Contact: Jill M. Geer
USATF Director of Communications
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.usatf.org
In Madrid: +34-91-453-19-00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Team USA ready to roll at World Cup
MADRID, Spain – Team USA’s women’s squad looks to successfully defend its
1998 title, while the three-time champion USA men are hoping to return to
the top of the world at the 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics. Featuring team
competition and more than $3 million in prize money, the meet begins Friday
at La Comunidad Stadium.
Held every four years, the World Cup is the IAAF's only team-scoring event
in track and field. Using a points-based format of team competition, the
World Cup pits Team USA against five continental squads from Asia, Africa,
the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Germany, Spain, Great Britain’s men and
Russia’s women also field teams. The American women won the meet in 1998 and
the U.S. men have titles from 1979, ’85 and ’89.
The Americans should get off to a strong start Friday with the men’s and
women’s 100m, 400m and 4x100m relay as well as the men’s shot put and long
jump being contested. The defending World Cup champion, Marion Jones is
favored in the women’s 100m, and Savante Stringfellow (long jump) Alvin
Harrison (men’s 400) and Adam Nelson (men’s shot put) have the best marks in
their respective World Cup men’s fields in 2002.
Jones, Nelson and Stringfellow are pre-meet favorites. Jones is undefeated
this year, won a share of the IAAF Golden League jackpot, and her time of
10.84 is just .01 off the 2002 world leader. Nelson has been dominating shot
put competitions over the summer and has the world-leading mark of
22.51m/73-10.25. The 24-year-old Stringfellow has enjoyed the best season of
his young career, posting a world-leading mark of 8.52/27-11.5 at the USA
Outdoor Championships.
Coming off of a brisk, season-best time of 9.97 at the Grand Prix Final last
Saturday, Jon Drummond will compete in the men’s 100m in place of Tim
Montgomery, who is suffering from some swelling in his feet, knees and other
joints after running a world-record time of 9.78 at the Grand Prix Final.
The World’s Fastest Human does hope to compete in Friday’s 4x100m relay,
however.
“It’s hard to sit back and just watch,” said Montgomery, who has been
practicing hand-offs and will run anchor on the U.S. team unless his warm-up
doesn’t go well, indicating his body has not yet recovered enough to race.
“I’m happy to be here and to support the U.S. team. Anything I can do to
help the team, and not hurt myself, I’ll do.”
Montgomery added that running from a standing start in the relay is much
less stressful on his body than the explosive, out-of-the-blocks start in an
open 100m. And he has shown that he can deliver as a relay anchor: at the
2001 World Outdoor Championships, Montgomery anchored Team USA to an
impressive win in the 4x100m relay, and he anchored the winning U.S. Relay
at the 2002 USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays.
Other events being contested Friday in Madrid (and the American athletes who
will compete in them) are the men’s hammer throw (John McEwen), women’s pole
vault (Mary Sauer), women’s triple jump (Yuliana Perez), men’s high jump
(Nathan Leeper), women’s javelin throw (Serene Ross), women’s 400m hurdles
(Sandra Glover), women’s 400m (Jearl Miles-Clark), women’s 800m (Sasha
Spencer), men’s 400m (Alvin Harrison), men’s 1,500m (Seneca Lassiter), women
’s 3,000m (Sarah Schwald), women’s discus throw (Kris Kuehl), men’s 400m
hurdles (James Carter) and the men’s 5,000m (Meb Keflezighi).
Lineups for the 4x100m will be decided Friday afternoon. Two additional
roster updates were announced Thursday: Kelli White will run the women’s
200m and Bolota Asmeron will compete in the men’s 3,000m. Both events are
Saturday.
For more information on Team USA at the World Cup, including a complete
roster, athlete information and qualifying procedures, visit www.usatf.org.
For international news, visit www.iaaf.org.
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