Posted: August 4, 2005

Athletics: U.S. Distance Team Set for 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki

By Ryan Lamppa, Running USA wire

The 2005 IAAF World Track & Field Championships - set for August 6-14 - return fittingly to Helsinki, Finland, site of the successful inaugural event in 1983. To the biennial meet, Team USA sends another strong contingent who collectively have won 36 Olympic medals and 29 World Champ medals.

An experienced U.S. distance squad is led by 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi who will run the 10,000 meters and fellow Olympians Alan Webb, Tim Broe, Shalane Flanagan, Abdi Abdirahman, Jen Rhines, Daniel Lincoln, Anthony Famiglietti and Amy Rudolph. The women's 3000 meter steeplechase will be contested for the first time as a medal event.

Based on recent performances, the U.S. distance squad should earn several top 10 placements and one or two top 5 finishes.

Since the first World Championships in 1983, Team USA has won 9 medals from 1500 meters to the marathon including three gold medals (Mary Decker, 1500m and 3000m, 1983 Helsinki and Mark Plaatjes, marathon, 1993 Stuttgart).

Below find the U.S. distance squad for the World Championships including "A" and "B" qualifying standards, event schedule, U.S. medal(s)/best performance and athlete snapshot bio.

MEN
1500 meters - 3:36.20/3:38.00
Saturday, August 6, 8:30pm, Heats
Monday, August 8, 8:05pm, Semi-Finals
Wednesday, August 10, 10:10pm, Final

Medals: Silver 1983 Helsinki, Steve Scott; 
Bronze 1987 Rome, Jim Spivey

Alan Webb, 22, Fairfax, VA
PR: 3:32.73 '04 College: George Mason
2005 USA 1500m champion; 2004 Olympic Trials 1500m champion; 
set high school mile record (3:53.43) in 2001

Chris Lukezic, 21, Alexandria, VA
PR: 3:35.22 '05 College: Georgetown
2005 USA 1500m runner-up

Rob Myers, 25, Columbus, OH
PR: 3:34.89 '05 College: Ohio State '04
3rd 2005 USA 1500m

3000 meter steeplechase - 8:24.60/8:32.00
Sunday, August 7, 1:50pm, Heats
Tuesday, August 9, 8:00pm, Final

Best Finish: 4th by Brian Diemer in 1987 Rome

Daniel Lincoln, 24, Fayetteville, AR
PR: 8:12.65 '05 College: Arkansas '03
2005 USA 3000m steeplechase champion; 
2004 Olympic Trials champion

Anthony Famiglietti, 26, New York, NY
PR: 8:17.91 '04 College: Tennessee '00
2005 USA 3000m steeplechase runner-up; 
2004 Olympian; 
2002 USA steeplechase champion; 
2001 World University Games steeplechase gold medalist

Steve Slattery, 24, Boulder, CO 
PR: 8:17.87 '05 College: Colorado '02
2003 USA steeplechase champion 

5000 meters - 13:21.50/13:28.00
Thursday, August 11, 6:40pm, Heats
Sunday, August 14, 8:20pm, Final

Best Finish: 5th by Doug Padilla in 1983 Helsinki

Tim Broe, 28, Ann Arbor, MI
PR: 13:11.77 '05 College: Alabama '00
2005 USA 5000m champion; 
2004 Olympic Trials 5000m champion; 
2003 USA 5000m champion

Ian Dobson, 23, Palo Alto, CA
PR: 13:15.33 '05 College: Stanford '05
2005 USA and NCAA 5000m runner-up

Ryan Hall, 22, Big Bear, CA
PR: 13:16.03 '05 College: Stanford '05
2005 NCAA 5000m champion; 
3rd 2005 USA 5000m Championship

10,000 meters - 27:49.00/28:06.00
Monday, August 8, 7:20pm, Final

Best Finish: 7th by Todd Williams in 1993 Stuttgart

Abdi Abdirahman, 28, Tucson, AZ
PR: 27:34.24 '04 College: Arizona '99
2005 USA 10,000m and 10 Mile champion; 
10th 2000 Olympics 10,000m (27:46.17); 
2001 USA 10,000m champion; two-time Olympian; 
Team Running USA member

Meb Keflezighi, 30, Mammoth Lakes/San Diego, CA
PR: 27:13.98 '01 College: UCLA '98
2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist; 
U.S. 10,000m and 20K record holder; 
2000 and 2004 Olympic Trials 10,000m champion; 
two-time Olympian; Team Running USA member

Marathon - 2:18:00
Saturday, August 13, 2:20pm, Final

Medals: Gold 1993 Stuttgart, Mark Plaatjes; 
Bronze 1991 Tokyo, Steve Spence

Brian Sell, 27, Rochester Hills, MI
PR: 2:13:22 '04 College: St. Francis '01
2005 USA 25K champion; 
11th 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (PR); 
Hansons-Brooks ODP

Clint Verran, 30, Rochester Hills, MI
PR: 2:14:17 '02 College: Eastern Michigan '98
5th 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials; 
Hansons-Brooks ODP

Peter Gilmore, 28, San Mateo, CA
PR: 2:14:02 '04 College: UC-Berkeley '00
2nd 2004 California Int'l Marathon (PR); 
10th 2005 Boston Marathon

Jason Lehmkuhle, 27, St. Paul, MN
PR: 2:16:27 '04 College: Drake '99
3rd 2005 USA Half-Marathon Championship; 
9th 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials (PR); 
Team USA Minnesota member

WOMEN
1500 meters - 4:05.80/4:08.20
Wednesday, August 10, 1:45pm, Heats
Friday, August 12, 8:15pm, Semi-Finals
Sunday, August 14, 7:55pm, Final

Medal: Gold 1983 Helsinki, Mary Decker; 
Silver 1997 Athens and 1999 Seville, Regina Jacobs

Treniere Clement, 23, Knoxville, TN
PR: 4:05.77 '05 College: Georgetown '04
2005 USA 1500m champion

3000 meter steeplechase - 9:50.00/10:00.00
Saturday, August 6, 12:05pm, Heats
Monday, August 8, 8:35pm, Final

Best Finish: new medal event

Elizabeth Jackson, 27, Provo, UT
PR: 9:39.78 '05 College: BYU '01
2005 USA 3000m steeplechase champion; 
1999-2000/2002 USA and 2001 NCAA steeplechase champion

Lisa Galaviz, 25, Gilbert, AZ
PR: 9:40.58 '05 College: Arizona State '03
2005 USA 3000m steeplechase runner-up

Carrie Messner, 28, Carbondale, CO
PR: 9:41.37 '05 College: Colorado '00
3rd 2004-05 USA 3000m steeplechase

5000 meters - 15:08.70/15:24.00
Wednesday, August 10, 9:20pm, Heats
Saturday, August 13, 8:10pm, Final

Medal: Gold 1983 Helsinki, Mary Decker (3000m became 5000m in 1995)
Best 5000m Finish: 
7th by Libbie Hickman in 1997 Athens

Shalane Flanagan, 24, Chapel Hill, NC
PR: 15:05.08 '04 College: North Carolina '04
2005 USA 5000m and 4K Cross Country champion; 
2004 Olympian; 2003 NCAA cross country champion

Lauren Fleshman, 23, Canyon Country, CA 
PR: 15:02.52 '05 College: Stanford '03
2005 USA 5000m runner-up; 
three-time NCAA 5000m champion

Amy Rudolph, 31, Providence, RI
PR: 14:56.04 '96 College: Providence '95
3rd 2005 USA 5000m Championship; 
two-time Olympian; former U.S. 5000m record holder

10,000 meters - 31:40.00/32:00.00
Saturday, August 6, 9:15pm, Final

Best Finish: 5th by Lynn Jennings in 1991 Tokyo and 1993 Stuttgart

Katie McGregor, 27, St. Louis Park, MN
PR: 31:25.94 '05 College: Michigan '99
2005 USA 10,000 meter champion; 
1998 NCAA cross country champion; 
Team USA Minnesota member

Blake Russell, 30, Marina, CA
PR: 31:35.25 '05 College: North Carolina '97
2005 USA 10,000m runner-up; 
4th 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials; 
1999 Pan American Games 5000m bronze medalist; 
Big Sur Distance Project member

Jen Rhines, 31, Ardmore, PA 
PR: 31:37.20 '05 College: Villanova '96
2005 USA 15K champion; 
2002 USA 10,000m champion; 
two-time Olympian: Team Running USA member

Marathon - 2:42:00
Sunday, August 14, 2:20pm, Final

Medal: Silver 1983 Helsinki, Marianne Dickerson

Jenny Crain, 37, Milwaukee, WI
PR: 2:37:36 '04 College: Ohio University '90
11th Olympic Marathon Trials (PR)

Emily LeVan, 32, Wicasset, ME
PR: 2:39:54 '04 College: Bowdoin '94
2004 Maine Marathon winner (PR)

Turena Johnson Lane, 30, Muncie, IN
PR: 2:37:38 '04 College: Luther College '97
6th 2004 Twin Cities Marathon (PR); 
2004 USA 20K champion

Jill Boaz, 38, Los Osos, CA
PR: 2:34:54 '03 College: Boston College '88
5th 2004 Twin Cities Marathon; 
2002 USA marathon champion; 
2001/2003 World Championships marathon team

Mary Akor, 28, Gardena, CA
PR: 2:37:19 '05 College: Cal State Dominquez Hills '03
4th 2005 Grandma's Marathon; 
2005 Big Sur Marathon winner

TV Schedule
All times Eastern
subject to change - check local listings

Air Date/Time/Network
Aug 6 4:00 - 5:00pm PAX
Aug 7 4:00 - 5:00pm PAX
Aug 8 5:00 - 6:00pm PAX
Aug 9 5:00 - 6:00pm PAX
Aug 10 5:00 - 6:00pm PAX
Aug 11 5:00 - 6:00pm PAX
Aug 12 5:00 - 6:00pm PAX
Aug 13 4:00 - 5:00pm PAX
Aug 14 4:00 - 5:00pm PAX

Webcast - $4.95 Bargain

Track fans in the United States and U.S. territories will be able to watch, for the first time ever, an unprecedented 58 hours of live Webcast coverage of the 2005 IAAF World Championships, plus archived footage and broadcast highlights.

For $4.95, fans will be able to watch every day of competition from the World Championships in Helsinki, including every heat of every track event, as well as extensive field event coverage and archived footage.

The low subscription price, developed by World Championship Sports Network, will provide a high-quality feed, along with tech support, for subscribers to the webcast at WCSN.com. Viewing the webcast will require broadband Internet access at a speed of 350 kilobytes per second or faster.

Visit WCSN.com to sign up!

For more World Championship information, go to: USATF.org or visit the host website at: www.Helsinki2005.fi.