Golden Bear Quartet at World Track & Field Championships

Aug. 26, 2011



BERKELEY - Four former Golden Bears are in Daegu, South Korea, through Sept. 4 for the 13th World Championships for track & field. Alysia Montano (DOB April 23, 1986; 5-7/134; Canyon HS, Canyon Country, CA 2004; California 2008; Nike) and Inika McPherson (DOB September 29, 1986; 5-5/115; Memorial HS, Port Arthur, Texas 2005; California 2010) will represent the United States, with Martin Maric (6-5; Georgia; California; Hometown: Split, Croatia) competing for his native Croatia and Amin Nikfar (DOB January 2, 1981; Adrian Wilcox HS, Santa Clara 1999; California 2004; volunteer coach Northern Arizona; hometown Santa Clara, CA) for Iran.

Maric, the 2009 NCAA champion in the discus, will be the first Bear in action when he steps into the ring for qualifying Aug. 29. The discus finals are set for the following day.



The other three members of the Cal contingent will have to wait until Sept. 1 to get onto the track for their opening rounds - Montano in the 800 meters, McPherson in the high jump and Nikfar in the shot put.



Maric set a PR of 215-11 in the discus earlier this season during a meet in Chula Vista, Calif. Also a member of the 2008 Croatian Olympic team, he was a two-time All-American for the Bears and had a Cal-best throw of 209-10 his senior year in '09.

Maric Martin CRO Sex Weight Height Date of Birth Place of birth
M 95.00 1.96 19/04/1984 Beograd
Personal Best - Outdoor
Performance Wind Place Date
Discus Throw 65.81 215-11 Chula Vista, CA 19/05/2011
Discus Throw (1.750kg) 60.90 Maribor 31/05/2003
Discus Throw (1.500kg) 58.27 Makarska 17/06/2001
Javelin Throw 72.31 27/05/2006
Progression - Outdoor
Season Performance Wind Place Date
Discus Throw 2011 65.81 Chula Vista, CA 19/05/2011
2010 64.74 Cakovec 14/07/2010
2009 61.53 Fayetteville, AR 11/06/2009
2008 62.68 Ljubljana 22/07/2008
2007 62.04 Salinas, CA 17/05/2007
2006 57.46 Athens, GA 06/05/2006
2005 56.99 27/05/2005
2004 56.69 Maribor 04/07/2004
2002 52.06 Tarvisio 04/08/2002
Discus Throw (1.750kg) 2003 60.90 Maribor 31/05/2003
2002 53.03 Kingston, JAM 17/07/2002
Discus Throw (1.500kg) 2001 58.27 Makarska 17/06/2001
Javelin Throw 2008 71.74 Istanbul 22/06/2008
2006 72.31 27/05/2006
2002 61.62 Tarvisio 04/08/2002
Honours
Rank Performance Wind Place Date
Discus Throw
20th European Athletics Championships 10 f 62.53 Barcelona (O) 01/08/2010
The XXIX Olympic Games 13 q 59.25 Beijing (National Stadium) 16/08/2008
Discus Throw (1.750kg)
17th European Junior Championships 2 f 58.59 Tampere 26/07/2003
IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships 10 q 53.03 Kingston, JAM 17/07/2002
Discus Throw (1.500kg)
2nd IAAF/Westel World Youth Championships 13 f 49.12 Debrecen 14/07/2001
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=cro/athcode=183782/index.html

Montano (nee Johnson) is participating in her second World Championships after capturing the USA title in the 800 over the summer. Her best mark this season is 1:58.33, while she ran a world-leading 1:57.34 in 2010.



A bronze medalist at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in the 800 and a three-time USA champion (2007, '10, '11), Montano won the 2007 NCAA indoor and outdoor titles. During her first appearance at the world outdoor meet, she took fourth in her qualifying heat in 2:02.11.



Montano continues to hold the Cal record in the 800 with a collegiate best of 1:59.29 from her junior season in 2007. Her total of six All-America certificates ties for the most in school history.



McPherson earned her place on Team USA with a third-place showing at the national championships when she cleared 6-1.25. Her PR in the high jump is 6-2. The school-record holder in the women's indoor high jump (6-0), McPherson was a three-time All-American, as well as the 2009 Pac-10 champion.

Nikfar posted a Cal best of 61-11.0 in the shot put in 2004. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the event and also competed in the 2008 Olympics in the shot.

Nikfar Amin IRI Sex M 02/01/1981
Personal Best - Outdoor
Performance Wind Place Date
Shot Put 20.05 Toronto 13/07/2011
Personal Best - Indoor
Performance Wind Place Date
Shot Put 19.66 Hanoi 02/11/2009
Progression - Outdoor
Season Performance Wind Place Date
Shot Put 2011 20.05 65-9 1/2 Toronto 13/07/2011
2010 19.70 Sacramento, CA 29/05/2010
2009 19.63 Victoria, CAN 10/06/2009
2008 19.94 Flagstaff, AZ 26/06/2008
2007 18.52 Palo Alto, CA 31/03/2007
2005 18.73 Makkah 12/04/2005
2004 18.87 Palo Alto, CA 27/03/2004
2003 18.79 Palo Alto, CA 31/05/2003
Progression - Indoor
Season Performance Wind Place Date
Shot Put 2010 19.66 Hanoi 02/11/2009
2008 19.10 Flagstaff, AZ 02/02/2008
2004 18.42 Seattle, WA 06/03/2004
Honours
Rank Performance Wind Place Date
Shot Put
16th Asian Championships 10 f 17.29 Incheon 04/09/2005
http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=iri/athcode=197482/index.html

Television coverage of the World Championships will be by NBC and NBC Universal, with the entire schedule found here (http://www.usatf.org/calendars/TVSchedule.asp). Additional details on the meet, including competition schedules and athlete bios, is at daegu2011.iaaf.org.







Herb Benenson

Asst. Athletic Director, Media Relations

Univ. of California

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