Posted: April 28, 2007

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 37

Stars ready to shine at Drake Relays Jeremy Wariner, Alan Webb, Christian Cantwell, Amy Acuff, and LoLo Jones will lead an impressive list of U.S. stars Saturday at the 98th edition of the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Relays officials expect nearly 8,000 athletes to compete, as well as the 42nd straight sellout crowd for the Saturday session. The 2006 USA Track & Field Jesse Owens Award winner as the nation's top male athlete, Jeremy Wariner continued his world dominance of the men's 400 meters last year in posting a new personal best and the world's fastest time of 43.62 seconds. Wariner bettered the 44-second barrier on three occasions and posted the five fastest times in the world last season. For his efforts, Wariner, who is the reigning world and Olympic champion, was ranked #1 in the world for the third consecutive year by Track & Field News. In his debut performance at the Drake Relays in the men's invitational mile on Saturday, top U.S. middle distance runner Alan Webb will look to continue his resurgence following an injury-plagued 2006 campaign. Already this season Webb has captured the men's mile crown at the AT&T USA Indoor Championships in Boston, along with posting indoor mile wins at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games and the New Balance Indoor Games. Webb, who ran the second fastest mile time in the world this outdoor season of 3:57.83 on April 4, has his eye on National Track & Field Hall of Famer Steve Scott's 1979 Drake Relays record of 3 minutes, 55.26 seconds. In field event action, reigning U.S. Indoor champion and 2004 World Indoor men's shot put gold medalist Christian Cantwell always seems very much at home at the Drake Relays, where he'll attempt to win his fifth career title. Cantwell, who last week successfully defended his Kansas Relays crown, owns three of the top four throws in the world this outdoor season. Last year in Des Moines, Cantwell broke one of the Drake Relays' oldest records with his winning toss of 22.21 meters/72 feet, 6.25 inches, which shattered the previous standard set in 1972. For his efforts, Cantwell was named the outstanding men's performer of last year's meet. In women's action, two meet record holders return looking to add more memorable footnotes to their successful careers at the Drake Relays. Three-time Olympian Amy Acuff, who set the women's high jump invitational record with her clearance of 1.93 meters/6 feet, 4 inches last year, will attempt to win her fourth consecutive Relays title. During her stay in Des Moines, Acuff will celebrate her induction into the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame. Also look for two-time defending champion LoLo Jones in the women's invitational 100m hurdles. Jones, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, returns to her hometown as the meet record holder (12.93 seconds, 2005), and as the 2007 USA Indoor 60m hurdles champion (7.88 seconds). Elsewhere, up-and-coming star Michelle Carter, the 2004 World Junior women's shot put gold medalist and 2006 NCAA Indoor champion, will headline the field in the University-College women's shot put. Carter, who earlier this spring won at the Texas Relays, set a seasonal best earlier this week of 17.22 meters/56 feet, 6 inches in winning at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. For more information on the 2007 Drake Relays, visit: drakerelays.co. Wariner, Defar added to adidas Track Classic lineup Olympic gold medalists Jeremy Wariner and Meseret Defar will compete at the adidas Track Classic on May 20, organizers announced Thursday. Ranked #1 in the world, Wariner will compete at 400 meters, while Defar may have her eye on the 2-Mile World Record. A double gold medalist (400m, 4x400m relay) at the 2004 Olympics, Wariner is also the reigning World Champion. His personal best of 43.62 already makes him the fourth-fastest man in history, and he is widely viewed as the athlete most likely to break Michael Johnson's 400-meter World Record. Defar, from Ethiopia, is one of the top distance runners in the world, as well as one of the fiercest. Ranked #1 in the world at 5000 meters, she already holds the World Records for 5000 meters outdoors (14:24.53) and 3000 meters indoors (8:23.72). The current women's world best for 2 Miles is 9:11.97, set by Regina Jacobs in 1999. At 3,000 meters, Ireland's Alistair Cragg, the 2005 European Indoor Champion, will face Anthony Famiglietti, a 2004 Olympian and 2007 U.S. 8 km champion, and Abdi Abdirahman, a two-time U.S. Olympian at 10,000 meters. With Mexico's Juan Luis Barrios previously announced, the race will be a rematch of the men who went 1-2 in the recent Mt. SAC Relays 5,000 meters, where Barrios edged Famiglietti, 13:11.37 to 13:11.93. They join Allyson Felix, the reigning women's World Champion at 200 meters; Tyson Gay, the world's fastest men's 100m/200m sprinter; and Ana Guevara of Mexico, the 2003 World Champion at 400 meters. More Olympic and World Championship medalists will be announced soon. The adidas Track Classic will begin at noon on May 20 at The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and will be broadcast live on ESPN from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. PDT (4 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT). Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the adidas Track Classic is the second stop of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series. Tickets, from $40 (finish line) down to $10, are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com . USA Track & Field welcomes you to pay with your Visa. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS. Visit the event website at www.adidastrackclassic.com for updates and more information.