Tegenkamp named USATF Athlete of the Week

Tegenkamp named USATF Athlete of the Week

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INDIANAPOLIS - 2012 Olympian Matt Tegenkamp (Portland, Ore.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the USA 20 km Championships in 58:30 on Monday in New Haven, Conn.
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Tegenkamp’s time is a USA 20 km Championship record and improves the previous record of 58:42 set by Abdi Abdirahman in 2005 by 12 seconds.

“It was a great way to bounce back from London,” Tegenkamp said. “And it adds a positive note to the end of the season.

“It was a great experience and it was exciting just because it is a new event and a new test. I was out there being the hunter and it was fun to be in the fight in a championship race. It was a great event and the crowd was very supportive.”

This was the longest race of Tegenkamp career, and his first road race in nearly three years. Tegenkamp now has won five national titles with his indoor, outdoor and road titles combined.

Now in its 11th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2012 Winners: January 5, Landon Peacock; January 11, Kirubel Erassa; January 18, Shalane Flanagan; January 26, John Nunn; February 1, Gunnar Nixon; February 8, Jenn Suhr; February 14, Jillian-Camarena Williams; February 22, Brycen Spratling; February 28, Chaunte Lowe; March 7, Eric Broadbent; March 14, Ashton Eaton; March 21, Jeanne Daprano; March 27, Wallace Spearmon; April 3, Trevor Barron; April 9, Kevin Castille; April 18, Brittney Reese; April 25, Amy Sproston; May 2, Leo Manzano; May 9, Stephanie Brown-Trafton; May 16, Allyson Felix; May 23, Nick Hartle; May 30, Kimberlyn Duncan; June 6, Jessica Cosby and Meghan Vogel; June 13, Jesse Williams; June 20, Shelby Ashe; June 27, Ashton Eaton; July 4, Allyson Felix; July 12, Christian Cantwell; July 18, Gunnar Nixon; July 25 Evan Jager; August 1, Denzel Harper; August 15, Allyson Felix; August 23, Reese Hoffa; August 29, Carmelita Jeter; September 5, Matt Tegenkamp



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.