| Watch over 50 IAAF Events Live and On-Demand at WCSN.com |
From USATF and the USOC
National Track & Field Hall of Famer Joan Benoit Samuelson leads the distinguished Class of 2008 that will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Presented by Allstate. The induction ceremony will take place Thursday, June 19 in Chicago at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater.
The winner of the first Olympic women's marathon at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Benoit Samuelson is synonymous with the increased popularity of long distance running in the United States. She ran her final competitive marathon at her fourth U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon on Sunday, April 20 in Boston and finished 90th in 2:49:08.
Benoit Samuelson, at age 26, won the inaugural 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in 2:31:04, just 17 days following knee surgery, and that August she went on to win the women's Olympic Marathon in 2:24:52. The Bowdoin College graduate was ranked #1 in the world in the marathon on two occasions, and is a former world and U.S. record holder in that event. She also was the 1981 U.S. 10,000m champion, won the 1983 Pan Am Games 3000m gold medal and set numerous U.S. record records.
Recognized as a pioneer of women's marathoning, Benoit Samuelson who resides in Freeport, Maine won the 1979 and 1983 Boston Marathons, the 1985 Chicago Marathon and the 1992 Columbus Marathon. In 1985, she was awarded the prestigious AAU Sullivan Award as the nation's finest amateur athlete.
Additional 2008 inductees to the USOC Hall of Fame include Wrestler Bruce Baumgartner, figure skater Brian Boitano, boxer Oscar de La Hoya, equestrian J. Michael Plumb, basketball athlete David Robinson, swimmer Amy Van Dyken, shooter Lones W. Wigger, Jr. and Paralympic swimmer John Morgan who will be inducted as individuals. Figure skating coach Carlo Fassi will be inducted in the Coach category along with Olympic figure skating gold medalist Carol Heiss Jenkins in the Veteran category. The members of the 1996 Women's Gymnastics Team - Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug - will be honored in the Team category, as will legendary Hollywood producer Frank Marshall as the Special Contributor.
Tickets to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony can be purchased at: www.usolympichalloffame.com.
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
