2014 IAAF World Junior Championships- Spier’s Daily Blog Updated!
Jim Spier will be updating this blog periodically throughout the competition here in Eugene with analysis after each session and often after each event is completed. More recent entries will be posted at the top of this blog so scroll down if you miss any.
Video interviews by Steve Underwood and photos by Joy Kamani and our partners at PhotoRun.com will also be posted on our website, and Facebook Page. Paul Limmer will be tweeting throughout on TweetingTrack. Follow us and don't miss a single piece of the explosive action here at Hayward Field this week.
Day 6 (video interviews and photos on our Facebook Page)
Women’s 100m Hurdles Final
We knew that heptathlon bronze medalist would challenge for the silver. She could break 13 seconds as shown by her semi-final performance. But both Americans, Kendell Williams and Dior Hall, bested her as Kendall Williams set a national junior and meet record of 12.89. Dior Hall, in second, broke a 1979 high school record (Candy Young, 12.95) with her 12.92. Visser, the other under 13 seconds (!), took third in 12.99. Sixth place was 13.29. Those six set national junior records (except Hall, who was behind Williams, with the PR and National High School record).
Women’s High Jump Final
Rachel Mc Coy (Chaffey JC) equaled her PR (6-0.75), then bettered in at 6-2 to finish 4th overall. That’s the second best finish ever by an American. Amy Acuff was tied for third in 1994. Morgan Lake, the heptathlon champion, added the gold in this event, jumping
Men’s Triple Jump Final
The 16 year old Cuban world leader (both junior and youth), Lazaro Martinez, jumped 56-2.5 on his second jump, a meet record. He won by almost 2 feet over Max Hess (Germany) who got a PB of 54-3.75.
Men’s Javelin Final
Gatis Cakss, in 5th going in to the final round, uncorked his best on his final throw to win with 242-11. Matija Muhar (Slovenia), the favorite, could not improve on his final throw and finished second with a toss of 239-5. The U.S. has never medaled in this event.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final
No surprise here, as Kenyan athletes took 1-2, the winner being Barnabas Kiyego in 8:25.57. Bailey Roth, not satisfied with breaking the national record once, broke it again, running 10th in 8:47.04. It is an incredible feat given only having 2 days to recover from the trials.
Women’s 1500m Final
Alexa Efraimson (Camas, WA), staying in contact the entire race, could not hang with the leaders with 200 meters to go. She faded down the homestretch as Elise Cranny (Niwott, CO) passed her. The winner was favorite Dawit Seyaum (Ethiopia) in 4:09.86. Cranny was 4th in 4:12.82, about 2 seconds off her PR, with Efraimson in 6th 4:13.31. Cranny’s 4th place finish was the best ever for a U.S. athlete. Noone from the Americas has ever gotten a medal in this event.
Men’s 800m Final
A 49.42 opening 400 meters led us to believe this was going to be a very fast race. Alfred Kipketer (Kenya), running wire to wire, ran the 8th fastest ever run with his 1:43.95. Tretez Kinnaird (Indiana) ran a big PB in 6th (1:47.13). That’s just off the top 10 US Juniors with 1:47.0 being the 10th fastest time. The top 7 in that race ran personal bests.
Women’s 4x400m Final
It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t unexpected either, as the U.S. got the win. It was the 7th in the row for the U.S. which has now won 9 of the 15 4x400m relays. It was Shamier Little (52.5), Olivia Baker (53.0), Shakima Wimbley (52.46) and Kendall Baisden (52.28) winning in 3:30.42, #6 all-time junior.
Men’s 4x400m Final
The U.S. got the world junior lead with their win (3:03.31), #2 all-time. Three Virginians (all but Tyler Brown) made up the team. It was sophomore Josephus Lyles (TC Williams, Alexandria, VA 46.4), Tyler Brown (Eastern Michigan 46.0), Ricky Morgan (Forest Park, Woodbridge, VA 45.9) and Michael Cherry (Florida State 45.04). The U.S. has won all but two of the 15 events.
Day 5 (video interviews and photos on our Facebook Page)
Women’s 100m Hurdle Semi Finals
Dior Hall look smooth in qualifying, running 13.07w and besting medal contender Yasmin Miller (Great Britain) handily.
Kendell Williams also ran easily, again dipping under 13 seconds, running a windy 12.98 to win.
Second fastest was the winner of Semi 3, Nadine Visser (Netherlands), the bronze medalist in the heptathlon with a very fast 13.01, albeit windy.
Men’s Pole Vault Final
Axel Chapelle (France) took the world junior lead with a winning 18-2.5 jump. Devin King (Sumner, Kentwood, LA) had an ever-so-close miss at this height but still managed 4th at 18-0.5, the 6th best ever jump by an American high schooler. The U.S. has only ever gotten one medal in this event, a bronze by Rocky Danners in 2000.
Women’s 4x400m Qualifying
The U.S. won in 3:32.73, the leading time in the world thus far for juniors – the team consisted of Shakima Wimbley (Miami), Felicia Majors (Tennessee), Aaliyah Barnes (Ohio State) and Olivia Baker (Columbia, Maplewood, NJ).
Men’s 4x400m Qualifying
A solid US win with Josephus Lyles (TC Williams, Alexandria, VA), Myles Parrish (Arizona), Ricky Morgan (Forest Park, Woodbridge, VA) and Michael Cherry (Florida State). Their 3:03.97 is the current world junior leader.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Final
Favorite Shamier Little (Texas A+M) won 55.66, with Britain’s Shona Richards outleaning Jade Miller (Harvard) for the silver, 56.16 to 56.22. That was a significant PR for Miller, who improved by exactly 1 second! It’s only the second time that the US has won gold, the prior time being Leshinda Demus in 2002. It’s the only time that the U.S. has gotten 2 medals.
Men’s 800m Semi Finals
Tretez Kinnaird (Indiana) showed that he belonged, winning his heat in 1:48.04, close to his PR. He took over the lead at 400m (53.76) and never gave up the lead.
Women’s Triple Jump Final
It was not Keturah Orji’s day, managing only 43-7.25w. She did have a legal jump of 43.5, and would finish 9th overall. Marshay Ryan (Auburn) was 7th with a jump of 44-7.5. The winner was Rouguy Diallo of France at 47-4.5w. World leader and favorite Ana Peleteiro (Spain) finished 6th. It was France’s first ever medal in this event. The U.S. has never had one.
Men’s Discus Final
U.S. High School leader Kord Ferguson (Ottawa, KS) did not make the final, finishing 9th in 195-4, his second best throw ever. Ryan Njegovan (St. Francis-IL) finished 8th in 195-5. The winner was Martin Markovic of Croatia with a throw of 219-7.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
Ruth Jebet (Bahrain) won in 9:36.74. Elinor Purrier (New Hampshire) could not equal her qualifying performance, running 10:21.59 for 9th.
Women’s 4x100m Final
The U.S. just had to get the stick around to win. And they did in the 5th fastest time ever run (43.46). Running was Teahna Daniels (First Academy, Orlando, FL), Ariana Washington (Poly, Long Beach, CA), Jada Martin (LSU) and Kaylin Whitney (Eastridge, Clermont, FL). It was the 9th gold for the U.S. in this event. Jamaica has 4, Germany 1 and East Germany 1.
Men’s 4x100m Final
It was a similar situation for the U.S. men, and that’s just was they did, running 38.70 for the world junior lead. It was Jalen Miller (Mississippi), Trayvon Bromell (Baylor), Kendal Williams (Stanton Prep, Jacksonville, FL) and Trentavis Friday (Cherryville, NC). It was also #2 all-time junior, the fastest being the U.S. team in 2004. Like the women, tt’s the 9th gold for the U.S. in this event. Great Britain has 4 and Jamaica has 2.
Day 4 Evening
Attendance was 8,937, an increase of about 1000 over yesterday.
Mens Javelin Qualifying
Curtis Thompson (Florence, NJ) could manage only 212-10 for 17th and did not advance. The negative wind hindered the throws as there was only one automatic qualifier. The 12th qualifier threw 218-10.
Men’s Hammer Final
A world junior lead for champion Ashraf Amgad Elesify of Qatar, throwing 277-11, winning by 15 feet.
Women’s 4x100m Round 1
The US (Teahna Daniels, Ariana Washington, Jada Martin, Ky Westbrook) used some safe passes to guarantee the win in a world leading 44.03. We understand Kaylin Whitney will replace one of the legs for the final, most likely Ky Westbrook.
Men’s High Jump Final
Mikhail Akimenko of Russia led 4 athletes over 7-4.25 with places decided on fewer misses.
Women’s Shot Put Final
Raven Saunders started off slow, throwing 47-2.25. She threw 53-8.25 to move her into third. That’s where she remained until her final throw, when she threw 54-6.75 to move into second and got the silver. The favorite Tianqian Guo of China was the winner with a best of 58-1.25. Only two other athletes have ever gotten a medal in this competition: Laura Geraughty (bronze 2002) and Michelle Carter (gold 2004)
Men’s 4x100 Round 1
The US could not match the speed of Japan who won their heat (with not especially good handoffs) in 39.23, #6 all-time world junior. The US (Jalen Miller, Trayvon Bromell, Terry Jernigan and Michael Wells) was second in 39.43. Trentavis Friday will replace one of the legs in the final.
Women’s 400m Hurdle Semi Finals
Shamier Little won her heat in 57.18 and Jade Miller was second in hers in 57.28, becoming the 2nd and 3rd fastest qualifiers for the final.
Men’s 400m Hurdles Finals
Jaleel Hyde of Jamaica and Tim Holmes (Baylor) were dead even over 7 hurdles after which Hyde gained a slight lead. Hyde extended his lead to win relatively easily, but no one saw Ali Khamis Khamis of Bahrain to their left, who sped past Holmes to get the silver, leaving Holmes with the bronze.
Women’s 200m Final
Kaylin Whitney seemed to false start and the race was called back. But the officials ruled that she never left the blocks so was not disqualified. She went on to win in a windy 22.82 [+2.4]. Jada Martin was 5th in 23.35.
Men’s 200m Final
Trentavis Friday (Cherryville, NC) had a great start and led the entire way for a magnificent 20.03, albeit aided by a 2.3 mps wind. It equals his prior best 20.03 windy time. It was the first gold for the US since Tony Wheeler won in Lisbon in 1994.
Women’s 400m Final
This was almost as predicted, with Kendall Baisden (Texas) winning Kendall Baisden the winner in 51.85 and Stanford-bound Olivia Baker (Columbia, Maplewood, NJ) third in 53.00.
Men’s 5000m Final
In the 14 year history of this meet through 2012, Kenyans and Ethiopians have split the winning equally, each with 7 golds. Ethiopia now breaks the tie with the victory of Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia in 13:25.18. Ethiopian Yasin Haji was second in 13:26.71. Neither was in the top 10 I in the world this year. Colby Gilbert (Washington) was 9th in 14:09.98 and Brian Barraza (Houston) was 13th in 14:13.33, a PR for him by .21!
Women’s Discus Final
It seemed that Valerie Allman (Stanford) had it locked up with her initial throw of 186-2. But Valerie da Silva got a monster world junior leading throw of 190-4 on her second attempt to win.
Day 4 Morning Session
Women’s Shot Put Qualifying
Auto qualifying 51-10 or top 12
Raven Saunders (Burke, Charleston, SC) got the auto qualifier on her second throw, putting 54-10.75. She threw 51-3.75 on her first attempt. She is the leading qualifier overall for tomorrow’s
In a scandalous turn of events, Aaliyah Pete was denied entry because of a “clerical error”. See the complete press release at usatf.org.
Men’s Discus Qualifying
Auto qualifying 193-7 or top 12
Ryan Njegovan (St. Francis (Il)) got the auto qualifier on his third throw – 196-6 – which is also a personal best. He was the second best qualifier in his group.
Kord Ferguson (Ottawa, KS) got the auto qualifier on his first throw (194-3), so both Americans will advance to tomorrow’s final.
Men’s 10000m Racewalk Final
A meet record for Daisuke Matsunaga of Japan at 39:27.19. Anthony Peters of the US was 28th, , more than 6 minutes back, in 45:31.86, a personal best.
Men’s Triple Jump Qualifying
Auto qualifying 52-2 or top 12.
Favorite Lazaro Martinez (Cuba) got the auto qualifier on his first attempt, jumping 54-6.75
Hayden Mc Clain (Oklahoma) finished 19th in qualifying (49-6.25w) and John Warren (Prince George, VA) was 24th (48-3.25). Both will not advance.
Women’s 100m Hurdle Round 1
First four in each heat and those with the next 4 fastest times advance to the semi finals.
Kendell Williams (Georgia) made it look easy in winning her heat in 13.00, the fastest overall qualifier. Dior Hall (George Washington, Denver, CO) won her heat in 13.29 to qualify third overall.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Qualifying
First 5 in each of the two heats and next 5 fastest times advance to the finals.
We thought Bailey Roth (Coronado, Colorado Springs, CO) could get the national record but not necessarily in the trials. Though finishing 7th in his heat, he still ran 8:48.60, breaking a 35 year old national record held by Jeff Hess (South, Eugene, OR) – 8:50.1 in 1979.
Bryce Miller (Missouri-Kansas City) ran a nice race, albeit clobbering the final hurdle, but would not have qualified anyway since all of the time qualifiers came out of the first heat. Nonetheless, he ran 9:06.17 to finish 7th.
Women’s High Jump Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 6-0.75 or top 12
Bailey Weiland (Marist, Atlanta, GA), the New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion jumped 5-8.75 and did not advance.
Rachel Mc Coy (Chaffey JC) got a lifetime best of 6-0.75 to advance to the finals.
Women’s 1500m Qualifying
First 4 in each of the 2 heats and next 4 fastest advance to the finals.
Alexa Efraimson (Camas, WA), though running in lane 2 seemingly for the entire race, qualified among the top 4, running 4:16.87.
Unlike Alexa, Elisa Cranny (Niwot, CO) ran in lane 1 the entire way finishing 4th and qualifying in 4:15.21.
Men’s 800m Qualifying
First 3 in each of the 6 heats and those with the next 6 fastest times advance t the semi finals.
Myles Marshall (Kingwood, TX) looked good for 500 meters but could keep up with the leaders when they surged. He could not respond and finished last in 1:53.98.
Tretez Kinnaird (Indiana) stayed with world junior leader Alfred Kipketer (Kenya) for the entire race, finishing third in 1:50.07 and advancing.
Men’s Javelin Qualifying
Auto qualifying 236-3 or top 12.
Day 3 Review
Recap of U.S. athletes:
- Women
o 200m: Kaylin Whitney and Jada Martin both advanced to the final
o 400m: Kendall Baisden and Olivia Baker both advanced to the finals
o 3000m: Mary Cain won the 3000m in #2 American Junior all-time 8:58.48, breaking the Kenyan streak dating back to 2000. Stephanie Jenks was 15th
o 3000m Steeplechase: Elinor Purrier got a monster PR (10:08.33 - #6 all-timr American Junior) to move on to the final. Hope Schmelze finished 29th overall and did not advance
o 400m Hurdles: Jade Miller and Shamier Little both advanced to the semis
o Pole Vault: Desiree Freier finished second in the pole vault in a high school record 14-7.25.
o Triple Jump: Keturah Orji and Marshay Ryan advanced to the final, Orji with a high school leading mark of 44-2, achieving it on her first attempt.
o Discus: Valerie Allman got an auto qualifier on her first throw to advance to the final; Katelyn Daniels did not advance.
- Men
o 200m: Trentavis Friday advanced to the final with the fastest qualifier (20.35). Kendal Williams did not advance.
o 400m: Lamar Bruton finished 6th and Tyler Brown 8th.
o 110m Hurdles: Nick Anderson finished 8th
o 400m Hurdles: Tim Holmes advanced to the finals; Kenny Selmon did not.
o Long Jump: Trayvon White finished 4th
o Shot Put: Braheme Days finished 3rd; Amir Ali Patterson finished 7th.
Observations:
- I have been to 13 of these World Junior Championships, and this is the best one yet. The organization, enthusiastic crowds and the amazing athletes make this event special
- Highlights for me were the massive Mary Cain victory in the 3000m. It is rare, indeed, so see an American pulling away from the Kenyans (or any other group at this distance. Also, Desiree Freier’s gutsy performance, equaling the high school record, then breaking it twice before near misses at 14-9.
- The Japanese men are having a terrific meet: 3rd in the 100m, 2nd and 7th in the 400m, and have qualified 2 in the 200m final. They should, obviously, have some good relays.
- Each year for the past 8 years (except for this year), we have taken a group of underclassmen to Puerto Rico to compete in the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational (CSI). Here are some the athletes from that meet who are present here in Eugene (and a few others)
o 2010:
Women’s 100:
1. Olivia Ekpone 11.82
Women’s 200:
1. Ekpone 24.22
Women’s 800:
1. Claudia Francis 2:10.85
2. Kelsey Margey 2:12.04
Women’s 100m Hurdles:
1. Kendell Williams 13.74
Women’s High Jump
1. Kendell Williams 5-7
2. Akela Jones (BAR) 5-5
Women’s Shot Put
1. Brea Garrett 42-8.25
Men’s High Jump:
_3 Gunnar Nixon 6-4.75
o 2011:
Mens 400: Arman Hall (US) over Luquelin Santos (DOM), 46.95 to 47.29
o 2012:
Women’s 100:
1. Ky Westbrook 11.90
2. Chyna Ries 11.92
3. Nelda Huggins (BVI) 12.04
4. Deajah Stevens 12.17
5. Jada Martin 12.30
Women’s 200:
1. Huggins 24.57
2. Grace Claxton (PUR) 24.67
3. Martin 24.73
4. Westbrook 24.76
Women’s 100m Hurdles:
1. Dior Hall 13.52
Women’s 400m Hurdles:
1. Shamier Little 61.26
Women’s Long Jump:
1. Ries 18-9.75
Men’s 200:
1. Devon Allen 21.21
Men’s 110m Hurdles:
1. Allen 13.41w
Men;s 2000m Steeplechase:
1. Bailey Roth 6:18.95
o 2013:
Men’s 100m:
1. Zharnel Hughes (Anguilla) 10.52
2. Kendal Williams 10.59
Men’s 400m:
1. Ricky Morgan 47.50
Men’s Triple Jump:
1. John Warren 48-4
Day 3 Evening Session
Women’s Pole Vault Final
Desiree Freier (Northwest, Justin, TX) put on a gutsy performance, breaking the high school record twice and finishing second. She jumped 14-7.25, making 3 gallant attempts at 14-9. Bonnie Draxler (Wrightstown, WI) was 11th at 12-11.5.
Women’s 200m Semi Finals
Jada Martin ran well in her heat but finished second to 100m silver medalist Angela Tenorio (Ecuador). She advanced to the final.
Kaylin Whitney got all she wanted from Cuban Aarialis Gandulla, but managed to hang on for the win and advance to the final.
Men’s 200m Semi Finals
Kendal Williams looked spent from last night’s win. He had gotten lane one as a result of this morning’s third place qualifying round finish.
Trentavis Friday showed that he is the one to beat, easily winning his heat in 20.35.
Men’s Shot Put
Konrad Bukowiecki (Poland) won the event on his first throw (69-5.5), then improved to 72-4.5 for the world junior lead and #3 all-time world junior. Braheme Days got the bronze (65-7.75) and Amir Ali Patterson finished 7th (63-0).
Women’s 400m Semi Final
It appeared that Olivia Baker had gone out too fast, but maintained her form for 400 meters to win in 53.08. Kendall Baisden got a challenge from Laura Muller of Germany but prevailed to win in 52.52. The fastest time was the winner of the third heat, Gilda Casanova (Cuba) in 52.45.
Men’s 110m Hurdles Final
Wilhelm Belocian (France) set a world junior record in a stunning 12.99. Nick Anderson got a bad start and finished 8th in 13.93.
Men’s 400m Final
The favorite, Machel Cedenio (Trinidad and Tobago) won easily with a world leading 45.13. Lamar Bruton was 6th in 46.75 and Tyler Brown 8th in 47.30.
Women’s 800m Final
Wambui at 2:00.49 (a 3 second PR) to Diago’s 2:02.11.
Men’s Long Jump
It was an all Asian medal group with Jianan Wang of China winning in 26-6.25, followed by Qing Lin of China an Shotaro Shiroyama of Japan. Travonn White was 4th at 25-4w.
Women’s Javelin Final
The favorite, Sofi Flinck, sat in third until her last throw, taking the lead at 186-0. But the prior leader, Ekaterina Starygina of Russia had one throw left. And, like a true champion, won the event on that last throw, tossing the javelin 186-6.
Women’s 3000 Meters
Mary Cain was very, very impressive (to say the least!), becoming the first American to ever win a medal in any event about 800 meters, men or women, winning in 8:58.48. Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar, Marion, IA) ran decently, finishing in 15th at 9:31.47. Americans now have 4 total medals in the 800m and above: Ajee Wilson (800 – 1st), Mary Cain (3000 -1st), Cas Loxsom (800 – 2nd), Robby Andrews (800-3rd). That’s it.
Men’s 1500 Meters Final
Kenya-Djibouti-Kenya. Jonathan Sawe of Kenya was the winner in 3:40.02.
Day 3 Morning Session
Day 2 Review
Recap of U.S. athletes:
- Women
o 100m: Kaylin Whitney finished 3rd and Ariana Washington 7th
o 400m: Kendall Baisden and Olivia Baker both advance to the semi finals
o 800m: Sabrina Southerland did not advance to the finals
o 5000m: Maggie Schmaedick finished 12th
o Long Jump: Jazmin Mc Coy finished 6th and Quanisha Burks 5th .
o Heptathlon: Ashlee Moore finished 13th, #5 all-time High School, and Shaina Burns 21st (6 events scored)
- Men
o 100m: Kendal Williams 1st and Trayvon Bromell 2nd
o 400m: Tyler Brown and Lamar Bruton advanced to the finals
o 110m Hurdles: Nick Anderson advanced to the final, Misana Viltz did not
o 400m Hurdles: Tim Holmes and Kenny Selmon advanced to the semi finals
o High Jump: Landon Bartel and Jonathan Wells did not advance to the finals.
o Long Jump: Trayvon White advanced to the final, Kenneth Fisher did not.
o Decathlon: Harrison Williams finished 6th with a High School record of 7760 points; Gabe Moore finished 8th with 7619 points, #3 all-time high school.
• High School top 4 (with Junior implements)
• Harrison Williams
• Gunnar Nixon
• Gabe Moore
• Curtis Beach
-
Day 3 Morning
Women’s Discus Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 170-7 or the top 12.
Katelyn Daniels (Michigan State) finished 8th in her group at 158-9 and will not likely advance.
Valerie Allman (Stanford) got the auto qualifier on her first throw (171-9).
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Qualifying
Hope Schmelze (Purdue) didn’t have quite it today. The 2014 US Junior leader could manage only 10:41.38 for 14th place, well off her 10:33.38 lifetime best. On the other hand, U.S. Junior champ Elinor Purrier (New Hampshire) ran the race of her life, finishing 6th in 10:08.33, 16 seconds better than her prior best. She is now #6 all-time U.S. Junior. She will advance to Saturday’s final. Amy-Eloise Neale (Great Britain), former Washington high schooler, finished 5th in her heat and will qualify for the finals.
Men’s Shot Put Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 63-2 or the top 12.
Braheme Days (UCLA) fouled on his first attempt then got and auto qualifier (64-4) on his second attempt. Amir Ali Patterson (Crespi, Encino, CA) finished 11th overall in 61-11.5 and will advance to the final. The leader is Mostafa Hassan of Egypt at 65-1.25.
Men’s 200m Qualifying
Top 2 and next 6 fastest times advance to the semi finals
Zharnel Hughes (Anguilla) easily won his heat (20.87). (Hughes had beaten World Junior 100m champ Kendal Williams at the 2013 Caribbean Scholastic Invitational 100m).
A stroll for Trentavis Friday (Cherryville, NC), shutting it down with 40 meters to do, and running 20.60.
Kendal Williams finished 3rd in his heat, not looking especially himself. He ran 21.16 and will likely make the final.
Men’s Hammer Throw Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 244-5 for top 12.
Charlie Ionata (Wake Forest) got a life time best (229-5) in finishing 10th in his group. He did not advance. Clarence Gallop (Charleston Southern) threw 216-4 and also did not advance.
Men’s Pole Vault Qualifying
Auto qualifying 17-2.75 or top 12
Cole Walsh (Oregon) who got a PR (17-6.5) to qualify at the USATF Junior champs could manage only 16-4.75 and will not advance. Devin King (Sumner, Kentwood, LA) made the final with a clearance of 16-8.75. He was one of 4 to clear that height and advanced on fewer misses. Nine others cleared 17-0.75.
Women’s 200m Qualifying
No problem for Jada Martin (LSU), even from lane 8, as she won her heat in 23.62. And also no problem for Kaylin Whitney, the 100m bronze medalist from last night, as she ran the fastest time thus far at 23.31.
Women’s Triple Jump Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 43-7.75 or top 12.
Keturah Orji (Mt. Olive, Flanders, NJ) wasted no time in getting the auto qualifier, jumping 44-2 on her first jump.
Marshay Ryan (Auburn) qualified 10th overall with a jump of 43-4.25w
Men’s 400m Hurdles Semi Finals
First 2 and next 2 fastest advance to the finals.
Tim Holmes (Baylor) ran an evenly paced race to win semi 1 in 50.80.
Kenny Selmon (Pace Academy, Atlanta, GA) looked comfortable leading through 8 hurdles. Then as Ali Khamis Khamis (Bahrain) came up on him to his right, he hit the ninth hurdle, throwing him off balance. He failed to qualify. Khamis had the fastest qualifier overall, running 49.93 for his country’s national junior record.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Qualifying
Top 4 in each heat and next 4 fastest times advance to the semi finals
Jade Miller (Harvard) led the entire way in winning her heat in 57.85.
Shamier Little (Texas A+M) had a similar strategy in winning in 57.94.
Day 2 Evening
Heptathlon Javelin
Ashlee Moore got a life time best of 129-1 to move her into 7th place overall (4793 points). Shaina Burns did likewise, throwing 129-10, now totaling 3844 points (4622 if not for DQ in 200m – and she would be in 15th place).
The leaders with one event to go:
Morgan Lake Great Britain 5339
Yorgelis Rodriguez Cuba 5201
Nadine Visser Netherlands 5142
Celina Leffler Germany 4961
Emma Stenlof Sweden 4840
According to Steve Underwood, Ashlee Moore has a chance to break Kendell Williams high school record:
Here is the top 5 all-time high school heptathlon list:
5578 Kendell Williams 2012
5533 Shana Woods 2006
5522 Ryann Krais 2008
5493 Kendra Reimer 1998
5411 Gayle Hunter 2004
Ashlee has a best of 2:29 in the 800m. Currently with 4793 points, here are the point values (and final totals) for Ashlee for various 800m times:
2:35 632 points 5425 #5 all-time
2:30 693 points 5486 #5 all-time
2:28 718 points 5511 #4 all-time
2:26 744 points 5537 #2 all-time
2:24 770 points 5563 #2 all-time
2:22.82 786 points 5579 HS record
Decathlon Pole Vault
Gabe Moore got a personal best at 14-1.25 and is no win 10th with 6352 points. Harrison Williams, in one of his better events, cleared 16-0.75 to finish second. He moves up to 8th with 6404 points.
The leaders after 8 events:
Cedric Dubler Australis 6771
Jiri Sykora Czech Republic 6722
Roman Kondratyev Russia 6610
Tim Nowak Germany 6604
Mathias Ako France 6493
Mens 110m Hurdles semi-finals
First 2 and next 2 fastest times in the three heat advance to the final.
Nick Anderson (Kentucky) was well back from the leader (as was the rest of the field) but maintained his form to advance to the final, finishing second in 13.68. Medal favorite William Belocian (France) won in 13.23. Misana Viltz (Millikan, Long Beach, CA) was 5th in his heat in 14.02 and did not advance.
Women’s 100m Semi Finals
First 2 and next 2 fastest times in the three heat advance to the final.
Ariana Washington (Poly, Long Beach, CA) was left in the blocks like the rest of the field in her heat by Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain). Asher-Smith won in 11.31 with Washington second in 11.73, just edging Vitoria Cristina Rosa of Brazil in 11.75. Had Washington not finished second, she would not have made the final.
Kaylin Whitney (Eastridge, Clermont, FL) got all she wanted from Pole Ewa Swoboda, but pulled away to win her heat, 11.44 to 11.51.
Men’s 100m Semi Finals
Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) was not leading at 50 meters, but pulled away ever so slightly to win in 10.29, only .02 over runnerup Levi Cadogan of Barbados.
Kendal Williams (Stanton Prep, Jacksonville, FL) won, but by the slightest of margins over Andre Azonwanna of Canada, 10.49 to 10.50. (Azonwanna was second to Trentavis Friday in the 60 meters at the 2014 New Balance Nationals Indoor).
Women’s Hammer Final
Won by favorite Al’ona Shamotina of the Ukraine with a throw of 216-8.
Men’s High Jump Qualifying
Auto qualifier is 7-2.25 (or top 12).
Landon Bartel (Southern Boone County, Ashland, MO) managed only 6-8.75 and did not advance to the final. Jonathan Wells (Grant, Fox Lake, IL) jumped high enough to qualify (6-10.75), but did not advance because of misses.
Men’s 400m Semi Finals
Tyler Brown (Eastern Michigan) looked like he wasn’t going to auto qualify, but put on a burst of speed in the last 80 meters to win. He clocked 45.97 and will advance.
Lamar Bruton (Ohio State), like Tyler Brown, appeared to be in trouble with 100 meters to go. But he steadily gained on the field to take second to favorite Machel Cedenio (Trinidad and Tobago) 45.90 to 46.67.
Heptathlon 800 Meters
Shaina Burns ran a gutty race, leading for the first lap, but ultimately finishing last though running a credible 2:26.43. Even without a point in the 200 meters se still scored a total of 4582 points. Without the DQ she would have scored 5360 points, which would have been #7 all-time high school.
Ashlee Moore did not improve on her personal best, running 2:31.57. She did score a total of 5466 points, #5 all-time.
Decathlon Javelin
Harrison Williams got a PB in the javelin (184-9) to move into 6th place with a total score of 7086 points. He’s on track to get the national high school record with junior implements with a decent 1500m. The national record if 7748, set by Gunnar Nixon in 2010. Williams will have to run 4:42.68 for 664 points for the national record.
Gabe Moore also got a personal best in the javelin, throwing 171-5 moving him into 8th with a score of 6974.
The leaders after nine events:
Jiri Sykora Czech Republic 7468
Cedric Dubler Australia 7413
Tim Nowak Germany 7338
Roman Kondratyev Russia 7164
Evgeniy Likhanov Russia 7152
Women’s 5000m Final
The usual: medals going to Kenyans and Ethiopians. American Maggie Schmaedick (Oregon) finished 12th in 16:19.01, less than a second off her PB.
Decathlon 1500m
Harrison Williams did it! Got a PB in the 1500m by a second to get the national record with the junior implements. His 4:41.01 got him 674 points for a total of 7760, breaking Gunnar Nixon’s record by 12 points. He finished 6th. Gabe Moore also got a PB of 4:45.68 for a total of 7619 points. That’s #3 all-time high school with the junior implements.
Women’s Long Jump
Negative winds hindered this event. Quanisha Burks was 5th at 19-9.75 and Jazmin Mc Coy 6th 19-8.75. Akesa Jones of Barbados, who just finished her freshman year at Oklahoma Baptist U, won with a jump of 20-9.75. She will be transferring to Kansas State U in the fall.
Women’s 100m Final
Dina Asher-Smith showed in the rounds that she was the one to beat and she was. She led from 0 meters, running 11.23 with -1.0 wind. Angela Tenorio (Ecuador) who had to run a special qualifier yesterday, got the bronze in 11.39, and Kaylin Whitney (US) had to come on strong at the end to get 3rd in 11.45. Ariana Washington was 7th in 11.64.
Men’s 100m Final
Kendal Williams had to run the fastest race of his life to win. And he did. In a major upset, Williams beat world junior record holder Trayvon Bromell who finished second. Williams ran 10.21 to Bromell’s 10.28. Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu, who had run 10.01 earlier in the season, finished third in 10.34. Ironically, Kendal Williams would not even have been on the team had Trentavis Friday not false-started in the Junior champs (Friday had run 10.01 in the prelims).
Day 1 Review
It was a very special first day yesterday, capped off by a sensational Men’s 10,000 meters.
Some observations:
- There are two 20x20 tents solely dedicated to vaulting poles. I can imagine the logistical nightmare of getting poles from all corners of the globe to Eugene in a timely manner.
- There a 15x30 tent only for the basket crew.
- Then there are all of the other mammoth tents (size noted are approximations): medical (30x100), tent containing each individual country’s medical staff (50x200: each has an area assigned); volunteer tent (30x80); media (50x200).
- As expected, this event is a college coach’s recruiting paradise. You name the Division I university and their coaches are present.
Recap of U.S. athletes:
- Women
o 100m: Kaylin Whitney and Ariana Washington both advanced to the semi finals
o 800m: Sabrina Southerland advanced to the semi finals; Raevyn Rogers did not.
o Pole Vault: Desiree Freier and Bonnie Draxler both advanced to the finals
o Long Jump: Jazmin Mc Coy and Quanisha Burks both advanced to the finals.
o Hammer: Brooke Andersen and Haley Showalter did not advance to the finals
o Javelin: Rebekah Wales and Megan Glasmann did not advance to the finals
o Heptathlon: Ashlee Moore completed day 1 with 3331 points in 11th place; Shaina Burns was disqualified in the 200 meters and has 2520 points (she would have been in 4th overall after day 1 had she not been disqualified; she will continue with the second days competition nonetheless).
- Men
o 100m: Trayvon Bromell and Kendal Williams advanced to the semi finals
o 1500m: Grant Fisher and Patrick Joseph did not advance to the final
o 10000m: Brendan Shearn finished 15th in 30:24.30 (as compared to his 29:49.04 best) and Jonathan Green finished 24th in 31:15.69 (as compared to his 30:54.62 best)
o 110m Hurdles: Misana Viltz and Nick Anderson both advanced to the semi finals
o Decathlon: Harrison Williams completed day 1 with 4302 points for 10th place; Gabe Moore is in 12th with 4010 points.
Day 2 Morning
(this morning's photos are courtesy of PhotoRun.com)
Decathlon 110m Hurdles
Gabe Moore moved up to 11th place with a 14.82 performance, now with 4881 points. Harrison Williams remains in 10th after hurdling 14.37 (4949 points). The leaders after 6 events:
Cedric Dubler Australia 5293
Roman Kondratyev Russia 5205
Karsten Warholm Norway 5195
Jiri Sykora Czech Repub 5151
Evgeniy Likhanov Russia 5146
Men’s Long Jump Qualifying
Kenneth Fisher (Bethune-Cookman) had jumps of 22-4.5, 22-10.5 and 22-1.75 and will not advance to the final. Travonn White (Central Arizona JC) finished fifth overall with a jump of 24-7.25 and will advance to the final.
Women’s 10,000m Racewalk Final
A meet world junior record for Anezka Drahotova of the Czech Republic at 42:47.25. American
Katharine Newhoff was last (32nd) with a personal best of 51:40.42.
Decathlon Discus
Gabe Moore finished 6th in his group, throwing a personal best of 147-11. He moves up to 8th place with 5650 points. Harrison Williams could manage only 115-1. His total is now 5524 points for 12th place. The leaders after 7 events:
Jiri Sykora Czech Republic 5991
Cedric Dubler Australia 5922
Roman Kondratyev Russia 5820
Tim Nowak Germany 5785
Karsten Warholm Sweden 5780
Women’s 400 Qualifying
The first 4 in each of the 5 heats automatically qualify and the next 4 fastest times advance to the semi final.
No problem for Kendall Baisden (Texas) in winning heat 1 in 53.28. Also no problem for Stanford-bound Olivia Baker (Columbia, Maplewood, NJ) with 54.09. Maddie Price (Menlo, Atherton, CA), representing Canada, was second in her heat at 53.86 to advance to the final.
The were 5 disqualifications in the 5 heats for running inside the line. We suspect there will be protests filed.
Heptathlon Long Jump
Shaina Burns got a PB of 17-8 for 665 points. Adding the 778 she would have gotten had she not been DQd in the 200m yesterday, her total would be 3963 and be ranked 16th . However, it is actually 3185 at this point.
With her jump of 19-2.75 Ashlee Moore moved into 6th place with a total point score of 4138.
The leaders after five events:
Morgan Lake Great Britain 4640
Nadine Visser Netherlands 4498
Yorgelis Rodriguez Cuba 4469
Celina Leffler Germany 4302
Emma Stenlof Sweden 4214
Men’s 400m Hurdle Qualifying
The first 2 in each of the 8 heats automatically qualify and the next 8 fastest times advance to the semi final.
Kenny Selmon (Pace Academy, Atlanta, GA) and Tim Holmes (Baylor), both won their heats, Selmon in 52.15 and Holmes in 52.03. The leader was the favorite, Jaleel Hyde of Jamaica at 51.60.
Women’s 800m Semi Finals
Sabrina Southerland (Georgetown), the only American in the semis, was never in her race, finishing last in 2:08.76. Favorite Sally Diago (Cuba) was the leader at 2:03.60.
Day 1 Tuesday Morning Session
Heptathlon Hurdles
Heat 2 saw Yorgelis Rodriguez (Cuba), the defending champion and US Junior champ and Oregon signee Ashlee Moore (Hamilton, Chandler, AZ). Rodriguez started poorly and finished well back. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands won in a meet record 13.24, well ahead of the 2002 former record by Sweden’s Carolina Kluft set in 2002. Moore got a PB in second at 13.59. She gained 1037 points for her effort and sits in 2nd place after the 1st event. Visser is the leader with
1089 points.
Heat 3 had the overall favorite Morgan Lake (Great Britain) and US athlete Shaina Burns (South, Lakeville, MN). Morgan Lake was third and Shaina ran 14.58, slightly off her 14.44 PR. Shaina had a PR last weekend at the Chicagoland throws shot put, with a put over 46 feet.
Women’s Javelin Qualifying
Auto qualifying is 173-11 (or top 12).
Sofi Flinck (Sweden) is defending champion and easily qualified on her first throw at 183-10. Rebekah Wales (LSU), fourth at the Chicagoland throws last year could manage 154-2, finishing in 11th after group A qualifying, and is unlikely to make the final.
Megan Glasmann (ex of Stanford, now at U of Utah), former Kultan Keihas javelin project member, could manage only 163-0 and finished 16th overall.
Decathlon 100 meters
Heat 3 saw both Americans, Harrison Williams (University, Memphis, TN) and Gabe Moore (Freeport, FL) going 1-2, with Williams at 10.75 and Moore at 10.98, both PRs. Williams won the 2013 New Balance Nationals Outdoor decathlon and Moore was this year’s New Balance National Indoor pentathlon champ. Williams sits in second after the 1st event with 917 points behind the leader Karsten Warholm of Norway at 963 (as a result of his PR 10.55).
Men’s 110m Hurdles, Round 1
Misana Viltz (Millikan, Long Beach, CA) won his heat in 13.59. Wellington Zaza, the 2013 New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion (Garnet Valley, PA), now at Central Arizona JC and representing Liberia, qualified as well in third at 13.66. Nick Anderson (U of Kentucky) also won his heat in 13.61. Viltz was the fourth fastest qualifier overall with favorite one of the favorites, David Omoregie (Great Britain) leading the qualifiers at 13.24.
Men’s 1500m Qualifying
The first 3 in each of the first 3 heats automatically qualifier and the next 3 fastest advance to Thursday’s final.
Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc, MI) stayed with the pack for 2 laps and then looked flat for the rest of the race. He ran 3:49 for 9th (equivalent of a 4:06 mile) and did not qualify.
Patrick Joseph (Virginia Tech) ran a very intelligent race but could not keep up with the top finishers in the last 100 meters, finishing fifth in 3:49.00.
Interestingly, only four Africans (including two Kenyans and no Ethiopians) made it to the final.
Women’s Pole Vault Qualifying
Both Americans qualified, but it wasn’t easy. Bonnie Draxler (Wrightstown, WI). Both qualified, ultimately at 13-5.25. Draxler opened at 12-3.5, then missed twice at 12-9.5 before making 13-1.5 and her second attempt and clearing 13-5.25 on her first attempt. Desiree Freier (Northwest, Justin, TX) made her American fans nervous. She passed all the way to 13-5.25, missed twice, and finally cleared on her third attempt. Eleven cleared 13-5.25 and 3 cleared 13-1.5, so there will be a 14-woman final.
Women’s Heptathlon High Jump
Ashlee Moore cleared 5-8 for a personal best of 5-7 to move into 13th place overall with 1753 points. Morgan Lake was sensational, the 17 year old Great Britain competitor set a world youth record in the high jump of 6-4.25 (!) to take the lead. She has 2096 points over the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser at 1980 points.
Men’s Decathlon Long Jump
Gabe Moore jumped 23-0, now with 1681 points, placing him 17th after 2 event. Harrison Williams did not fare as well, jumping only 22-3.75 with a total of 1684 points, just ahead of Moore at 16th. The favorite, Jiri Sykora (Czech Republic) is leading with 1934 points, having long jumped a phenomenal 26-2.25.
Women’s 800m Qualifying
The first 3 in each of the 4 qualifying heats and those with the next 4 fastest times advance to the semi-finals.
Raevyn Rogers (Kinkaid, Houston, TX), looked great as she and two others separated themselves from the pack at the 200m mark. At 320 meters, Rogers got clipped from behind and almost fell down but maintained her lead. Just past the first lap did she start to lose contact and slowly faded to finish 6th overall in 2:08.01, not making the final. We will see if the U.S. coaches protest.
Sabrina Southerland (Georgetown and Cardozo, Queens, NY) ran a great race never less than third the entire race to finish in that position at 205.84. She will advance to the semi finals.
Men’s 100m Qualifying
The first 3 in each of the 7 qualifying heats and those with the next 3 fastest times advance to the semi-finals.
Kendal Williams (Stanton Prep, Jacksonville, FL) had an awesome start and ran to a PR 10.23 in winning heat 5 of 7. That moves him into #3 U.S. high school for the year and is the fastest qualifier thus far. That is until Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) won heat 6 in 10.13. Both automatically qualified for the semis.
Day 1 Evening
Decathlon Shot Put
(The 26-2.25 reported earlier for Jiri Sykora was reported by the results system at the meet was in error. The actual distance was 24-1.25. The actual leader was Cedric Dublr of Austria with 25-4.75. And the leader after two events was Karsten Warholm of Norwayw with 1905 points; Sykora was 5th with 1776 points).
Sykora took the shot at 50-10.25 to lead after three events (2596 points). Evgeniy Likhanov of Russia is second, 6 points back.
Decathlon High Jump
Gabe Moore finished 12th overall at 6-5.5, a PB. His total score at this point is 3149 for 12th place overall. Harrison Williams did not have a good day, managing only 6-4.25 for a total score of 3133, 13th.
Men’s 400m Round 1
Lamar Bruton (Ohio State), stuck in lane 8, led for 300 meters then faded, hanging on for second and qualifying to the semifinals. Tyler Brown (Eastern Michigan) had no issues in winning his heat, running 46.45 and advancing. The class of the field was favorite Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago, 5th with 100m to go in his heat, but then cruising to the win in 46.60.
Heptathlon Shot Put
What do you make of someone who can high jump 6-4.25 and throw the shot 46-6? That’s the making of a potential World Junior Champion named Morgan Lake (Great Britain). She not only won the high jump earlier but also won the shot put. Shaina Burns had a good day throwing 44-7, though a foot and a half off her personal best. She moves into 7th with 2520 points. Lake is leading with 2901 points, well ahead of 2012 Junior champ Yorgelis Rodriguez of Cuba with 2694. Ashlee Moore threw only 32-4.75 for 2449 points total and 13th place.
Women’s 100m Round 1
Ariana Washington (Poly, Long Beach, CA) did not get a good start but managed to maintain for a close win, running (for her) a pedestrian 11.67).
In a bit of a surprise, Angela Tenorio of Ecuador, last year’s World Youth silver medallist in the 200m, false started. High schooler Brenessa Thompson (Medgar Evers, Brooklyn, NY) representing Guyana finished fourth in her heat, running 11.71.
Out fast in her heat was one of the favorites, Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain), winning in 11.18.
Kaylin Whitney (Eastridge, Clermont, FL) did not look the way she did a few weeks ago at the US Junior champs, barely winning her heat in 11.48.
Women’s Long Jump Qualifying
Both Americans qualified. Jazmin Mc Coy (Nebraska) finished 5th overall with a jump of 20-3.5. Quanesha Burks (Alabama) qualified in 9th at 20-1. It only took 19-9.5 to make the 12 woman final. Nadia Akpana Assa of Norway led the field with a jump of 20-11.75. (Florentina Marencu of Romania, the 2013 World Youth champ with a best of 22-0.5 did not show and Ese Brume of Nigeria, with a best of 21-11, jumped only 17-0! Those two were medal favorites).
Womens Hammer Qualifying
It was not a good day for Brooke Andersen (Northern Arizona) who had only one legal throw (179-3) and finished 11th overall in the group of 12. She did not advance. Haley Showalter (Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, CO) had a worse day, fouling three times.
Heptathlon 200m
Shaina Burns, from lane 8, got a PB in her heat, running 26.26. But later it was found that she ran inside her lane and, unfortunately, was disqualified. Ashlee Moore ran well, clocking 25.05.
The standings after day 1 show Morgan Lake (Great Britain) leading with 3821 points. Ashlee Moore is in 11th with 3331 points. Shaina Burns, with the DQ, is in 23rd place with 2520 points. She would have had 3498 points and would have been in 4th place after day 1.
Decathlon 400m
Gabe Moore and Harrison Williams, competing in the same heat, ran decently with Williams at 48.21 and Moore with 49.01. Williams totaled 4032 points after the first day for 10th place. Gabe Moore has 4010 points for 12th.
Men’s 10,000m Final
This was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen. Not so much for the times or the competition, though those were exceptional. It was the atmosphere. No one from the rather large crowd left before the 10000m like I have seen at so many events. They cheered and clapped throughout the race. There was the University of Oregon percussion and brass ensemble on the infield with a specially composed piece just for this race. Then there was the race itself. Two Japanese took the race out early, leading by as much as 200 meters a mile into the race. But the pack of east Africans steadily move up so that, with more than half the race to go, they took over the lead. Then it was the race between two Kenyans and the Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei. Cheptegei separated himself from the Kenyans with 250 meters to go and won in 28:32.86. Americans Brendan Shearn (30:24.30) and Jonathan Green (31:15.69) finished 15th and 24th, respectively.
Getting there
This is my 13th World Junior Championship, having missed the first one in Athens in 1986.
I must admit that I was not that thrilled at having the meet in Eugene as I have always looked forward to experiencing a new country. But my opinion has changed.
After being in Eugene a few weeks ago for the USATF Junior Championships, I began to change my mind. The venue is spectacular and the fans are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. And, to put it simply, “they know how to run a meet in Eugene”.
So I left early Sunday morning for the flight from Raleigh-Durham to San Francisco where I would meet Joy Kamani. Joy is COO of the NSAF and would be our photographer on site. We continued on to Eugene where we met the NSAF’s tweeter-in-charge and friend of almost 50 years, Paul Limmer. Joy came in from Houston and Paul from JFK in New York.
Steve Underwood, master of the video interview, had his early morning flight cancelled, so he would spend much of his day writing event previews in the Delta Clubs in Detroit (his departure city) and Chicago. He finally arrived at 11pm on Sunday night (2am his time), having spent a good 24 hours awake.
Hayward Field
Paul, Joy and I left the hotel soon after we arrived from the airport in the early afternon to get our credentials. It is about a half mile walk from the hotel to Hayward Field.
Credentialing was scheduled for the Matthew Knight Center, the large basketball and multi-purpose arena on campus. But it had moved to somewhere else, and we knew not where. We were guided to proper site, the law building, directly across from Hayward Field, where we had our photos taken and credentials issued.
We wandered across the street to Hayward Field to see what was transpiring. The timing people (and others) were in the process of setting up. (It is my understanding that Seiko brings in may dozens of workers to operate the meet).
We saw John Blackburn, our Director of Officials and NSAF board member, instructing other officials at the shot put area, the discipline he will oversee at the meet.
We then went to the area outside the first turn where the vendors’ tents are set up. There we saw giant plexiglass displays of the various world’s regions (North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, etc). On those displays were the participating countries and the name of each athlete and their date of birth! Those displays are truly special, and was evidence of the immense planning, skill and creativity of the organizing committee.
What is eerily missing is any evidence of Nike. The University of Oregon is cradle of that corporation but, since adidas is one of the IAAF’s title sponsors, the adidas brand must prevail at this meet. And it certainly does, with no sign of ANY competitor’s existence. We suspect things will be back to normal just after the end of the meet on Sunday night.
Monday
After an uneventful morning with a bit of exercise, we met Steve Underwood and wandered over to the campus to get him credentialed.
At 11:30am we attended the introductory press conference with IAAF President Lamine Diack, as well as Tracktown USA director (and former U of Oregon coach) Vin Lananna and others. That was followed by a press conference with leading athletes, including Americans Mary Cain and Trayvon Bromell.
Then came lunch (buffet at an Indian restaurant) and an uneventful afternoon back at the hotel.
We later headed back to Hayward for the photo briefing. It is about an hour session and concerns where to go and not go during the event and who gets to be on the infield.
This is the largest photo group I have ever seen at one of these meets. In short, only 11 of the 30 or so photographers will be allowed on the field at any one time. So there will be a lot of rotating in and out.
It was good to see Olaf (Austria) and Yannis (Greece), IAAF press stewards. We had some interesting conversations with them. They have become friends over the years, and we appreciate their cooperation and expertise.
It was then dinner and back to the hotel. We can’t wait for the meet to begin! Day 1 morning will include with heptathlon and decathlon starts, as well as qualifying in the women’s javelin, pole vault and 800 meters, and men’s 1500 meters, 110m Hurdles and 100 meters! What a great morning!
