Runner's & Triathlete's Web  Athletics: Detmer named USATF Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS – Joe Detmer has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting the double decathlon world record over the weekend at the 2010 World Championships for Ultra Multi Events, hosted by Liberty University at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex in Lynchburg, Va.

A former All-American from Wisconsin, Detmer tallied 14,571 points in 20 events, shattering Kip Janvrin's world double decathlon record by 386 points. Janvrin, a 2000 U.S. Olympian in the decathlon, had set the mark of 14,185 at the 2002 World Championships in Finland.

Detmer opened the competition Friday morning, clocking 10.93 seconds for the 100-meter dash and long jumping 23-11.5. Both marks were the best ever posted in a double decathlon. Some of Detmer's other exceptional performances included a 2:02.23 in the 800, a 6-6 high jump, a 50.43 in the 400, a 15-11 pole vault, a 53.83 in the 400 hurdles and a 4:26.66 in the 1,500.

Detmer also set a world record for the highest decathlon score ever posted as part of a double decathlon competition. He racked up an incredible 7,741 points in the 10 traditional decathlon disciplines on Friday and Saturday.

Now in its ninth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 13, Jen Clayton; January 20, Shalane Flanagan; January 27, Nolan Shaheed; February 3, Bernard Lagat; February 10, Bernard Lagat; February 17, Shalane Flanagan; February 24, Amber Campbell; March 3, Amber Campbell; March 10, Phil Raschker; March 17, Ashton Eaton; March 31, Lisa Koll; April 7, Queen Harrison; April 14, Magdalena Lewy Boulet; April 21, Bershawn Jackson; April 28, Phoebe Wright; May 5, Chris Solinsky; May 12, Walter Dix; May 26, Cory Martin; June 2, Chaunte Lowe; June 9, Bernard Lagat; June 16, Queen Harrison; June 30, Kara Patterson; July 7, David Oliver; July 22, David Oliver; July 28, Conor McCullough; August 4, Kennedy Blahnik; August 11, Tyson Gay; August 18, Allyson Felix; August 26, Robin Reynolds; September 1, Molly Huddle; September 8, Bernard Lagat; Kibwe Johnson; September 22, Robert Cheseret; September 29, Joe Detmer.

About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: USATF.org.