Posted: May 4, 2007

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 40

Robinson leads impressive entry list at Coca-Cola Modesto Relays 2004 Olympian and two-time defending USA Outdoor men's 800m champion Khadevis Robinson will lead a stellar line-up Saturday at the 66th Coca-Cola Modesto Relays in Modesto, Calif. Robinson, who will be gunning for his fifth consecutive 800m win at Modesto, is coming off his finest season in 2006 in winning his second consecutive USA Outdoor title and ending the campaign ranked #1 in the U.S. for the third straight year. Robinson's many successes during the 2006 season lifted him to the Track & Field News world top ten rankings for the first time in his career (#7). Robinson, whose appearance at Modesto will mark his 2007 season debut, broke the 21-year-old meet record two years ago by winning in 1 minute 45.35 seconds. Elsewhere on the track, look for Leonard Scott in the men's 100 meters, who enters this season ranked #3 in the world in that event. The women's 100m hurdles also should be interesting as meet record holder and two-time World Outdoor Championships team member Jenny Adams faces 2001 World Outdoor champion Anjanette Kirkland. Headlining the field events at Modesto will be reigning Olympic and world outdoor champion Dwight Phillips and reigning Modesto champion Miguel Pate in the men's long jump. The men's shot put features a typically strong field led by 2007 Indoor Visa Championship Series winner and defending Modesto champion Christian Cantwell, who owns two of the top three throws in the world this year. Two-time Olympic medalist and three-time world outdoor champion John Godina also will be in the field, along with Dan Taylor, who ended the 2006 season ranked #8 in the world. A highly competitive men's discus field will feature America's top three performers in that event led by defending Modesto and USA champion Ian Waltz, who ended 2006 ranked #4 in the world. He'll be joined by Jarred Rome (world ranked #9) and 2004 Olympian Casey Malone. In the women's shot put, reigning USA Outdoor champion Jillian Camarena, who won at Modesto last year, leads the field. For more information on the 66th Coca-Cola Modesto Relays, visit: www.modestorelays.org. Top hurdlers set for Reebok Grand Prix Three of the world's best hurdlers - each of whom can call himself an Olympic gold medalist, world champion or both - have joined a star-filled lineup for the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City on June 2, organizers announced Thursday. They are led by Liu Xiang, a sports sensation in China headed into the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Liu, who tied the world record of 12.91 in winning the 2004 Olympic gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles, broke it outright when he turned in a smashing 12.88 performance last July. He finished 2006 ranked #1 in the world. In China, Liu is a celebrity of rock-star status, but this will be just his second time competing in New York. A two-time world champion, Felix Sanchez will come home to compete in the 400-meter hurdles. Sanchez, who competes for the Dominican Republic, was born in New York City, and honored with a parade here after he won the 2004 Olympic gold medal. One of most dominant hurdlers in history, he notched 43 consecutive wins between July 2001 and September 2004. In between, he won two World Championship gold medals, a Pan American Games gold medal and his Olympic title. Sanchez is the first Olympic gold medalist in the history of the Dominican Republic. He will be facing, among others, 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson, the top 400-meter hurdler in the United States and #2 in the world, according to Track & Field News rankings. Jackson is also the 2003 U.S. Outdoor Champion. The third-annual Reebok Grand Prix, named one of the two top international track-and-field events in the country, will begin at 5 p.m. June 2 at state-of-the-art Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. It is the third stop of USA Track & Field's Outdoor Visa Championship Series. Tickets, at $20, $30 and $40, are available by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC. USA Track & Field welcomes you to pay with your Visa. For more information and event updates, visit the event website at www.reebokgrandprix.com. Coverage of Doha on WCSN.com For the second consecutive year, WCSN.com opens its track and field coverage in Doha, Qatar, with the inaugural event of the 2007 Super Grand Prix. Watch live as athletes from around the world compete. Watch live on May 11 at noon ET on WCSN.com. Woods named USOC Volunteer Coach of the Year Los Angeles Jets club team coach Booker Woods has been named the USOC Volunteer Coach of the Year. Woods received his award earlier Thursday at a luncheon held in collaboration with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. During his 34 years of volunteer coaching for USA Track & Field and Cross Country, Woods has produced 104 national champions. During that time, his Los Angeles Jets club team has set 23 national records. In 2006, Woods coached five athletes to wins at USA Track & Field Regional Championships, and 43 of his athletes qualified for the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympic Championships in Baltimore, Md. In addition to pursuing success on the track, Booker's program motivates children and adolescents to perform well in the classroom and be productive citizens. He encourages parents to be involved in their children's academics, sports, and spirituality. Other finalists for the title of Volunteer Coach of the Year included Tom Barker (USA Archery/Victoria, Texas), Jack Kelly (U.S. Field Hockey/Westport, Conn.), Patrick Barry (USA Boxing/Las Vegas, Nev.) and Chuck Slaughter (U.S. Fencing/Amarillo, Texas). For more information on the 2007 USOC Coaches of the Year Awards, visit: www.usolympicteam.com.