Friday, July 13, 2012

USATF World Juniors ::: Fourth Day of the World Junior Championships Starts Well for the U.S.

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http://www.usatf.org/News/Fourth-Day-of-the-World-Junior-Championships-Start.aspx





BARCELONA, Spain – The morning session of day four at the IAAF World Junior Championships went well for Team USA at Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. Eight advanced on to a further round and Kendell Williams sits in fourth place after five events in the women’s heptathlon.



Results



Women’s 1500 Meters (first round)



The youngest on the U.S. team, 16-year-old Mary Cain (West Chester, N.Y.) nearly slashed the national high school record in her first-round of the women’s 1500. Cain clocked a time of 4:14.77 in her heat to finish third and automatically qualify for Sunday’s final. The high-school record of 4:14.50 held by Jordan Hasay was in jeopardy as Cain used a 67.7-second final lap to move into the position needed for automatic advancement.



Cain was sixth at the bell, but her kick started to roll at the next-to-last turn. With 150 meters remaining, Cain had already picked off three in front of her and eventually challenged for the second spot that went ultimately to Great Britain’s Jessica Judd who won silver last night in the 800.



“I felt really good,” said Cain. “I started going out with the girls in 65, 66, and then I said to myself, ‘This is not my race’. It’s a different pace that what I’m used to, and I know I have a kick to mess with, so I played the game differently after the first lap or so. I’m excited about getting to the final – it was my goal. Now it is time to cool down – one down, one to go.



Cain talked about being the youngest on this American squad: “The older kids on this team have treated me so well. They’re like my best friends now. It’s been such an amazing experience. During the warm-up when I was freaking out they were like, ‘You got this!’, and in the stands now I can hear them. They’ve been so supportive. “



Hannah Meier (Grosse Point, Mich.) placed tenth in her heat and 31st overall at 4:31.20.



Women’s Discus (qualification)



American junior record holder Shelby Vaughn (Mansfield, Texas) recovered from a transcontinental journey that ended just hours before her first round of the women’s discus and qualified for Sunday’s final of the event. Vaughn managed a first-round toss of 54.78/179-9, eclipsing the automatic mark of 53.00 meters, and was then able to start the relaxing process from her long trip.



Vaughn was honored Wednesday prior to the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles as the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year in girls track & field. Her flight to Barcelona left Wednesday evening, and, because of the time change, Vaughn did not arrive at the team hotel until Thursday evening. She was drawn to be in the qualification round’s first group, meaning that she had to be ready to throw at 9 a.m., 14 hours after settling in on a different continent.



“I was at the red carpet yesterday, I think,” said Vaughn who was excusably unknowing of what day it was. “And they said, ‘You have to go’. And, I asked if there was time to change, and they said no – you have to go. I got on the plane wearing the exact same thing, and got to the hotel with the same thing. It was good to get here, settle in, and meet some people. I actually got a good night’s rest because I got to sleep on the plane also. The ring was a little slippery (because of an early morning rain), but I got used to it. Throwing is normal for me. I can do it right after I wake up, I can do it in the rain, I can do whenever – it’s just normal.”



Alex Collatz (Bakersfield, Calif.), who attends college at Southern California, claimed the sixth-best qualifying mark of the day at 52.55/172-5.



In the final, there will be two Germans, two from the U.S., and two from the Ukraine among the field of 12. Germany’s Shanice Craft won the shot put gold earlier in these championships.



Men’s 10,000 Meter Race Walk



Tyler Sorenson (San Diego, Calif.) placed 13th in the men’s 10,000-meter race walk in a time of 42:53.60. Sorenson had surgery because of a sports hernia two-and-a-half months ago and recovered in time to qualify for this meet at the U.S. Junior Championships.



“I had a surgery and February and was out two-and-a-half months, so I wasn’t expecting to be in top shape here,” said Sorenson. “But, I gave it my all out there and was happy to place in the top 15. I still have a year as a junior, so, in the next year, I want to go after that American junior record.”



Columbia’s Eider Arevalo was the winner in a world-junior leading time of 40:09.74.



Men’s 800 Meters (first round)



Shaquille Walker (Richmond Hill, Ga./BYU) survived the first round of the men’s 800 meters and will advance to Saturday’s semifinals. Walker clocked 1:49.55 and finished fourth in his heat, just enough behind Barbados’ Anthonio Mascoll to miss the automatic qualifying spot. But, the good news was that Walker’s time held up as the third and final time qualifier. Walker led the race at the bell (55.11), but was overtaken by eventual heat winner Nijel Amos of Botswana (1:48.31).



Tanner Sork (Vancouver, Wash.) placed sixth in his heat with a time of 1:50.80.



Men’s 3000 Meter Steepelchase (first round)



Princeton’s Eddie Owens advanced to the final of the steeplechase as a time qualifier out of the first heat with a personal-best clocking of 8:52.99.



“I was feeling good, but this race with such a high-level of competition and inflated expectations, these guys were running fast, like 68s – blazing,” said Owens. “But, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to run 70s.’ I was holding that pace and started to track down kids, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Man, I’ve got to get into fifth or sixth place’. I put what I had into it. I didn’t close very fast, but I did what I needed to.”



Darren Fahy (Carlsbad, Calif.) claimed 21st overall after combining the two heats with a time of 9:08.69.



Men’s Hammer Throw (qualification)



Rudy Winkler (Averill Park, N.Y.) captured an automatic qualifying spot in the final of the men’s hammer with a first-round toss of 73.18/240-1, a new personal-best by nearly three feet.



“It was crazy,” said Winkler. “My warm-ups weren’t very good, but it didn’t change my thinking. I was just going to step in the ring and throw. My winds were good, I thought I had fouled it at first, but – white flag, and I started yelling and got all excited, knowing I had a good one. Making the finals was my goal, so anything after this would be great.”



Matthias Tayala (McDonald, Ohio/Kent State) finished 22nd overall with a best of 68.70/225-5.



Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles (first round)



The short-hurdle crew of Dior Hall (Denver, Colo.) and Texas’ Morgan Snow (Decatur, Ga.) won their first-round heats. Hall recorded a season-best time of 13.45 while Snow clocked 13.44 as the fourth- and fifth-fastest qualifiers, respectively. The semifinals are Saturday evening.



“I thought it went pretty good,” said Hall. “My goal was to get to the next round. My start was pretty decent. My rhythm was good, but then I started to breakdown a little bit.”



“I felt real relaxed,” said Snow. “When I got out, I stuck with (Jamaica’s Chrisdale McCarthy on her outside) until the final three hurdles and then I picked it up after that. I need to work on the start and between the hurdles, go faster.”



Both Hall and Snow arrived in Barcelona last Friday and, among the U.S. squad members, went the longest without competing.



“I was waiting for this moment,” Snow said with emphasis. “I just breathed to try to relax before the race. I was a little nervous but that is a good thing.”



Women’s High Jump (qualification)



Florida’s Taylor Burke (Medina, Ohio) and Maddie Morrow (North Canton, Ohio) did not make it out of the qualification round of the women’s high jump. Burke took 16th overall and cleared 1.79/5‐10½ while Morrow finished in a tie for 22nd overall at 1.75/5‐10½.



Women’s Heptathlon



After five events in the women’s heptathlon, high-school junior Kendell Williams is hanging on to hopes of a medal, standing in fourth place overall after the long jump with 4,356 points. Williams notched a long jump best of 6.11/20½ -- fourth among the field.



Only the javelin and 800 meters remain later this evening, and Williams is 14 points behind Sweden’s Sofia Linde who is third currently. Brazil’s Tamara De Sousa leads with 4,506 points.



Mississippi State’s Erica Bougard (Byhalia, Miss.) sits in 12th place overall with 4,155 points.



IAAF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – BARCELONA, SPAIN

Friday, July 13 – Morning Session



FINALS



MEN’S 10,000 METER RACE WALK

1. Eider Arevalo (COL), 40:09.74 WJL

2. Aleksandr Ivanov (RUS), 40:12.90

3. Guanyu Su (CHN), 40:16.87

13. Tyler Sorenson (USA), 42:53.60



MEN’S ROUNDS



800 METERS

(first round)

Q1 (1h3). Jamal Hairane (QAT), 1:47.61

q15 (4h2). Shaquille Walker (USA), 1:49.55

30 (6h1). Tanner Sork (USA), 1:50.80

[semifinal Saturday evening]



3000 METER STEEPLECHASE

(first round)

Q1 (1h2). Conseslus Kipruto (KEN), 8:19.46

Q9 (6h1). Eddie Owens (USA), 8:52.99 PB

21 (10h2). Darren Fahy (USA), 9:08.69

[final Sunday evening]



HAMMER THROW

(qualification)

Q1. Ashraf Amgad Elseify (QAT), 79.98/262-5

Q9. Rudy Winkler (USA), 73.18/240-1

22. Matthias Tayala (USA), 68.70/225-5

[final Saturday evening]



WOMEN’S ROUNDS



100 METER HURDLES

(first round)

Q1 (1h4). Noemi Zbären (SUI), 13.34 (-2.0 m/s)

Q4 (2h1). Dior Hall (USA) 13.45 SB (-0.5 m/s)

Q5 (1h6). Morgan Snow (USA) 13.44 (-1.4m/s)

[semifinal Saturday evening]



1500 METERS

(first round)

Q1 (1h1). Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (KEN), 4:10.17

Q8 (3h1). Mary Cain (USA), 4:14.77

31 (10h3). Hannah Meier (USA), 4:31.20

[final Sunday]



HIGH JUMP

(qualification)

16. Taylor Burke (USA), 1.79/5-10½

=22. Maddie Morrow (USA), 1.75/5-10½

[final Sunday]



DISCUS

(qualification)

Q1. Shanice Craft (GER), 55.75/182-11

Q3. Shelby Vaughn (USA), 54.78/179-9

q6. Alex Collatz (USA), 52.55/172-5

[final Sunday]



HEPTATHLON

(after 5 events)

1. Tamara De Sousa (BRA), 4506 (14.13, 1.75, 13.89, 24.06, 6.06W)

2. Yorgelis Rodriguez (CUB), 4433 (14.10, 1.81, 11.92, 24.41, 6.10w)

3. Sofia Linde (SWE), 4370 (13.86, 1.72, 13.29, 25.31, 6.12)

4. Kendell Williams (USA), 4356 (13.74, 1.81, 10.70, 24.94, 6.11w)

12. Erica Bougard (USA), 4155 (13.73, 1.72, 10.22, 24.64, 5.82w)










---

Tom Lewis

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Communications Manager

1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750

New Orleans, LA 70163

(O) 504-599-8904 (F) 504-599-8909

Email: tom@ustfccca.org

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