Men's Hammer Throw Qualifying

Marks were notably short in the men’s World Championships hammer throw qualifying in the Bird’s Nest in Beijing this morning. Only two throwers achieved the 77.00 (252-7) automatic qualifying standard, 1/30 recorded a seasonal best, and no one recorded a personal best.

Favorite Pawel Fajdek (POL) led all qualifiers with his 78.38 (257-2), and Great Britain’s Nick Miller advanced with 77.42 (254-0).

Tuomas Sappanen’s (Fin) 74.74 (245-2) made him the lone qualifier to advance with a seasonal best.

The 12^th and last qualifier, Slovakia’s Marcel Lomnicky, advanced to tomorrow’s final with a best of 74.51 (244-5), and Conor McCullough (US) just missed qualifying by 20cm in 13^th place.

“I was expecting to have to throw 75 plus - maybe 76 - to get through,” said McCullough. “I’m not sure why the bottom line was a little bit lower. The final’s tomorrow so guys may be holding back a lot.”

Hungary’s Krisztian Pars, who qualified in 9th place with an uncharacteristic 75.37 (247-3), said, “At the beginning of the season, I felt I could throw 83.00 (272-4) this year. But after that I have been struggling with pain in my left hand and then with my back. I could not train very much and now I miss it.”

He added, “I go to the gym now to do some weight lifting.”

The Czech Republic’s Lukas Melich was the major casualty of the day. He said, “As the defending bronze medalist from Moscow, I was expecting to get to the final. But my shape is not ideal this year.” After an injury, “I trained too much and it did not work for me.” His 72.12 (236-7) left him in 20^th place.

The final is Sunday evening, 8/23, at 18:30.

Beijing Buzz - Day 1, Morning

The morning session of the first day of the 15^th IAAF World Championships has unusual bookends: the longest race and the shortest.

First up is the men’s marathon at 07:35, and the session concludes with heats of the much anticipated men’s 100m at 12:40.

In between, we have the first two events of the women’s heptathlon, as Canada’s Brianne Thiesen-Eaton attempts to join husband Ashton as multi-event royalty. Evan Jager’s quest to end Kenyan dominance of the 3,000m steeplechase gets underway, and the first round of the women’s 1500m – one of the most electrifying events of the year – begins. 

Just think: new world record holder Genzebe Dibaba, Jenny Simpson, Sifan Hassan, and Shannon Rowbury - and you haven’t even had your second cuppa jo yet!

The Krisztian Pars - Pawel Fadjek rivalry renews in the hammer, and the first round of the men’s 800m gets underway, with much speculation that world record holder David Rudisha may be in much better shape than he claims. One of China’s brightest hopes for a medal comes in the women’s shot put as Lijiao Gong tries to upset favorite Christina Schwanitz. Notable is the absence of Valerie Adams, whose 56 meet win streak was broken earlier this year; she just underwent surgery - again - in her native New Zealand. I hope this is not the end of her magnificent career.

The good vs evil storyline of Usain Bolt vs American drug cheat Justin Gatlin starts to play out in the opening round of the men’s 100m. No false starts, please.

The men’s marathon field is loaded. This is news;  not every outstanding marathoner chooses to run Worlds since the six World Marathon Majors are so much more lucrative. As noted here yesterday (scroll down, below), Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang and Dennis Kimetto – the former and current world record holders in the event – are among the favorites for medals.

Kipsang has won four marathon majors (London twice, Berlin, New York), and Kimetto has never finished worse than third in these events. Kipsang holds the edge as a tactician, though I’m afraid he’s remembered for going out too fast in the London Olympic race, where he nonetheless won bronze. Kipsang has run in the 2:03-2:04 range every year since 2010. He won New York last fall with a confident, definitive move in Central Park.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, this year’s London winner, is absent from this field; I had him as a medal pick for sure. Once again Kenya's hyper-political selection system costs them a legitimate chance at a medal. It will be interesting to see what role Kenya’s Mark Korir plays in helping teammates Kipsang and Kimetto; he could play a key pacing and tactical role.

Name champ Lelisa Desisa (Eth) is remarkably consistent, and his Boston win this year was impressive. Nonetheless, he has thrived most in ‘time trial’ races.

Olympic (2012) and World (2013) champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda is two times king. A huge upset in the first race, an unexpected confirmation in the second. He’s a brilliant, patient game day racer, no matter the pace. It’s time to give him his due and pick him to win. It pains me to pick Kipsang for second as gold here would be the perfect end to a memorable career… lots of pressure on him as he knows that the whole running world is watching to see just how patient he’ll be.

For third? Kimetto would be a logical pick, but I was particularly impressed with Ethiopia’s Haile Berhanu in his win under hot conditions in Dubai this past January. He’s 20 and has won all four of the marathons he’s ever run. His is an atypical progression (4 marathons at 20?!), as he’s skipped basic training in the 5k and 10k. I’m going with the newbie for 3^rd.

     A note about event coverage and predictions. My goal here is to provide a narrative of the championships from beginning to end. My prediction tome (usually about 24 pages) is something I prepare for the Olympics every four years. In that, I make predictions for all 47 events before the first event begins. Here, I’ll be observing the development of each event throughout the qualifying rounds and semis, and will offer observations about who’s hot and who’s not, and whether or not the favorites are likely to live up to expectations in the finals. I’ve written up the marathon here as it’s a finals-only event. I'll be covering the men's and women's hammer, men's and women's discus, and men's javelin for Track and Field News. Any writing I do about throwing events will also be posted on the Throwholics website. 

A note about web access and blocking. The Chinese government blocks Google (this website is Google-based) and social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The blocking has been particularly challenging the last two days, in spite of my use of a VPN (virtual private network). All of these sites work in the stadium, but not in my hotel room near the stadium. That’s where I’m writing right now, and I have no idea if I’ll have this posted before the marathon begins or not. It took at least two extra hours to get yesterday’s piece on Kipsang and Kimetto posted.

Meanwhile, the air quality is the best it's been in 10 days  - how fortuitous is that?! It's 70F with 73% humidity at 6:33am with the marathon set to begin in 62 minutes.

Let the games begin!

Tied by History

Kimetto and Kipsang

Left: Marathon World Record Holder, Dennis Kimetto, Kenya

Right: Former Marathon World Record Holder, Wilson Kipsang, Kenya

Dennis Kimetto and Wilson Kipsang are two men tied by history. 

Kenyans both, one broke the world record of the other when Kimetto became the first man under 2:03 with his wondrous 2:02:57 at Berlin last October. He shattered Kipsang's mark of 2:03:23, run on the same Berlin course the year before. 

Rivals on the course, the warmth of the friendship of the consecutive world record holders was evident throughout a media briefing in Beijing Thursday afternoon.

Surprisingly, there is only one World or Olympic medal between them, Kipsang's Olympic bronze from London in 2012. Kipsang rues a missed water bottle pickup in the Olympic race. While many think he went out too fast that day, Kipsang thinks the numbers tell the tale. 

"My biggest mistake was to miss my water at 5k," he said. He hesitated, and that hesitation cost him dearly. "I went, came back, and started again. Those seconds were the crucial difference."

As for strategy this Saturday, Kipsang said, "I must run in a way I can win. I must keep a close watch."

"You have to exercise some patience and save your energy," he said. "If you run too fast you'll lose your energy and water."

Kipsang and Kimetto see their major rivals as coming from Ethiopia and Ugandan World and Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich. A Kenyan medal sweep is not out of the question, they agree.

In fact, asserted Kipsang, "It's our plan."

Kipsang and Kimetto paid tribute to the late Sammy Wanjiru, whose 2008 win here in Beijing under trying conditions is widely regarded as the single greatest performance in marathon history.

Both found his race inspirational, and from Wanjiru they learned the value of tactics over time. While Kipsang sees time - a world record - as important as a medal, his closing statement on Thursday should strike fear in the hearts of his competitors.

"I still have the potential to do even more."

Left: Marathon World Record Holder, Dennis Kimetto, Kenya
Right: Former Marathon World Record Holder, Wilson Kipsang, Kenya
Center: Not a world record holder

Lord Coe Wins Again

Sebastian Coe, two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2012 London Olympics Chair, was elected president of the IAAF at its 48^th Congress in Beijing today. 

A narrower than expected victory of 115-92 over rival Sergey Bubka puts Coe in charge of a sport and a federation facing serious credibility issues due to a recent spate of negative publicity over performance enhancing drugs.

Coe takes over the reins from Senegal’s Lamine Diack, who completes a 16-year run in the position.

“We had two great candidates,” said TrackTown USA chief Vin Lananna in an interview with trackerati. “We’re excited about working with Seb. We had a great relationship with President Diack and so I feel like we’ll have a great shot to do something great for 2021 (when Eugene hosts the outdoor world championships), and I think Seb will be a great person to work with.”

Lananna, who will also serve as head coach of the 2016 US Olympic track and field team, expressed appreciation for the job Diack has done in challenging times.

“President Diack… is a great diplomat of the sport of athletics worldwide. He has navigated us through some difficult water. I think the organization is in great shape and I think he hands the baton off to a great leg.”

Coe is grateful for the “very, very firm foundation" Diack has left him. "He ceases to be our president on the 31^st of August," Coe stated, "but he will always be our spiritual president. He will certainly be my spiritual president.”

“This, for me, is the pinnacle,” said a reflective Coe. “It is my sport, it is my passion and it’s the thing that I’ve always wanted to do.”

“Track and field is the #1 sport and I am absolutely delighted to be president of the #1 sport … It is my responsibility to make it stronger – and I will.”

Buzz from Beijing

This Just In:
Dreams Do Come True
Our Cub Reporter Gets a Press Pass
Main Accreditation Center, 15th IAAF World Track and Field Championships, Beijing

There’s something about the last Friday in May.

This year, Friday, May 29, was 40 years ago to the day since I had brought my camera to a track meet at the University of Oregon, one of only two times I brought it in my first 5 years of meets at Hayward Field.

As Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter warmed down after the 5,000m, I took a snapshot of the two of them, likely around 8:30pm. It may well be the last photo ever taken of Prefontaine in a competitive setting. Four hours later, Pre died in a car accident.

In this, my second year of writing trackerati, I decided it was time to start applying for press passes. To test the waters, yes, but much more for the access a pass gives you to the athletes. I was eager to fill out my stories with their voices more clearly heard.

I was delighted with positive responses from the Prefontaine Classic (IAAF) and US Nationals (USATF); the Pre Classic media people wrote back to say, “Who are you? What are you doing?”

I tried for the Olympics and World Championships as well; the Olympics application lasted about two weeks.

From Beijing, in spite of the fact that they had adhered rigorously to their application timetable at first, the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) of this year’s World Championships fell oddly silent. Their notification deadline blew by, and hope of this dream coming true anytime soon slipped away.

I don’t usually check my email right before I go to work, but with a flight to Eugene and its fabled “Distance Night” scheduled for late in the afternoon of May 29, I thought I’d better look.

A message from Beijing.

In the sort of chatty tone that suggested we were picking up a recent conversation, they said 'we need just two more documents from you. Once we receive them we’ll issue you a writer’s credential for the World Championships.'

Hello?!

Then a follow up message to clarify that this is for writing only, and if I’d like to take pictures, even if only in the mixed zone (interview area), they’d have to send my application back and it would trigger new rounds of review for a different kind of credential.

Conversation with myself: dude, you are hours away from having a press pass to Worlds. You could mess up the entire thing by reaching for too much. How would it feel to be on press row at the Pre Classic tonight with a World’s media credential in hand?

Came the email from Beijing: ACCEPTED.

So when it came time to retrieve the Worlds pass itself, I found myself in Beijing this past Wednesday on a sweltering, heavily polluted day. The only description I can give to the air that day is apocalyptic.

My first attempt at getting to the Accreditation Center at the foot of Ling Long Pagoda in Beijing’s Olympic Park ended when I found myself – at the end of a very long walk – fenced in by what I later deduced was the protective fence for the marathon and race walk events.

Try getting into those without authorization.

My retreat brought me back to my hotel, a cooling off period, and more careful scrutiny out the window of my route.

By the time I got to the pagoda half an hour later, I was beet red in the face and drenched in sweat. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the sweating. A young woman showed up and asked if I’d like water and I declined; she brought it anyway.

My photo on the media credential shows the glistening, shows the redness, and indicates the insufferable heat and humidity of that day. But it shows something else.

I’m beaming.

*   *   *

Unexpected epilogue:

Yesterday, Track and Field News invited me to join their events news writing team for the World Championships. My assignments will come next week and I’ll post them here.

Two years, one week, 6 days since I started writing again.

Now I know how long it takes for a dream to come true.

*   *   *

Interestingly, two related pieces, “A Ride for Robert” and “Teardrop of Sunlight” have been my two  most widely read pieces of the first two years of trackerati. They are, respectively, the longest and shortest pieces I’ve posted. “A Ride for Robert” starts and finishes when? On the last Fridays of May in 2012 and ‘13.

http://www.trackerati.com/2014/12/a-ride-for-robert.html

http://www.trackerati.com/2013/08/teardrop-of-sunlight.html

I’d like to send out special thanks to Sieg Lindstrom, Managing Editor of Track and Field News; Amanda Brooks, USATF Marketing and Communications Manager; Curtis Anderson, Director of Communications for TrackTown USA; and Kim Spir, Editor of the TAFWA (Track and Field Writers of America) newsletter.

It was Sieg who saw something he liked in the summer of 2013 and starting linking to my work on the Track and Field News website. It was Curtis who vouched for me for the first press passes, including this year. It was Amanda who made it possible for me to initiate the Beijing application process by issuing an accreditation access code to trackerati. Without an accreditation code from Amanda, in this business you are toast (or, as my laptop autocorrected so wisely here in China, Taoist). And it was Kim who introduced me to my colleagues in the US by including several of my pieces in the TAFWA newsletter.

Without the four of you, I am not sitting in a hotel in Beijing writing this post.

To you and to everyone who has read a single article on this website the last two years, thank you.

Bird's Nest at Night

Rehearsals are underway for
IAAF World Champs Opening Ceremonies

Photo copyright 2015 Mark Cullen

trackerati in Beijing!

Bird's Nest, Beijing

Good Morning from Beijing!

Arrived late last night after an enjoyable flight thanks to my seat partner, Malin, a university student from Beijing. She was a delightful source of helpful information and terrific suggestions. Thank you, Malin, and to my new compatriot from Memphis who gave me an insightful expat's view of life in Beijing.

Meanwhile, this is the view you get when the hotel messes up your reservation. Ain't life grand?!!!

                                                          

Oiselle's First Nest

Kara Goucher, CEO Sally Bergesen, and Lauren Fleshman at Oiselle opening in Seattle

Oiselle, the pioneering women’s running apparel brand, opened its first brick and mortar store in Seattle's University Village on Thursday.

The lengthy opening day lines bode well for the company's future. Already a tremendous online success, this is Oiselle's first walk-in venture.

"We are passionate for running and passionate for the brand," said Oiselle running team member, Emily Brain. "We love Oiselle." 

Bernard Lagat

The US distance squads will have a different look in Beijing this summer. For the first time since 2005, Bernard Lagat will not be representing the United States at the World Championships.

Lagat was well positioned with a lap to go in Sunday’s USATF 5,000m final. He seemed poised to launch his signature kick at the top of the backstretch. Instead, the large lead pack pulled away from him and created immediate separation.

A visibly emotional Lagat reflected on his 10^th place finish.

Late Round Heroics in Women's Hammer

Late round heroics were the order of the day in the USATF women’s hammer throw final on Saturday in Eugene.

In an event of many meters, mere inches made all the difference.

Amber Campbell pulled out a 6^th round 237’ 5” to top NCAA champ DeAnna Price by 3 inches, win the national title, and stamp her ticket to Beijing – the 5^th World Championships of her remarkable career, in addition to two Olympics.

NCAA champion Price also has met the World Championship standard, so she’ll be joining Campbell in Beijing in August.

Only two inches separated Amanda Bingson from Jeneva Stevens in the battle for the final spot on the World Championship team.

Bingson’s 5^th round 231’ 7” bounced Stevens off the podium and assured Bingson her ticket to China.

All is not lost for Stevens, however, as she made the Worlds team in the shot put on Thursday.

It’s been a remarkable June for Price at Hayward Field. Here she won the NCAA title on June 11 and made her first Worlds team 16 days later.

“This is my place!” said the exuberant Price.

“I did what I had to do today and I’m happy with it,” she continued. “There’s a lot more in the tank and I’m just going to have to keep practicing, keep practicing – keep driving and keep going for what I need to do.”

The key to Price’s goals for Beijing is the consistency of her preparation: “Just train hard and do my job… that’s all I can ask for.”

“I’m a young athlete and I know I don’t have the experience, but I do have the drive and I know that I can do something.”

Amanda Bingson looks to Beijing as a chance to refine her focus. “I need to settle back down and work on myself to get back to mentally being right,” she said, “so that’s going to be a big part of our training.”

“The goal is always to win. We’re looking for big girl finals, being close to our PR, hopefully for a medal, and definitely going out and trying to win.”

A contrarian on Eugene’s sweltering weather conditions, Coastal Carolina graduate Campbell said, “This is pleasant! This is a nice 8:00 in the morning training session. We’ve had 95F with 90% humidity for the last two weeks, so I’m good – this is fine.”

Bingson agreed. As someone who has lived in Las Vegas and Austin, she said, “Oh, this weather is awesome - I love this weather! I was about to put on my sweatshirt, to be honest!”

Sweatshirt?!

Stevens views the weather as good preparation for what is to come. “Today was a down day being in the tent, in the call rooms, in the heat. You know what? It’s going to be hot in China so you have to go through this to get used to that.”

Next Amber Campbell will go to the Pan-American Games in Toronto and try to turn her ’11 bronze into silver or gold.

But Beijing is her ultimate goal.

“I want to do much better than I did today, make the final, and vie for a medal.”

It’s a dynamic team that the US is sending to Worlds:

Campbell, the accomplished veteran with a stellar resume of seven world and Olympic teams;

Bingson, at six years in the sport a relative newcomer, whose rapid progression includes the American record; and

Price, the exciting find of the year with unbounded potential.

Green Cards, Qualifying, and Jesse Williams

The semi-final round of the women’s 800m highlighted the dangers of the top-four-to-finals qualifying system.

Molly Ludlow won the first semi-final in 2:00.22, with Dana Mecke qualifying 4^th in 2:00.76.

Heat 2 was even faster, with only .09 separating 1^st from 4^th.  Chanelle Price won in 2:00.05 with Ajee’ Wilson 4^th in 2:00.14 – a true blanket finish.

This left Lauren Wallace on the outside looking in. Her 2:00.48 would have placed her a qualifying third in the first semi, but as it got her 5^th in the faster second heat, she did not advance.

The point of track and field is to run faster, throw farther, and jump higher than your competitors. When you do, you should be rewarded.

It boggles the mind - as well as any sense of fairness - when you run faster and don’t advance.

At the very least, it should be top 3 in each semi-final with the next two fastest to finals.

Period.

***

                                                                   

Remember false starts?

The sprints used to be a mind game of multiple and intentional false starts. To end the gamesmanship that had infected so many events, the IAAF instituted the one-and-you’re-out rule in 2010 (and modified in 2012).

So far, at least three false starts at this year’s USATF championships have been called on the field.

Green cards abound.

While I’m well aware of the pitfalls of the one-and-done approach (see: Usain bolted, 2011 Worlds), it’s a mystery to me what the basis is for calling false starts here on the field instead of on individuals.

Did they change the rule and nobody told us?

***

Think of the cachet the term “Olympic Trials” has in Eugene.

Our national championships are called that, often followed by ‘which also serve as the World Championships qualifier.’

How about “World Championships Trials”?

OK, that’s a bit of a mouthful, too, but it does sound like a meet with greater importance – an importance it already has to the Hayward faithful.

Greater clarity about the purpose and importance of this meet to the fans Vin Lananna hopes to attract to our sport from beyond these cozy confines can only help to further and accomplish his compelling goals.

***

Evan Jager looked supremely fit and fluid in his steeple qualifier, which he won in a modest 8:40.13. Perhaps his evident confidence comes from his 3:32.97 1500m run at the end of May. He is showing a remarkable range that leaves many hoping he’ll run an open mile before Beijing.

Will an even moderately cooler Sunday see him take on the 8:00 minute barrier?

***

The 100m finals interrupted a perfectly good men’s high jump final.

A scintillating competition saw Erik Kynard win at 7’ 9 ¼”; he then came oh-so-close on two of his three attempts at a new US record of 7’ 10 ¾”.

JaCorian Duffield followed at 7’8”, while ’11 World Champion Jesse Williams (Oregon Track Club) joined the Beijing squad at 7’7”.

“I got excited again,” said Williams, Eugene’s crowd favorite. “I haven’t been excited on the track in a while… I’m just so grateful. I’ve been working really hard the last few years.”

“The first team I made was 10 years ago,” noted the super vet. “Everybody’s calling me ‘old man’ out there! I don’t feel old - I’m 31 - but for a high jumper it is old. But I’m as physically fit as I’ve ever been, and my technique is much better.”

Williams, who did a masterful job of calling the NCAA high jumps on Hayward Field’s internal radio broadcasting system, reflected on that experience.

“I enjoyed it - time flew by and it was fun,” he said of speaking into a microphone for three hours.

“I definitely did a little research,” he understated of his voluminous knowledge of each of the collegiate jumpers.

I was surprised to learn that he called the meet from press row in the West Grandstand, as he gave his commentary the feel of being right next to the high jump apron.

“I got some binoculars and made it happen."

***

Eugene’s weather on Friday was in some ways surprising. It wasn’t the heat so much, as 97F degrees - while uncomfortable - is not entirely unusual for Eugene.

It was the humidity that made the conditions so challenging for the athletes and enervating for the fans. 

Simple tasks such as climbing the stairs in the grandstands would result in people being drenched in sweat. Hayward’s faithful were there, but their enthusiasm was tempered by the conditions.

Perhaps we’re lucky that the meet wasn’t scheduled a week later, as the forecast for next Thursday through Saturday is for highs in the 102-103F range.

Meanwhile, Eugene’s forecast for today is for 99F with 69% humidity.

In our take your pick department, in Beijing today it’s 88F with 79% humidity.

US Men's Hammer Throw

Updated 6/26, 7:26am

Kibwe Johnson urged his second round hammer throw to "Come on!" and "GO!"

It did as commanded at the USATF Outdoor National Championships in Eugene on Thursday when it exceeded the World Championships qualifying standard of 76.00 meters by 22 centimeters.

He later surpassed that with his farthest throw of 76.95m (252' 5"); each was good enough to win.

Conor McCullough (76.09m/249' 7") and A.G. Kruger (76.01m/249'4") will join Johnson at Worlds in Beijing, as each exceeded the championships standard as well.

The depth of Thursday's results was remarkable, with the top 8 recording bests of 71.16m (233' 5") or better.

Even 4th place joined the fray, as James Lambert responded to early adversity by throwing 3 personal bests to rewrite his own record, now at 72.49m (237' 10").

"I'm finally healthy," Lambert said. "I had a little bit of a knee problem at the end of indoors which kind of hindered me at the (indoor) championship where I lost by two inches."

Consistency in training has been key to his ability to peak so well this season. In addition, he is adjusting quickly to any mistakes.

Lambert said that after his first throw "got way away from me, I moved over so I can stay in front of it, and that really helped a lot."

McCullough said,  "I'm excited that all three of us made the team. It's my first senior team and I'm elated." In Beijing, "I'd like to improve and leave it all out there."

It's the first time since 2009 that the US will be sending all three.

Kruger likes the look of the event's future in the US.

"In most years 76m is going to (win) it," he said, "but it was a great competition. It was a great look as to what the men's hammer throw is going to come to in years to come."

Johnson echoed Kruger's view. "Everyone was awesome! I can't remember a time when everyone was in it, at least since I've been around. The country in general is coming up. We have a lot of good young talent."

Johnson would like to throw 78 metres or more in Beijing, make the finals, "and see if I can get on the podium. Outside of Pawel Fajdek (POL), who is leading he world by three meters, it's pretty wide open."

Johnson sees his throwing career winding down, but he'd like to stay involved in the sport.

"I'm going to phase my way out and start coaching these young kids. It's something I'd like to do - to give back. I've learned so much from so many people on my journey to where I am now."

In US track and field, the men's hammer throw is a resurgent event.

US Men's Hammer

Updated 6/26, 7:26am

Kibwe Johnson urged his second round hammer throw to "Come on!" and "GO!"

It did as commanded at the USATF Outdoor National Championships in Eugene on Thursday when it exceeded the World Championships qualifying standard of 76.00 meters by 22 centimeters.

He later surpassed that with his farthest throw of 76.95m (252' 5"); each was good enough to win.

Conor McCullough (76.09m/249' 7") and A.G. Kruger (76.01m/249'4") will join Johnson at Worlds in Beijing, as each exceeded the championships standard.

The depth of today's results was remarkable, with the top 8 recording bests of 71.16m (233' 5") or better.

Even 4th place joined the fray, as James Lambert responded to early adversity by throwing 3 personal bests to rewrite his own record, now at 72.49m (237' 10").

"I'm finally healthy," Lambert said. "I had a little bit of a knee problem at the end of indoors which kind of hindered me at the (indoor) championship where I lost by two inches."

Consistency in training has been key to his ability to peak so well this season. In addition, he is adjusting quickly to any mistakes.

Lambert said that after his first throw "got way away from me, I moved over so I can stay in front of it, and that really helped a lot."

McCullough said,  "I'm excited that all three of us made the team. It's my first senior team and I'm elated." In Beijing, "I'd like to improve and leave it all out there."

It's the first time since 2009 that the US will be sending all three.

Kruger likes the look of the event's future in the US.

"In most years 76m is going to (win) it," he said, "but it was a great competition. It was a great look as to what the men's hammer throw is going to come to in years to come."

Johnson echoed Kruger's view. "Everyone was awesome! I can't remember a time when everyone was in it, at least since I've been around. The country in general is coming up. We have a lot of good young talent."

Johnson would like to throw 78 metres or more in Beijing, make the finals, "and see if I can get on the podium. Outside of Pawel Fajdek (POL), who is leading he world by three meters, it's pretty wide open."

Johnson sees his throwing career winding down, but he'd like to stay involved in the sport.

"I'm going to phase my way out and start coaching these young kids. It's something I'd like to do - to give back. I've learned so much from so many people on my journey to where I am now."

In US track and field, the men's hammer throw is a resurgent event.

The Heat is the Story

Updated Thurs, 6/25, 7:32am
Note that the trend is upward for even hotter weather, not cooler:

With highs of 99F/37C 100F/37.8C now predicted for Friday's and Saturday's USATF Championships, the weather is the story in Eugene.

Combining forecasts from the National Weather Service, Weather Underground, and weather.com, here are the forecast highs for each day of the championships:

93        - Day #1 - Thursday, 6/25
99 100 - Day #2 - Friday, 6/26
99 100 - Day #3 - Saturday, 6/27
90        - Day #4 - Sunday, 6/28

1. USATF announced that the senior men's and women's 5,000m will be run Sunday morning instead of Sunday afternoon:

Sunday, 6/28 - W 5,000m - new start time: 10:20am 

Sunday, 6/28 - M 5,000m - new start time: 10:45am

2. The men's and women's 20k walks will be a combined race:

Sunday, 6/28 - M+W 20k walks combined race: 8:00am

3. The junior men's 10,000m, originally scheduled for Saturday evening, will now have an early Saturday start:

Saturday, 6/27 - JR M 10,000m - new start time: 10:00am

That leaves several races of 3,000m or more to be run in what are likely to be brutally hot conditions.

The senior women's and men's 10,000m remain at 7:35pm and 8:15pm on Thursday, 6/25, preceded by the first round of the women's 3,000m steeplechase at 7:05pm.

The first round of the men's 3,000m steeplechase remains at 6:10pm on Friday, 6/26, and the women's steeple final remains at 1:55pm on Saturday, 6/27.

The biggest impact of the heat likely will be felt in the multis, especially their final events:

- The men's decathlon 1500m at 7:40pm on Friday, 6/26, when temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 90s;
- The women's heptathlon 800m at 1:11pm on Sunday, 6/28, with forecast highs in the upper 80s at that time of day.

Scant consolation to have 'cooler' temperatures than the men, but the cumulative effect of seven events in such heat will be quite similar.

The heat will have a decisive role in shaping the US World Championships multi-events teams, among many others.

It will encourage sit-and-kick races in the middle and long distances, not that those are anything new to national or world championships. Now these are virtually guaranteed.

Weather and schedule updates will be posted here as warranted.

Shoreline Stunner: Hill's 100m US National High School Record

Sprint prodigy Candace Hill set the US National High School 100m record with her historic 10.98 at Shoreline Stadium in Shoreline, WA, today.

The 16-year-old became the youngest woman in the world ever to break 11.00 for 100m.

“I was hoping to run 11.1,” said the sensational sophomore from Stockbridge, Georgia, “after running 11.21 into a headwind at adidas (New York, 6/13/15).” 

Today’s wind was the maximum allowable 2.0 meters per second.

Hill had a national record on her mind as she shattered the previous record of 11.10 set by Kaylin Whitney at the USA Junior Championships in Eugene, OR, on July 5, 2014.

“I’ve been working on my start and my drive,” said Hill. “I was pleased with my start, but it always could be better.”

While she was hoping for a personal best at the aptly named Brooks PR Invitational, “… there was nothing in my training that said I’d run a 10.9 today.”

When asked if this race might alter her summer schedule, she said, “World Youth is next.”

When asked if she instead might run at USATF Senior Outdoor Nationals, she remained firm.

“World Youth is next,” she reiterated.

The understandably pleased Hill smiled and laughed throughout her suddenly many interviews, but the import of her achievement settled even more deeply when she was informed that her time today would have placed her 3^rd* in this year’s outdoor NCAA final.

“Really?” she asked, with an expression that was equal parts astonishment and surprise.

Hill’s time is also a World Youth (11.10, Whitney, above) and American Junior (11.03, English Gardner, 14 May 2011) record.

*or 2^nd depending on how the wind is factored
- birthdate: 11 February 1999

Cheering 2nd

Cheering champions is the way of Eugene's historic Hayward Field.

But never were the place points more important than this weekend at the NCAA Championships.

In a span of 50 minutes on Friday afternoon, two seconds and a third wrapped up Oregon’s men’s national title, long before its vaunted distance corps took to the track.

4:45 - Blake Haney – 3^rd – 1500m

5:15 - Johnathan Cabral – 2^nd – 110m hurdles

5:35 - Marcus Chambers – 2^nd – 400m

Their 22 points would have placed them 9^th in the team score; add Will Geoghegan’s 5-point 4^th place finish in the 5k and the team vaults into a tie for 6^th with Texas A+M.

1.    85 - Oregon 

2.    56 - Florida

3.    53 - Arkansas

4.    45 - LSU

5.    40.5 - USC

6.    27 - Texas A+M

7.    26 - Texas

8.    20 - Mississippi State

9.    18 - Texas Tech

10.  17 - Illinois

       17 - Penn State

As for place points that made all the difference? They played an even more significant role in Oregon women’s first team title in 30 years.

As thoughtful fan Seth L. observed after the meet, Oregon won the team championships with 4^th and 5^th places Thursday evening when Molly Grabill and Waverly Neer finished 4-5 in the 10,000m to pick up nine crucial points in the team race – the Ducks’ eventual margin of victory.

Perhaps we can get really radical and credit Oregon’s throwers with the win. On Thursday, Jillian Weir took fourth in the hammer while Brittany Mann was fifth in the shot put.

Count ‘em: nine crucial points.

And certainly credit Jenna Prandini’s 8 points in the 200m; these clinched the team title for Oregon late Saturday afternoon.

You don’t always have to finish first to win. Celebrate the champions, yes. But celebrate, too, all the non-winning performances that gave Oregon their two team titles.

Home field not always an advantage

It may seem that Oregon’s repeat hosting of the NCAA Outdoor Championships would always create a home field advantage.

Not so.

Today’s 4x100m relay DQ almost cost them the team title.

How so? It was not only the lost potential team points, it was the chilling effect on the start of the women’s 100m, when champion Jenna Prandini almost left the team title in the blocks.

So sure was she not to false start that she was last out. It almost cost her the race, which she won by a scant one-hundredth of a second. Had she false-started, Oregon would have lost the team title by one point – a ten point swing on a nine point winning margin.

The pressure of being the home team is enormous, and granted, is a problem every other team in these championships would love to have. But passing out of the zone is a different beast when it’s in front of over 11,000 fans with lofty expectations. Much better to do it someplace 3000 miles away, when time and distance can buffer the disappointment of the lost opportunity.

Highlight: Women's Pole Vault

A compelling women’s pole vault competition on Thursday saw Demi Payne (Stephen F. Austin, 15”5”) take the win over Sandi Morris (Arkansas, 15’ 3”).

Each has genetic roots in the sport. Payne’s father, Billy, was a leading pole vaulter in the 1990s and a member of the 1995 US World Championship team.

Both of Morris’ parents were collegiate multi-eventers, and in reference to her father she said, “Now I’ve officially jumped higher than he ever did!”

Morris added, “I had a blast yesterday and everyone who watched did, too… It’s hard when you have competition like this but it’s so much more fun.”

The Last Word

Track Town guru Vin Lananna, on the second-day all-women’s events ESPN ratings,

 which were higher than last year’s combined men’s and women’s finals broadcast:

"All the people who thought the women would not get the attention?

WRONG"

Dynamic Duos and Triple Treats

It started on Distance Night in Eugene. 

In the high school girls mile, .04 separated winner Ryen Frazier and runner up Danielle Jones. It continued throughout the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday: exceptionally close, thrilling finishes, time after time, seemingly one after another.

In fields this deep, finishes this close should not be a surprise; the sheer quantity of them stretched the vocal cords of Hayward Field’s capacity crowd. 

It was the number of them that was a surprise:

W 100

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 10.81

Murielle Ahoure 10.81

Tori Bowie 10.82

W 100 B

English Gardner 10.84

Elaine Thompson 10.84

W 800

Eunice Sum 1:57.82

Ajee Wilson 1:57.87

M International Mile

Ben Blankenship 3:55.72

Jonathan Sawe 3:55.76

Timothy Cheruiyot 3:55.80

M Bowerman M Mile

Ayanleh Souleiman 3:51.10 

Matt Centrowitz 3:51.20

Asbel Kiprop 3:51.25

Silas Kiplagat 3:51.92

M 400m hurdles

Johnny Dutch 48.20

Bershawn Jackson 48.22

M 3,000m Steeplechase

Ezekiel Kemboi 8:01.71

Jairus Birech 8:01.83

Next to finish were Conselsus Kiprotu and Evan Jager, separated by .08, 8:05.20 - .28.

W  Javelin

Even the women’s javelin was exceptionally close, with a scant 9 inches separating the top 3.

Christina Obergfoll 206’ 11”

Kara Winger 206’ 2”

Madara Palameika 206’ 2”

Finally, does .02 in the men’s 100 count as close? Probably not.

Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers: 9.88/9.90

Not to be outdone, finishing in a three-way tie for last in the high jump were Donald Thomas (Bah), Jesse Williams (US), and Derek Drouin (Can) at 7’ 4 ¼”.

Meanwhile, a tip of the hat to Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross for taking each other on, time and again, no matter what the possible personal cost in terms of annual rankings.

It’s a rivalry that defines contemporary track and field, and has the possibility of generating interest of the kind Vin Lananna seeks for the sport, far beyond its current - sometimes cozy - confines.

Does Ayanleh Souleiman's 3:51.1 Bowerman Mile winning time sound familiar?

It was once Jim Ryun's world record time.

World Record(s) in Eugene Today?

Uncommon is common at Hayward Field, 

where stars mingle readily with the night,

and night gives the stars all the space they need. 

Link to Steve Prefontaine tribute: “Steve”

http://www.trackerati.com/2015/05/steve.html

Day 2 - 2015 IAAF Diamond League Prefontaine Classic

There is much chatter in Eugene today about the possibility of a world record.

How realistic is this - and who might the claimants be?

The vertical jumpers have the best shot.

Renaud Lavillenie – pole vault

The French 2014 Male Athlete of the Year (Track and Field News and IAAF) supplanted Sergey Bubka (UKR) as world record holder with his 20’ 2.5” clearance in Donetsk, Ukraine, 15 months ago – with Bubka in attendance. He’ll have to contend with the often swirling winds here, but gentle versions of these could be his ally as much as his nemesis.

Mutazz Essa Barshim – high jump

Bogdan Bondarenko (UKR) and Barshim (QAT) electrified this event in 2014, and many made the case that the men’s high jump was the event of the year.

Javier Sotomayor’s 8’ ½”/2.45m world record has stood since 1992; Barshim (2.43m) and Bondarenko (2.42m) are the best since.

A video of Barshim clearing the bar by the proverbial mile went viral last summer. Nail one of those and that world record is history.

Genzebe Dibaba – 5,000m

Dibaba (ETH) has been on a tear – indoors. Since 2/1/14, she has set new standards at 1500m (3:55.17), 3k (8:16.60), 2 miles (9:00.48), and 5k (14:18.86). The world outdoor record is 14:11.15 by sister Tirunesh.

Much could be on the line today, including who gets first dibs on dessert at the next family gathering.

If it were up to me, that would be settled easily if cousin Deratu Tulu - Sydney Olympic and Edmonton World 10,000m champ - dropped by. Meanwhile, waiting her turn for dessert is third sister, Ejagayehu, silver medalist in the Athens Olympic 10k.

(Shhhhhh… dare I speak his name? Justin Gatlin (200m today) is deeply committed to showing he’s better than Usain Bolt; there’s only one way to do that.)

Meanwhile, have you noticed that the acronym for Mutazz Essa Barshim’s name is MEB? I’m just sayin’…

Distance Dominates

On an evening when distance dominated at Eugene's Prefontaine Classic, few distances were more impressive than Joe Kovacs’ 72’ 7” final round throw in the shot put.

In a scintillating series in which three of his throws would have won, Kovacs reinforced his position as the leading putter in the world this year and the favorite to make the deep US World Championships team.

Germany’s two-time World champion David Storl kept the heat on with his 71’11” in second, while the rest of the stellar field finished over two feet behind Kovacs, so dominant were the leading pair.

Tianna Bartoletta mastered swirling winds with her 23’4” long jump win. Canada’s Christabel Nettey took second in 22’ 11 1/4”; the rising star’s personal best remains fractions from long jumping’s 23’ and 7 meter stratosphere. Surprising in 5^th was World and Olympic champion Britnney Reese.

With his scintillating 27:07.51 10k, Cam Levins smashed the Canadian record of 27:23.63 set by Simon Bairu in 2010. Levins moved through the field dramatically from 7k and stormed to a fourth place finish.

“It’s my first outdoor record, and I’m feeling good,” said Levins. Levins spoke with Bairu before the race and said of his record, “It’s going down!” Right he was.

Next up for Levins is the Portland Track Classic 5k with the goal of achieving the World qualifier.

Mo Farah outkicked Paul Tanui and Geoffrey Kamworor for the win, but was disappointed in the time of 26:50.97. 

Tanui and Farah helped each other by exchanging the lead when the pacers were not as effective for as long as hoped. “We had a chat at the beginning of the race and said, ‘Let’s help each other,’ said Farah. “We wanted to run a fast time.”

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha blew open the men’s 5k with unofficial splits of 55-62 - before the last 200! Last year's World Junior champion is undefeated on this track.

In spite of his third place finish, Galen Rupp felt that this 5,000m in particular was helpful in establishing where he is in his season, especially after his first scheduled race was cancelled due to lightning wto weeks ago. 

“I was really happy that it ended up being tactical,” Rupp said.  “It’s good practice for the meets coming up, which are probably going to be tactical, too.”  

"Pre"View: Field Events for Friday in Eugene

Uncommon is common at Hayward Field, 

where stars mingle readily with the night,

and night gives the stars all the space they need. 

Link to Steve Prefontaine tribute: “Steve”

http://www.trackerati.com/2015/05/steve.html

“Pre”View: Field Events

for Distance Night in Eugene

Much attention is rightly focused on the magnificent fields assembled for the men’s 5k and 10k for Friday’s Distance Night in Eugene. Links to distance events previews are posted, below.

Not to be lost in the distance drama are superb Friday fields in the men’s discus, women’s long jump, and men’s shot put.

Men’s Discus - 20:03 

A remarkably deep field is missing its king. Robert Harting, World and Olympic Champion, continues to recover from a knee injury suffered in a training accident last fall. Three-time World and Olympic silver medalist Piotr Malachowski (Pol) is one of two favorites in the absence of his nemesis. Gerd Kanter (Est) has a dazzling competitive record in this event with World and Olympic gold and three podium finishes to boot; while his golds seem to be behind him (2007 and 2008), he has a remarkable run of 2-3-3 in the last three World-Olympic-World championships – and he is now 36 years old. Best of the outstanding rest is Iran’s Ehsan Hadadi, with two major meet medals to his credit. Some terrific young talent in this meet… not so much a changing of the guard as adding to it. Should be a dazzling display between Kanter and Malachowski - especially if that evening breeze comes in sideways at Hayward Field.

Women’s Long Jump – 20:06

Brittney Reese is to the long jump as Robert Harting is to the discus: each has consecutive World titles and Olympic championships in the last four opportunities: ’09, ’11, ‘12, and ’13. Reese has the longest PR in this field by almost 8”. Sure to challenge her is the resurgent Tianna Bartoletta, who as Tianna Madison shocked the athletics world with her 2005 World Championship win in Helsinki. Russia’s Darya Khristina has the distance (23’ 1 ¾”) but not yet the titles, while Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic won here last year but has a personal best over a foot behind that of Reese. Eager to break 7 metres and join the 23’ club is Canada’s young Christabel Nettey.

Men’s Shot Put – 20:28

The shot put entry list reads like a royal family tree. Tomasz Majewski – 2x Olympic champion; David Storl – 2x World champion; Reese Hoffa - world indoor and outdoor champion, and last year’s world #1; Christian Cantwell – 3 indoor world titles, one outdoors; Ryan Whiting – 2 x world indoor champion.

My pick? David Storl, highly accomplished for so young a thrower. He is the putter and the present as well as the future. He and Majewski are great big-meet throwers; their PBs are 1’ to almost 2’ behind their famous brethren.

Here are links to a couple of the distance previews from the runnerspace.com meet headquarters page:

10k 

http://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.phpevent_id=120&do=news&news_id=350500

5k

http://eugene.diamondleague.com/news/single-news/news/mens-5k-a-pre-classicspecialty/tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=7a7b912f5ef94bc489bb9912cdec589b

I am intrigued most of all by Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor in the 10K… he made the Kenyan 5k Olympic team when he was 19. Three years later, this past March, he won the World XC title; he turned a close race with teammate Bedan Karoki into an 8-second margin of victory in just the last 300m. Watch out.