.93) and Richard Thompson (10.09).

Where was his kick when Wariner needed it the most two weeks ago? Reigning Olympic champ LaShawn Merrittt had the inside lane today, but it was not good enough to beat Jeremy Wariner. Coming down the final turn, Wariner had a one step lead that he opened up to about five meters winning in 43.82 over Merritt (44.43).

Lolo Jones picked up where she left off before hitting a hurdle in Beijing. The U.S. Olympic Trials champion won in 12.56, beating a field which included 110-meter hurdle Olympic champion Dawn Harper. Harper (12.73) finished in a distant seventh place.

It was certainly a win, but it was not the win that Sanya Richards has been dreaming about for quite some time. After winning bronze in Bejing, Richards won a commanding race today in a season’s best time of 49.75. There have been assertions that Richards choked in the 400-meter Olympic final. The real story is that Richards didn’t run fast enough to beat the world’s best. The looming question is why this season the American record holder has not been within a second of the 48.70 that she ran back in 2006.

The 110 hurdles was a close one. David Oliver, the only man to defeat Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba, almost accomplished that feat for a second time this season. Oliver raced Robles down to the end, but came up short.

It may not have been as clean as the 400 hurdle victory in Beijing. But Angelo Taylor (48.07) took it out extremely hard the first half of the race before finishing ahead of Kerron Clement (48.20) of the U.S. and Jamaica’s Danny McFarland (48.40). Bershawn Jackson (49.18) finished in seventh place.

Instant Analysis – Monaco Super Grand Prix!

Isinbayeva Raises the Pole Vault World Record.

-Monaco-Can anyone touch Yelena Isinbayeva? She cleared 16 feet, 6 1/2 inches setting a new record for the second time this season. The stakes have been raised another notch and Yelena goes into Beijing as the clear favorite to win gold.

It’s about staying calm under the pressure. I think David Oliver (13.11) hit nearly every hurdle in the race and still managed to run down Anwar Moore for the win. That’s when you know your race is on.

It was just another day in the office for Asafa Powell. Today the Jamaican commonly referred to as the world’s second fastest man clocked 9.82 in the 100-meters. Darvis “The Veteran” Patton (9.98) of the U.S. was runner up with a solid performance.

More than almost anyone else Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart is establishing herself as the runner to beat. Today she posted 10.94 over Sherone Simpson (10.95) of Jamaica, and Torri Edwards (11.02) of the U.S. in a hotly contested 100-meter race.

U.S. athletes can not expect to be competitive on the international scene at 800-meters, if they sit in the back for most of the race and then try to pour on a huge kick down the home stretch. It isn’t going to happen. Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Yusuf Saad Kamel put down a ridiculous 1:42.79. They ran every step of the race today.

Newly Launched Spikes Magazine is Good Luck

It’s all a matter of perspective, but gracing the cover of Spikes magazine has the opposite affect of the “Madden Cover Curse.” Whether you think it’s a silly urban legend or an undeniable truth, the Madden Cover Curse has become an entrenched part of football lore.

Yelena Isinbayeva was featured on the first copy of the edgy new British track and field magazine, officially launched June 3, 2008.

On Friday, Yelena upped her own World Record in the pole vault to 16 feet, 6 inches and again comes into Beijing as the favorite. Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb could only be so lucky. Yelena got a bounce from appearing on the cover, and hopefully, the sport will also.

The IAAF, in partnership with UK Athletics, launched a major drive to promote athletics globally with a new cutting edge magazine and interactive global website - SPIKES.

Is Spikes magazine the new hero of the sport? Without a doubt, it is a witty and humorous new jaunt.

Spikes magazine and Spikesmag.com couldn’t come at a better time. They will help promote the sport at a time when there is a great deal of competition for young people’s attention. The organization’s mission is to bring the world of track and field to life and help put it back where it belongs: on top of the world.

Enough said.

By Jay Hicks.

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