Leonard Korir named USATF Athlete of the Week following GEXC gold
1/12/2017
INDIANAPOLIS -- Leonard Korir led Team USA to the senior men’s team and overall team title with his upset victory at the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge Saturday, January 7, earning him USATF Athlete of the Week honors.
Korir (Colorado Springs, Colorado) charged past local favorite Callum Hawkins in the final 20 meters of the senior men’s 8 km to win an individual gold medal in 24:03.
“I wanted us to run a good team race and run together, but I realized I was feeling good and wanted to go for the win," Korir said on USATF.TV +PLUS Saturday. "[Winning] is a good start for 2017. I’m so motivated, happy and looking forward to what this season [holds].”
Other notable performances include:
- Noah Affolder (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) got the win for the U.S. in the junior men’s 6 km at the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge, finishing in 19:29 and leading Team USA to four top-10 finishes and only 17 points.
- 2016 USATF Indoor champion and World Indoor bronze medalist Quanera Hayes (Hope Mills, North Carolina) broke the indoor 300m American record Saturday at the Orange and Purple Classic. Hayes turned in a time of 35.71 to break in Clemson’s new indoor track surface and surpass the previous record of 36.25 (2016).
- 2015 USATF Youth Athlete of the Year Candace Hill (Conyers, Georgia) ran the fastest 300m indoors by a junior in U.S. history, finishing in 36.86 at the Orange and Purple Classic just behind newly-minted American indoor record holder Quanera Hayes.
- Florida freshman Grant Holloway (Chesapeake, Virginia) won the 60mH at the Orange & Purple Classic Saturday, crossing in 7.63 for the fastest pre-NCAA Indoor Championships time by a freshman in the past 15 years. He then won the 300m in 32.80, the third fastest time in collegiate history.
- Stephanie Howe Violett (Bend, Oregon) dominated both the women and men’s fields to win the USATF 100 km Trail Championships, finishing in 9:08:35 for the fastest time of any athlete Saturday at the Bandera 100K.
- Nevada Mareno (Raleigh, North Carolina) was the top-finishing American junior woman at the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge, turning in a bronze medal time of 14:08 in the junior women’s 4 km. Mareno led the U.S. junior women to the top of the team standings as well, scoring just 23 points as a team.
Now in its 16th 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 USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2017 Winners: January 5, Miranda Melville; January 12, Leonard Korir.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to Communications@usatf.org.
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