Posted: June 3, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes - Volume 6, Number 42

Olympic rematches in Nike Prefontaine Classic sprintsTouted by event promoters as the best men's and women's sprint fields in the meet's 31-year-history, Saturday's Nike Prefontaine Classic will feature many of the sprinting world's biggest names. The meet is the fourth stop on USATF's Visa Championship Series.

In the Nike men's 100m, Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin takes on the world's #1 ranked sprinter, Asafa Powell of Jamaica. Gatlin won in Athens with a personal best time of 9.85 seconds, but Powell opened his 2005 season with bang, posting a time of 9.84 seconds on May 7. It is the fastest time of the year by nearly .2 seconds. Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford will be back to defend his Prefontaine 100-meter title, having set a meet record in 2004 with a 9.88 clocking. 2003 world champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts also will be at the starting line, as will world record holder Tim Montgomery and Leonard Scott, who is coming off of an impressive win at the adidas Track Classic May 22.

Olympic gold medalist Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus will make her first-ever appearance in the United States to race America's present and future sprint queen, Lauryn Williams, in the Nike Prefontaine Classic women's 100 meters. The 25-year-old, previously unknown Nesterenko swept through the rounds and final of the Olympic Games, surprising the world with her Olympic victory in 10.93 seconds. Williams, just 20 and still in college at the time of the Games, ran her lifetime best of 10.96 to nab the silver medal, leading the race until the final stages. Like the men's race, the women's 100 includes five of the top 10 athletes in the world as ranked by Track & Field News magazine, Nesterenko was No. 1, Aleen Bailey of Jamaica No. 3, Williams No. 4, Sherone Simpson of Jamaica No. 8, and LaTasha Colander of the U.S., the Olympic Trials champion, No. 9.

The women's high jump also features the reigning Olympic gold medalist in Yelena Slesarenko of Russia, who will make her U.S. debut at "Pre." The 23-year-old won in Athens with a personal best of 2.06 meters/6 feet 9 inches, establishing her as the third-highest jumper in history. Nike Prefontaine Classic co-record holder Amy Acuff (1.98m/6-6) also is in the field after finishing fourth in Athens.

For more information on the Nike Prefontaine Classic on the Visa Championship Series, visit www.usatf.org

USA 10 km race walk championships and junior 3 km RW champs set for Saturday

The nation's top race walkers will skip going over the Falls in a barrel and instead will head to the starting line of the USA 10 km Race Walk Championships, Saturday at Niagara Falls (N.Y.) State Park. In addition to the open 10 km, the national titles in the junior 3 km race walks will be contested. Conducted and sponsored by the Niagara Walkers, the race debuts its return to Niagara Falls after a six-year absence, with a new fast course on Goat Island.

Olympians Tim Seaman and Kevin Eastler are expected to lead the pack in the men's race. A two-time Olympian and 8-time U.S. indoor champion, Seaman graduated from high school on Long Island and is an in-state favorite. Eastler, like Seaman, competed in the 20 km race walk at the 2004 Olympic Games and is the 2003 USA 20 km champion. Three-time U.S. 10 km RW champion and 2004 Olympian Teresa Vaill paces the women's field, along with 2005 U.S. indoor 1 mile RW champion Jolene Moore.

In addition to the U.S. Championships athletes will be competing for a number of different award categories including: USATF Team 10 km Championship; USATF Eastern Regional 10 km Championships for Open, Masters and Teams; Northeast Walks Cup, a team scoring event by State / Province sponsored by the Ontario Walkers, and overall finisher awards.

For more information, visit www.usatf.org.