Posted: September 9, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 6, Number 70

World Athletics Final begins Friday in Monaco

Many of the world's finest athletes, including 30 Helsinki World Outdoor Championships gold medalists, will compete Friday and Saturday at the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Final in Monaco.

Team USA men's Helsinki individual gold medalists slated to compete in this finals only event include 100m and 200m gold medalist Justin Gatlin (200m), Jeremy Wariner (400m), Bershawn Jackson (400m hurdles), Dwight Phillips (long jump), Walter Davis (triple jump) and Adam Nelson (shot put).

Team USA women's Helsinki individual gold medalists include Lauryn Williams (100m), Allyson Felix (200m), Michelle Perry (100m hurdles) and Tianna Madison (long jump).

Additional men's individual Helsinki medalists competing in Monaco are 200m medalists Wallace Spearmon (silver) and John Capel (bronze). Also look for Allen Johnson (110mH-bronze), James Carter (400mH-silver) and Brad Walker (pole vault-silver).

Women's individual Helsinki medalists who'll compete Friday and Saturday are Sanya Richards (400m-silver), Lashinda Demus (400mH-silver), Sandra Glover (400mH-bronze) and Chaunte Howard (high jump-silver).

Additional U.S. men competing at the World Athletics Final are Leonard Scott (100m), Tyson Gay (200m), Tyree Washington (400m), Bernard Lagat (1,500m), Dominique Arnold, Terrence Trammell, Joel Brown, Ron Bramlett (110mH), Bennie Brazell (400mH), Tim Mack, Derek Miles (pole vault), Miguel Pate (long jump), Kenta Bell (triple jump) and Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa (shot put).

Other U.S. women expected to compete are Lisa Barber (100m), Monique Hennagan and DeeDee Trotter (400m), Hazel Clark (800m), Lisa Galaviz, Elizabeth Jackson and Carrie Messner (3,000m steeplechase), Grace Upshaw (long jump) and Aretha Thurmond (discus throw).

For more information on the 2005 IAAF Grand Prix Final, visit IAAF.org.

Get out the vote!

Time is running short to vote for Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist Joanna Hayes for the Women's Sports Foundation's 2004 Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Hayes set a new Olympic record of 12.37 seconds in defeating the world's best hurdlers last year in Athens. She also won races on the European circuit in Moscow (12.78) and Berlin (12.46) before winning the World Athletics Final (12.58) in September. Hayes, who won the Jesse Owens Award as the nation's top female athlete, ended the 2004 campaign ranked #1 in the world.

Interested parties are encouraged to cast their vote for Hayes at www.sportswomanvote.com. The deadline is midnight on Friday, September 9.

USA 40 km Race Walk Championship competitors contribute to disaster relief

The 67th annual USA 40 km Race Walk Championships will take place Sunday in Ocean Township, N.J., where the local organizing committee will help raise money to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The committee has encouraged the competitors to forego the customary event T-shirts so that a donation may be made to the cause of hurricane relief.

In addition, with the competition being held on the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a brief ceremony of remembrance will take place prior to the start of the race.

Leading entrants for the Championships include U.S. 2004 Olympic and 2005 Helsinki World Championship team members John Nunn and Teresa Vaill.

For more information on the 2005 USA 40 km Race Walk Championships, visit www.usatf.org.

Lake Charles to host Katrina 5K

In an effort to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Lake Area Runners will host the Katrina 5K on October 1 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

All proceeds generated from this event will be donated to the American Red Cross for disaster relief. A not-for-profit running club that sanctions all road races in Southwest Louisiana, the Lake Area Runners are looking for sponsors and participants for the race.

For more information on the Katrina 5K, visit www.LakeAreaRunners.com.

Greene sets masters record

Carla (Battaglia) Greene set a pending 40-44 women's age group American record in the javelin throw September 5 at the Cedarville University (Ohio) Throwing Classic.

A 42-year-old resident of Beavercreek, Ohio, Greene threw the 600-gram javelin 42.05 meters/137 feet, 11 inches, to better Caryl Senn's throw from 2002, which is listed as the pending American record for the new rules implement adopted in 1999.