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Day 3
Barber, Trammell take Visa Championship titles at
AT&T USA Indoor Champs
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The lead changed hands midway through
the day, but in the end, sprinter Lisa Barber came
back to win the women's Visa Championship Sunday at
the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Hurdler Terrence Trammell's world-leading time in
the men's 60-meter hurdles gave him the men's Visa
Championship over shot putter Reese Hoffa, the
series-long leader. For their championship
performances, Barber and Trammell each won $25,000
from Visa to support their Olympic journeys.
Barber comes from behind to
win women's title
Barber's victory was hard-earned.
She had led the Race for the Championship since week
1, the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, when her time of
7.09 seconds in the women's 60m earned her 1,203
points. But on Sunday, 2005 Outdoor Visa
Championship Series winner Sanya Richards briefly
wrested the lead from Barber when she clocked 51.26
seconds to win the women's 400 meters and score
1,210 points.
Barber had the last card to play in the final
race of the day. The 2005 USA Outdoor 100m champion
ran 7.06 seconds to win the AT&T women's 60 meters,
scoring 1,212 points in the Race for the
Championship. In the 60 she held off 2005 World
Outdoor 100m champion Lauryn Williams (7.11) and
2003 World Outdoor 100m champion Torri Edwards
(7.12) to win the race.
Barber had also posted a speedy time of 7.05 in
the semifinal, but only performances in final races
were eligible for the Visa Championship. Barber came
through in the final, running exactly the time she
needed to win the overall title.
Trammell wins title; nearly
doubles his pleasure
Reese Hoffa's shot put of
21.65m/71-0.5 (1,219 points) at the 99th Millrose
Games stood up as the men's Visa Championship Series
leader until the penultimate men's event of the AT&T
USA Indoor Championships.
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence
Trammell's win in the men's 60-meter hurdles on
Sunday took the prize out of Hoffa's hands.
Trammell's wire-to-wire win in 7.46 seconds over
Dominique Arnold (7.51) gave him 1,223 points and
the overall Visa Championship.
Trammell came within .01 second of being the
first man ever to win the 60 hurdles-60 dash double,
finishing just behind Leonard Scott in the Hershey's
men's 60 meter dash, the final men's event of the
meet. Scott won the race in a world-leading time of
6.52, with Trammell matching the previous world
leader with 6.53.
Men's 400 drama
The closest race of the day was
the men's 400 meters. In the first of two timed
sections, 2006 world leader Milton Campbell (46.17)
held off 2003 World Indoor champion Tyree Washington
(46.18). In the second section, LaShawn Merritt led
nearly wire-to-wire, posting an identical time to
Campbell of 46.17, with Wallace Spearmon second in
the section in 46.67. Campbell was declared the 400m
winner when his electronic time was a scant 2
thousandths of a second (.002) fasters than
Merritt's - 46.167 to 46.169.
Danielle Carruthers successfully defended her
national indoor title in the women's 60-meter
hurdles, her time of 7.93 seconds putting her ahead
of Damu Cherry in second (7.95). Olympic gold
medalist Joanna Hayes went down in the semifinals
with an apparent leg injury and did not compete in
the final.
In a closely contested men's 800 meters, USA
Outdoor champion Khadevis Robinson held off 2003
World Indoor champion David Krummenacker as the two
posted the #2 (1:46.98) and #3 (1:47.25) times by
Americans this year. Robinson's mark also set a
Reggie Lewis Center facility record.
More winners
Outdoor American record holder
Tiombe Hurd won the women's triple jump with a
U.S.-leading mark of 13.89m/45-7, and Shani Marks
was second at 13.64m/44-9. Alice Schmidt likewise
posted a U.S. leader in winning the women's 800m
(2:01.93) over Frances Santin (2:03.51). Other
winners included Kellie Suttle in the women's pole
vault (4.55m/14-11) with Jillian Schwartz second
with the same height; and Joanne Dow won the women's
3,000m race walk (12:45.05) with Jolene Moore second
(13:03.90).
In exhibition events, the Central Park Track Club
won the women's distance medley relay in 11:53.19,
The Farm Team won the men's DMR (9:46.98), Joy
Upshaw-Margerum took the masters women's 200 meters
(26.57) and David Jones won the men's (23.30).
The AT&T USA Indoor Championships is the final
event of USATF's Indoor Visa Championship Series and
serves as the selection event for Team USA roster
spots for the 2006 World Indoor Championships next
month in Moscow, Russia, with the top two finishers
in each event making the team. |
Day 2
Hoffa keeps rolling at AT&T USA
Indoor Championships
Reese Hoffa continued his 2006
stranglehold on the men’s shot put Saturday at the AT&T
USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie
Lewis Center, turning back a strong field and retaining
the Visa Championship Series lead.
The AT&T USA Indoor Championships
is the final event of USATF’s Indoor Visa Championship
Series and serves as the selection event for Team USA
roster spots for the 2006 World Indoor Championships
next month in Moscow, Russia, with the top two finishers
in each event making the team. ESPN will televise the
AT&T USA Indoor Championships on February 26 from
3:30-5:30 p.m., Eastern Time. The meet concludes Sunday.
Reese stays golden
Hoffa retained his gold bib as the
men’s leader of the Visa Championship Series and stayed
undefeated in 2006, winning the Visa men’s shot put
Saturday afternoon with a throw of 21.61m/70-10.75, the
second-best in the world this year. Hoffa unleashed the
toss in the fifth round to take the lead over defending
world champion Christian Cantwell, who placed second
with 21.10m/69-2.75. Three-time World Outdoor champion
John Godina (20.50m/67-3.25) and 2005 World Outdoor
champ Adam Nelson (20.30m/66-7.25) were third and
fourth, respectively.
Top-ranked Brad Walker prevailed in
a star-studded men’s pole vault. The 2005 World Outdoor
silver medalist defended his USA indoor title with a
clearance of 5.75m/18-10.25, with American record holder
Jeff Hartwig second at 5.70m/18-8.25. Walker took three
tries at 5.88m/19-4 in an attempt to take over the lead
for the Visa Championship Series, but did not clear the
height. Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson was third
at 5.60m/18-4.5, and Olympic gold medalist Toby
Stevenson was fourth at 5.50m/18-0.5.
Another World Outdoor silver
medalist, Chaunte Howard, won her first career U.S.
indoor title in the women’s high jump with a clearance
of 1.95m/6-4.75, tying the U.S.-leading mark she shares
with Amy Acuff. A three-time Olympian, Acuff was second
at 1.89m/6-2.25.
American record for Seaman
Tim Seaman broke a 19-year-old
American record in the men’s 5,000-meter race walk en
route to winning his ninth national title in the event.
Seaman’s time of 19:15.88 surpassed the previous record
of 19:18.40 held by Tim Lewis since 1987 and gave Seaman
his 28th overall national crown. Kevin
Eastler was second in 19:43.41.
Exciting distance races
Adam Goucher continued to show
tremendous form in the men’s 3,000 meters, running away
from the field to win in 7:49.78. The two-time USA
Outdoor 5,000m champion and 2005 USA 4 km cross country
winner was followed across the line by three-time indoor
3 km champ Jonathon Riley of Brookline, Mass., in
7:51.88.
Chris Lukezic, the 2005 USA Outdoor
runner up, earned his second trip to a world
championship event – his first indoors – by winning the
Nike men’s 1,500m in 3:41.84. Two-time USA indoor
champion Jason Lunn was second in 3:41.98.
2004 Olympic Trials 1,500m champion
Carrie Tollefson won the women’s 3,000 meters, sprinting
to the win in 9:05.88, with Sara Hall second in 9:06.33,
and Treniere Clement sprinted away from Tiffany
McWilliams, who led the women’s 1,500 meter for all but
the last 150 meters. Clement crossed the line in
4:08.13, with McWilliams second in 4:09.17.
Field Events on Center Stage
World Outdoor champion Walter Davis
punched his ticket to the World Indoors with a winning
leap of 16.87m/55-4.25 in the men’s triple jump. Aarik
Wilson was second at 16.60m/54-5.5.
Jillian Camarena easily defended
her title and made a bit of history in the women’s shot
put with her winning throw of 19.26m/63-2.25. The
performance makes her the #3 American of all time,
behind only American record holder Ramona Pagel
(19.83m/65-0.75 in 1987) and Tressa Thompson
(19.44m/63-9.5 in 1999). 2004 Olympian Kristin Heaston
was second at 18.24m/59-10.25.
Adam Shunk won his first U.S. title
in the men’s high jump with a second-attempt clearance
of 2.25m/7-4.5. Defending champion Tora Harris was
second at the same height, clearing on his third
attempt.
Akiba McKinney was an upset winner
in the women’s long jump, her best mark of 6.62m/21-8.75
surpassing that of 2005 World Outdoor Champion Tianna
Madison, who was second at 6.59m/21-7.5.
Favorites advance in rounds
True to form, Visa Championship
Series leader Lisa Barber (7.13) and World Outdoor 100m
champion Lauryn Williams (7.19) were the fastest
qualifiers in the AT&T women’s 60m dash first round.
2003 World Outdoor 100m champion Torri Edwards was close
behind at 7.21 seconds as all three women won their
heats.
Terrence Trammell posted the
fastest time in the first round of the men’s 60m
hurdles, running 7.60 seconds to advance to Sunday’s
semifinals. Other top qualifiers included Anwar Moore
(7.61), Dominique Arnold (7.62), Ron Bramlett and Joel
Brown (both at 7.64).
Sanya Richards was the top
qualifier out of the women’s 400m semifinals with 51.76,
while Wallace Spearmon was the top man at 46.59 seconds.
Leonard Scott ran a speedy 6.56 in the Hershey’s men’s
60m dash first round to lead qualifiers into Sunday’s
semifinals. Other top qualifiers into Sunday’s final
events were Frances Santin in the women’s 800 meters
(2:04.62) and Khadevis Robinson in the men’s 800m
(1:49.24).
In exhibition events, Connecticut
won the girls’ 4x400m high school relay (3:53.06) and
Massachusetts won the boys’ race (3:22.79); the
Cambridge Jets won the girls’ 4x200m youth relay
(1:52.69), and the Providence Cobras won the boys’ youth
relay (1:54.15).
Day1
Third times the charm
With the first event of the 2006
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships complete, A.G.
Kruger and Erin Gilreath were the winners in the men’s
and women’s weight throw. It was the third national
title in the weight throw for each.
The USA Indoor Championships
continues Saturday and Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Track
& Athletic Center on the campus of Roxbury Community
College. The Championships are the final event of USA
Track & Field's 2006 Indoor Visa Championship Series.
The meet will be broadcast from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern
on February 26 on ESPN.
In the men’s competition, A.G.
Kruger won his third national 35-pound weight throw
title. He took the lead in the fifth round with a throw
of 23.74 meters/77 feet 10.75 inches and never looked
back. The runner-up, Kibwe Johnson tried to surpass
Kruger with his fifth throw but ended up just shy with a
toss of 23.72m/77-10. Thomas Freeman placed third with
a throw of 23.48m/77-0.75.
“Every competition is hard but I
thought this time was a little harder,” said Kruger. “I
came into the competition knowing that I had to
throw77-78 feet to get first or second. By the end I
was clicking and I got it.”
In the women’s competition, Erin
Gilreath won her third national title in the 20-pound
weight throw. Gilreath’s first place finish came after
a season best throw in the final round of
22.95m/75-03.5. After battling it out with Gilreath,
Amber Campbell took second place for the second year in
a row with a throw of 22.66m/74-4.25. Loree Smith, the
2005 NCAA champion in the hammer throw, took third with
a throw of 21.82m/71-7.25.
“Competition for the first time in
a year brought out the best in me,” said Gilreath.
“This win means a lot to me, my club (NYAC) has a great
tradition in this event and they do so much for me. I
wanted to keep up the tradition for them.” |
