Catching up with David Oliver

David Oliver Named USATF Athlete of the Week from PreRaceJitters on Vimeo.

David Oliver

Event: 110 meter hurdles
Personal Record: 12.90 seconds, ties American Record
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205 pounds
College: Howard University ‘04
High School: Denver (Colo.) East ‘00
Coach: Brooks Johnson
Current Resident: Kissimmee, Florida

2010 U.S. Indoor National Championships 60m hurdle runner up
2010 U.S. World Indoor 60m bronze medalist
2010 U.S. Outdoor National Champion
2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist
2008 U.S. National Champion
2007 U.S. Outdoor Championships Bronze Medalist

Official Website: D.O. The King = 12.85
Twitter: davidoliversub13

Oliver named USATF Athlete of the Week

David Oliver sizzling performance stands out.

INDIANAPOLIS- David Oliver has been named the USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week after he equaled the American Record in the men’s 110m hurdles at the 2010 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

Oliver, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 110m hurdles, tied the American record of 12.90 set by Dominique Arnold on July 11, 2006 in Lausanne. That time is the third-fastest time ever in the event.

One week before the Prefontaine Classic, Oliver won his second national title in the same event at the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Oliver’s winning time of 12.93 is the fastest winning time at the championships since Allen Johnson won in 12.92 in 1996.

Oliver is the 2010 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist and USA Indoor championships runner- up in the 60m hurdles.

Now in its ninth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 13, Jen Clayton; January 20, Shalane Flanagan; January 27, Nolan Shaheed; February 3, Bernard Lagat; February 10, Bernard Lagat; February 17, Shalane Flanagan; February 24, Amber Campbell; March 3, Amber Campbell; March 10, Phil Raschker; March 17, Ashton Eaton; March 31, Lisa Koll; April 7, Queen Harrison; April 14, Magdalena Lewy Boulet; April 21, Bershawn Jackson; April 28, Phoebe Wright; May 5, Chris Solinsky; May 12, Walter Dix; May 26, Cory Martin; June 2, Chaunte Lowe; June 9, Bernard Lagat; June 16, Queen Harrison; June 30, Kara Patterson; July 7, David Oliver.

BEST MARKS WEEK ENDING JULY 4

MEN

100 - 10.19 Mike Rodgers (Nike) - Reims, FRA 6/30
200 - 19.72 Walter Dix (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
400 - 46.08 Jeremy Davis (unat) - Sollentuna, SWE 7/1
800 - 1:45.53er Khadevis Robinson (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3
Mile - 3:51.74 Andrew Wheating (unat) - Eugene, OR 7/3
5000 - 13:08.11 Chris Solinsky (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3
110H - 12.90 David Oliver (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 =AMERICAN RECORD
400H - 49.04 Justin Gaymon (Nike) - Uden, HOL 7/3
HJ - 2.27/7-5.25 Dusty Jonas (Nike) - Cork, IRE 7/3
PV - 5.55/18-2.5 Jeremy Scott (Nike) - Patra, GRE 6/30
LJ - 8.41/27-7.25 Dwight Phillips (Trackstar Apparel) - Eugene, OR 7/3
SP - 22.41/73-6.25 Christian Cantwell (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 World leader
DT - 66.95/219-8 Jason Young (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3

WOMEN

100 - 10.83 Carmelita Jeter (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
200 - 22.92 Ebonie Floyd-Broadnax (Nike) - Sollentuna, SWE 7/1
400 - 50.27 Allyson Felix (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3
800 - 1:58.22 Phoebe Wright (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
1500 - 4:13.32 Erin Donohue (Nike) - Cork, IRE 7/3
3000SC - 9:32.35 Bridget Franek (unat) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
5000 - 14:49.08 Shalane Flanagan (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
100H - 13.26 Nichole Denby (Speed Dynamics) - Patra, GRE 6/30
400H - 53.03 Lashinda Demus (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3
HJ - 2.00/6-6.75 Chaunte Lowe (Nike) - Madrid, ESP 7/2
PV - 4.48/14-8.25 Lacy Janson (unat) - Eugene, OR 7/3
LJ - 6.60/21-8 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) - Reims, FRA 6/30
TJ - 14.33/47-0.25 Erica McLain (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3 U.S. leader
DT - 55.47/182-0 Aretha Thurmond (Nike) - Madrid, ESP 7/2
HT - 70.21/230-4 Amber Campbell (Nike) - Eugene, OR 7/3
JT - 65.90/216-2 Kara Patterson (Asics) - Eugene, OR 7/3

Richards, Merritt, Harper & Willard ready for Nike Prefontaine Classic

Press release by USA Track & Field.

EUGENE, Ore. - 2008 Olympic women’s 400m bronze medalist and 4×400m relay gold medalist Sanya Richards, two-time Olympic gold medalist LaShawn Merritt, Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist Dawn Harper and 2008 Olympian Anna Willard on Saturday appeared at a press conference held in conjunction with Sunday’s 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The fifth event of the 2009 USA Track & Field Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic will be televised live Sunday on NBC from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Excerpts from this afternoon’s press conference follow:

On her success this year in the 800m and 1,500m:  I’ve always been more of an 800 and 1,500-meter runner. It’s different than the steeplechase, which is not usually very tactical. It’s more of a flat run with not much thinking going on, where in the 1500 and the 800, a lot can happen in a short amount of time. So they’re different events but I think I’m probably more genetically made for those types of events, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s fun.

What are your goals this summer at the World Championships? Really we’re looking for medals. Why go to this level, why do this if you’re not willing to go all the way? That’s why I joined our group at Mammoth Track Club. I’m doing this to be the best. I get really fired up about competition and right now that’s the major goal. Whether it happens this year or not we’re trying to get there, and that’s what it’s going to be every year.

Could you talk about what your coach Terrence Mahon means to you? Well he’s had such great success, particularly in the longer distances and it’s really exciting for us to see what he’s doing now with the middle distances. I feel like we help each other and he’s done tremendous things for me as a person as well. He really gets me and we click really well. I like him a lot.

Dawn Harper

What does working with Bobby Kersee mean to you? He means the world to me, especially in track and field terms because he started to notice me when I was in high school. Then he kind of pointed me out to Jeanette Bolden (UCLA head coach) and got me to UCLA, and then he helped me get ready for the professional world. When I got to the professional world we knew that staying healthy for me was going to be the key because at UCLA I was dealing with hamstring issues, knee issues and once again, last year, another knee issue, but that’s okay because we now know, pretty much, the key to keeping me healthy. He sees something special in me and I appreciate that, and we both have a good relationship.

You’re in the blocks in Beijing, the gun goes off, and then what? You run for your life! (laughter).  You execute your race and you put it all out there. You don’t want to walk away from the Olympic final saying ‘I didn’t do this, or I didn’t execute that.’  That’s why I leaned across the line the way I did because I didn’t know where I was and I just wanted to get there. I didn’t know when I first crossed the finish line, and I thought maybe I got second, or maybe I got third, and then Damu came over and said, ‘no Dawn, you won,’ and that’s when I saw it.

LaShawn Merritt

What was it like for you last year to take over as the best 400m runner in the world? It let me know that in this sport that you have to be patient and hard work will pay off. I’ve been working hard to get where I am, and I’m working even harder now to stay where I am. My coach and I set plans, set goals and everything’s falling in place. I just have to stay hungry, stay motivated and healthy, and keep doing the things that I want to do.

We’ve all been hearing rumblings of Usain Bolt moving up to the 400 meters. Is that a challenge you welcome? Yes. There’s a thought that he’s going to come on up and run the 400, and we’re inviting him. If he wants to come up, come on and get a lane and let’s go at it.

What goals do you have for this season? I look forward to coming back here in a couple weeks and defending my national title, and then going on to Berlin and winning gold in the 400 and also the 4×400.

Sanya Richards

You’ve been ranked #1 in the world four years in a row. What does that mean to you? I can’t believe that it’s been four years since I took over as the best in the world in 2005, and I’m not going to rest on those laurels at all. I’m going to keep working hard and try to get better and better and run faster, and hopefully lower my American record because I haven’t PR’ed in a while, so to me that’s what I enjoy about running is getting better.

For more information on the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic and the USATF Visa Championship Series, visit: www.visachampionshipseries.com.

PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show #28, Prefontaine Classic Review with Kenia Sinclair

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The duo run down the races to watch at the 2009 Prefontaine Classic, share their picks and talk with Kenia Sinclair about the great season that she is having. That and much, more on PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show.

-Tyson Gay sends loud message with 19.58 seconds.
-Sanya Richards
-LaShawn Merritt
-PreClassic loaded with distance races.

Special thanks to Kenia Sinclair.

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

PreRaceJitters.com Exclusive Interview: Brad Walker, Superstar

His career has largely been under the radar, but as Brad Walker proved with his clutch vault at the Prefontaine Classic, the face of the U.S. pole vaulting can fly high with the best of ‘em. Read more

PRECLASSIC.COM GOES INTERACTIVE

Eugene, Oregon—One of track & field’s first websites—preclassic.com,
created in 1997–is continuing its groundbreaking role by providing fans
of the sport with an unprecedented level of meet-related information and
interactivity through its revamped presentation. The Pre Classic site
now includes features that showcase the rich history and current content
of the Western Hemisphere’s best outdoor meet.

Want to see:
        
     *       a replay of the 2008 NBC telecast of the meet?

     *       photos of Brad Walker’s American Record in the pole vault?

     *       meet information for 2009?

     *       fans with their own websites who plan on attending?

     *       video highlights of each Pre Classic going back to 1986
(released weekly)?

All this and more can be found on the expanded site. Visitors will also
have the opportunity to interact and share with other Pre Classic fans,
including posting their own comments, memories, videos, photos, and
website links, thanks to software developed by RunnerSpace.com.
                                                #   #  #

  The 35th Prefontaine Classic is a part of the IAAF’s World Athletics
Tour and USA Track & Field’s Visa Championships Series. The 2009 edition
of the meet will be held on Sunday, June 7, at Hayward Field in Eugene,
featuring scores of the world’s greatest athletes.  It will be broadcast
live by NBC beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.

RunnerSpace.com is a social networking website for all runners to
connect and share with other runners and fans through its
industry-leading team and event website creation software.

Instant Analysis–Prefontaine Classic!

The big winner of the day was Brad Walker (19 feet, 9 ¾ inches) setting a new American Record in Eugene, Oregon. He has to be more than pleased with that unconscious performance on the same track where the Olympic Trials will be hosted in just three weeks.

The standout moment of the day was Mozambique’s Maria Mutola (1:55.57) winning a stacked 800-meters for the 16th and final time showed the heart of a champion. High school sensation Chanelle Price (2:01.61) held her own with a 6th place finish and the second fastest high school time ever.

Wallace Spearmon broke Michael Johnson’s 200-meter meet record running 20.13. Commentator Ato Bolden said today what I’ve been thinking about Spearmon for quite some time. The former University of Arkansas All-American rarely seems to be at 100%. It’s scary to think what he is capable of running in the deuce when he explodes through the first 100 meters of the race.

The biggest recipient of Jeremy Wariner leaving Coach Hart is Sanya Richards. The former University of Texas standout didn’t run a particularly outstanding time (50.1), but she won. That cannot be underestimated at this point in the season.

No one is talking about Torri Edwards in the 100, but she is a sleeper who can wreck havoc at the Olympic Trials. The fourth place finish by Allyson Felix in the 100 is concerning. Felix was saved by the first false start charged to Torri Edwards when she was left sitting in the blocks after the gun. Given a second chance, Allyson never made up the two meter lead that she gave up to the eventual winner Torri Edwards (10.94) at the start. Felix has not run a crisp 100 since the 10.93 she ran in Doha on May 9.

The 110-meter hurdles is shaping up to be one of the premier events in Beijing. Forget the fact that Liu Xiang of China has been the event’s leading man for the last four years. After Xiang was disqualified for a second false start, then Anwar Moore easily jogged 13.09.

LaShawn Merritt is not letting the victory over Jeremy Wariner last week in Berlin go to his head. Merritt ran strongly (44.65) in his victory, but tied up the last 10 meters. The biggest surprise of the 400 was Canadian Tyler Christopher’s disappointing (45.52) fourth place finish.

By Jay Hicks.

2008 Prefontaine Classic Preview!

Sunday June 8, 2008
NBC, Live, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time

The women’s 100 will again be the race to watch at Pre. Who will win without Veronica Campbell-Brown in the mix? The race is loaded with Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, veteran runners Kerron Stewart of Jamaica and Torri Edwards. The always vibrant Carmelita Jeter placed is a baby’s breath away from putting the picture perfect race together. Muna Lee of Jamaica is fearless competitor that will be in the middle of this race.

The men’s 200 feature two men who will be battling for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Xavier “X Man” Carter vs. Wallace Spearmon will go down on Sunday.

Predictions are old hat—unless of course you own the world record. Can Kenenisa Bekele break his 10,000 world record as he predicted? The loaded field will contend every step of this race.

Alan Webb has been located in good health and rested. He is back on the scene at 1,500-meters and will face stiff competition from Daniel K. Komen of Kenya.

The women’s 800 may be the changing of the guard. This will be the last two lap dash for legend Maria Mutola of Mozambique. Mutola has announced her retirement which is effective at the end of this season. This will be one of the last races American fans will get to watch Maria because unlike boxer, it’s doubtful she will come out of retirement. She has won the Preclassic a record breaking 15 consecutive races. High school phenom Chanelle Price is set to run the race after putting down a sizzing 2:02.38.

The men’s 800 will feature rivals Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson. But look out for Yusuf Kamel (Bahrain) and newcomer to the scene Matt Scherer who is running on his home turn.

These two just can’t enough of each other. Bernard Lagat of the U.S. and Craig Mottram of New Zealand will meet in the two mile.

A second Ethiopian will try to break a world record June 8 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic. Meseret Defar will attempt to break her world 5,000-meter mark in a race to be held immediately after countryman Kenenisa Bekele goes after his world 10,000 record, meet officials said Wednesday.