Athletics: Clausen named USATF Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS – Curt Clausen has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s 50 km Race Walk Sunday in Chula Vista, California.

A two-time Olympian and 1999 World Championships bronze medalist, Clausen finished the race in 3 hours, 58 minutes, 24 seconds and will compete for Team USA at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

World-leading performances by Americans over the weekend at the Tyson Foods Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., included Gail Devers’ 7.10 seconds in the 60m dash; the University of Arkansas sophomore Tyson Gay’s 20.64 seconds in the 200m; TCU senior Jerry Harris’ 45.52 in the 400m and Savante Stringfellow’s 8.41 meters/ 27 feet, 7.25 inches in the men’s long jump. Another outstanding performance at Tyson was Sanya Richards’ 51.45 seconds to break her World Junior Indoor record in winning the women’s 400m college invitational. Richards, a freshman at the University of Texas, bettered her previous junior indoor record of 52.10 seconds set in 2002 at New York City.

Elsewhere, Stanford University junior, Ian Dobson ran 13:49.17 (oversize track) in the 5,000m at the Pac-10 Indoor Invitational in Seattle, Wash.

In masters action, Craig Fram ran 8:35.70 to set a World M45 best in the 3,000m in the first unseeded section of the FasTrack Invitational on Saturday at Boston University. Fram, a resident of Plaistow N.H., bettered the previous World M45 best of 8:36.64 set in 1999 by Germany's Klaus Goldammer.

Now in its fourth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2004 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 13, Dan Taylor; January 20, Jen Toomey; January 27, Erin Gilreath; February 3, Jearl Miles-Clark; February 10, Alan Culpepper; February 17, Curt Clausen.

Best Marks Week Ending Feb. 15

Men:

60 - 6.61 Tyson Gay (Arkansas) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13
6.61 Mickey Grimes (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
200 - 20.64 Tyson Gay (Arkansas) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14 World leader
400 - 45.52 Jerry Harris (TCU) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13 World leader
800 - 1:46.00 David Krummenacker (adidas) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
Mile - 3:57.52 Alan Webb (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
3000 - 7:40.17 Daniel Lincoln (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
5000 - 13:49.17 (oversize track) Ian Dobson (Stanford) - Seattle, WA 2/14 World leader
13:54.66 Jason Hubbard (Unattached) - Boston 2/14
5000 Walk - 21:10.1 Jim Heys (Wisconsin-Parkside) - Kenosha, WI 2/14
60H - 7.56 Duane Ross (Nike) - Blacksburg, VA 2/13
HJ - 2.32/7-7.25 Jamie Nieto (HPTC) - Weinheim, GER 2/11
PV - 5.71/18-8.75 Jeff Hartwig (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13
LJ - 8.41/27-7.25 Savante Stringfellow (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13 World leader
TJ - 16.91/55-5.75 LeJuan Simon (LSU) - New York City 2/14
SP - 21.05/69-0.75 Reese Hoffa (NYAC) - Blacksburg, VA 2/14
WT - 22.66/74-4.25 Dan Taylor (Ohio State) - Penn State 2/14

Women:

60 - 7.10 Gail Devers (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14 World leader
200 - 23.06 Muna Lee (LSU) - New York City 2/14
400 - 51.45 Sanya Richards (Texas) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13
800 - 2:02.16 Nicole Teter (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
Mile - 4:39.49 Treniere Clement (Georgetown) - New York City 2/14
3000 - 8:55.36 Carrie Tollefson (adidas) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
5000 - 15:56.58 (oversize track) Alicia Craig (Stanford) - Seattle, WA 2/14
3000 Walk - 13:41.3 Jolene Moore (Parkside AC) - Kenosha, WI 2/14
60H - 7.87 Gail Devers (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/14
HJ - 1.91/6-3.25 Ifoma Jones (Unattached) - Stockholm, SWE 2/12
PV - 4.71/15-5.5 Stacy Dragila (Nike) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13
LJ - 6.55/21-6 Grace Upshaw (Nike) - Seattle, WA 2/14
TJ - 13.80/45-3.5 Yuliana Perez (Unattached) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13
SP - 18.71/61-4.75 Laura Gerraughty (North Carolina) - Blacksburg, VA 2/14
WT - 23.14/75-11 Erin Gilreath (NYAC) - Fayetteville, AR 2/13

From USATF.org.