Hardee still leads, Campbell and Cosby qualify for hammer final

For Immediate Release
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Contact:
Vicky Oddi
USA Track & Field
Communications Coordinator
+4917617368884; Vicky.Oddi@usatf.org


Hardee still leads, Campbell and Cosby qualify for hammer final

BERLIN - With two-and-a-half events remaining, Trey Hardee continues to lead the decathlon at the conclusion of a marathon-esque morning session Thursday at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.

Hardee's hot streak continues

Trey Hardee shot back into the lead in the men's decathlon by winning heat 2 of the 110-meter hurdles in a season best 13.86. It was the fastest time of the day and moved Hardee back into first place with 5,504 points. Ashton Eaton took fifth in that heat in 14.28 and moved to sixth overall with 5,294 points and Jake Arnold was sixth in 14.40 and moved to 24th with 4,884 points.

Hardee extended his point total to 6,334 and extended his lead after a season best 48.08m/157-9 toss in the discus. Eaton fell to 11th place overall after his toss of 37.15m/121-10 and Arnold moved up to 22nd with his toss of 43.23m/141-10.

At press time, Hardee had cleared 5.20m/17-0.75 on his first attempt and was waiting for the next height. Eaton cleared 5.00m/16-4.75 and Arnold had a first attempt clearance at 4.70m/15-5 before passing to 4.90m/16-0.75, at which point he had three misses and went out.

Campbell, Cosby qualify for hammer final

For the first time since 1999, Team USA will have two women in the hammer throw final. 2008 Olympian and three-time USA Outdoor champion Jessica Cosby automatically qualified for the final in the women's hammer throw on her first attempt with a personal best heave of 72.21m/236-11. 2008 Olympian and three-time USA Indoor champion Amber Campbell had a best effort of 70.54m/231-5 that placed her 10th overall in qualifying and advanced her to the final. 2004 Olympian Erin Gilreath finished 25th with 66.72m/218-11 and did not advance.

Symmonds, Robinson go to semifinal

2008 Olympian and two-time USA Outdoor champion Nick Symmonds ran a comfortable race in heat 2 of the first round of the 800m, kicking at the end to win his heat in 1:47.12 and move on the semifinal. Four-time USA Outdoor champion Khadevis Robinson easily advanced to the next round with his third place finish in heat 4 in 1:46.79. 2006 NCAA Outdoor champion Ryan Brown finished fifth in heat 3 in 1:46.97 and did not advance.

Miles vaults into final

With a first attempt clearance at 5.55m/18-2.5 before bowing out at 5.65m/18-6.5 with three misses, 2008 Olympic Games fourth-place finisher Derek Miles tied for twelfth place in men's pole vault qualifying and advanced to Saturday's final. 2009 USA Indoor champion Jeremy Scott finished 16th, also at 5.55m/18-2.5, but did not advance due to the two attempts he needed to clear that height.

Just months after having surgery on his hip, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson qualified for his second World Outdoor team with his fourth-place finish at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships. But it was not meant to be for Stevenson, who had a second attempt clearance at his opening height of 5.40m/17-8.5 before going out with three misses at 5.55m/18-2.5.

Defending world champion Brad Walker on Thursday morning withdrew from men's pole vault competition due to injuries sustained July 28 at the Herculis meet in Monaco. While competing in Monaco, Walker landed partly off the mat on one of his attempts, causing his hips to hit the ground. The result was trauma to his pubic symphis joint. According to Walker's agent, Peter Stubbs, "Every time he runs, it causes movement of the joint and extreme pain. To avoid a potentially career-ending injury, Brad has made the very difficult decision to withdraw."

Team USA Medal Table - 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Gold (3)

Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.), men's shot put, 22.03m/72-3.50

Sanya Richards (Austin, Tex.), women's 400m, 49.00

Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) men's 400m hurdles, 47.91

Silver (2)

Tyson Gay (Clermont, Fla.), men's 100 meters, 9.71

Chelsea Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.), women's pole vault 4.65m/15-3

Bronze (3)

Carmelita Jeter (Inglewood, Calif.) women's 100 meters, 10.90

Bershawn Jackson (Savoy, Ill.) men's 400m hurdles, 48.23

Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.) men's 1,500 meters, 3:36.20.

For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit www.usatf.org.

Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.universalsports.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp.

For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/.




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