National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Simpson, Muhammad, Demus claim medals

Sixth in a 9-part series! Keep checking back for the next 3!

2013 IAAF World Champs photos by John Nepolitan | John's NSAF Alums Thursday 0815 Gallery
NSAF file photos by Vic Sailer, Photorun.net, for the NSAF

 
2013 IAAF WC women's 400H final: Lashinda Demus wins bronze at left, Dalilah Muhammad takes silver at right.

It takes a special magic sometimes to claim those elusive gold medals, but there’s a lot to be said for nabbing those of other colors, too.  During the 6th day of competition at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, eight National Scholastic Athletics Foundation alums competed in five different finals, with a special Team USA trio – Dalilah Muhammad and Lashinda Demus in the 400H and Jenny Simpson in the 1,500 – combining to win two silvers and a bronze.

There were also 14 former NSAF stars competing in qualifying or semifinal rounds, with 11 of them advancing to finals – that’s 22 total in action on Thursday!  There’s more than 100 “alums” here in Moscow, including Team USA and international competitors, who have previously competed in the Foundation’s events.  Please note: You can read the detailed NSAF accomplishments of all of the relevant athletes mentioned below who began competition during the previous days of the meet: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Muhammad, Demus, Simpson take the stand

Dalilah Muhammad (Van Nuys, Calif.) and Lashinda Demus (Palmdale, Calif.) each brought their own kind of credentials and something to prove in this meet.  This was the 23-year-old Muhammad’s first senior Worlds, but six years ago she had won the World Youth title (plus the Nike Outdoor Nationals (NON) 400H crown).  Having significantly lowered her PR this year, she had a chance to prove she could reach the medal stand at this level, too.  Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Demus – the 2000 Nike Indoor Classic (NIC) 400 champ – had done it all, but in a year where she’s struggled with injuries it was as chance to prove that even when not at her best, she could compete with the best.

While neither American could contend with Zuzuna Hejnova’s gold-medal finish, Muhammad grabbed the silver with her 54.09 and Demus earned the bronze at 54.27.  Demus now has four 400H WC medals, including one of every color, and Muhammad served notice that she should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

 
2013 IAAF WC women's 1,500 final: Jenny Simpson wins silver at left, Mary Cain takes 10th at right.

In the 1,500, Team USA fans had their eyes on two NSAF alums with very different storylines.  For 2011 World Champ Jenny Simpson (Boulder, Colo.) – who competed in three NSAF events – it was all about proving that her victory two years ago wasn’t just a magical one-time aligning of the planets, but that she’s a true 1,500 star that can contend for medals year after year.  For her young 17-year-old teammate Mary Cain (Bronxville, N.Y.) – anchor for the 2011 New Balance Nationals Outdoor (NBNO) 4x8 champs and 2012 NBNI 800 runner-up – it was seeing if she could produce another eye-popping finish in the final chapter of her amazing journey from earning a spot on the U.S. team to racing in the final against the world’s best.

Interestingly, Simpson went to the front early and Cain slipped in right behind her – the former seeming to want to control the tempo and the latter shifting from her typical mode of going out in the back.  Simpson stayed at or near the front all race – with only world leader Abebe Aregawi of Sweden was able to outkick her in the end – as she impressively won silver in 4:02.99.  Cain slowly slipped into and then behind the pack, eventually into 12th, before passing two on the final circuit to take 10th in 4:07.19.

Simpson clearly answered questions about her status as a perennial middle-distance force, while Cain would in post-race interviews acknowledge it wasn’t her best race and show great determination to continue to progress on the big stage.

Four more NSAF alums came into Thursday night with medal hopes and each gave it a good go before falling short.  In the men’s 400 hurdles final, Team USA’s Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) and the Dominican Republic’s Felix Sanchez – both 2-time former champs – raced to see if they could do it again.  Sanchez, the 2001 and 2003 winner – as well as the 1995 National Scholastic Outdoor (NSIC) 400H and 2012 Olympic Gold medalist – was the oldest in the field at 35 and managed a 5th-place finish this time in 48.22.  Clement, the three-time NSAF hurdles champ who won WC titles in 2007 and 2009, had to settle for 8th this time with 49.08.

 
Erik Kynard: 2013 IAAF WC HJ final at left, 2009 NON HJ winner at right.

In the high jump, 2012 Olympic Silver medalist Erik Kynard (Manhattan, Kan.) – winner of a combined three NIN and NON crowns – hoped to get back on the medal stand again, but it looked to be tougher this time with a field that included four who had leapt 7-9.75 or better.  Kynard didn’t have quite the same mojo this time, but still finished a very respectable 5th at 7-7.25 and, at 22, should have several more medal opportunities.

Same for Evan Jager (Portland, Ore.), still in just his second year in the steeplechase.  His goal was to improve on his 6th-place finish in London last year and he did that – taking 5th in 8:08.67 – but naturally had hoped for a little better.  Jager, who placed between 3rd and 9th in four NON races as a prep, stayed with the lead pack nearly the entire race, but just didn’t have the kick to fight for a medal.

More NSAF talent starts medal bids

The qualifying and semifinal rounds featured the meet debuts for one of the sport’s biggest global stars (Allyson Felix) as well as one of Team USA’s exciting young standouts (Ajee Wilson).  On top of that, there was qualifying for perhaps the Americans’ most consistently successful field event (men’s shot put), and the start of their bid for a full set of relay medals (men’s 4x400).

Felix (Santa Clarita, Calif.), came into the meet as a 3-time 200m World Champ (2005-07-09), but with her 2011 creds being a 400 silver and 200 bronze as she tried the double.  She’s also the reigning Olympic 200 champion, after silvers in 2004 and 2008, and has accumulated 16 medals (12 gold) in WC and Olympic competition (including relays).  She earned her NSAF stripes with a pair of appearances as a soph at Los Angeles Baptist in 2001 – runner-up finishes in the NIC 200 (24.06) and adidas Outdoor (AOC) 200 (23.68) – before going on to become the World Youth 100 champ.

 
IAAF WC women's 200 qualifying: At left, Kimberlyn Duncan; at right, Allyson Felix.

While Felix came into Moscow as the favorite based on past creds, she had not yet put up a really fast time in 2013.  But in the morning session she led first-round qualifiers with her heat 6 win in 22.59(+0.3w) and then the semifinals as well with her SF2 victory in 22.30(+0.0w).  Meanwhile, the four morning starters for Team USA also included NSAF alum Kimberlyn Duncan (Katy, Texas) – who was 5th in the NON 200 with 23.95 in 2009 while at Cypress Springs (Houston), but really emerged as an American elite during her stellar NCAA career at LSU.  She won the first qualifying heat in 22.84(+0.0w) here, but in taking 3rd in the second semi later (22.91) did not make the final.

But joining Felix in the 200 final will be another alum, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast (NIC 200 in 2004), who already won the 100 silver. 

 
Ajee Wilson: 2013 IAAF WC 800 qualifying at left, 2009 NON SMR at right.

Though Ajee Wilson (Philadelphia) finished her prep career at Neptune (N.J.) in 2012, she’s still mentioned in the same breath as Mary Cain among supremely talented youngsters and, having turned pro right out of high school, has been watched closely by fans.  Like fellow American Arman Hall, she came into the Worlds riding the wave of having won gold medals in successive years at World Youths (2011) and World Juniors (2012).

In fact, Wilson made Team USA three times as a prep, also being a 2010 World Junior 800 finalist.  She still found time to win NBNI 800 titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as anchoring the sprint medley victory for Neptune at the 2010 NBNO with her legendary 2:00.59 auto-timed split.

Here, Wilson was 3rd in H3, running 2:00.00 to qualifying automatically.  Also making it through to the semis was teammate Alysia Montano (Canyon Country, Calif.) – the five-time U.S. champion who was 5th in the 2012 Olympic 800 – who won H2 in 1:59.47.  As Alysia Johnson, she ran for Canyon HS and was part of the 3rd-place 4x800 relay in the 2004 AOC.

In men’s shot qualifying, three Americans and one Canadian came in with NSAF ties, and all four made it to the final.  Ryan Whiting (Port Matilda, Pa.), the 2012 World Indoor Champ and 9th in the 2012 Olympics, one USATFs last month and is one of the gold favorites.  He qualified first overall at 70-7.  While at Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.), he made five NSAF appearances, including winning the 2005 NIN shot (65-1.25) and taking 2nd in both the shot (67-8) and disc (195-3) at the 2005 NON.  He was the 2004 AOC shot runner-up as well.

 
2013 IAAF WC men's SP qualifying: Cory Martin at left, Reese Hoffa at right.

Qualifying 5th (67-0) and 8th (66-2.5) were U.S. standouts Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) and Cory Martin (Opelika, Ala.).  Hoffa’s the 35-year-old veteran who was the 2007 World Champ, followed by 4th in 2009 and 5th in 2011.  He also took bronze in London last year after making his 3rd Olympic team.  As a prep at Lakeside Evans (Augusta, Ga.), he was 5th in the 1995 NSIC shot.  Meanwhile, Martin has made his first outdoor national team after qualifying for the 2010 World Indoor.  His NSAF experience was a relatively non-descript 13th in the 2003 NIC shot while at Edgewood (Ellettsville, Ind.) HS.

The Canadian qualifier, 7th overall with 66-10.75, is veteran standout Dylan Armstrong, a 32-year-old whose career already includes silver from the 2011 Worlds, bronze from the 2010 World Indoor, and 4th and 5th in the past two Olympic Games.  As a prep, he came down below the border from British Columbia to win the 1999 NIC weight throw with 87-5 – which stood as a meet and North American record for 10 years.

     
Team USA in the men's IAAF WC 4x4 qualifying: James Harris, David Verburg, Josh Mance, Arman Hall.

Team USA’s relay hopes were launched Thursday morning as the men’s 4x400 heats got underway.  Though the Americans ran without 400 gold and silver medalists LaShawn Merritt and Tony McQuay, they easily moved to the finals (2:59.85 to take H2) with their all-NSAF team of James Harris (Tallahassee, Fla.), David Verburg (Fairfax, Va.), Josh Mance (Los Angeles) and Arman Hall (Gainesville, Fla.).  Hall’s creds have been mentioned previously, including his 2011 NBNO and World Youth 400 titles while at St. Thomas Aquinas HS, plus his World Junior 400 silver and 4x4 gold last year.

Mance, while at Don Lugo (Chino, Calif.) HS, preceded Hall with his 2010 NBNO 400 triumph (46.21) and went on to 5th at that year’s World Juniors.  Harris and Verburg raced each other at the 2009 NON 400, with Harris taking 3rd (46.86) to Verburg’s 5th (47.28).  Verberg, at E.C. Glass (Lynchburg, Va.), was also 5th in the NIN 400 that year; while Harris, at Lanett (Ala.) would go on to 2nd at the NBNI 400 in 2010 (47.73).

An NSAF alum also ran for the Jamaican 4x400 that won H1 in 3:00.41 and qualified 2nd overall.  Edino Steele was 4th in the AOC 200 and 7th in the 400 while at Pacific (Brooklyn) HS in 2004.

Finally, in the women’s high jump qualifying, Inika McPherson (Oakland, Calif.) was 18th overall at 6-2 and did not advance.  She was the AOC HJ champ in 2005 (5-10.5) while at Port Arthur Memorial (Texas), and was 5th in 2002 as well.  She also made the World Junior final in 2004, taking 11th.