Oliver, Anderson, Huling & Williams win in Glasgow

News & Notes, Volume 11, Number 1

Oliver, Anderson, Huling & Williams win in Glasgow

U.S. stars David Oliver, Alexandria Anderson, Dan Huling and Jesse Williams were all victorious in their respective events Saturday at the 2011 Five Nations Match in Glasgow, Scotland.



The Five Nations Match features one athlete per event in a unique country vs. country format that showcases competitors from different nations battling against each other to earn points towards their teams overall match total. Germany won the team event with 61 points, followed by Great Britain & N. Ireland (2nd – 56 points), Commonwealth Select (3rd – 56 points), Team USA (4th – 52 points) and Sweden (5th – 29 points).


In winning the men’s 60m hurdles, David Oliver showed no signs of slowing down from his remarkable 2010 season, which ended with him being ranked #1 in the world in the 110m hurdles by Track & Field News for the first time in his career.



Oliver, who last year became the #3 performer all-time in his event and won the Jesse Owens Award as America’s finest male athlete, posted his fastest time ever for an indoor season opener when he stopped the clocks in 7.51 seconds, which currently sits atop the world list. European champion Andy Turner of Great Britain was the runner-up in 7.66.



Elsewhere on the main straightaway, 2009 NCAA Outdoor 100m champion Alexandria Anderson had a rough start in the women’s 60-meters before emerging victorious in 7.31 seconds. Great Britain’s Jeanette Kwakye was the runner-up in 7.40, with Germany’s Leena Gunther third in 7.46.


Reigning U.S. 3,000m steeplechase champion Dan Huling was a convincing winner in the men’s 3,000 meters in a personal best time of 7 minutes 56.68 seconds, with the Commonwealth Select team’s Sammy Mutahi of Kenya the runner-up in 7:59.01. Germany’s Steffen Uliczka finished third in 7:59.91.


In field event action, 2010 USA Indoor champion and 2008 Olympian Jesse Williams won the men’s high jump with a best clearance of 2.28m/7-5.75, which equals the second-best performance by an American this indoor season by the University of Mississippi’s Ricky Robertson in Jonesboro, Ark., on January 22.


For more information on Team USA at the 2011 Five Nations Match in Glasgow, visit: www.usatf.org


“Batman” coming to Beantown

Bershawn “Batman” Jackson, world #1 at 400m hurdles in 2010, won’t have any hurdles to clear at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, but he will be flying around the oval at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday.



The 16th-annual meet, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:00 p.m., on Saturday, February 5 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Tickets and meet Information can be found on-line at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.

The 2005 World champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, Jackson dominated the 400m hurdles last year in winning nine of his twelve finals, and earning victories at the USA Outdoor Championships and six Samsung Diamond League meets. Jackson not only posted the fastest time in the world last year of 47.32 seconds, but also recorded five of the top ten times run last year, and ended the season ranked #1 in the world by Track & Field News for the first time since 2005. He won the 400m at this event in 2010, and will compete in the 600m this year.



Manzano, Reid & Chelanga added to Boston field




Additions to the strong field competing Saturday in Boston include 2008 Olympian Leo Manzano, who has been added to the men’s mile. Sheila Reid and Sam Chelanga, both 2010 NCAA Cross Country Champions, will race in the women’s mile and men’s 3,000m, respectively.

Manzano, a three-time NCAA Champion at the University of Texas, finished 2010 as the fastest outdoor miler in the U.S. with his mark of 3:50.64. He won his first USA Indoor Championship title in 2010 at 1,500m and was ranked #1 in the U.S. by Track & Field News for the year. Manzano will face previously announced Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand and high school phenom Lukas Verzbicas. Alan Webb has scratched from the field.

Reid, who led Villanova to an NCAA Cross Country Championship team title in Terre Haute, Ind., last November with her individual first place finish, could scare Villanova’s school’s record in the mile of 4:28.31, held by Vicki Huber. She will face, among others, fellow Canadian and Villanova alum, Carmen Hussar and previously announced World Indoor Champion Kalkidan Gezahegne from Ethiopia. Three-time NCAA Champion Sam Chelanga will compete in the 3,000m against previously announced double European Champion Mo Farah and Ethiopian Dejen Gebremeskel.

Tickets for the 16th annual Olympic-styled event are on sale now at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.


For more information on USA Track & Field’s 2011 Visa Championship Series, visit: http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/VisaChampionshipSeries/index.asp

About USA Track & Field

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