For Immediate Release
Friday, September 4, 2009
Contact:
Vicky Oddi
USA Track & Field
Communications Coordinator
317-713-4670; [email protected]
News and Notes, Volume 9, Number 46

Richards wins share of third Golden League jackpot
 
With six wins each in the six meet 2009 Golden League, Sanya Richards, Yelena Isinbayeva and Kenesia Bekele will share the $1,000,000 Golden League jackpot. Each had their final win today at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium.
 
On a cool night in Brussels, reigning world 400m champion Sanya Richards dominated her signature event, leading from start to finish, and crossed the line in a world leading 48.83 seconds, her second best effort ever. It also ties her for the second-best performance ever by an American with Valerie Brisco-Hooks. Her nearest competitor, reigning Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu, finished 1.6 seconds behind in 50.43.
 
And then the rain came.
 
Tyson Gay had a slow start out of the blocks in the men's 100m and was behind from the get go. Surging at the 50 meter mark to gain on former world record holder Asafa Powell (JAM), it wasn't enough to get Gay back in the race and he finished as the runner-up in 10.00 to Powell's 9.90. Two-time Olympian Darvis Patton was third in 10.08 and 2009 USA Outdoor champion Mike Rodgers was fourth in 10.09.
 
A two-time world champion and '09 silver medalist over 400m, Jeremy Wariner led from wire-to-wire to win in 44.94, finishing well ahead of his competition.  Berlin bronze medalist Renny Quow (TRI) was the runner-up, over a half second back, in 45.55.
 
Twice the world bronze medalist, Carmelita Jeter continued her revenge on those who beat her by winning the women's 100m in 10.88. Reigning Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser (JAM) was second in 10.98 and Olympic and world silver medalist Kerron Stewart was third in 11.05.
 
Usain Bolt (JAM) continued his dominance of all things sprints by winning the men's 200m in 19.57. Bolt now has three of the four fastest times ever run over 200m. Three-time world medalist Wallace Spearmon was the runner-up in 20.19.
 
The resurgence of American distance runners continued tonight in Belgium. Just one week after a new American record in the men's 5,000m, Matt Tegenkamp became the fourth American man to break the 13:00 barrier in the 5,000m. Tegenkamp crossed the line in 7th in 12:58.56. It is the third-fastest time ever by an American. Anna Willard continued to show what a versatile runner she can be, winning the women's 800m in 1:59.14. Dan Huling ran the fastest time by an American so far this year in the men's steeplechase, finishing fourth in 8:14.69.
 
2005 world silver medalist Chaunte Howard cleared 1.97 meters/6 feet 5.5 inches for second place in the women's high jump and was so happy with her performance she did a little dance in the rain once she was finished. Berlin silver medalist Chelsea Johnson tied for seventh in the women's pole vault with a best clearance of 4.40m/14-5.25.
 
For more information and complete results from the 2009 Memorial Van Damme, visit www.iaaf.org.

Team USA ready for DecaNation in France
 
Stephanie Brown-Trafton, David Oliver, Stacy Dragila, Hyleas Fountain and Nick Symmonds will lead a talented Team USA squad on Wednesday, September 9, at the 2009 DecaNation at Charletey Stadium in Paris, France.
 
Created and hosted by the French Athletics Federation in 2005, DecaNation is a team competition between nations from around the world where event specialists compete in 20 different competitions. The winner of each individual event earns nine points for his or her team, with seven points for second place, six for third and so on. Besides the U.S., competing nations this year will be France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland and Russia.
 
Team USA won the event last year with a total of 89.5 points, with Germany the runner-up with 85 points and the host French squad third with 84 points. Russia was fourth with 65 points with Ukraine in fifth place with 60.5 points and Spain finishing sixth with 53 points.
 
Event winners from last year's DecaNation looking to defend their titles include 2008 Olympic heptathlon silver medalist Hyleas Fountain and Beijing men's 110m hurdles bronze medalist David Oliver. Fountain won the women's long jump with a best of 6.24 meters/20 feet 5.75 inches, with Oliver winning his specialty in 13.43 seconds.
 
Other U.S. stars to keep an eye on include 2008 Olympic women's discus gold medalist Stephanie Brown-Trafton, 2000 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor champion Stacy Dragila in the women's pole vault and 2009 World Outdoor Championships men's 800m sixth-place finisher and two-time USA Outdoor champion Nick Symmonds.
 
The remainder of the Team USA roster is as follows:
 
100m: 2009 men's USA Outdoor champion Michael Rogers; 2009 USA Outdoor Championships women's long jump runner-up Brianna Glenn.
 
400m: 2007 Pan Am Games men's finalist Jamaal Torrance; 2009 USA Outdoor Championships women's sixth-place finisher Monica Hargrove
 
800m: 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic women's winner and USA Outdoor Champs fourth-place finisher Maggie Vessey .
 
1,500m: 2009 USA Outdoor Champs men's fifth-place finisher Will Leer; 2009 USA Outdoors women's fourth-place finisher Erin Donohue.
 
3,000m steeplechase: 2009 USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Dan Huling; 2009 USA Outdoor Champs fourth-place finisher Lindsey Anderson
 
100m hurdles: 2009 USA Outdoor Championships women's third-place finisher Damu Cherry.
 
Pole Vault: 2008 Olympic Games fourth-place men's finisher and 2009 World Athletics Final champion Derek Miles.
 
Shot Put:  2009 USA Indoor men's champion Dan Taylor; Two-time USA Outdoor women's champion and sixth-place finisher at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships Michelle Carter.
 
Long Jump: Two-time Olympic Games men's triple jumper Kenta Bell.
 
Discus: Two-time Olympian and three-time U.S. men's champion Ian Waltz.
 
For more information on the 2009 DecaNation in Paris, visit:
http://www.athle.com/asp.net/main.html/html.aspx?htmlid=3314 
 
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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