Solomon named USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week

1/30/2013

INDIANAPOLIS - Duane Solomon (Los Angeles, Calif.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting a 600-meter American record of 1:15.70 at the Five Nations Match in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday.

Solomon’s time bettered the nearly 26-year-old record of 1:15.80 set by Chip Jenkins.

“The record wasn’t even on my mind,” Solomon admitted. “This was my rust-buster race of the year. I was definitely eyeing the record for Millrose, but not my first race.”

This was Solomon’s first race since his 2012 season that saw him finish fourth at the Olympic Games and claim the No. 2 spot on the all-time U.S. list, only behind his coach Johnny Gray.

“It is really good to start my season this way,” Solomon said. “After the games and the competitions after, I took two weeks off, but I really didn’t loose any fitness. [My coach and I] wanted to build on what we had done the previous year, and I feel we are starting the year just right.”

With Solomon having a better than expected 2013 debut, he was forced to alter his goals for the Feb. 16 Millrose Games at the Armory.

“The whole idea was to go after the American record at Millrose,” Solomon said. “now it might be the world record.”

The current 600m world record of 1:15.12 was set in 1999 by Nico Motchebon of Germany.

Now in its 12th 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.

2013 Winners: January 9, Bobby Mack; January 16, Mary Cain; January 22, Ajeé Wilson; January 30, Duane Solomon

WEEK IN REVIEW -- JANUARY 21-27
From USATF Statistician Glen McMicken

CAIN SLAYS HS MILE RECORD
New York high school sensation Mary Cain shattered one of the oldest prep marks in the books at the Armory in New York City, Jan. 26, finishing third in the mile at the New Balance Games with a 4:32.78, well under the existing standard of 4:38.5, set in 1972 by Californian Debbie Heald.

En route to the mile, Cain, the sixth-placer in the 1500m at the 2012 World Juniors, also claimed the American junior indoor record in the 1500m at 4:16.11, breaking the old record of 4:18.9 set by Lynn Jennings in 1978.

RUPP SHOWS SPEED WITH HUGE MILE PR
London Olympics 10,000m silver medalist Galen Rupp chose to run a much shorter distance at the Boston Terrier Classic Jan. 26 and his move down paid huge dividends. Rupp moved to No. 2 on the all-time U.S. indoor mile list with his 3:50.92 PR, and also became the fifth-fastest performer in history.

LOXSOM OH SO CLOSE TO 600m AR
Were it not for Duane Solomon's AR earlier in the day at the Glasgow Five Nations meet, Penn State's Casmir Loxsom would be in the books as the 600m record-holder after his 1:15.79 Jan. 26 at the Penn State National Invitational. The 2010 World Junior 800m silver medalist did set an American Collegiate Record, and is the eighth-fastest man ever at the distance.

BERRY NICE WEIGHT THROW IN KANSAS
Gwen Berry of the New York AC tossed the 20-pound weight to a PR 23.53m/77-2.5 to win the Kansas Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence Jan. 25, climbing to No. 9 on the world all-time list.

LAZAS TOPS 6K IN ARKANSAS MULTI
Kevin Lazas set personal bests in three individual events on the way to a lifetime-best 6,042 in the heptathlon at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville Jan. 25-26. The NCAA heptathlon and decathlon bronze medalist in 2012, Lazas improved to sixth on the all-time collegiate heptathlon list.

BRACY PACY IN INDOOR DEBUT
2011 Pan American Junior 100m champ Marvin Bracy made his collegiate debut for Florida State at the Razorback Invitational, zipping to a 6.61 to win the 60m.

Best Marks - Week of January 21-27
MEN
60 6.61 Marvin Bracy Florida State 26-Jan Razorback Inv
200 20.81 Everett Walker Baylor 25-Jan Razorback Inv
400 46.25 Brycen Spratling Pitt 26-Jan Penn State
600 01:15.7 Duane Solomon Saucony 26-Jan Glasgow
800 01:48.6 Samuel Ellison Villanova 26-Jan Penn State
Oversized Track: 01:48.4 Harun Abda Minnesota 26-Jan Ames
1500 03:40.3 Matthew Centrowitz Nike 26-Jan Glasgow
MILE 03:50.9 Galen Rupp Nike 26-Jan Terrier Cl
3000 07:53.4 Bernard Lagat Nike 26-Jan Glasgow
5000 (OT) 13:51.2 Jeramy Elkaim Oregon 25-Jan Seattle
60H 7.63 Aries Merritt Reebok 26-Jan Houston
4 x 200 01:24.7 Penn State 25-Jan Penn State
4 x 400 03:05.9 Florida 26-Jan Razorback Inv
DMR 09:31.8 Texas 25-Jan Razorback Inv
HIGH JUMP 2.29/7-6 Ricky Robertson Mississippi 25-Jan ArSt Inv
POLE VAULT 5.56/18-2.75 Jordan Scott unat 25-Jan Lawrence
LONG JUMP 7.67/25-2 Jarrod Hutchen South Carolina 26-Jan Hokie Inv
TRIPLE JUMP 16.26/53-4.25 Omar Craddock Florida 26-Jan Razorback Inv
SHOT 19.63/64-5 Rob Golabek Syracuse Chargers 26-Jan Geneva
WEIGHT 22.73/74-7 A.G. Kruger Nike 26-Jan Indiana R
HEPTATHLON 6042 Kevin Lazas Arkansas 26-Jan Razorback Inv

WOMEN
60 7.22 Kimberlyn Duncan LSU 26-Jan Razorback Inv
200 23.28 Ashton Purvis Texas A&M 26-Jan College Station
400 51.82 Ebonie Floyd unat 26-Jan College Station
600 01:29.1 Francena McCorory adidas 26-Jan Penn State
800 02:03.8 Charlene Lipsey LSU 26-Jan Razorback Inv
1000 02:43.3 Rachel Schneider Georgetown 26-Jan Penn State
1500 04:14.7 Sarah Bowman New Balance 26-Jan New Balance G
MILE 04:31.6 Sarah Bowman New Balance 26-Jan New Balance G
3000 (OT) 08:54.7 Brie Felnagle adidas 26-Jan Seattle
5000 15:44.4 Emily Sisson Providence 25-Jan Terrier Cl
60H 8.05 Yvette Lewis Brooks 25-Jan Penn State
4 x 400 03:31.7 Florida 26-Jan Razorback Inv
4 x 800 08:47.9 Notre Dame 26-Jan Indiana R
DMR 11:13.1 Georgetown 25-Jan Penn State
Oversized Track: 11:02.2 Oregon 25-Jan Seattle
HIGH JUMP 1.91/6-3.25 Brigetta Barrett Arizona 25-Jan Razorback Inv
POLE VAULT 4.63/15-2.25 Jen Suhr adidas 26-Jan Geneva
LONG JUMP 6.46/21-2.50 Leah Eber unat 26-Jan Marion
TRIPLE JUMP 13.48/44-2.75 Amanda Smock New York AC 26-Jan Glasgow
SHOT 18.11/59-5 Jeneva McCall New York AC 25-Jan Lawrence
WEIGHT 23.53/77-2.50 Gwen Berry New York AC 25-Jan Lawrence
PENTATHLON 4208 Keia Pinnick Arizona State 25-Jan College Station
Oversized Track: 4462 Sharon Day unat 25-Jan Seattle