Oops
It’s been a week of “oops moments” in track & field.
First there was Katy Andrews at the BYU Robison Invitational. Andrews was leading the 3000 meter steeplechase when her spikes caught just before the water jump and she failed to jump and instead went head first into the water pit.
This spectacular fall, which Andrews herself uploaded to YouTube, has gone viral but if that nine second clip isn’t enough for you, you can see the fall from another angle, in super slow motion, as well as a sequence of photos shot by BYU photographer Jaren Wilkey. Andrews was leading the race at the time of her fall and she resumed running after the fall. But after running two more laps, her coaches convinced her to drop out so they could check her for any injuries.
Lopez Lomong in the 5000 meters at the 2012 Payton Jordan Invitational
The next day at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University, 2008 1500 meter Olympian Lopez Lomong, running his first competitive 5000 meter race since his college days miscounted the laps and kicked one lap too early. He started to surge away from the pack at the 4200 meter mark (two laps to go). David Torrance gave chase while the rest of the pack was content to let them go because there were still two laps to go. Torrance would later say that he knew there were two laps to go but he wanted to cover Lomong’s move because he was going for the win. Lomong ran a blistering 54 second lap on what he thought was the last lap but actually was the penultimate lap. After raising his arms in victory and slowing to a stop the crowd and officials started yelling to him that he still had one more lap. No one had passed him yet so Lomong took off running again! He somehow managed to run a 66 second last lap despite the stop and the tremendous lactic acid build-up he likely had in his legs. The results sheet will show him with a 2012 world leading and Olympic A standard time of 13:11.63, three seconds ahead of second place.
Lomong’s early kick reminded me of an indoor race I watched many years ago involving Suzy Favor Hamilton. After some research I found the details from that race. It was the mile at the 1994 Mobil Invitational indoor track & field meet in Fairfax, Virginia. The race was eight laps and pitted Hamilton against the reigning Olympic 1500 meter champion Hassiba Boulmerka of Algeria. Hamilton kicked on what she thought was the last lap to pull ahead of Boulmerka. But there was still one lap to go. When Hamilton heard the bell for the final lap ringing she shouted “Oh no!” and you could see the shock on her face. Unlike Lomong, Hamilton did not get back in the race and Boulmerka would win with a time of 4:28.64.
It turns out this was not Hamilton’s only lap counting goof. At the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle, Washington, then still in college at the University of Wisconsin, she got disoriented on the track and didn’t start her kick until it was too late, finishing fourth in a race that many thought she could have won.
To err is human, so next time you make a boo-boo remember at least your mistake isn’t being written up in the newspaper or posted as a video on the internet.
Fourth Place
The 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials took place in Houston on January 14.
Zoila Gomez, Khalid Khannouchi, Blake Russell, Trent Briney. What do those four runners have in common? They were the fourth place finishers at the 2008 and 2004 US Olympic Marathon Trials. Fourth place. When talking about Olympic spots, fourth place is the most painful place….in essence, the first loser. The top three go on to compete in the Olympics. Fourth place just leads the hundreds of others who must wait four more years for another chance.
For Dathan Ritzenhein (aka “Ritz,” who was a 2008 Olympian) and Amy Hastings (no Olympics yet), they reluctantly add their name to the Gomez, Khannouchi, Russell, and Briney list. If it’s any consolation, four years after her fourth place finish, Russell qualified for the next Olympics in the marathon. In addition, both Ritzenhein and Hastings can still race at the 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials in June to try to make the Olympic team on the track. Both of them have pretty solid chances of making the team in either the 10,000 meters or 5,000 meters. Ritzenhein is a former American record holder at 5,000 meters and was sixth at the 2009 World Championships in the 10,000 meters. Hastings is coming off a season in which she made the World Championship final in the 5,000 meters in Daegu.
“Trying out for the olympics (sic) is being willing to serve your heart on a platter along with a knife and carving instructions.” That was US professional runner, Lauren Fleshman’s Facebook status the other day. Fleshman would know. Although she has been the USA Champion for 5,000 meters twice (2006 and 2010) and competed at three IAAF World Championships (2003, 2005, and 2011), she has endured two disappointing “tryouts for the Olympics” (also known as the Olympic Trials). In 2004 she was injured and unable to compete. In 2008, she faded to a non-Olympic team qualifying fifth place.
The US has a very objective system to qualify for the Olympics. Four years of training comes down to one race. It’s all or nothing. It insures that the US Olympic marathon and track & field athletes have earned their spot on the team, having endured the pressure that accompanies the Olympic Trials. Before the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials, I read a line that stuck with me, “trying to add the word Olympian to their name.” By placing in the top three, one qualifies for the Olympics and does have the word Olympian associated with their name for the rest of their life. That’s quite the reward, but with such a mighty reward comes pressure and the potential for disappointment – thus “serving your heart on a platter with a knife and carving instructions.”
As it turned out, of the six qualifiers (three men and three women), only one truly added Olympian to their name. That would be Desiree Davilla. For the other five, this is a return trip to the Olympics. This will be Meb Keflezighi’s third Olympics, Ryan Hall’s second, Abdi Abdirahman’s fourth, Shalane Flanagan’s third, and Kara Goucher’s second.
It is no wonder that Ritzenhein and Hastings were so distraught at the finish line of the Olympic Marathon Trials. Both of them shed tears as the reality that they did not miscount, they were fourth, set in.
Ritzenhein, who was only eight seconds behind Abdirahman for the coveted third place spot, was described as disconsolate at the finish by bloggers covering the race. Despite running a PR, in post race interviews he said things like “Obviously being fourth is the worst place to be, and I’m trying not to react in the completely negative, but the marathon has been a continued problem. I’m not saying that I will never run another marathon but I am going to shift my focus back to the track. I am really going to focus on the disciplines and distances that I am good at.”
Hastings, who finished over 70 seconds behind Goucher, said in a Runners World interview that she had known for the last two miles that she was not going to finish in the top three but that she held back tears for miles 25 and 26 because crying then would affect her breathing. But the tears rained down when she finished. Still, she composed herself to attend the post-race press conference as the official USA Olympic Marathon alternate. That takes some class.
There’s something noble about being fourth at the Olympic Trials. I wish I were the fourth best at something out of everyone in the USA. If that something happened to be an Olympic event, all the better, but I’d settle for being fourth American at anything. The sting of fourth place will be there for a while for Ritz and Hastings but hopefully over time they will be proud that they gave it their best and they will rebound to battle for an Olympic spot in the future.
Underdogs at the World Championships
Taylor and Claye pulled off a surprise in the triple jump taking gold and bronze
Now that the 2011 World Championships are complete, I would characterize this championship meet as one full of surprises and unexpected results. The underdogs seem to have come through with big performances at the right time, while the pre-meet favorites seemed to have come up short. In fact, at one point there was a daily program cover jinx. Athletes featured on the cover of the program (usually a pre-meet favorite) failed to win their event on six of the first seven days of the meet, with only race walker Olga Kaniskina breaking the jinx. Finally some of the favorites came through on the final two days of the meet with Sally Pearson winning the 100 meter hurdles and Usain Bolt anchoring the Jamaica 4X100 meter relay team to a world record.
The first surprise took place on day two of the meet, when in the 100 meter final Usain Bolt false started, thus the world record holder and defending champion was eliminated from the race. Yohan Blake of Jamaica seized the opportunity to win gold in a time of 9.92 seconds. Blake’s accomplishment is somewhat tempered by the fact that the three men readily acknowledged as fastest men in the world (Bolt, Asafa Powell, and Tyson Gay) were not in the race.
On day three of the meet, the favorites in the men’s hammer included Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia and Krisztian Pars of Hungary. Way down on the season best list with a mark of 78.10 meters was Koji Murofushi of Japan. Murofushi was the 2004 Olympic Champion and his PR of 84.86 meters was set eight year ago. The thirty-six year old who has battled a back injury was not expected to contend for a medal at this year’s championships. In the third round he threw 81.24 meters and matched that mark again in the fifth round. A final throw of 81.18 meters by Pars in the last round was six centimeters short. Murofushi became the oldest hammer throw World Champion in history. This year’s gold came one decade after winning his first World Championship medal and gives him a complete set of medals; he won the silver in 2001 and the bronze in 2003.
The three favorites in the 110 hurdles - none of whom won the gold
Much of the World Championships hype centered on the day three showdown in the men’s 110 hurdles between David Oliver (USA), Dayron Robles (Cuba), and Liu Xiang (China). All over Korea there were banners and posters of these three under the heading, “Who’s the Fastest?” But that is why they run the race. Oliver has been in a slump all summer and was never in contention. Xiang looked like he was going to make a move for the win over the last couple hurdles but chopped his steps. It turns out that the reason he chopped his steps was contact by Robles. This contact led to Robles being disqualified. That made the somewhat unheralded and certainly overlooked Jason Richardson (USA) the gold medal winner.
Both the men’s and women’s 400 meter races came down to the final strides. In both races the USA had one of their superstars competing. Also in both races, the prime competition came from a runner from a country without a rich 400 meter tradition.
In the women’s 400 on day three of the meet, it was Amantle Montsho from Botswana who held off a late charge by the USA’s Allyson Felix to win Bostwana’s first World Championship gold medal. Montsho ran a PR 49.56 to beat Felix, who also ran a PR of 49.59. Montsho has been dominant in the Diamond League this summer, but her previous record of finishing eight at both the 2009 World Championships and the 2008 Olympics made many skeptical that she could win in Daegu…but she did!
On day four of the meet, in the men’s 400 meters it was 2009 defending World Champion Lashawn Merritt against eighteen year old Kirani James of Grenada. Merritt had the lead down the final homestretch, but in the final strides James overtook him to win Grenada’s first ever World Championship gold medal. Similar to the women’s race the winner ran a PR (44.60) to win by the slim margin of 0.03 seconds over a USA superstar.
The final steps of the men's 400 - James beats Merritt
On day four of the meet, the women’s steeplechase was expected to be dominated by the Kenyan trio of Micah Chemos Cheywa, Mecy Njoroge,
Zaripova wins the 3000 steeplechase
and Lydia Rotich. Cheywa, having won eight steeplechases in a row this year, was the heavy favorite. But instead it was Russia’s Yuliya Zaripova and Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi who not only went 1-2 in the race but became the third fastest and ninth fastest steeplechasers of all-time. Zaripova’s 9:07.03 is the 2011 world leading mark. Ghribi’s 9:11.97 was a Tunisian national record. She and her supporters were the happiest people in the stadium. Ghribi jumped up and down – and after handing her a Tunisia flag, three ecstatic Tunisian fans could be seen sobbing. Why? Ghribi was Tunisia’s first woman to ever win a medal at the World Championships.
Ghribi celebrates
Ghribi's supporters weep and call home to share the good news
Simpson came from behind in the final homestretch to pull off the upset win
On day six of the meet, the women’s 1500 meters produced an upset for the ages. Most of the focus was on the two-time defending champion, Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain. American Jenny Barringer Simpson was hardly mentioned, and when she was it usually centered on the fact that she was fifth at the 2009 World Championships….in the steeplechase; but for some reason known only to her and her coach she was competing in the 1500 meters at these championships. Simpson’s 2011 season best in the 1500 ranked her ninth out of the twelve women who started the race. It was a typically tight race but with 300 meters to go, Simpson moved into contention. With 150 meters to go she looked poised to move into the top three to secure a medal. With 50 meters to go she had the same look that she had at the 2009 Prefontaine Classic when she shocked the world by running a new collegiate record of 3:59.90. After seeing that look, I knew she was going to win it…and she did. That’s why she was in the 1500 instead of the steeplechase…to win a gold medal!
Day seven featured the men’s shot put, which was a who’s who of past champions: 2009 World Champion, Christian Cantwell (USA), 2008 Olympic Champion Tomasz Majewski (Poland), 2007 World Champion Resse Hoffa (USA), 2005 World Champion Adam Nelson (USA), and 2003 World Champion Andrei Mikhnevich (Belarus). Despite the presence of these five throwers, the pre-meet favorite was Dylan Armstrong of Canada, who had the 2011 world leading mark (and Canadian national record) of 22.21 meters. Lost in this crowd was twenty-one year old German, David Storl, who had only the eighth best mark in 2011 among the twelve finalists. Storl took the early lead with a throw of 21.60 meters (a PR) in the second round. Armstrong pushed him back to second with a throw of 21.64 meters in the fourth round. In the final round, on the second to last throw of the competition, Storl launched the shot 21.78 meters (another PR, giving him 28 centimeters of improvement in one day, which is just short of one foot). On the last throw of the competition Armstrong could not re-take the lead and Storl was the champion. Among the historic oddities from this event were Storl wining Germany’s first ever gold medal in the shot put and the USA getting shutout of the medals for the first time in twenty years.
The final upset winner came on day nine in one of the last events of the meet, the men’s triple jump. The field included three former World or Olympic Champions: Phillip Idowu of Great Britain (2009 World Champion), Nelson Evora of Cuba (2007 World Champion and 2008 Olympic Champion), and Christian Olsson of Sweden (2003 World Champion and 2004 Olympic Champion). With Teddy Tamgho, the 2011 world leader, out with an injury Idowu wore the hat as the favorite. After one round of jumping the three former world champions held the three medal spots. However, it was the young American jumpers who leaped to glory. In round three twenty year old American Will Claye leaped a PR of 17.50 meters to take the lead. Idowu responded with a 17.70 meter jump to re-take the lead. Twenty-one year old American Christian Taylor then jumped 17.40 meters to move into third. Taylor followed that up in the next round with a jump of 17.96 meters, making him the fifth best triple jumper of all-time. Idowu would improve to 17.77 meters but that was only good enough for silver. The gold went to Taylor, the youngest triple jump gold medalist in history, with bronze to Claye, the youngest triple jump medalist in history.
The difference between winning a world championship and coming up short is a fine line. That fine line is often measured in milliseconds and millimeters. That’s why an underdog can pull off the upset. The unpredictable nature of track & field is what makes watching a World Championship meet so very exciting.
Note: All the great photos in this blog entry were taken by the Track Widow from our fantastic seats in row ten right by the finish line.
The Best Track & Field Team in the World
Maybe we aren't the best track & field team in the World. But in 2010, we were the best JV Girls track & field team in the WCAL - undefeated in dual meets and invitationals and league champions!
Team USA’s strong performance at the 2011 IAAF World Championships cements America’s claim that we have the best overall track & field team in the world. There were some disappointments, like the fall in the men’s 4X100, getting no one on the medal stand in the men’s shot put for the first time in twenty years, and despite high expectations, having a best finish of only sixth place in the men’s 400 hurdles.
In terms of the medal count, Team USA won 25 medals, twelve of them gold. That bettered the 2009 performance in Berlin that saw the USA win 22 medals, ten of them gold and was just a tad behind the 2007 performance in Osaka that saw the USA win 26 medals, fourteen of them gold.
However, as any coach will tell you, the strength of an overall team is based on not just your athletes who win medals, but also those who make the final. Using a scoring system like the NCAA Championships, with 10 points for first, 8 points for second, 6 for third, 5 for fourth, 4 for fifth, 3 for sixth, 2 for seventh, and 1 for eight, I scored the 2011 World Championships. The top eight countries were:
2. Russia, 223
3. Kenya, 194
4. Jamaica, 113
5. Germany, 89
7. Ethiopia, 69
8. China, 65.5
Again, Team USA lives up to the billing as the best team in the world. See scoring table for all the statistics (2011 World Champs Results Table_country scoring).
Some countries are strong in certain subsections of the sport but are not strong in others. Jamaica, for example scored 111 out of their 113 points in the sprints events (100, 200, 400, 110/100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4X100, and 4X400). Germany scored all of their 89 points in the field events (high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hammer, javelin, decathlon/heptathlon). Kenya was actually the best team in the distance events (800, 1500, 5000, 10,000, 3000 steeplechase, and marathon) by a wide margin. But those were almost the only events they scored in (191 out of their 194 points came in the distance events). Ethiopia’s 69 points were good to make them the second best distance nation in the world. But again, those were the only events Ethiopia scored in. I am a little biased against race walking because it’s not a particularly high profile sport in the US. Despite scoring no points in race walking, Team USA won the scoring competition. Russia and China, meanwhile, improved their point totals with big points in the race walking. Russia scored 56 points (25% of their points) in race walking and China got 23 points (35%). Russia is the country closest to the USA in terms of being good in many different events. However, it’s worth noting that the Russian women outscore the Russian men almost two-to-one and eleven of their thirteen non-race walking medals came from the women.
Team USA had strong numbers of medal winners and point scorers in all event subsections except race walking. The point balance between USA men and USA women was virtually fifty-fifty. Team USA was particularly strong in the sprint, outscoring all other countries in these events, including the Jamaicans. There is a lot of talk that the Jamaicans are a better sprint country than the USA, but at the 2011 World Championships the USA sprinters won 14 medals (six gold) compared to Jamaica’s 9 medals (four gold). Team USA even outscored the German men in the men’s field events. USA men’s distance held their own behind Kenya and Ethiopia. And the USA women’s distance and women’s field, although not scoring a lot of points, did not get shut out either.
One reason for this is that the USA has strong athletes in almost all of the events. Team USA had 129 athletes (66 men and 63 women) entered in the meet, by far the largest team. Russia was second with 83. Even Great Britain, the only other country besides the USA and Russia to have athletes score in all the event subsections (not counting race walking), had 67 athletes, 62 less than Team USA. Some countries are only able to get one or two athletes to achieve the necessary standards to qualify for the meet. It certainly speaks to the strength and depth in USA track & field that our country can qualify so many quality athletes for the World Championships. Before a team can be the best in the world, you first have to get athletes in all the events qualified for the World Championships.
Thanks for the memories, Daegu
The 2011 World Championships have come to an end. For a track & field geek like myself, this meet is pretty much Christmas everyday for a week. I am in heaven when I am attending the World Championships. For this year’s World Championships to end with a world record was icing on the cake.
The meet itself is spread out into morning and evening sessions. Heats and qualifying rounds are run in the mornings, with semi-finals and finals in the evenings. The schedule is timed perfectly. In less than a three hour period in the evening there will be eight to ten events plus medal ceremonies. The events are spaced so perfectly that you can watch pretty much all the action on the track and in the field events. With the jumbotron screens, Seiko scoreboards on the field, and expert announcing, spectators are kept abreast of all the action as it happens. The events are timed in such a way that there is never anything happening on the track when the final attempts are made by the medal winners in the jumps and throws. That way all the attention is focused on the often overlooked field event athletes. David Storl of Germany used this attention from the fans to his advantage, throwing 21.78 meters on his last throw in the shot put to move from the silver medal to the gold medal.
I am also particularly fortunate that my wife, Malinda Walker (a.k.a. The Track Widow) is willing to foresake typical vacations to travel across the world so I can watch track & field. Our experience at these meets is enhanced thanks to the kindness of Shannon Rowbury, who does all that she can to get us access to things like the Nike hospitality area and athlete’s village. It was quite an honor to time some of her 200’s on the practice track one day during our trip.
This year’s meet in Daegu was particularly interesting because of the great seats that we had. The price of the ticket was 112,500 Won, which is in the ballpark of $112 (USD). They weren’t cheap but they were quite reasonable for where they were located. We were in the section just adjacent to the press area, right on the finish line. I had a better seat for World Championships than I did for the California High School State Meet.
From our vantage point, I was able to get to Shannon to give her a hug after her semi-final race. We could also see the look of pure joy on Jenny Barringer Simpson’s face when she realized that she had 
won the 1500. We were just yards away from Vin Lannana as he reached over a railing to congratulate Matt Centrowitz on his bronze medal. After the 200 and 4X100 relay, hundreds of fans crowded the press area hoping to get a picture or autograph of The Man, Usain Bolt. I was one of those hundred. Malinda and I proudly waved our American flag throughout the meet and I swear if we had been in row five instead of row 10, Bernard Lagat would have taken our US flag to use for his victory lap (he looked up at us and I could tell he was trying to decide if we were close enough for him to get our US flag).
In addition to the best seats I may ever have for an international championship meet, our tickets came with dinner in the Premiere Lounge every night before the meet. The same menu got a little tiresome but how could I turn down free kimchi and beer?
Sadly this year’s meet is now over and it’s time to head home. I’ll post a blog or two about the meet when I get home before I turn my attention to London 2012 and Moscow 2013.
2011 World Championships – 11 Events I Can’t Wait to See
The 2011 International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championships are set to begin on August 27 in Daegu, South Korea. The inaugural World Championships competition was held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983. The meet took place every four years (the year before an Olympic year) until 1993. Beginning in 1995, the World Championships have been held in every odd numbered year, making the 2011 competition the thirteenth World Championship meet. The World Championships in Athletics (track & field) is the third largest international sporting event in the world, ranking behind only the Olympics Games and the World Cup (soccer).
I will be in Daegu, Korea at the World Championships for the final five days of the nine-day competition. My first and foremost interest is cheering Shannon Rowbury in the women’s 1500. I am biased towards this event because I was Shannon’s high school coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral. But besides the women’s 1500 meters, here are the other eleven events that I am particularly looking forward to seeing. They follow in chronological order they will take place:
1. Men’s 100 Meters (Aug. 28)
Will the Jamaican team of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, and sweep the medals? Who will win out between the pre-race favorites, Bolt and Powell. Bolt is the world record holder and has seemed untouchable at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships but he’s been a little off his game in 2011. Powell, on the other hand, seems to be on his game.
2. Men’s 110 Hurdles (Aug. 29)
This is expected to be a three-way battle between Daryon Robles (Cuba), Liu Xiang (China), and David Oliver (USA). Robles is the world record holder at 12.87 and won the 2005 World Championships and the 2008 Olympics. Xiang’s PR is 12.88 and he won the 2004 Olympics and 2007 World Championships. Oliver is the American record holder at 12.89 and was undefeated in 2010.
3. Men’s 400 Meters (Aug. 30)
After years of American dominance in this event (think: Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner), this year’s 400 meter event seems up for grabs. Any one of eight to ten athletes seem to have a legitimate chance to claim the gold. Countries that aren’t always thought of as 400 meter hotbeds have athletes in the running – Grenada, Belarus, and the Ivory Coast.
4. Men’s 400 Hurdles (Sept. 1)
This appears to be a five-person battle between American athletes and L.J. van Zyl of South Africa. Van Zyl is the world leader for 2011 at 47.66. But don’t discount American’s Bershawn “Batman” Jackson (47.93), newly minted 2011 USA champion Jeshua Anderson (47.93), and thetwo-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor (47.94). And, although he has been a little off this year, the defending World Champion Kerron Clement should not be ignored.
5. Men’s Shot Put (Sept. 2)
The USA has traditionally been very strong in this “strong man” event. The threesome of Adam Nelson, Christian Cantwell, and Resse Hoffa are TEAM USA teammates again after representing America at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships. Cantwell won silver in Beijing and gold in Berlin. Can he medal again? An American has won the shot put at the World Championships every year since 2003. But the 2011 world leader is a North American but not an American – it’s Dylan Armstrong from Canada.
6. Women’s 5000 Meters (Sept. 2)
I believe this will be a two-person race between Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot and Ethiopian Meseret Defar. Cheruiyot has a 2011 best of 14:20.87. But Defar is the defending World Champion and although her 2011 best is “only” 14:29.52, she holds the World Record of 14:12.88.
7. Women’s 200 (Sept. 2)
All the attention for this event will be focused on Allyson Felix. Why? Because she is the three-time defending champion in the women’s 200 meters. However, she’s not taking the easy route to a historical four-peat. Before she begins her defense of the 200 meter title, she will compete in the 400 meters. By the time she steps to the starting line at the 200 meter final, she will have already run five races (400 meter heats and final, plus 200 meter heats).
8. Men’s 1500 Meters (Sept. 3)
Championship 1500 meter races are very unpredictable. The pace is often slow which leads to a mad dash for the medals in the final straightaway. Tactics is the key. On paper Kenyans Silas Kiplagat and Asbel Kiprop are the favorites. But given the unpredictable nature of this event, just about anyone who makes the final is going to be in the hunt.
9. Women’s 100 Hurdles (Sept. 3)
This is another event that could be won by any one of several athletes. The nature of the short hurdles race is such that often there is a surprise winner. You have to negotiate ten hurldes and one slight misstep can mean tenths of seconds in a race where athletes are separated by hundredths of seconds. Keep in mind that after they successfully clear one hurdle, they are just 8.5 meters away from another possible disaster. That’s the challenge that Sally Person (12.48), Kellie Wells (12.50), Danielle Carruthers (12.52), Dawn Harper (12.58), Tiffany Porter (12.60), Lisa Urech (12.62), Perdita Felicien (12.73) are faced with.
10. Men’s 200 (Sept. 3)
As I mentioned before, Bolt is a little off his game this year. Of course for Bolt, “a little off his game” still makes him one of the fastest human beings in the world. The question in the 200 is, Can American Walter Dix take advantage of Bolt’s vulnerability? Bolt appeared unbeatable in 2008 and 2009. If ever there was a time he might go down, the 200 in Daegu seems like the race where it could happen.
11. Women’s 4X100 Relay (Sept. 4)
Winning a medal in the 4X100 meter relay is both about speed and the ability to pass the baton. One could argue that passing the baton is more important than speed. The US women’s 4X100 meter relay team won the World Championship in 2005 and 2007. But at both the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships, the US failed to advance to the final, dropping the baton in the heats. If the US can successfully move the baton around the track, they have the speed to match the Jamaican team, who themselves have to pass the baton successfully. There will be a lot of breath holding when the gun goes off on September 4, and a big exhale by some country’s coaching staff 41-42 seconds later when the first team crosses the finish line with a baton held firmly in their hand. Who will it be?
2011 World Championships – TEAM USA scratches
It’s been a rough summer for Team USA. Since the end of the USA Championships in Eugene eight weeks ago on June 26 no less than thirteen athletes who were originally planning to compete at the World Championships will not be in Daegu wearing the red, white, and blue.
Five athletes have suffered injuries:
Jeremy Wariner, men’s 400 meters. Wariner tore a ligament in his second toe. Jamaal Torrence, who was fourth at the USA Champs, will replace Wariner in the open 400. Miles Smith, who was sixth at the USA Champs, was added to the 4X400 relay pool to replace Wariner (Torrence was already in the relay pool).
Debbie Dunn, women’s 400 meters. Dunn has a stress fracture in her left foot. Jessica Beard, who was fourth at the USA Champs replaces Dunn in the open 400. Keshia Baker, who was seventh at the USA Champs, was added to the 4X400 relay pool to replace Dunn (Beard was already in the relay pool).
Delilah DiCrescenzo, women’s steeplechase. DiCrescenzo has an unspecified injury. Stephanie Garcia, who at the USA Champs was leading DiCrescenzo in the battle for third place up until the final water jump, replaces DiCrescenzo.
Chris Solinsky, men’s 5000 meters. Solinsky tweeted that he injured his hamstring during a speed workout. Solinsky’s Oregon Track Club Elite teammate, Andy Bumbalough, fourth at the USA Champs, will replace Solinsky.
Brian Clay, men’s decathlon. Clay has a knee injury. No replacement was named for Clay.
Seven athletes failed to achieve the necessary World Championship standard and were thus replaced:
Kyle Alcorn, men’s steeplechase. Alcorn missed the World Championship A standard by 0.17 seconds (standard: 8:23.10; Alcorn ran: 8:23.27). Since Daniel Huling, who placed ahead of Alcorn at the USA Champs was going to the World Championships with a B standard only, Alcorn was not elgible. Ben Bruce, who was fifth at the 2011 USA Champs but has the World Championship A standard with his 8:19.10 from a meet in Barcelona in late July, replaces Alcorn.
Angela Bizzarri, women’s 5000 meters. Bizzarri did not achieve the World Championship A standard (15:14.00) and since Amy Hastings, who placed ahead of her is already going to the World Champs with a B standard, Bizzarri was not eligible. Bizzarri missed by 2.31 seconds, running 15:16.31 at the USA Champs. Lauren Fleshman, who was eighth at the USA Champs but ran a World Championship A standard of 15:00.57 at Crystal Palace in London will replace Bizzarri. In 2009 Bizzarri also placed in the top three at the USA Champs but did not compete at the World Championships because she did not get a qualifying time.
Nick Mossberg, men’s pole vault. Mossberg’s best of 5.55 meters was not good enough for the World Championship B standard (5.60 meters). Mark Hollis, who was fourth at the 2011 USA Champs but has a 5.70 meter clearance from a meet in July, replaces Mossberg.
Jeremy Hicks, men’s long jump. Hicks needed to achieve the A standard (8.20 meters) because Marquise Goodwin (8.17 meters), the USA Champion, qualified for the World Championships with a B standard only (8.10 meters). Hick’s best mark ended up being 7.97 meters. Trevell Quinley, who was fifth at the 2011 USA Champs but jumped 8.21 meters this season (one centimeter over the A standard), replaced Hicks.
Keelin Godsey, women’s hammer. Godsey’s throw of 68.90 did not meet the World Championship B standard (69.50). Jeneva McCall, who was fourth at the 2011 USA Champs but has the World Championship B mark with her 69.55 meter throw, replaces Godsey.
Ryann Krais and Chantae McMillan, women’s heptathlon. Krais and McMillan needed to achieve the A standard (6150 points) because Sharon Day (6058 points), the USA Champion, qualified for the World Championships with a B standard only (5950 points). The window for qualifying in the heptathlon was January 1, 2010 through August 15, 2011 but during that period Krais’ best was 6030 points and McMillan’s best was 6003 points. Hyleas Fountain, who was sixth at the 2011 USA Champs, but has a World Championship A standard of 6735 points (from 2010), joins Day on the USA team in the heptathlon.
Two athletes have legal issues:
Michael Rodgers, men’s 100 meters. Rodgers voluntarily withdrew from the World Championships and accepted a provisional suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after he tested positive for the stimulant methylhexamine. The use of this stimulant is against the rules but Rodgers has been quick to point out that he was not taking steroids. Trell Kimmons, fourth at the USA Champs, will replace Rodgers in the open 100. A replacement for Rodgers in the 4X100 relay pool was not named.
Jeremy Dodson, men’s 200 meters. Dodson finds himself embroiled in a legal issue one week before the start of the World Championships. He was arrested on suspicion of identity theft. He is free on $10,000 bail and has a hearing scheduled for Friday, August 26. His passport has been confiscated by the authorities and it’s unclear if he will be able to compete. Maurice Mitchell is the alternate for Dodson in the 200 meters.
There are still a few more days before the start of the 2011 World Championships. Hopefully there will be no more drama with the Team USA roster and the focus can shift from injuries, standards, and the law to good old track & field competition.
Doubling Up, Part 3
Allyson Felix running the 400 meters at the 2011 USA Championships. She'll double in the 200 & 400 at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu.
In parts one and two, I began to list some successful doubles at international championships by sprinters and field event athletes. In part three, I finish the list.
The 100/200 Double
The 100/200 double is pretty standard even at international championships. That’s why to make my list, Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Marion Jones, and Heike Drechsler had to add the long jump or hurdles to make their achievements stand out. Three athletes, however, deserve special mention in the 100/200 double department.
Florence Griffith-Joyner, 1988 Olympics – 100, 200, 4X100 meter relay, 4X400 meter relay
Florence Griffith-Joyner, or Flo-Jo, as she was nicknamed burst on to the scene in 1988 with a season never since duplicated by a female sprinter. Her world records in the 100 (10.49) and 200 (21.34) still stand. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, sporting long and colorful fingernails, she dominated the 100 (10.54 wind aided) and 200 (21.34, world record) and then came back to run on both USA relay teams. In the 4X100 meter relay she helped the USA to the gold (41.98). In the 4X400 meter relay she helped the USA to the silver 3:15.51. Sadly Flo-Jo passed away at the age of thirty-eight of an epilecptic seizure in 1998. Griffith-Joyner is survived by her husband Al Joyner, the 1984 Olympic triple jump champion and brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Al continues to be active in the sport today, coaching at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista and placing third in the men’s 50 year old age division in the triple jump at the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships.
Merlene Ottey (Jamaica), 1995 World Championships – 100, 200, 4X100 meter relay
You could pick just about any international championship meet between 1983 and 1996 and Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey was probably competing in some combination of the 100, 200, and 4X100 meter relay. More times than not she was winning a medal, too. Ottey is the proud owner of eight Olympic medals and fourteen World Championship medals. Purely based on the quantity and color of her medal haul, I will call the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, her best multiple event meet. She won gold in a photo finish over Russia’s Irina Privalova in the 200 (22.12) when American Gwen Torrence was disqualified for stepping on the lane line on the turn. In the 100 (10.94) and 4X100 meter relay (42.25), Ottey won silver medals. Ottey, who is now over fifty years old, is still competing.
Usain Bolt (Jamaica), 2008 Olympics & 2009 World Championships – 100, 200, 4X100 meter relay
What more can you say about Jamaica’s Usain Bolt? At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing he set world records in winning the 100 (9.69) and 200 (19.30) and then helped Jamaica to a world record in the 4X100 meter relay (37.10). One year later at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Bolt “only” set two world records instead of three. He won gold in the 100 (9.58) and 200 (19.19) with world record marks. In the 4X100 meter relay, Jamaica won gold again (37.31) but without much threat of competition, they ran conservatively, safely moving the baton around the track without making an attempt at the world record. Keep in mind that before Beijing the world records were 9.74 and 19.32.
The 200/400 Double
While Allyson Felix’s attempted double would make her the first athlete in World Championship history to pull off the 200/400 double, the feat has been accomplished at the Olympics three times.
Valerie Brisco-Hooks, 1984 Olympics – 200, 400, 4X400 meter relay
At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Valerie Brisco-Hooks set out to make history. First up was the 400 meters, where her main rival was fellow American Chandra Cheeseborough. Cheeseborough, who would be a 2008 Olympic Coach for the USA was the reigning American champion and had defeated Brisco-Hooks by over half a second at the US Olympic Trials. But at the Olympics Brisco-Hooks would reverse their finish, winning in 48.83. She was the first woman from outside Eastern Europe to break 49 seconds in the 400 meters. Amazing, considering that her best 400 before 1984 was 52 seconds. Brisco-Hooks would come back to win the 200 (21.81) and helped the US win the 4X400 meter relay (3:18.29). Brisco-Hooks became the first athlete, male or female, to win the 200/400 double at the Olympics.
Michael Johnson, 1996 Olympics – 200, 400
Twelve years after Brisco-Hooks’ feat, Michael Johnson set out to become the first male athlete to win the 200/400 double at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The closest any male athlete had come was at the 1924 Olympics when Britain’s Eric Liddell won the 400 and placed third in the 200. Johnson won the 200/400 double at the 1995 World Championships and he made no secret of what his goal was in Atlanta. If you didn’t know what that goal was, his special-made gold spikes told you. He was dominating in the 400 meters, winning his fifty-fifth consecutive 400 race by nearly one second over Britain’s Roger Black (43.49 to 44.41). The 200 meters was expected to be a closer competition but Johnson made that one look easy, too, running a world record of 19.32 to make history as the first male to complete the 200/400 double in the Olympics. Johnson slightly injured himself running the 19.32 and ended up scratching from the 4X400 meter relay, thus denying himself a chance at a third gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Marie-Jose Perec (France), 1996 Olympics – 200, 400
Much less hyped than Johnson’s 200/400 double at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was Marie-Jose Parec’s attempt to win the same double. Parec’s better event was the 400 meters as she was the 1991 and 1993 World Champion and 1992 Olympic Champion. It came as no surprise when Perec defended her title in the 400 (48.25), becoming the first athlete, male or female, to win the 400 in back-to-back Olympics. The 200 meters was going to be a bigger challenge for Perec, who only decided to compete in both events a few weeks before the Games. Fifteen minutes before Johnson completed his 200/400 double, Perec completed her double, winning the 200 in 22.12.
Allyson Felix
Now back to Allyson Felix, whose announcement that she will attempt the 200/400 double at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu is what sparked me to create this list of successful doubles. The double will be a challenge. Not counting relay races (and Felix is in the USA relay pool for both the 4X100 and 4X400), Felix will need to run six races in the span of seven days. The 400 is first and she will have a heat on August 27, a semi-final on August 28, and then the 400 final on August 29. She would then have two days off before starting the 200. Felix is seeking a fourth consecutive world championship gold in the 200, having won in 2005 (Helsinki), 2007 (Osaka), and 2009 (Berlin). She will have two races (heat in the morning and semi-final in the evening) on September 1 and then the 200 final on September 2. Should she be selected to run in the relay finals, the 4X400 meter relay is September 3 and the 4X100 meter relay is September 4.
Doubling Up, Part 2
In part one, I began to list some successful doubles at international championships by sprinters and field event athletes. In part two, I continue the list.
Field Event Doubles
In the field events the most typical double is a jumper doing the long jump and triple jump or a thrower doing the shot put and discus.
Mike Conley, 1983 World Championships – long jump, triple jump
Mike Conley’s best event was definitely the triple jump. He was the Olympic Champion in 1992 and the World Champion in 1993. He also medaled in the triple jump at the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 and 1991 World Championships. But his best double came at his first international championship meet, the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. In his specialty, the triple jump, he came in fourth (56’2.25”) and in the long jump he earned the bronze (26’7.5”), his only long jump medal at an international championship. He won this medal because he had a better second best jump than Laszlo Szalma of Hungary, who also had a best jump of 26’7.5”. Conley’s son, Mike Conley Jr. is a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia), 2007 World Championships – long jump, triple jump
Tatyana Lebedeva, like Conley, was known as a better triple jumper than long jumper. She was the 2001 and 2003 World Champion in the triple jump and came into the 2007 World Championships in Osaka as the favorite in the triple jump. However Cuba’s Yargelis Savigne opened the first round of the triple jump competition with the sixth best jump of all-time and Lebedeva had to settle for the silver medal. In the long jump, Russian athletes swept the medals, with Lebedeva this time pulling off the upset by beating her countrywoman Lyudmila Kolchanova by five inches with a jump of 23’0.75”. It wasn’t the medal combination she probably expected but it was a gold and a silver for Lebedeva nonetheless.
John Godina, 1997 World Championships – shot put, discus
John Godina competed in both the shot put and discus at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and the 1997 World Championships. In 1996, he was the first USA athlete to qualify for the Olympics in both the shot put and discus since Bud Houser in 1924. His best overall year in terms of Track & Field News world ranking was 1998 when he finished the year ranked number one in the shot put and number three in the discus. The 1997 World Championships in Athens was Godina’s best championship meet. He won the shot put (70’4.25”) and took fifth in the discus (214’7”). Godina founded the John Godina World Throws Center where he helps provide training for throwers.
John Godina, towering over me at the Villard St. Pub in Eugene in 2009.
Versatile female track & field athletes
Jackie Joyner-Keresee, 1988 Olympics – heptathlon, long jump
In the mid-late 1980’s and into the early 1990’s, the dominant female track and field athlete was Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Her event specialty was the seven event heptathlon but she was also a world class long jumper. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, she set a still standing world record in the heptathlon (7291 points) and won the long jump (24’3.25”, Olympic record). This was her most dominant performance but not the only time she won the heptathlon/long jump double (really a total of eight events). She won double gold medals at the 1987 World Championships and 1992 Olympics. Her personal gold medal count also includes a gold medal in the long jump at the 1991 World Championships and a gold medal in the heptathlon at the 1993 World Championships.
Heike Drechsler (East Germany), 1988 Olympics – 100, 200, long jump
Often doing battle with Joyner-Keresee in the late-80’s and early-90’s was Heike Drechsler of East Germany. The two athletes struck up a friendship despite their differing backgrounds. Between 1983 and 1993, there were seven international championship meets and either Drechsler (1983, 1992, 1993) or Joyner-Kersee (1987, 1988, 1991) won the long jump six times. In 1985-1986, Drechsler set the then world records in the 200 meters and the long jump. Drechsler’s best meet was actually a triple at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She won silver in the long jump (23’8.25”, five inches behind her rival and friend, Joyner-Kersee) and bronze in the 100 meters (10.85) and 200 meters (21.95).
Eunice Barber (France), 2003 World Championships – long jump, heptathlon
At the 2003 World Championships in Paris, Eunice Barber of France (by way of Sierra Leone) took advantage of home country support to compete in the Joyner-Kersee-esque heptathlon/long jump double. In the heptathlon Barber would place second (6755 points) to Carolina Kluft of Sweden, who was winning the first of three straight heptathlon world championships. In the long jump, it came down to the last jump of the competition. Barber was tied with Russia’s Tatyana Kotova but behind on countback. She would need to improve on her last jump to win gold. Barber came through in the clutch, soaring to 22’11” to win France’s first gold medal of the meet.
Gail Devers, 1993 World Championships – 100, 100 hurdles, 4X100 meter relay
The 100 meters and 100 hurdles, although the same distance on the track, are very different events requiring different skills. The 100 takes raw speed. The 100 hurdles takes technique. That’s why you seldom see an athlete reach the elite level in both events. One exception is Gail Devers. In the early 1990’s Devers suffered through the worst of her Graves’ disease, a potentially fatal hyperthyroid condition that nearly caused her to have her feet amputated. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Devers won the 100 meters over Merlene Ottey of Jamaica by one-thousandth of a second (11.811 to 11.812). Five days later, Devers would complete the double, winning the 100 hurdles in 12.46 (American record). Devers would add a silver medal in the 4X100 meter relay. In the relay her lean at the finish line was not good enough for the win as Russia edged the USA with a clocking of 41.49. This 100/100 hurdle double for Devers was sandwiched between two near misses in the same event combination at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. In 1992, having already won the 100 meters, she was leading the 100 hurdles when she hit the last hurdle, which caused her to stumble and finish in fifth place. In 1996, also having already won the 100 meters, she could only manage fourth place in her specialty, the 100 hurdles.
Gail Devers' autograph on a 1993 Track & Field News.
To be continued…
Doubling Up, Part 1
Allyson Felix taking a victory lap at the 2003 at the California High School State Meet.
Allyson Felix’s recent announcement that she will be competing in both the 200 and 400 meter events at the 2011 World Championships got me thinking about other sprint and field event athletes who have pulled off successful doubles at major competitions. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but it does include some of the first successful doubles that popped into my head. In no particular order other than to best tell a story:
Big Medal Hauls
Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympics – 100, 200, long jump, 4X100 relay
Any story of a successful multiple event athlete should start with Jesse Owens and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The twenty-two year old was already the world record holder in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 220 yards, 220 yard hurdles, and long jump. At these Olympics he sought to discredit Hitler’s “Aryan supremacy” belief by winning four events. In the span of six days, Owens would win the 100 meters (10.3 wind
aided), the 200 meters (20.7, world best), the long jump (26’4.75”), and run a leg on the winning 4X100 meter relay team (39.8, world record). Four events, four gold medals, and two records.
Berlin's Olympic Stadium, where Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics.
Carl Lewis, 1984 Olympics- 100, 200, long jump, 4X100 relay
Forty-eight years after Owens’ historic feat, Carl Lewis would attempt the same quadruple at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The competition was somewhat watered-down due to the eastern bloc countries boycott of the Olympics but the fact of the matter is that Lewis won gold in all four events, competing an incredible thirteen times (trials and finals events) in eight days. Lewis won the 100 meters (9.99), 200 meters (19.80), long jump (28’0”), and anchored the 4X100 meter relay to victory (37.83, world record). In order to win the four gold medals, Lewis had to be strategic about his efforts. In the long jump he took only two out of a possible six jumps, passing on his final four attempts. Many in the crowd at Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum boo’ed Lewis for this decision, but it did save his legs so he could complete the quadruple. Lewis
would go on to have other strong doubles at championship meets but the 1984 Olympics was the meet he is always remembered for.
The Los Angeles Coliseum, where Carl Lewis won 4 gold medals at the 1984 Olympics. Photo taken at the 1990 UCLA-USC dual meet, one of the final track & field meets to be held in this facility before the track was removed.
Fanny Blankers-Koen (Netherlands), 1948 Olympics – 100, 200, 80 hurdles, 4X100 relay
Jesse Owens was the first man to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games in 1936 and Fanny Blankers-Koen became the first woman to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games when she achieved the feat at the 1948 Olympics in London. The “Flying Dutchwoman,” as she was nicknamed, won gold medals in the 100 meters (11.9), 200 meters (24.4), 80 meter hurdles (11.2), and the 4X100 meter relay (47.5). In addition, she was the reigning world record holder in the long jump and high jump, so she quite possibly would have won six gold medals had
she chosen to compete in the long jump and high jump.
Marion Jones, 2000 Olympics – 100, 200, long jump, 4X100 relay, 4X400 relay
Marion Jones’ goal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney was to better Blankers-Koen by winning five gold medals. She came up short in her
attempt, winning three gold medals – the 100 meters (10.75), 200 meters, 21.84), and running on the winning 4X400 meter relay team (3:22.62) – and two bronze medals – the long jump (22’8.25”, less than three inches from gold) and 4X100 meter relay (42.20, 0.25 from gold). Jones performance was historical because she was the first woman to win five medals in a single Olympic Games. However, her performance at these Olympic Games would later become historical for a different reason. In 2007 she was disqualified from all five events and had to relinquish her five medals when she was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs.
Sprint/Middle Distance Double
Alberto Juantorena (Cuba), 1976 Olympics – 400, 800
The only sprint/middle distance double to make my list was Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Coming into the 1976 Olympics, Juantorena was known more as a 400 meter runner. Known by his nickname, “El Caballo” (the horse), he decided to go for the 400/800 double in Montreal. He set a world record when he won the 800 meters in 1:43.50. That time was over six seconds faster than his best 800 before 1976. The very next day he was back on the track running the 400 meter rounds. Three days after that he completed the double winning the 400 in 44.26, a time that was then the fastest electronic time at low altitude.
To be continued…
