Raschker, Shaheed lead U.S. efforts at World Masters Indoor Champs

Raschker, Shaheed lead U.S. efforts at World Masters Indoor Champs

KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Paced by Phil Raschker's 10-medal performance and inspired by Nolan Shaheed's near-record 1,500m victory, Team USA topped the final medal charts Saturday and swept to nine relay titles at the 4th World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships.

American athletes won 326 medals -- 146 gold, 99 silver and 81 bronze. Canada took a total of 281 (97 gold), and Germany won 115 (48 gold). But the hosts could boast perhaps the meet's outstanding performer in W90 Olga Kotelko of West Vancouver, British Columbia, who set eight world records while winning 10 gold medals.

M55 Bill Collins of Houston, like Raschker a former IAAF World Masters Athlete of the Year, completed his quest for a rare triple-triple. Now 59, he won the 400m dash on the unbanked 200m oval at the Tournament Capital Centre in 56.06 to go with his 60m and 200m titles. He pulled off the 60m-200m-400m trifecta at the 2006 and 2008 World Indoor championships as well -- all in the same age group.

Raschker, a tax accountant from Marietta, Ga., finished the meet with seven golds, two silvers and one bronze in the W60 age group. Saturday, she won the 400m in 75.60 seconds. Then she anchored her 4x200m team with a 30.8-clocking for bronze.

Shaheed, a jazz trumpeter from Pasadena, Calif., led an American sweep in the metric mile, clocking 4:36.92 to barely miss the listed M60 world indoor record of 4:36.52. Also medaling were Gary Patton of Rock Rapids, Iowa, and Jim Sheehan of Ham Lake, Minn., with 5:06.21 and 5:06.68, respectively.

But 92-year-old Orville Rogers of Dallas, the oldest member of Team USA, won his 1,500m in 10:11.48, demolishing the listed M90 American record of 14:34.2 by Herb Kirk in 1987. It was Rogers' second American record of this meet, after clocking an age-group best 22:57.41 Thursday in the 3,000m.

Bruce McBarnette, a lawyer and actor from Sterling, Va., led a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the M50 high jump. McBarnette needed only three jumps to secure his latest world title, winning at 1.85m/6-0.75. After him, came Mark Williamson of Durham, N.C., 1.80m/5-10.75; Brian Hankerson of Hollywood, Fla., 1.75m/5-8.75; and Peter Hlavin of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., 1.70m/5-7.

Other American high jump champions Saturday were M65 Joe Johnston of Apopka, Fla., 1.50m/4-11; and M80 Jerry Donley of Colorado Springs, 1.05m/3-5.25. Team USA supplied three triple jump champions: M45 David McFadgen of Hampton, Ga., 13.64m/44-9; M50 Hankerson; and M75 Robert Hewitt of Gresham, Ore.

Besides Raschker, American women taking 400m gold were W35 Latrica Dendy of New York City (57.42), W40 Lisa Daley of White Plains, N.Y. (60.01), W70 Jeanne Daprano of Fayetteville, Ga. (1:28.37) and W80 Sumi Onodera-Leonard of Huntington Beach, Calif. (2:28.23).

Among the men, M50 Michael Waller of Federal Way, Wash., also completed the sprint triple by winning the 400m in 54.40, followed by James Chinn of Oceanside, Calif., in 54.73. In Collins' M55 race, silver and bronze went to Archie Glaspy of Basking Ridge, N.J. (57.84) and George Haywood of Washington, D.C. (58.28).

Other U.S. gold medalists in the 400m were M65 Roger Pierce of Essex, Mass. (61.22) and M75 William Clark of Sicklerville, N.J. (1:27.74).

Besides Shaheed and Rogers, Americans mining 1,500m gold were W35 Andi Camp of Portland, Ore. (4:48.51), W55 Kathryn Martin of Northport, N.Y. (5:24.34) for her fourth distance title of the meet, W70 Daprano, also four golds (7:36.38), M40 Nicholas Berra of Enola, Pa. (4:12.23), M50 David Cannon Seattle (4:19.87), M55 Stephen Chantry of Williamsburg, Va. (4:36.58), and M70 Sid Howard of New York City (5:42.06).

Weight throw world champions Saturday included M50 Ken Jansson of Wichita, 19.96m/65-6; M55 Timothy Muller of Scottsdale, Ariz., 15.25m/50-0.75; M60 Hank Konen of Reno, Nev.,18.66m/61-2.75; M65 Robert Cahners of Naples, Fla., 17.89m/58-8.50; M75 Ray Feick of Gilbertsville, Pa. (his fourth gold medal), 11.43m/37-6; and M80 Gerald Wojcik of Eugene, Ore., 13.09m/42-11.50.

Team USA had a single half-marathon gold medalist: M45 Don Young of Port Townsend, Wash., in 1:17:30.20.

USA Team Manager Phil Greenwald of New York, who also timed splits, organized the 4x200 relay teams, sometimes dropping older sprinters down to a younger age group.

These were the American gold-medal teams:

W45 Sarah Lawson, Gail Kuhnly, Liz Palmer and Joy Upshaw-Margerum (1:55.79). Top split: 26.8 by Upshaw-Margerum.

W40 Marjorie Milligan Jackson, Susan Wiemer, Marylin Roux and Lisa Daley (1:51.14). Top split: 25.9 by Daley.

W35 Isabelle Dierauer, Latashia Key, Andi Camp and Latrica Dendy (1:56.08). Top split: 26.0 by Dendy.

M60 Vance Jacobson, Robert Baker, Nolan Shaheed and Roger Pierce (1:53.35). Top split: 26.8 by Pierce.

M55 Archie Glaspy, Leo Sanders, George Haywood and Bill Collins (1:46.96). Top split: 25.9 by Collins.

M50 Michael Waller, James Chinn, Kenneth Thomas and Tony Di Salvo (1:39.38). Top split: 24.4 by Waller.

M45 Ben James, James Roberson, Gregory Foster and Michael Wolfe (1:43.58). Top split: 25.4 by Ben James.

M40 David Jones, Don Drummond, Marcus Shute and Robert Thomas (1:36.00). Top split: 22.9 by Thomas.

M35 Andrew Hogue, Cletus Coffey, Blair DeSio and Daniel Murdock (1:37.61). Top split: 23.9 by Coffey.
For complete results, visit http://www.kamloops2010masters.com/Results/index.htm


Team USA home: http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/WorldMastersAthleticsChampionshipsIndoor/