Posted: May 31, 2006

Athletics: Gatlin sprints to top of Visa Championship Series standings

Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world record holder Justin Gatlin tops the standings in the Race for the Visa Championship following Sunday's Nike Prefontaine Classic as the men's standings saw a major reshuffling. Michelle Perry, meanwhile, added to her lead in the women's race.

Gatlin's 100-meter time of 9.88 seconds with a 1.0 mps tailwind at Pre earned him 1,253 points according to IAAF scoring tables, putting him in the driver's seat toward the $100,000 first prize for the Visa Championship. Shot putter Christian Cantwell's world-leading throw of 22.17m/72-9 nearly matched Gatlin's speedy run, earning the 2004 world indoor shot put champ 1,251 points.

Last week's points leader, Wallace Spearmon, fell to third with 1,211 points, tied with Bershawn Jackson after Jackson's 400-meter hurdles victory at Prefontaine (48.22) also scored 1,211 points. Bernard Lagat was bumped to fifth with 1,203 points from the adidas Track Classic.

Women's leader Michelle Perry kept her spot atop the women's rankings, improving her point total to 1,194 with her time of 12.63 (+.8 mps) in the 100m hurdles at Prefontaine. Sanya Richards (1,183) and Lisa Barber (1,180) held their second and third places, with no change in the points they scored at the adidas Track Classic. Torri Edwards' 11.08 (+1.4 mps) win in the 100 gave her 1,174 points and fourth place in the standings, while Treniere Clement moved into fifth with 1,170 points for her 4:04.40 in the women's 1,500 at Pre.

The stakes

A total of $320,000 will go to the top male and female athletes of the Visa Championship Series. The first-place male and female each will receive $100,000 each, while second place will receive $30,000, third pockets $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth $5,000. Visa Champions will be crowned at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 21-25 in Indianapolis.

The top-placing American in each event at every Visa Championship Series meet scores points. Although an athlete can score points at any Visa Championship Series event, they must win their event at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be eligible for prize money.

The vastly increased prize pool provides even more motivation for American athletes to be at their best on the Visa Championship Series, which helps provide financial and other support for athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams. It also adds to the excitement of the race to be crowned Visa Champion, with both athletes and fans following along each week to determine who the top performers will be.

The next stop of the Visa Championship Series is the Reebok Grand Prix on Saturday, June 3. The meet will be broadcast from 6-8 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN2.

Fans get involved

The 2006 Visa Championship Series features an exciting fan promotion that allows followers of The World's #1 Track & Field Team to get in on the action like never before.

This year track and field fans will have the chance to win $250 in weekly prize money and an opportunity to win a $5,000 grand prize in the Visa Championship Series Consumer Promotion.

Each week, fans can log onto www.visachampionshipseries.com to pick the athletes - male and female - they think will be leading the Visa Championship Series after each meet. Correct predictions will be eligible to win a weekly prize of a $250 Visa gift card and a Nike/USATF gift bag.

To be eligible for the second weekly prize, fans must log in and pick their Visa Championship Series leaders no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 27. Fans must log in and register their picks each week.

The two lucky fans who correctly predict the overall Visa Champions will each win a $5,000 grand prize, along with a Nike/USATF gift bag.

For more information and complete rules and results, visit www.visachampionshipseries.com.

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