Contact: Melvin Jackson II
Communications Coordinator
USA Track & Field
(317) 261-0500 x322
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USATF News & Notes
Volume 4, Number 14 February 12, 2003
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In this edition:
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- Big prize money awarded in track and field in 2002
- Bev Kearney addresses media while on road to recovery
- Track on TV
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Big prize money awarded in track and field in 2002
A yearlong survey by the Track Profile News Service revealed that more
than $13 million in prize money and bonuses was awarded in track and
field competitions in 2002, Runners World Online reports.
Based on information received from 55 major international indoor and
outdoor meetings, at least $13,568,466 was awarded last season,
$7,410,812 for men and $6,157,654 for women. The four IAAF Golden
League jackpot winners - Olympic and World Champion sprinter Marion
Jones, miler Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, 400 meter hurdler Felix
Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, and 400 meter specialist Ana Guevara
of Mexico - top the respective men's and women's tallies. Each athlete
won a chunk of gold worth $140,388 for their perfect seven-for-seven
Golden League campaigns.
Twelve women and nine men earned more than $100,000 in prize money,
while 27 women and 32 men earned more than $50,000. At least 596 men
from 70 countries and 484 women from 66 countries earned prizes in 2002.
While not entirely inclusive--of the 77 meet directors, media contacts
and athlete liaisons contacted, 55 provided insight into their prize
money and payment structures--figures for the top 10 prize earners can
be considered fairly accurate, as virtually all of their 2002
appearances are accounted for in the data.
Bev Kearney addresses media while on road to recovery
By Jim Dunaway
Beverly Kearney, the University of Texas womens' track and field coach,
made her first public appearance since the spinal injury she suffered in
an auto accident on December 26 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Seated in a wheel chair before a small group of television and newspaper
reporters in Austin, Texas, the 44-year-old Ms. Kearney smiled broadly
as she said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity to thank all
those wonderful people who sent cards and email and flowers, and
everything. I've just been overwhelmed with all the support."
Expressing optimism about her condition, she said, "I'm not worried
about the outcome, because I know it. I'm (going to be) walking. I'll
probably be jogging. I'm gonna be 100%. I have absolutely no doubt."
Ms. Kearney's back was injured when she was thrown from the SUV she was
riding in when the accident occurred. She underwent surgery on her spine
twice in Jacksonville's Shands Hospital, and had further surgery after
returning to Austin several weeks ago to relieve pressure on her spinal
cord.
The surgeon who carried out the third operation, Dr. Kurt Von Rueden,
said, "Bev does not have a spinal cord injury. The effects at present
are very similar, but the chances for recovery are much better for
recovery than they would be if it were a spinal cord injury. None of the
nerves were torn or avulsed, but they were probably stretched. Within a
week of her third surgery she started to show signs of movement. She can
feel burning in her feet; it's a pain like waking up from a bad
frostbite. Some of the pain she is feeling shows that the nerves below
the level of the injury -- the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae -- are
beginning to show their function. And that's a good thing."
Ms. Kearney is a patient in St. David's Rehabilitation Center where she
is presently doing morning and afternoon rehab sessions which total
three hours per day. She is also coaching her athletes -- and doing it
almost as intensely as if she were on the track with them. "All the
workouts and all the racing strategies have been written by me," she
beamed.
Dr. Joseph Volpe, the attending physician, indicated that Ms. Kearney
might be able to leave the hospital in approximately one month, if her
current progress continues.
"I think I'm going to let everybody see I'm OK at the Texas Relays
(April 2-5). Walking, or standing up, they'll see I'm ok," said Ms.
Kearney.
Track on TV
Tune in this weekend for the Tyson Foods Invitational, the third stop on
USATF's Golden Spike Tour. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN2 on
Sunday, February 16, from 8-9 pm ET.
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