Posted: April 27, 2007

Athletics (RRW): Defar To Chase 2 Mile World Best In Carson

From David Monti © 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com By Bob Ramsak Meseret Defar, the world record holder in the 5000m, will be looking to add the world best over the 2 Mile to her growing list of achievements at the adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., on May 20. The Olympic 5000m champion, Defar, still just 23, will be chasing the 9:11.97 best set by Regina Jacobs in 1999. The mark by Jacobs equates roughly to an 8:31.00 performance over 3000m, well within the capabilities of the young Ethiopian, who earlier this year lowered the world record indoors to 8:23.72, while her outdoor best over that distance is 8:24.66 set last summer in Stockholm. The men's 3000 field is filling as well, currently featuring Irishman and University of Arkansas alum Alistair Cragg, the 2005 European indoor champion, and American Anthony Famiglietti, a 2004 Olympian in the steeplechase and this year's national 8-K champion. At the Mt. SAC Relays two weeks ago, Famiglietti knocked nearly 13 seconds from his career best in the 5000m, finishing second in 13:11.93. Juan Barrios of Mexico, who edged Famiglietti at Mt. SAC, is also in the Carson line-up, along with Abdi Abdirahman, a two-time 10,000m Olympian. The meet at the Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, will celebrate its fifth running this year, and will be broadcast live on ESPN from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT. It's the second stop on USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest