SACRAMENTO - Sabra Harvey of Houston, Texas, set the world masters W60 1,500m record on the final day of 2010 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of Sacramento State University in Sacramento, Calif.
During the Championships, many of the world's best athletes ages 30-96 demonstrated speed, power, skill and endurance, showing that age is no barrier to lifetime fitness and competition. The Spanos Sports Complex was the site of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field, and will play host to the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships, July 6-17.
Another USA Championship, another world record for Harvey
In only her second year competing in track and field, longtime road and cross country runner Sabra Harvey set the W60 800m world record of 2:34.66 at the 2009 USA Masters Outdoor Championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She came to Sacramento this week on a mission to set the W60 world record in the 1,500 meters, and she did exactly that.
Harvey crossed the finish line this morning in a blistering 5:12.27, which shattered the previous listed WR of 5:18.14 by Corrie Keijsers of the Netherlands in 2002. Although her performance was a surprise to some observers, Harvey expected it all along. "It was in my head to do it," she said. "I knew I could, it was just a matter of whether I could hold it. The track, to me, takes a lot of focus to hold the pace that you want lap after lap, and that is different from the roads and cross country. Track is a challenge to me."
Although Harvey has accomplished a lot in her short track career, she believes there's more she can do. "I want to see how much faster I can go," she said. "I like the challenge of trying to bring my times down and setting PRs. I don't have any specific goals - I just want to see how fast I can go."
Also setting a record in the 1,500 meters this morning was Mary Harada, who set the W75 American record with her time of 7:31.56. Harada's time easily bettered the previous record of 7:42.30 by Bess James in 1985.
Hurd sets American triple jump record
2004 Olympian Tiombe Hurd won the W35 triple jump this morning with an American age-group record of 12.41m/40-8.75. Her performance betters the previous standard of 11.74m/38-6.25 by Regina Richardson in 2008.
Hurd, who set the open American record of 14.45m/47-5 in winning the 2004 Olympic Trials here in Sacramento, flew in from her home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, yesterday, and had difficulty adjusting to her morning start time of 8:45 a.m. "I have to admit, I'm having trouble getting my legs to move and turn over the way I want them to," she said. "I love this track. I had my personal best here and this is where I set my other American record. I wanted to jump further today, and I think I would have done so if it were in the afternoon. I'm just really fatigued. So we used this day to work on technique (laughter).
Hurd is enjoying her recent success after battling a series of injuries. "In 2008, I tore all the ligaments in my left ankle when I fell over a hurdle, and last year I had a herniated disc in my back, so this is only my fourth meet in over a year," she said. "I'm definitely rusty, but it's coming."
More records
Karen Steen set an American W45 record in the 400m hurdles with her clocking of 1:08.91. Steen's time bettered the standard of 1:09.34 by Caryl Senn-Griffiths from 2008. Also in 400m hurdles action, Darnell Gatlin won the M50 age group in 56.88 seconds, which demolished the previous listed American record of 58.1 by Jack Greenwood in 2003.
In 200m finals action, Irene Obera set an American record in the W75 age group with her time if 35.26 seconds, which bettered the previous long-standing record of 35.93 by Polly Clarke from 1985. Also in the 200 meters, Kathy Bergen, who set the W70 world high jump record Saturday of 1.30m/4-3.25, set the American record in the 200 meters this afternoon of 32.35 seconds, which improved upon the former record of 33.90 by Audrey Lary in 2004.
In today's relay action, American records were set by the Athena Track Club (W40-49, 53.06), Atlanta Track Club (W50-59, 56.98) and the So Cal Track Club (W60-69, 1:25.73).
For more information on the 2010 USA Masters Outdoor Championships, including the complete results, visit: USATF.org.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
For more information on USATF, visit USATF.org.
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