Raschker wins United States Sports Academy award

For Immediate Release
Thursday, November 12, 2009

Contact:
Tom Surber
USA Track & Field
Media Information Manager
317-713-4690; Tom.Surber@usatf.org


News & Notes, Volume 9, Number 55

Raschker wins United States Sports Academy award

Philippa "Phil" Raschker, a resident of Marietta, Ga., who has set more than two dozen world and 70 U.S. records in her age group for track and field, has been awarded a Distinguished Service Award by the United States Sports Academy.

Described by The New York Times as the greatest female track athlete of all time if her age is taken into consideration, the 62-year-old dominated at the 2009 National Senior Games, August 1-15 in San Francisco. While competing in the 60-64 age group, Raschker competed in 11 track and field events and won seven of them: 100, 200, 400 and the long jump, triple jump, high jump and the pole vault.

Two years ago, after turning 60, Raschker won 10 gold medals at the World Masters Championships in Italy, winning every event she entered. She has twice been nominated for the Sullivan Award, which is given to the nation's top amateur athlete.

The DSA is given annually to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national or international sports through instruction, research or service. The DSA is separate from the Academy's Awards of Sport and each recipient also receives the coveted Order of the Eagle Exemplar for their achievements.

Each nominee must possess an extensive background in sports. This means that the individual must have had significant dealings in either instruction, research or service in sports for more than 10 years.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, nonprofit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the Academy, call 251-626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org