Team USA men to seek revenge at USA vs. The World
Posted Thursday, 27 April, 2006
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Tom Surber
Media Information Manager
USA Track & Field
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INDIANAPOLIS - Team USA's men's 4x400m relay squad will look to win back its title from Jamaica Saturday at USA vs. The World at the 112th running of the Penn Relays at Philadelphia's Franklin Field.
The first event of the 2005 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, USA vs. The World will be broadcast on NBC on Sunday, April 30 from 5-6 p.m. Eastern Time.
After finishing second to a strong Jamaican quartet at last year's event, a group of U.S. stars including Bershawn Jackson, LaShawn Merritt, Derrick Brew, Darold Williamson, Wallace Spearmon, Andrew Rock, Kerron Clement and Tyree Washington will strive to get Team USA back on the winning track at the seventh edition of USA vs. The World. U.S. standouts appearing in the women's 4x400m relay on Saturday include Sanya Richards, Lashinda Demus, Monique Hennegan, Moushammi Robinson and Sheena Johnson. The men's distance medley relay also promises excitement with two-time Olympic medalist and American record holder Bernard Lagat competing.
Nearly 150 athletes from 10 countries around the globe will compete at this year's USA vs. The World, held annually at the Penn Relays since 2000 and featuring men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400m relays. The 2006 edition of USA vs. The World will feature a women's sprint medley relay and a men's distance medley relay. Countries challenging Team USA this year include Jamaica, Russia, China, Great Britain, Germany, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada and Finland.
Stars aplenty on hand to regain men's 4x400m title
Team USA is pulling out all the stops in an effort to reclaim the USA vs. The World men's 4x400m relay crown Saturday in Philadelphia. A stunning array of talent has been assembled that should provide Team USA with two tremendously strong squads that will challenge the defending champions from Jamaica.
Members of the Team USA pool include Bershawn Jackson, who avenged his fourth-place finish at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials by winning the gold medal at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in Helsink, On the year, Jackson son 12 finals races overall and ending the year ranked #1 in the world by Track & Field News.
Jackson's only loss of the 2005 season came at the USA Outdoor Championships, where he was the runner-up to Kerron Clement, who won the national title with the fastest time 400m hurdles time in the world in 2005 of 47.24 seconds. That performance earned Clement the overall title of Visa Champion. He ended the season ranked #3 in the world, is also ready to compete on Saturday.
A gold medalist in the 4x400m relay at last year's World Outdoor Championships, LaShawn Merritt is in the relay pool, along with 2005 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist Andrew Rock and Olympic relay gold medalist and 400m bronze medalist Derrick Brew. 2005 World Athletics Final champion and 2003 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist Tyree Washington will return as well after falling in last year's race at USA vs. The World. Also look for reigning World Outdoor Championships 200m silver medalist and 300-meter indoor world record holder Wallace Spearmon to contribute heavily on one of the Team USA squads.
Three of the four members of last year's winning Jamaican men's 4x400m relay squad will return Saturday in an attempt to defend their title. In running the lead leg for the Jamaicans last year, 2004 Olympic 400m finalist Michael Blackwood posted an impressive 45.7 spit, before passing the baton to Sanjay Ayre, who completed the second leg with an identical 45.7 split. Jermaine Gonzales ran his third leg in 45.6 before Davian Clarke also ran 45.6 in anchoring Jamaica to the win. All but Clarke are expected to compete on Saturday.
Team USA will also face a challenge from a squad of World All-Stars headlined by 2003 Track & Field News Man of the Year Felix Sanchez, who was ranked #1 in the world for four consecutive years in the men's 400m hurdles, equaling a feat duplicated in the men's 400m hurdles only by National Track & Field Hall of Famer Edwin Moses, who totaled six #1's in a row and nine overall. Sanchez went undefeated in 2004, which included winning the Olympic gold medal in Athens. Veteran performer and two-time USA Outdoor Championships 400m finalist Milton Campbell also will compete for the World All-Stars.
Team USA women look to continue 4x400 dominance
Team USA's women's squad easily won the 4x400m relay at last year's USA vs. World as Dee Dee Trotter, Lashinda Demus, Sanya Richards and Monique Hennagan brought the baton home first in 3 minutes, 22.93 seconds. Russia was the runners-up finishing well back in 3:25.64. Russia enters this year's competition as the reigning World Outdoor champions, though none of the members of the winning quartet from the final in Helsinki are slated to compete on Saturday.
Richards will lead the charge for Team USA again this year following a remarkable 2005 season in which she won the silver medal in the 400 meters at the World Outdoor Championship along with the USA Outdoor title, and she ended the season ranked #1 in the world for the first time in her career.
Joining Richards in the Team USA relay pool will be her teammate from last year Lashinda Demus, who won the silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships and ended the year ranked #2 in the world in that event. Two-time Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist and anchor runner on last year's winning team, Monique Hennagan, also will compete on Saturday.
Additional U.S. standouts in the women's 4x400m relay pool include Olympic relay gold medalist Monique Henderson, 2004 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Moushaumi Robinson, and Sheena Johnson, the 2004 Olympic Trials 400m hurdle champion. Local fan favorite and 2006 World Indoor Championships 4x400m relay gold medalist Kia Davis is also expected to compete on Saturday.
In addition to facing a strong Russian team, Team USA will face a tough Jamaican squad featuring two members of their silver medal winning team from the 2005 World Outdoor Championships, Novlene Williams and Ronetta Smith.
[B]Lagat headlines Team USA men's distance medley relay[B/]
Team USA's men's distance medley relay (1,200m-400m-800m-1,600m) pool will feature a tremendous collection of talented athletes headlined by two-time Olympic 1,500m medalist Bernard Lagat. Now an American citizenLagat finished first in the 1,500 meters last year at the London Grand Prix and at Rieti, where he broke the American record at 1,500 meters (3:29.30).
He'll be joined in the Team USA relay pool by 2005 World Outdoor Championships 400m hurdles silver medalist James Carter, 2004 Olympic 400m silver medalist and 4x400m relay gold medalist Otis Harris, reigning USA Indoor and Outdoor 800m champion Khadevis Robinson, 2006 USA Indoor 1,500m champion and 2005 USA Outdoor 1,500m runner-up Chris Lukezic and 2004 Olympic Games 1,500m competitor and 2004 USA Cross Country 4 km champion Charlie Gruber.
Final lineups for the 2006 USA vs. The World at Penn Relays will be announced Saturday. For more information on this event and the 2006 Visa Championship Series visit www.usatf.org.
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