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Eastler, Vaill win Pan Am Race Walk Cup Trials
Reigning U.S. 20 km men's champion Kevin Eastler and two-time U.S. women's 20 km champion Teresa Vaill were the respective winners Saturday at the 2007 USA Pan American Race Walk Cup Trials in Palmetto Bay, Florida.
The championships, which serve as the selection event for the 2007 Pan American Race Walk Championships, April 21-22 in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil, were hosted by the City of Palmetto Bay and the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department.
Eastler and his 2004 Olympic teammate Tim Seaman, entered their last lap in unison and stayed that way until the final straight when Eastler pulled away to claim the first place prize money of $900.Eastler's winning time was 1 hour 24 minutes 12 seconds, with Seaman finishing close behind as the runner-up in 1:24:21. Both performances bettered the Olympic "B" qualifying standard. John Nunn held on for third place finishing in 1:27:55 and Matt Boyles placed fourth with a new personal best of 1:28:50. Boyles previous best mark was 1:30:30.In the women's race, Teresa Vaill opened a 40-second gap at the 2.5 km mark over fellow Americans Sam Cohen, Jolene Moore and Maria Michta. However guest athletes Yeliz Ay (Turkey) and Miriam Ramon (Cuenca, Ecuador) were right in Vaill's shadow as all three passed in 11:39.
Vaill went on to win the race in 1:35:44. Turkey's Yeliz Ay, who has been training at altitude in Colorado, was second in 1:36:22, with Ramon finishing third in 1:36:29. No other women would better the Olympic "B" standard as Sam Cohen grabbed the second USA spot on the Pan American Cup team in 1:42:48. Jolene Moore was fifth overall in 1:43:51 and Loretta Schuellin earned a spot on her first-ever USA international team by finishing sixth in 1:44:17. The first four finishers under 1 hour and 48 minutes qualified for the Team USA roster.
The Junior Men's 10 km race was dominated by the Vergara twins from Edinburg, Texas, as Ricardo Vergara crossed the finish line first in 48 minutes 2 seconds, with his brother Roberto finishing eight seconds back. Abraham Villarreal was third in 54:52, with Evan Crowdus fourth in 57:22 and Patrick Shaffer fifth in 1:01:36.
The Junior Women's 20 km race was won by Lauren Forgues of Boothbay, Maine in 50 minutes 35 seconds. The runner-up was Le'erin Voss in 53:18 and Christina Peters finishing in third place in 53:51. Rounding out the top-five finishers were Jenna Monahan (4th-55:25) and Pamela Alva of Lima, Peru (5th-56:06).
For more information on the 2007 USA Pan American Race Walk Cup Trials, visit USATF.org.
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