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Team USA loaded with gold medal contenders for World Indoors
BIRMINGHAM, England - Seven 2003 world-leaders, including two newly minted
world record holders, and several other gold-medal threats lead Team USA
into the IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships March 14-16
in
Birmingham, England.
Olympic gold medalist, two-time World Outdoor and 1997 World
Indoor champion
Stacy Dragila enters the women’s pole vault on a collision course
with
Svetlana Feofanova of Russia. Dragila on March 2 reclaimed the world indoor
record with her clearance of 4.78m/15-8.25 at the USA Indoor Track &
Field
Championships. But Feofanova is just one centimeter behind Dragila and
will
be looking to avenge her loss to Dragila at the 2001 World Outdoor
Championships.
Regina Jacobs will take on the rest of the world after breaking
the world
indoor record in the 1,500m on February 1 at the adidas Boston Indoor
Games.
Jacobs ran 3:59.98 to break 4:00 for the first time in her career at age
39.
She went on to win her 23rd and 24th career USA titles at the USA Indoor
Championships, where she won the 1,500m and 3,000m. She will compete only
in
the 1,500 in Birmingham.
Gail Devers also is a world leader after twice breaking the American
record
in the 60m hurdles this season. The three-time World Outdoor gold medalist
broke Jackie Joyner Kersee’s AR on February 1 with her time of 7.78
seconds
at the Verizon Millrose Games, the first time she had run the hurdles
indoors since 1994. Devers then improved that mark in what looked like
an
easy run of 7.74 in the semifinals of the USA Indoor Championships on
March
1.
Justin Gatlin, Kevin Toth, Allen Johnson and Tim Rusan also enter the
meet
with the best performances in the world this year in their respective
events. Gatlin, a five-time NCAA champion in his freshman and sophomore
years at the University of Tennessee, won his first USA senior title in
his
first appearance at USA Indoors March 1. The 21-year-old relegated defending
U.S. champion Terrence Trammell to second place with his world-leading
time
of 6.45 seconds.
The 1995 World Indoor champion and a three-time World Outdoor Champion,
Allen Johnson saved his best performance of the season for the USA Indoor
Championships. His time of 7.39 seconds in the 60m hurdles brought him
his
second consecutive U.S. indoor title, put him atop the world list, and
was
only .01 off his 1995 personal record indoors.
2003 and 1994 USA Indoor champion Kevin Toth by contrast posted his world
leader in the shot put early in the season. His throw of 21.70m/71-2.5
on
January 11 has led the world, but three-time World Outdoor champion and
defending World Indoor champion John Godina will provide Toth the strongest
challenge in the field.
Triple jumper Tim Rusan is a surprise world leader after defending his
2002
USA Indoor title with a world-leading jump of 17.45m/57-3 at the USA Indoor
Championships. In the process he defeated defending outdoor champion and
World Outdoor fourth-place jumper Walter Davis, who also could make a
move
for gold in Birmingham.
2001 World Indoor 60m hurdles gold medalist Terrence Trammell is drawing
the
international spotlight with his plans to double in the 60m dash and 60m
hurdles in Birmingham. Until March 1, Trammell owned the 2003 world bests
in
both events, with 7.42 in the hurdles and 6.46 in the dash. Trammell
finished second in both events at the USA Indoor Championships, but it
took
two world-best performances to beat him, and he lost the 60m dash by just
.01 second and the hurdles by .04.
Other gold-medal contenders include co-American record holders John Capel
and defending World Indoor champion Shawn Crawford in the men’s
200m. The
duo went 1-2, respectively, at the USA Indoor Championships. Crawford
makes
his first appearance on the international scene since 2000, when he won
the
U.S. Olympic Trials and placed a disappointed eighth at the Olympic Games
in
Sydney. Since then, he pursued a career as a wide receiver in the National
Football League but has now returned to track.
Michelle Collins is among the favorites to win the women’s 200m.
The 400m
specialist dropped down to the 200 indoors this indoor season to work
on her
speed, with great success. Her time of 22.64 at the Tyson Foods Invitational
on February 15 is the #2 time in the world this year. She was troubled
by a
touchy hamstring in winning the USA Indoor title but looks to be ready
for
World Indoors.
Other medal threats for Team USA include 2001 World Indoor silver medalist
Angela Williams in the women’s 60m; 2001 World
Indoor silver medalist Kellie
Suttle in the women’s pole vault; #3-ranked 800m runner David Krummenacker;
and 1997 World Outdoor 400m bronze medalist Tyree Washington, who returns
to
competition after two trying years, personally and athletically.
The top two finishers at the 2003 USA Indoor Championships who met the
IAAF
standards and elected to compete in Birmingham were eligible to represent
the United States at World Indoors.
The American men will be led by a coaching staff headed by 1988 Olympic
coach Stan Huntsman, while the women’s head coach is three-time
Olympian
high jumper Pam Spencer-Marquez.
Team USA Roster
2003 World Indoor Championships
Men
60m: Justin Gatlin, Terrence Trammell
200m: John Capel, Shawn Crawford
400m: Tyree Washington, Corey Nelson
800m: David Krummenacker, Khadevis Robinson
1,500m: Jason Lunn, Michael Stember
3,000m: Jonathon Riley, Terrence Trammell
60m hurdles: Allen Johnson, Terrence Trammell
Heptathlon: Tom Pappas
4x400 relay: Jerome Young, Derrick Brew, James Davis,
Milton Campbell, Corey
Nelson, Bobby Williams
High jump: Charles Austin, Tora Harris
Pole Vault: Derek Miles, Jeremy Scott
Long Jump: Miguel Pate, Dwight Phillips
Triple Jump: Tim Rusan, Walter Davis
Shot Put: Kevin Toth, John Godina
Coaching Staff: Head Coach Stan Huntsman, Head Manager Tim Weaver, Assistant
Coaches Joe Gentry, John Smith, Dave Swan
Women
60m: Angela Williams, Torri Edwards
200m: Michelle Collins, Allyson
Felix
400m: Monique Hennagan, Tiffany Barnes
800m: Sasha Spencer, Chantee Earl
1,500m: Regina Jacobs, Sarah Schwald
3,000m: Collette Liss, Katie McGregor
60m hurdles: Gail Devers, Melissa Morrison
4x400m relay: Monique Hennagan, Tiffany Barnes, Megan Addy, Brenda Taylor,
Tanisha Mills, Mary Danner
High Jump: Tisha Waller, Amy Acuff
Pole Vault: Stacy Dragila, Kellie Suttle
Coaching Staff: Head Coach Pam Spencer-Marquez, Head Manager Martha Watson,
Assistant Coaches Errol Anderson, John Babington, Darryl Hampton
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