Team USA prepares for Lightning

Team USA prepares for Lightning

PHILADELPHIA - A storm is brewing in Philadelphia. The world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, will lead Team Jamaica into Franklin Field on Saturday, April 24, and look to give them just their second win in 11 years in the men's 4x100m at the 11th edition of USA vs. the World at the 114th Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.



With 12 nations set to compete, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Team USA is out to reclaim their stake as the dominant relay force Saturday during the first event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series. USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays will be broadcast on April 24 on ESPN2 from 8-10 p.m. Eastern Time.



Events at this year's USA vs. the World include the Nike men's 4x100m, the Visa women's 4x100m, the Visa men's 4x400m, the Nike women's 4x400m, the men's distance medley relay and the women's sprint medley relay. Other countries set to compete include Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Germany, Kenya, Morocco and Russia.



Will lightning strike?



All eyes will be on Team Jamaica and the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt. The world record holder at 100 & 200m will combine with some of Jamaica's best sprint talent to try and break Team USA's stranglehold on the 4x100m title at USA vs. The World. Bolt leads a talented international field that includes the 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Outdoor Championships gold and silver medal winning teams from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Each team will bring the men who comprised the second, third and anchor legs of these medal winning teams. Jamaica's relay pool also includes former world record holder and two-time World Outdoor 100m bronze medalist Asafa Powell and Michael Frater. Trinidad and Tobago's team will feature Richard Thompson, Marc Burns and Emmanuel Callender.



Team USA's relay pool for the Nike men's 4x100m is led by three-time Olympic medalist Shawn Crawford, 2008 Olympic 100m and 200m bronze medalist Walter Dix, 2004 Olympic 4x100m gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor gold medalist Darvis Patton, and reigning USA Indoor and Outdoor champion and 2010 World Indoor silver medalist Mike Rodgers.



On the women's side, two-time World Outdoor bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter leads Team USA's lineup in the Visa 4x100m. Jeter ended her 2009 campaign world-ranked #1 over 100m by Track & Field News (T&FN) after becoming the second-fastest woman in history and posting the fastest time over 100m in 12 years. Joining Jeter in the pool is three-time World 200m champion Allyson Felix and local favorites Lisa and Miki Barber. Lisa is the 2006 World Indoor champion and 2005 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medalist and Miki was part of the gold-medal winning 4x100m at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships.



They will be faced with the Jamaican contingent that includes reigning Olympic and World Outdoor 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and Beijing 100m bronze medalist and Berlin silver medalist Kerron Stewart, along with Simone Facey, who was part of the gold-medal winning 4x100 with Fraser and Stewart in Berlin.



Powerful 4x400m lineups



The Nike women's 4x400m pool is highlighted by 2009 World Outdoor champion Sanya Richards-Ross, who also owns gold medals from the 2008 Olympic 4x400m and three World Outdoor Championships 4x400m relays. Allyson Felix will have double duty this weekend as she is also in the 4x400m pool. Felix and Richards will be joined by 2010 World Indoor champion Debbie Dunn, 2008 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist Natasha Hastings, 2004 Olympic and two-time World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist Dee Dee Trotter, 2009 World Outdoor 400m hurdles silver medalist Lashinda Demus and Beijing 400mH silver medalist Sheena Tosta.



Two-time Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist Angelo Taylor and two-time World Outdoor 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement lead the U.S. Visa men's 4x400m lineup that also includes 2008 Olympic 400m bronze medalist David Neville. Also in the mix will be 2010 World Indoor bronze medalist Jamaal Torrance and two-time World Outdoor 400mH medalist Bershawn Jackson.



Medley standouts



In the men's distance medley relay, athletes to watch include two-time USA Outdoor 800m champion Nick Symmonds and two-time Penn Relays outstanding performer and 2008 Olympian Leo Manzano. Anna Pierce, who ended the season world-ranked #2 over 800m by TFN, highlights the women's sprint medley field that also includes 2010 World Indoor 800m bronze medalist Alysia Johnson and Christin Wurth-Thomas, who took fifth in the 1,500m at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships.



Relay Pools (subject to change):



Australia Men's DMR: Collis Birmingham, Nick Bromley (Alternate), Ryan Gregson, Jeff Risley, Sean Wroe



Bahamas Men's 4x400: Chris Brown, Ramon Miller, Nathaniel McKinney, Andre Williams



Bahamas Men's 4x100: Jonathan Davis, Rodney Greene, Adrian Griffith, Jamial Rolle, Brunell McKenzie



Bahamas Women's 4x100: Rashan Brown, Shaketa Henfield, Jernise Saunders, Katarina Smith, Tavannia Thompson



Bahamas Women's 4x400: Shaketa Henfield, Sasha Rolle, Crystal Strachan



Bahamas SMR: Katrina Seymour, Ivanique Kemp, Hughnique Rolle



Canada Men's 4x100: Richard Adu-bobie, Seyi Smith, Hank Palmer, Brian Barnett, Anson Henry, Justyn Warner, Tyrone Halstead, Sam Effah, Jared Connaughton



Canada Men's DMR: Andrew Ellerton, Quin Ferguson, Matthew Lincoln, Gary Reed



Canada Women's 4x400: Carline Muir, Ammon Nelson, Esther Akinsulie, Adrienne Power, Kimberly Hyacinthe



Dominican Republic Men's 4x400: Gustavo Cuesta, Alvin Harrison, Kelvin Herrera, Arismendy Peguero, Tayron Reyes, Yoel Tapia



Great Britain SMR: Victoria Barr, Joey Duck, Christine Ohuruogu, Nicola Sanders, Jemma Simpson



Germany Men's 4x100: Marius Broening, Robert Hering, Martin Keller, Alexander Kosenkow, Sven Knipphals



Germany Women's 4x100: Anne Mollinger, Marion Wagner, Mareike Peters, Cathleen Tschirch, Verena Sailer



Jamaica Men's 4x100: Marvin Anderson, Kenroy Anderson, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Xavier Brown, Nesta Carter, Mario Forsythe, Michael Frater, Dwight Thomas



Jamaica Men's 4x400: Dwayne Barrett, Ricardo Chambers, Jermaine Gonzales, Edino Steele



Jamaica SMR: Kenia Sinclair



Jamaica Women's 4x100: Shillonie Calvert, Simone Facey, Shelly Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson, Kerron Stewart



Jamaica Women's 4x400: Davita Prendergast, Rosemarie Whyte, Shericka Williams, Novlene Williams-Mills



Kenya Men's 4x400: Stephen Kamolo, Moses Kertich, Jonathan Kibet, Julius Kirwa, Vincent Mumo



Kenya DMR: Alex Kipchirchir, Asbel Kiprop, Mark Kiprotich Muttai, Josephat Kithii (Alternate), Alfred Yego



Morocco DMR: Hicham Bellani, Mouhcine Elamine, Marouane Elmaadadi, Sidiayyoub Elmandilo, Amine Laalou



Russia SMR: Ekaterina Efimova, Yulia Katsura, Oxana Spasovhodskaya, Ksenia Vdovina, Lilia Zubkova



Trinidad & Tobago Men's 4x100: Aaron Armstrong, Keston Bledman, Darrel Brown, Emmanuel Callendar, Richard Thompson



Trinidad & Tobago Women's 4x100: Ayanna Hutchinson, Michelle Lee-Ahye, Josanne Lucas, Sasha Springer, Reyare Thomas



Trinidad & Tobago Women's 4x400: Melissa De Leon, Jessica James, Sparkle McKnight, Josanne Lucas, Sasha Springer



USA Men's 4x100: Darvis Patton, Mike Rodgers, Walter Dix, Travis Padgett, Rae Edwards, Mark Jelks, Ryan Bailey, Shaw Crawford, Leroy Dixon, Ivory Williams



USA Men's 4x400: Kerron Clement, David Neville, Angelo Taylor, Jamaal Torrance, Bershawn Jackson, Justin Gaymon, LeJerald Betters, Xavier Carter, Ryan Bailey, Jordan Boase



USA DMR: Nick Symmonds, Will Leer, Leo Manzano, Jacob Hernandez, David Torrence, Duane Solomon



USA Women's 4x100: Carmelita Jeter , Alexandria Anderson, Allyson Felix, Mikele Barber, Lisa Barber, Rachelle Boone-Smith, Virginia Powell, Tiffany Ofili



USA Women's 4x400: Sanya Richards, Allyson Felix, Debbie Dunn, Natasha Hastings, Dee Dee Trotter, Lashinda Demus, Sheena Tosta, Ebony Collins, Nicole Leach, Shana Cox, Ebony Floyd



USA SMR: Christin Wurth Thomas, Anna Willard Pierce, Alysia Johnson



Final lineups for the 2010 USA vs. The World at Penn Relays will be determined Friday night. For more information on this event and the 2010 Visa Championship Series visit www.visachampionshipseries.com.



About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org