Team USA continues to move into finals in Berlin

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Contact:
Vicky Oddi
USA Track & Field
Communications Coordinator
+4917617368884; Vicky.Oddi@usatf.org


Team USA continues to move into finals in Berlin

BERLIN - Team USA saw seven more athletes advance to the next round of their competitions Wednesday morning at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.

Rhines to run 5,000m final

Running from the front for much of the race, and even leading for a time, three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished sixth in heat 2 of the women's 5,000m first round in 15:20.20 and was the first time qualifier into Saturday's final. Julie Culley (Arlington, Va.) finished seventh in heat 1 in 15:32.33 and did not advance.

Payne, Trammell move on to semifinal

Two-time world and Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell (Atlanta, Ga.) ran a clean race, easily qualifying for the semifinals in the men's 110m hurdles with his runner-up finish in heat 5 in 13.51. Heat 6 saw Beijing silver medalist and '07 bronze medalist David Payne (Covington, Ky.) get a good start. Mid way through the race, Hungary's Daniel Kiss began drifting into Payne's lane and ran down the line after crossing the final hurdle. Kiss won the heat in a national record 13.34 and Payne finished third in 13.54 to qualify for the next round. 2004 world junior champion Aries Merritt (Bryan, Texas) finished fourth in heat 3 in 13.70 and did not advance.

Brown Trafton, Hill Thurmond squeak into final

Reigning Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton (Galt, Calif.) took the 11th qualifying spot into the final at these Championships. As per usual, Brown Trafton's best effort came on her first throw with a mark of 61.23 meters/200 feet 10 inches, just shy of the automatic qualifier of 61.50m/201-9. Three-time Olympian Aretha Hill Thurmond (Opelika, Ala.) took the 12th and final qualifying spot on her third throw with a mark of 61.08m/200-5. Becky Breisch (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished 22nd in qualifying with a best mark of 58.50m/191-11.

Manson and Moffat fly into final

2008 world indoor bronze medalist Andra Manson (Austin, Texas) and two-time USA Outdoor runner-up Keith Moffatt (Atlanta, Ga.) each qualified for the final in the men's high jump in very different fashions. A 2008 Olympian and the current world leader, Manson needed three attempts at 2.24m/7-4.25 and 2.27m/7-5.25 before clearing the automatic qualifier 2.30m/7-6.5 on his second attempt. Moffatt, on the other hand, had 1st attempt clearances at every height until he had three misses at 2.30m/7-6.5.

2004 Olympian Tora Harris (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished 21st in qualifying with a clearance of 2.24m/7-4.25. Needing three attempts to clear 2.20m/7-2.5 and 2.24m/7-4.25, Harris had one miss at 2.27m/7-5.25 and then passed to 2.30m/7-6.5 where he had two misses.

Hardee leads dec after 3 events

After two events in the men's decathlon, Trey Hardee (Austin, Texas) and Ashton Eaton (Eugene, Ore.) were sitting in first (2,004 points)and second (1,990 points), respectively, following first and second place finishes in the 100m and long jump. Hardee won heat 3 in 10.45, followed by Eaton who was the runner-up in 10.53. Eaton then set a personal best by 30cm in the long jump with a best mark of 7.85m/25-9.25 and Hardee leaped a personal best 7.83m/25-8.25. Jake Arnold (Tuscon, Ariz.) was in 33rd with 1,608 points.

Hardee then threw a monster personal best in the shot put of 15.33m/50-3.5 to bring his point total up to 2,814 and extend his lead. Eaton had a best put of 12.26m/40-2.75 and moved to sixth place with 2,612 points. After Arnold's best mark of 13.96m/45-9.75, he moved to 32nd with 2,335 points.

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, 19.71

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

Bronze (2)

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

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

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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