Pacific Assocation of USA Track and Field

2009 IAAF World T&F Championships – Brown Trafton, Hill Thurmond squeak into final

Day 7 Updates

Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco), Women’s 1,500 meters, semifinals

Quote & report courtesy of USATF:

It was fun out there, coming off a fall in the quarterfinal and a thunderstorm before this, I just kind of had to laugh and go and have a good time. It was a great field. I figured it would be kind of slow, tactical and a kick. I just prepared myself for that. (Last lap) I knew it would open up the last 100 meters. It always does. I just tried to stay smooth and relaxed as much as possible. When I found the opening, I went hard for the finish. I was so frustrated with the way that the quarterfinals went because I prepared for the final. I got myself in the best shape I have ever been in for this final race. I knew I had to make my way into the final field. If I wasn’t going to be in the semi, I would like it to be because I had a bad day and I was not tripped. I was disappointed with that, but I am thankful for the appeals process and USATF who fought so hard on my behalf. That was one of the reasons I had to go out there and have some fun.

Team USA sends three to women’s 1,500m final
2008 Olympian Christin Wurth-Thomas (Springdale, Ark.) was a fixture at the front of the pack the entire race and ended up finishing fourth in heat 1 of the women’s 1,500m semifinals, which earned her a trip to Sunday’s final. Wurth-Thomas, who pushed hard at the beginning and was in second place early in the race, crossed the finish line in 4:04.16
In heat two, two-time USA Outdoor 1,500m champion Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco, Calif.)
and 2009 USA Indoor 1,500m champion Anna Willard (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) spent the majority of the race at the back of the pack. Coming down the final stretch, Willard stayed on the rail and Rowbury drifted to the outside with Willard finishing second in 4:10.47 and Rowbury placing third in 4:10.51.
This marks the first time ever that Team USA has placed three women in the 1,500m final. Wurth-Thomas, Rowbury and Willard will reconvene for Sunday’s final at the Olympic Stadium at 5 p.m. Berlin time.

Stephanie Brown Trafton (Galt, CA) 12th in Discus

Quote & report courtesy of USATF:

It’s been a rough go these last two days. The ring was fine. If anything, it was warming up, then having to sit there. There’s nothing I can really point to. Physically, I’m kind of worn out, but I know I can get some big marks.
At the world championships, it’s going to take more than physical preparation. I’m a young athlete, and this is my first world championship, and it’s going to be an awesome thing to continue growing in the sport.
Right now, it’s not happening physically. I’m physically exhausted, but yet I’m relieved more than anything else.

Women’s discus final
Similar to when she won the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal last year, Stephanie Brown Trafton’s (Galt, Calif.) best throw of the evening came on her first attempt in the women’s discus throw final when she sailed the platter to 58.53 meters/192 feet.  Her second attempt was a foul and her third attempt was no improvement. Brown Trafton finished the competition in 12th place.
2008 Olympic Games finalist Aretha Thurmond (Opelika, Ala.) placed 10th with a best throw of 59.89m/196-6.

Day 6 Updates

Charonda Williams (Richmond, CA) 5th in 200m heat 2, does not advance.

Reprot courtesy of USATF:

2009 USA Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Charonda Williams (Richmond, Calif.) finished fifth in heat 2 in 22.81 and did not advance.  2008 Olympic Games fifth-place finisher Marshevet Hooker (Pflugerville, Tex.) ran in heat 1 of the semifinals and did not finish, pulling up around the curve with a hamstring strain.

Day 5 Updates

First Round 200m: Charonda Williams (Richmond, CA) advances

  • Action Photo
  • 200 Meter Heat Results
  • Post event quote: “I have been waiting for this. Now it’s finally here. I just have to run the rounds. My race went pretty well. I was racing just to make it to the next round, which I have accomplished. I ran relaxed and good. I like my start. I was very aggressive there. “

Brown Trafton squeaks into final

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Contact:
Vicky Oddi
USA Track & Field
Communications Coordinator
+4917617368884; [email protected]
Team USA continues to move into finals in Berlin
BERLIN – Team USA saw seven more athletes advance to the next round of their competitions Wednesday morning at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.

Brown Trafton, Hill Thurmond squeak into final

Reigning Olympic champion Stephanie BrownTrafton (Galt, Calif.) took the 11th qualifying spot into thefinal at these Championships. Asper usual, BrownTrafton’s best effort came on her first throw with a mark of 61.23 meters/200 feet 10 inches, just shy of the automatic qualifier of 61.50m/201-9. Three-time Olympian Aretha Hill Thurmond (Opelika, Ala.) took the 12th andfinal qualifying spot on her third throw with a mark of 61.08m/200-5. BeckyBreisch (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished 22nd in qualifying with a best mark of 58.50m/191-11.Brown Trafton Quote:

“I’m not a morning person. I feel positive. The conditions were pretty good. The fans were loud and supportive. They were rooting for everyone.

(On winning the Olympic gold before the US or World gold) It may be an awkward way. But I have never been known to do things the normal way. I always find a different way to accomplish my goal. At some point, I will accomplish all of my goals.

I was more nervous than I thought I would be. I feel like I have something to prove. I love being the underdog. I’d love it if I were to scrape by and make it to the finals with the last spot. That will motivate me even more. By scraping by is creating drama for me. I love drama.”

More Day 5 Results, Quotes & Medal Count

Rhines to run 5,000m final

Running from the front for much of the race, and even leading for a time, three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished sixth in heat 2 of the women’s 5,000m first round in 15:20.20 and was the first time qualifier into Saturday’s final. Julie Culley (Arlington, Va.) finished seventh in heat 1 in 15:32.33 and did not advance.

Payne, Trammell move on to semifinal

Two-time world and Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell (Atlanta, Ga.) ran a clean race, easily qualifying for the semifinals in the men’s 110m hurdles with his runner-up finish in heat 5 in 13.51. Heat 6 saw Beijing silver medalist and ’07 bronze medalist David Payne (Covington, Ky.) get a good start. Mid way through the race, Hungary’s Daniel Kiss began drifting into Payne’s lane and ran down the line after crossing the final hurdle. Kiss won the heat in a national record 13.34 and Payne finished third in 13.54 to qualify for the next round. 2004 world junior champion Aries Merritt (Bryan, Texas) finished fourth in heat 3 in 13.70 and did not advance.

Manson and Moffat fly into final

2008 world indoor bronze medalist Andra Manson (Austin, Texas) and two-time USA Outdoor runner-up Keith Moffatt (Atlanta, Ga.) each qualified for the final in the men’s high jump in very different fashions. A 2008 Olympian and the current world leader, Manson needed three attempts at 2.24m/7-4.25 and 2.27m/7-5.25 before clearing the automatic qualifier 2.30m/7-6.5 on his second attempt. Moffatt, on the other hand, had 1st attempt clearances at every height until he had three misses at 2.30m/7-6.5.

2004 Olympian Tora Harris (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished 21st in qualifying with a clearance of 2.24m/7-4.25. Needing three attempts to clear 2.20m/7-2.5 and 2.24m/7-4.25, Harris had one miss at 2.27m/7-5.25 and then passed to 2.30m/7-6.5 where he had two misses.

Hardee leads dec after 3 events

After two events in the men’s decathlon, Trey Hardee (Austin, Texas) and Ashton Eaton (Eugene, Ore.) were sitting in first (2,004 points)and second (1,990 points), respectively, following first and second place finishes in the 100m and long jump. Hardee won heat 3 in 10.45, followed by Eaton who was the runner-up in 10.53. Eaton then set a personal best by 30cm in the long jump with a best mark of 7.85m/25-9.25 and Hardee leaped a personal best 7.83m/25-8.25. Jake Arnold (Tuscon, Ariz.) was in 33rd with 1,608 points.

Hardee then threw a monster personal best in the shot put of 15.33m/50-3.5 to bring his point total up to 2,814 and extend his lead. Eaton had a best put of 12.26m/40-2.75 and moved to sixth place with 2,612 points. After Arnold’s best mark of 13.96m/45-9.75, he moved to 32nd with 2,335 points.

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Contact:
Vicky Oddi
USA Track & Field
Communications Coordinator
+4917617368884; [email protected]
2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships Day 5 Team USA morning quotes
 Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), Women’s 5,000 meters

I felt really good out there. I’m pleased to get this run through. Now it’s time to get ready for Saturday. I looked at the clock before the heat and I made the decision. I could have finished a hair stronger if I really dug down. But I thought I should save some of it for Saturday. I knew if came in the top eight or nine and finished under 15:32, I would go.

Julie Culley (Arlington, Va.), Women’s 5,000 meters

It was a little bit slow, through about the 3K. It was probably close to 9:15, 9:20 even. In the last 3K, I was starting to have some trouble. I have been struggling with an injury (hamstring and glute). When they started to pick it up and I had to start to open up my stride, that’s when it started to hurt. I was doing the best I could.

Stephanie Brown Trafton (Galt, Calif.), Women’s Discus

I’m not a morning person. I feel positive. The conditions were pretty good. The fans were loud and supportive. They were rooting for everyone.

(On winning the Olympic gold before the US or World gold) It may be an awkward way. But I have never been known to do things the normal way. I always find a different way to accomplish my goal. At some point, I will accomplish all of my goals.

I was more nervous than I thought I would be. I feel like I have something to prove. I love being the underdog. I’d love it if I were to scrape by and make it to the finals with the last spot. That will motivate me even more. By scraping by is creating drama for me. I love drama.

Aretha Hill Thurmond (Opelika, Alabama), Women’s discus

I think I just gave my high school coach some grey hairs today. It’s been my M.O. unfortunately my whole career. I’m the type of competitor that takes a while to get into a groove. It’s like sprinters in a qualifying round, where everyone’s so tight and trying to get a feel for what’s about to happen.

The point was to get out there and make it through to the finals. We’ve got two Americans in the finals and now we can go see if we can put two on the podium.

Becky Breisch (Chula Vista, Calif.), Women’s Discus

It didn’t go so great today. If I knew why, I’d fix it out there. It was just not my day. This experience was great. Berlin is a wonderful place to be. They have done a great job doing everything for us.

Terrence Trammell (Atlanta), Men’s 110 high hurdles

I felt good. I think that I was able to knock the dust off. It’s been two months since I competed. I’m healthy, I feel in great shape. It felt good to get the first round out of the way. I had a few cobwebs. I wanted to come out and get a feel for things. Tomorrow, I will turn it up a notch. There are no injuries. I just wanted to work on a few things and focus on the rest of the last half of the season.

David Payne (Covington, Ky.), Men’s 110 high hurdles

The race was horrible. I got a decent start, but I didn’t attack right away. I hit a couple of hurdles and stayed in that state. I didn’t push or come on. I started to get comfortable with my feet. As I starting hitting all the hurdles, I felt the guys to the right of me pass me. There wasn’t that urgency there. It wasn’t a good race. But I made it to the next round, and that’s all that matter.

Tora Harris (Chula Vista, California), Men’s high jump

It was hard. I wasn’t feeling great coming in. The approach just wasn’t working. I think I gave it a good effort.

Keith Moffatt (Newport News, Virginia), Men’s high jump

First, I didn’t know I made it to the finals. I was clean all the way up to 2.30. I felt real good.

I think that in the finals, I’ll start at a higher height, because when I got to 2.30, I was a little tired. No matter what happens in the finals, I’m gonna go hard! I’m glad I made it!

Andra Manson (Austin, Texas), Men’s high jump

It’s a great feeling to make the finals!

There were a couple of good jumps today, but there were also some bad ones. Fortunately, I was able to correct myself at 2.30, and fortunately, that’s what it’s all about–I had to clear 2.30 to make the finals. That’s going to give me a lot of confidence going to the finals.

For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit www.usatf.org.

Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.universalsports.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp.

For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships.

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

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Team USA Medal Table – 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Gold (3)

Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.), men’s shot put, 22.03m/72-3.50

Sanya Richards (Austin, Tex.), women’s 400m, 49.00

Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) men’s 400m hurdles, 47.91

Silver (2)

Tyson Gay (Clermont, Fla.), men’s 100 meters, 19.71

Chelsea Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.), women’s pole vault 4.65m/15-3

Bronze (2)

Carmelita Jeter (Inglewood, Calif.) women’s 100 meters, 10.90

Bershawn Jackson (Savoy, Ill.) men’s 400m hurdles, 48.23

For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit www.usatf.org.

Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.universalsports.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp.

For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships.
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