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The Golden League goes to Rome
The women's 400 meters and the 100m hurdles will be the events to see Friday, July 13, at the third event of the IAAF Golden League, the Golden Gala in Rome. The IAAF Golden League 2007 offers a $1 Million Jackpot, which represents international athletics' biggest annual payday. Athletes must win at all six meetings to acquire at least a share.
2006 IAAF Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards will once again take on 2007 U.S. champion DeeDee Trotter, 2007 U.S. runner-up and 2007 NCAA champion Natasha Hastings and 2007 third-place finisher Mary Wineberg. Richards is still in the hunt to win the Golden League jackpot, having won in the first two events in Oslo and Paris.
Reigning World champion Michelle Perry has also won the first two Golden League meets in the women's 100m hurdles and will look to continue her streak Friday in Rome. She will face strong competition from two-time U.S. champion Ginnie Powell and 2007 U.S. Indoor champion Lolo Jones.
The women's pole vault is shaping up to be the duel of the night as two-time U.S. champion and American record-holder Jenn Stuczynski is set to confront World record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russina. Stuczynski had held the world-leading mark all season until last Friday when Isinbayeva vaulted 4.91 meters/16-1.25 for the win in Paris. The two last met at the 2007 Millrose Games, when Isinbayeva won over Stuczynski, 4.82m/15-9.75 to 4.53m/14-10.25 respectively.
The men's 110m hurdles will see a star-studded line up that includes American record-holder Dominique Arnold taking on 1996 Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion Allen Johnson, 2006 NCAA champion Aries Merritt, two-time NCAA champion Ron Bramlett. Also look for #7 world-ranked David Oliver, David Payne and Anwar Moore who finished 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively, at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships in Indy.
2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson headlines the men's 400m hurdle field that includes 2007 U.S. champion James Carter and two-time U.S. Outdoor champion Kerron Clement. Not to be overlooked are Derrick Williams and Kenneth Ferguson, who took 3rd and 4th respectively, in Indy.
The women's 100m should prove to be a race to see as 2003 World champion and reigning U.S. champion Torri Edwards is challenged by reigning World champion Lauryn Williams and reigning World 200m champion Allyson Felix. Also in the mix are 2005 World silver 200m medalist Rachelle Smith, 2005 NCAA champion Marshavet Hooker and 2007 U.S. third-place finisher Carmelita Jeter.
In the men's sprints, 2005 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalists LaShawn Merritt and Darold Williamson will face 2000 Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist and 2007 U.S. 400m champion Angelo Taylor in the men's 400m. While in the men's 100m, 2004 Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford will go up against 2006 World Indoor champion Leonard Scott and Mark Jelks.
Seven-time U.S. champion Breaux Greer is looking for redemption in the men's javelin after his defeat in Paris last week. 2007 U.S. champion Aarik Wilson will look to upset reigning World Indoor and Outdoor champion Walter Davis in the men's triple jump. The men's long jump will see the top three Americans, as 2007 U.S. champion Dwight Phillips, runner-up Miguel Pate and third-place finisher Trevell Quinley all compete for the win. Three-time Olympian Amy Acuff is entered in the women's high jump.
In the women's 5,000m, American record-holder Shalane Flanagan will face off against the American record-holder in the marathon and five-time U.S. 10,000m champion Deena Kastor. Also in the mix is 2007 U.S. runner-up Jen Rhines.
Also on the track, the men's 800m will see 2007 U.S Indoor champion and U.S. Outdoor runner-up Nick Symmonds challenge four-time U.S. Outdoor champion Khadevis Robinson. Two-time Olympian and three-time U.S. Outdoor champion Hazel Clark is entered in the women's 800m along with two-time NCAA champion Alice Schmidt. Reigning U.S. champion and Visa Championships Series champion Tiffany Ross-Williams is featured in the women's 400m hurdles along with two-time World Outdoor medalist Sandra Glover and Dominique Darden. 2006 U.S. Indoor champion Chris Lukezic will compete in the men's 1,500m.
For more information and complete results on the 2007 Golden Gala, visit www.iaaf.org.
Raschker sets records at 2007 National Senior Games
Masters track and field legend Phil Raschker set one world record and two U.S. records at the 2007 National Senior Games July 1-4 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Raschker set the W60 world record in the 400 meters with her time of 66.69 seconds, bettering the previous record of 67.30 set by Ann Stobaus of Australia in 2001. Raschker's time in the 100 meter final was 13.67, a significant improvement over the existing world record of 13.89 seconds set by Brunhilde Hoffman from Germany in 1999. However, the wind gauge in that race recorded 2.8 meters per second, over the allowable limit of 2.0 for record consideration.
In the long jump, two of Raschker's best legal jumps of 4.73 meters/15 feet 6.25 inches, and 4.64m/15-2.75, surpassed the listed American W60 record of 4.55m/14-11 set by Nadine O'Connor in 2006. The triple jump witnessed an even more impressive performance, where Raschker recorded leaps of 9.42m/30-11, 9.46m/31-0.5, and 9.63m/31-7.25 meters, each of which bettered Betty Vosburgh's U.S. record of 8.05m/26-5 meters established in 1992.
Raschker will continue her assault on the record book at the USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held August 2-5, 2007 in Orono, Maine.
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