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Regina Jacobs and Gail Devers - meet headliners once again!!! - Jacobs
already amazing 22 National Titles in the sport!!! - Devers another ageless
wonder with former Sweetwater HS star better than ever at 36 years old!!
Track events to bring excitement to USA Indoor Championships
BOSTON – The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will
feature some
of the world’s biggest track and field stars this weekend at Boston’s
Reggie
Lewis Track & Athletic Center, on the campus of Roxbury Community
College.
The top two athletes in each event will earn the right to represent Team
USA
at the World Indoor Track & Field Championships March 14-16 in Birmingham,
England.
Events begin Friday afternoon, February 28, with the finals of the women’s
and men’s weight throws and the first rounds of the 400 meters.
A full
schedule of competition begins Saturday, with the conclusion of the meet
Sunday afternoon.
The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships are the final stop
on USA
Track & Field’s 2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour. The Tour began
February 1 at
the adidas Boston Indoor Games; moved to New York February 7 for the Verizon
Millrose Games; and headed to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Foods
Invitational February 15. One world record and three American records
have
been set on the Tour in 2003 alone.
The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be broadcast
live on
ESPN2 from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on Saturday March 1.
On the track, Regina Jacobs (former Argyll Academy HS of North
Hollywood/Stanford), the freshly minted indoor world record holder for
the women’s 1,500 meters at the age of 39, tries to add to her 22
all-time USA championships. She broke the world record at the adidas Boston
Indoor Games, so the Reggie Lewis Center is a favorite venue. Three-time
world outdoor hurdles champion Gail Devers (former Sweetwater HS of Nat'l
City/UCLA) aims to win her first USA indoor title after breaking Jackie
Joyner-Kersee’s record in the 60m hurdles at the Verizon Millrose
Games. Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell tries to
prove he is the man to beat, worldwide, in either the 60m dash or the
60m
hurdles. But will outdoor 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery
decide to run and throw a wrench into Trammell’s plans?
A preview of field events will move on Wednesday
2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
EVENT PREVIEWS
Top 2003 performances as of February 20, 2003
Fields subject to change
Women’s 60 meters
Prelims Saturday 2:50 p.m., 4:55 p.m.; Final Saturday 7:14 p.m.
World record: 6.92, Irina Privalova (RUS), 1993, 1995
American record: 6.95, Gail Devers, 1993; Marion Jones, 1998
Meet record: 6.99, Gail Devers, 1993
THE SCOOP: Chryste Gaines (former Stanford Univ) is the two-time
defending U.S. champion and is the 2001 World Indoor bronze medalist.
She owns an Olympic gold medal in the 4x100m relay, and she showed good
form in winning the 60m at the Verizon Millrose Games on Feb. 7. Four-time
NCAA 100m outdoor champion Angela Williams (former Chino HS/USC) will
give Gaines a run for her money, though. Williams beat Gaines here at
the adidas Boston Indoor Games on Feb. 1, and she is the World Indoor
silver medalist. Williams started training under coach John Smith, with
the H.S.I. group, after graduating from USC last spring.
Verizon Men’s 60 meters
Prelims Saturday 3:15 p.m., 5:10 p.m.; Final Saturday 7:23 p.m.
World record: 6.39, Maurice Greene (USA), 1998, 2001
American record: 6.39, Maurice Greene, 1998, 2001
Meet record: 6.39, Maurice Greene, 2001
THE SCOOP: Terrence Trammell is the favorite after winning the Verizon
Millrose Games and Tyson Foods Invitational in the 60m sprint –
if he
chooses the 60 sprint over the 60m hurdles. The 2001 World Indoor hurdles
champion, Trammell also is the defending U.S. 60m sprint champion, and
his
time of 6.46 at the Tyson Foods Invitational on Feb. 15 is the fastest
in
the world this year. However, the meet schedule seems to prevent Trammell
from competing in both events – he’d have to run six races
in one day! With
Maurice Greene withdrawing from the race due to a pulled calf muscle,
the
top contenders will be 2000 Olympic Trials 200m champion John Capel, who
was
a close second to Trammell at Tyson, and Justin Gatlin, the former NCAA
champion who was second at Verizon Millrose. Coby Miller, the 2001 indoor
200m champ, has shown excellent speed this year in Europe as well. Wild
cards are Tim Harden, the 2001 World Indoor gold medalist, and Tim
Montgomery, the outdoor world record holder in the 100m and the 2001 World
Indoor silver medalist. Montgomery has entered the USA Indoor Championships,
but not until declarations are final just prior to the meet will it be
known
if he will take to the starting line. Montgomery has not raced since running
9.78 seconds to break the 100m world record September 14 at the Grand
Prix
Final in Paris, but he is reported to be extremely fit.
Women’s 60m hurdles
Prelims Saturday 1:45 p.m., 4:25 p.m.; Final Saturday 6:45 p.m.
World record: 7.69, Lyudmila Narozhlenko (URS), 1990
American record: 7.78, Gail Devers, 2003
Meet record: 7.85, Melissa Morrison, 1999
THE SCOOP: Three-time world outdoor champion Gail Devers (former
Sweetwater HS/UCLA) is at the top of her form in 2003. At the age of 36,
she broke Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s American record at the Verizon
Millrose Games with her time of 7.78 seconds.
The two-time Olympic 100m champion looks virtually unbeatable, both here
and at World Indoors - Link to Great
Gail Devers personal web-site
– but don’t count out four-time defending U.S. indoor
champion Melissa Morrison, who owns the meet record and has dominated
this event at the USA Indoor Championships in recent years. Jenny Adams
and 2002 USA indoor runner-up Miesha McKelvy (former Gahr HS of Cerritos/SD
State) are other top contenders.
Men’s 60m hurdles
Prelims Saturday 2:11 p.m., 4:40 p.m.; Final Saturday 6:54 p.m.
World record: 7.30, Colin Jackson (GBR), 1994
American record: 7.36, Greg Foster, 1987
Meet record: 7.38, Reggie Torian, 1999
THE SCOOP: The United States has the best men’s hurdlers in the
world, and
the men’s 60m hurdles has produced some of the most exciting races
on the
2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour, and the USA Indoor Championships should
be no
exception. Two-time Verizon Millrose Games champion Larry Wade came from
behind to edge out 2001 World Indoor champion Terrence Trammell by .01
seconds at this year’s Verizon Millrose Games, but Trammell responded
with a
.02 second margin of victory over Wade at the Tyson Foods Invitational,
with
a world-leading time of 7.42 seconds. If he runs the hurdles instead of
the
60m dash, look for Trammell, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 110m
hurdles, to get off to a quick start, but Wade closes quickly at the end.
If
Trammell is not in the race, Wade will be the favorite. The wild card
is
1996 Olympic champion and defending U.S. indoor champion Allen Johnson.
Johnson was a close third at Millrose but didn’t run at Tyson due
to leg
cramps. He is a threat to win any race he enters, and he is a strong threat
to win another U.S. title.
Women’s 200m
Prelims Sunday 2 p.m.; Final Sunday 5:06 p.m.
World record: 21.87, Merlene Ottey (JAM), 1993
American record: 22.33, Gwen Torrence, 1996
Meet record: 22.33, Gwen Torrence, 1996
THE SCOOP: Michelle Collins, normally a 400-meter specialist, has dropped
down to the 200m indoors this year, with stunning success. She opened
the
year with a time of 22.85 in January to lead the world, then ran a sizzling
22.64 at the Tyson Foods Invitational. If she chooses the 200 at this
meet
and is on her form, it could be a race for second place among her
competitors – and Collins would go on to be a gold-medal threat
at the World
Indoor Championships. Defending indoor champion and 2001 World
Outdoor bronze medalist Kelli White (former Logan HS/Univ Tennessee) will
contend, but she finished in 23.18, behind
Collins, at Tyson. 2001 World Indoor silver medalist LaTasha
Jenkins could be in the mix as well.
Men’s 200 meters
Prelims Sunday 2:25 p.m.; Final Sunday 5:15 p.m.
World record: 19.92, Frank Fredericks (NAM), 1996
American record: 20.26 Shawn Crawford and John Capel, 2000
Meet record: 20.31, Coby Miller, 2001
THE SCOOP: John Capel enters as the favorite after running the world’s
fastest time in 2003, 20.39 seconds, February 15 in Fayetteville. He shares
the American record with Shawn Crawford, who is the defending U.S. champion
and the 2001 World Indoor gold medalist. Capel took two years off from
track
after winning the 2000 Olympic Trials to try his hand at football. His
decision to return has paid off. Crawford made news off the track when
he
ran against a zebra and a giraffe in FOX television’s “Man
vs. Beast.”
Darvis Patton, a man who was runner-up in this race last year, could be
a
surprise winner after being ranked #1 in the 200 among Americans outdoors
in
2002. This is another event in which the United States will be a gold-medal
favorite at World Indoors.
Women’s 400 meters
Prelims Friday 3:00 p.m.; Final Saturday 6:16 p.m.
World record: 49.59, Jarmila Kratochvilova (TCH), 1982
American record: 50.64, Diane Dixon, 1991
Meet record: 50.99, Jearl Miles, 1995
THE SCOOP: Suziann Reid is a two-time champion and Monique Hennagan, ran
on
the gold medal-winning 4x400m relay at the 2000 Olympic Games, returns
to
defend her title. Meet record holder Jearl Miles-Clark is concentrating
on
outdoor track and will not compete, so the door is open for a well-balanced
field.
Men’s 400 meters
Prelims Friday 3:25 p.m.; Final Saturday 6:25 p.m.
World record: 44.63, Michael Johnson (USA), 1995
American record: 44.63, Michael Johnson, 1995
Meet record: 44.63, Michael Johnson, 1995
THE SCOOP: The scramble continues for U.S. and world 400-meter supremacy
since the retirement of Michael Johnson in 2001. After sitting out almost
two years with injury, two-time U.S. outdoor champion Jerome Young is
back
on track. He won the Tyson Foods Invitational in 46.10 seconds, the fastest
time of his career. This year also has seen the return of one of America’s
most promising quarter milers, Tyree Washington (former La Sierra
HS of Riverside). The World Outdoor bronze medalist in 1997, Washington
has shown flashes of brilliance. A hamstring injury in 2001 was followed
by family issues in 2002, but Washington is once
again training hard. He won the Verizon Millrose Games and ran
45.3 outdoors this winter, so he could be in the mix. Brandon Couts is
the defending champion, and Leonard Byrd had the fastest time in the world
outdoors in 2002, with 44.45. James Davis (former Wood HS of Vacaville/Univ
Colorado) ran 45.99 on February 23 in France, becoming the first American
since 2001 to run sub-45 indoors.
Women’s 800 meters
Prelims Saturday 5:24 p.m.; Final Sunday 4:16 p.m.
World record: 1:55.82, Jolanda Ceplak (SLO), 2002
American record: 1:58.71, Nicole Teter, 2002
Meet record: 1:58.41, Maria Mutola (MOZ), 1995
THE SCOOP: Nicole Teter (former West Valley HS of Cottonwood/Univ
Arkansas) broke the American record, formerly held by Mary Slaney and
Suzy Favor Hamilton, last year at the USA Indoor Championships, and she
will be the favorite if she runs. Hazel Clark, the 2000 Olympic
Trials champ, is competing again after spending 2002 recovering from an
injured foot she suffered late in 2001. At the Tyson Foods Invitational
she
ran the fastest time by an American to date in 2003, 2:04.45, and she
continues to improve every week. She will face a strong challenge from
Jen
Toomey of Salem, Mass. Toomey is the 2002 USA Indoor runner-up, and she
was
third in this event in 2001. The 1984 Tufts graduate has become one of
the
United States’ most consistent 800m specialists. Chantee Earl trains
with
Teter and could contend.
Men’s 800 meters
Prelims Saturday 5:49 p.m.; Final Sunday 4:25 p.m.
World record: 1:42.67, Wilson Kipketer (DEN), 1997
American record: 1:45.00, Johnny Gray, 1992
Meet record: 1:46.60, Derrick Peterson, 2002
THE SCOOP: Derrick Peterson is the defending champion and meet record
holder, but it will take a big performance to defeat the heavily favored
David Krummenacker, the two-time U.S. outdoor champion. Krummenacker was
ranked #3 in the world outdoors at 800 meters last year and won the Verizon
Millrose Games and Tyson Foods Invitational – both over Peterson
– on the
2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour. Krummenacker’s style is to wait behind
the
leaders until the final stages of the race. If Peterson can hold him off,
it
will make for an exciting finish! Others to keep an eye on are 2002
indoor
runner-up Michael Stember (former Jesuit HS of Sacramento/Stanford), 2000
indoor champion Bryan Woodward (former LB Poly/Georgetown) and
1999 champion Khadevis Robinson.
Nike Women’s 1,500 meters
Final Sunday, 7:03 p.m.
World record: 3:59.98, Regina Jacobs (USA), 2003
American record: 3:59.98, Regina Jacobs, 2003
Meet record: 4:03.08, Mary Slaney, 1997
THE SCOOP: The women’s 1,500m run is being contested for just the
third time
at the USA Indoor Championships, replacing the mile. (The 1,500m was
previously held in 1997 and 1999.) Regardless of the distance, Regina
Jacobs (former Argyll Academy HS of North Hollywood/Stanford) unquestionably
is the woman to beat, in the U.S. and on the world stage. A 22-time U.S.
champion at various distances in indoor track, outdoor track and cross
country, Jacobs broke the world record in the 1,500 at the 2003 adidas
Boston Indoor Games, becoming the first woman ever to break 4:00 indoors.
At the age of 39, Jacobs is fitter than she’s ever been and should
dictate this race. Collette Liss was the 2001 U.S. indoor champion
in the mile and should make a strong showing. Other contenders include
Mary Jayne Harrelson and Sarah Schwald, who finished 2-3 in the mile last
year, behind
Jacobs.
Men’s 1,500 meters
Final Saturday 6:34 p.m.
World record: 3:31.18, Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 1997
American record: 3:38.12, Jeff Atkinson, 1989
Meet record: 3:48.4, Glenn Cunningham, 1938
THE SCOOP: The men’s 1,500m hasn’t been held at the USA Indoor
Championships
since 1939, so a new meet record is all but assured. The mile was held
from
1940-2002. This year, Jason Lunn (former Stanford) looks
to win his second straight title
after winning the mile in 2002 with a time of 3:57.45. Lunn ran a brilliant
mile at the Tyson Foods Invitational with a personal best of 3:55.49 and
is
in peak shape. Front-running former NCAA champion Bryan Berryhill was
second
to Lunn in 2002 and could make a run for his first title.
Women’s 3,000 meters
Final Sunday 4:34 p.m.
World record: 8:29.15, Berhane Adere (ETH), 2002
American record: 8:39.14, Regina Jacobs, 1999
Meet record: 8:40.45, Lynn Jennings, 1990
THE SCOOP: Amy Rudolph, Cheri Kenah and Carrie Tollefson went 1-2-3 in
this
event last year, and the three should also lead in the way in 2003. In
what
order they finish is still up for grabs. Among the three former NCAA
champions, the 26-year-old Tollefson is the youngest and in 2003 she set
personal bests outdoors for 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Amy Rudolph also won
this race in 1997, and she is a former American record holder outdoors
over
5,000 meters. Kenah is a five-time USA Indoor runner-up in the 3,000 meters.
Kenah led the race until the final steps in 2002, so a close finish should
be in the cards. Sarah Schwald, traditionally a miler but a former NCAA
indoor champion at 3,000m also is entered, as is Regina Jacobs. If they
compete in the 3,000, they will significantly impact the shape of the
race.
Men’s 3,000 meters
Final Sunday 4:50 p.m.
World record: 7:24.90, Daniel Komen (KEN), 1998
American record: 7:39.23, Tim Broe, 2002
Meet record:7:42.81, Moses Kiptanui (KEN), 1994
THE SCOOP: The men’s 3,000m is a wide-open race, with different
men winning
the race each of the last six years. 1998 champion Dan Browne is a favorite
after finishing as the top American, second overall, at the Verizon Millrose
Games in 8:00.90. The 2002 USA marathon champion in his debut at the
distance, Browne has shown great versatility and improvement since moving
to
Eugene, Ore., to be trained by Alberto Salazar. Clint Wells, the 5th-place
finisher in the steeplechase at the 2000 Olympic Trials, has run 7:56.06
this year and could get his first U.S. title. Bolota Asmerom (former
McAteer HS of SF/Univ Cal/Berkeley) owns a qualifying time of 7:49.68,
and former NCAA 5,000m champion Jonathon Riley (former Stanford) also
is a favorite.
Women’s 3,000m race walk
Final Saturday 4:05 p.m.
World record: 11:40.33, Claudio Iovan (ROM), 1999
American record: 12:20.79, Debbi Lawrence, 1993
THE SCOOP: Joanne Dow is the returning champion and looks strong after
setting an American record in winning the 20 km walk at the 2002 USA Outdoor
championships, on the track. It’s a mix of veterans and relative
newcomers
in the field. Michelle Rohl has been the top U.S. walker outdoors the
last
several years and is coming back from maternity in 2002. She is a five-time
indoor champion. Dow has won twice, while American record holder Debbi
Lawrence is a four-time champion. Amber Antonia is an up-and-comer who
placed second last year.
Men’s 5,000m race walk
Final Sunday 3:21 p.m.
World record: 18:07.08, Mikhail Shchennikov (URS), 1995
American record: 19:18.40, Tim Lewis, 1987
Meet record: 18:53.25, Guillaume LeBlanc (CAN), 1988
THE SCOOP: Tim Seaman, a 2000 Olympian in the 20 km race walk, has owned
this event, winning the last five indoor titles. The crown could be his
for
the taking, but 50,000 km outdoor specialist Curt Clausen could show some
speed. Al Heppner of the U.S. Army, Philip Dunn and other younger walkers
are waiting for their chance to steal a title, however, if they compete
in
Boston.
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