Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Six advance and a fourth-place, finals finish at Pan American Games

 

7/22/2015
 
TORONTO -- Six Team USA athletes advanced to the next round during the Wednesday morning session of track & field at CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium, with Maya Pressley finishing just shy of the podium in the only final event.

Pressley (Decatur, Georgia) easily cleared her opening three heights all on first attempts, but finished fourth after clearing a season-best 1.88m/6-2 on her first attempt. She missed all three attempts at 1.91m/6-3.25. Elizabeth Patterson (Santa Cruz, California) went out of the competition with a best of 1.80m/5-10.75 to tie for 11th.

Both Team USA runners easily won their women’s 400 meters semifinal sections as Shakima Wimbley (Coral Gables, Florida) made up the stagger midway through the backstretch of the first group and was leading off the final turn, striding in to comfortably win the heat in 52.28. Kendall Baisden (Austin, Texas) ran modestly in heat two for much of the race, turning it on 100 meters from the line to finish first in the second semifinal in 51.81.

Kyle Clemons (Lawrence, Kansas) ran strong in the first semifinal of the men’s 400m, setting up nicely over the first 250 and finishing powerfully to take second and an automatic qualifying spot in 45.75. In heat 2, Marcus Chambers (Tacoma, Washington) never found his rhythm and was seventh in 46.91.

Taking a very leisurely pace over the first lap in the first men’s 800 meters semifinal,  Clayton Murphy (New Paris, Ohio) and the field came through 400 meters in 54.20, with Murphy near the front in a very close pack. Murphy moved into a clear second over the third 200 meters and closed quickly over the final 20 meters to win the heat in 1:49.88.

In the second semi, Ryan Martin (Lake Forest, California) was out well early and peeking over his shoulder after breaking the stagger. He tucked into second place through second half of the first lap, hitting the bell lap in 54.30. Martin drifted out into lane 2 down the final stretch, taking the win in 1:48.99.      
          
Jeshua Anderson (Gilbert, Arizona) thad established an unrelenting lead in the men’s 400mH hurdles by the first 200 meters. He powered off the final turn and made a strong move over the final 100 meters to finish in 49.73. Leading through 300 meters and into the final stretch in the third semi, Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Florida) saw Jeffery Gibson of the Bahamas take over briefly before Clement came back to edge Gibson out at the finish in 50.63.
 
Team USA Medals at the Pan American Games (9)

Gold (1)
Queen Harrison, 100 hurdles (12.52, meet record)

Silver (4)
Tenaya Jones, 100 hurdles (12.84)
Amber Campbell, hammer (71.22m/233-8)
Aron Rono, 10,000 (28:50.83)
Kara Winger, javelin (61.44m/201-7)

Bronze (4)
Cory Leslie, 3000 steeplechase (8:36.83)
Jake Blankenship & Mark Hollis, pole vault (5.40m/17-8.5)
Kellyn Taylor, 5000 (15:52.78)
Lindsay Flanagan, marathon (2:36:30)


Christa Mann
Marketing & Communications Manager
USA Track & Field
317.713.4672
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