PA’s Demus posts personal best in Monaco

Contact:
Tom  Surber
USA  Track & Field
Media  Information Manager  317-713-4690; [email protected]

2009  U.S. women’s 400 hurdles champion and 2005 World Outdoor  Championships silver medalist Lashinda Demus posted the  fourth-fastest time ever in her specialty Tuesday at the Herculis  IAAF Super Grand Prix in Monaco.Demus, who ran the  previous fastest time in the world this season with her July 25  win in London in 53.65 seconds, blistered the track today in 52.63  seconds, the fastest time in the world since Russia’s Yuliya  Pechenkina set the world record of 52.34 in 2003. Demus currently  owns the four-fastest times in the world this year.

Demus  is now third on the all-time U.S. list, trailing only Kim Batten  (52.61) and Tonja Buford-Bailey (52.62) from their respective gold  and silver medal winning performances at the 1995 World Outdoor  Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.

PA’s Vessey wins,  betters World Champs “A” standard

Former Cal Poly  SLO standout Maggie Vessey had the performance of her life in winning the women’s 800 meters convincingly in the fastest time in the world this year of 1 minute 57.84 seconds. Her performance is  a new personal best by more than two seconds, and it placed her on  the Team USA roster for the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in  Berlin by easily bettering the ‘A’ qualifying standard of 2:00.00.  Vessey’s time is the fastest by an American since Jearl  Miles-Clark topped the U.S. list in 2004 with her clocking of  1:57.27. 2009 European Indoor champion Mariya Savinova of Russia  was the runner-up in  1:58.39.

Additional notes courtesy of Fred Baer / Vessey has second fastest American time of the century:

Vessey is a 2001 Soquel High School grad and currently resides in Soquel.

Her time, the second fastest by an American runner this century, is also an all-time Pacific Association (Northern California/Northern Nevada) best.

Previous top PA mark was 1:57.97 by two-time Olympian Nicole Teeter of the Farm Team (and Cottonwood, Calif.).

Vessey also ranks second in the Pacific Association 2009 Grand Prix track and field standings, behind Olympic discus gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton of Galt. Both athletes are former Cal Poly teammates (and Big West Conference champions) — and also current Pacific Association champions.