Posted: August 24, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes - Volume 6, Number 65

2004 Olympic Trials nominated for SportsTravel award

The 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials has been nominated as "Best Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event" by SportsTravel magazine, as part of its 2005 SportsTravel Awards. Fans are invited to cast their ballots for the award at http://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/2005awardsballot.html

Held in Sacramento, Calif., the 2004 Olympic Trials featured more than 1,000 athletes competing for a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. More than 170,000 fans attended the eight-day event, making it the largest national championship meet in the world. The Olympic Trials were covered by eight national broadcasts on NBC and the USA network, including seven in prime time. The top rating for a single Olympic Trials NBC show was a 4.2 rating, making it one of the highest rated sports programs of the entire week.

Event nominees in other categories for the 2005 SportsTravel Awards include Super Bowl XXXIX, Indianapolis 500, NBA Finals, NASCAR Nextel Series and Visa Triple Crown. Fans can vote for one event in each category through September 15, 2005. The 2005 SportsTravel Awards will be presented at the TEAMS 2005 Conference & Expo, November 2-5, 2005.

Since 1997, SportsTravel magazine has served the sports-related travel and event industry, serving people who organize and manage sporting events of all types at all levels.

Americans already qualified for World Athletics Final

For the third consecutive year, the prestigious IAAF World Athletics Final September 9-10 in Monaco will close the outdoor season in impressive style with the 'best of the best' stars of athletics competing for a first prize in each event of $30,000. Anyone surpassing a World record will receive a $100,000 bonus.

The start list of the World Athletics Final is decided according to the IAAF World Rankings, with athletes who are in the top seven positions in each event automatically qualifying.

Americans once again will figure prominently in the meet program. Although a handful of qualifying events remain on the 2005 schedule, several American athletes already have secured their places in the World Athletics Final by virtue of the strength of their current rankings. Those athletes are:

Men's 100m: World and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin; Men's 200m: World champion Justin Gatlin, silver medalist Wallace Spearmon, and USA runner-up Tyson Gay; Men's 400m: World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner and World Championships silver medalist Andrew Rock; Men's 100mH: U.S. champion and World Championships bronze medalist Allen Johnson and U.S. runner-up Dominique Arnold; Men's 400mH: World champion Bershawn Jackson and silver medalist James Carter; Men's Pole Vault: U.S. indoor/outdoor champion and World Championships silver medalist Brad Walker, Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack, and Olympian Derek Miles; Men's Long Jump: Olympic and world champion Dwight Phillips and U.S. champion Miguel Pate; Men's Triple Jump: World champion Walter Davis; Men's Shot Put: world champion Adam Nelson, Olympian Reese Hoffa and U.S. champion Christian Cantwell.

Women's 100m: World champion Lauryn Williams; Women's 200m: world champion Allyson Felix and U.S. third-place finisher LaTasha Colander; Women's 400m: world leader and World Championships silver medalist Sanya Richards and Olympic finalist Monique Hennagan; Women's 100mH: world champion Michelle Perry and Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes; Women's 400m hurdles: World Championships silver and bronze medalists Lashinda Demus and Sandra Glover; Women's long jump: World champion Tianna Madison. >P>Additional American athletes are likely to qualify for the World Athletics Final in coming weeks.

For more information, including World Athletics Final prize money breakdown and current IAAF rankings, visit IAAF.org.