Contact: Melvin Jackson II
USATF Communications Coordinator
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
317-261-0478 x322
http://www.usatf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 6, 2002
Sanya Richards Named Verizon Youth Athlete of the Year
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sanya Richards, a longtime standout in USA Track & Field’
s Junior Olympic programs, on Friday was named 2002 Verizon Youth Athlete of
the Year by USA Track & Field. Richards will be honored Friday night at the
Jesse Owens Awards Dinner and Xerox Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in
conjunction with USATF’s 2002 Annual Meeting.
“I am so excited and feel great to be recognized as this year’s Verizon
Youth Athlete of the Year,” said Richards. “I had no idea that I would
surpass all of my expectations this year. I am honored to be in the same
room with the 2002 Hall of Fame inductees such as Gwen Torrence.”
“Sanya embodies everything to which USATF Youth and Junior programs aspire,”
said USATF CEO Craig Masback. “She participated in the Junior Olympic
program throughout her young career, and that has helped to catapult her to
the next level of competition on the world stage. With athletes like Sanya,
the future of Team USA is bright.”
With track and field as the top-rated participatory sport at the junior and
senior high-school levels, Verizon has made a historic commitment to support
USA Track & Field's Youth Programs. As part of that commitment, Verizon
established the Verizon Youth Athlete of the Year Award to recognize the
great athletic achievements by a high-school track and field athlete.
Additional Verizon programs include the Verizon Youth Series of USATF Youth
and Junior championship events, and the Verizon Youth Progress Award, a
$20,000 scholarship program for high school seniors who participate in track
or cross country.
“Sanya represents the best and brightest of our young athletes,” said Bruce
Gordon, Verizon President for Retail Services. “Her accomplishments in
track and field and in her community make her a deserving recipient of the
second Verizon Youth Athlete of the Year Award."
Richards springboarded to stardom in 2002 as a senior at St.Thomas Aquinas
High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She won state titles in the 100, 200
and 400 meters, winning her fourth straight 100 title and setting a state
record in the 400. Two weeks later at the Nike Prefontaine Classic, she
toed the line against some of the best 400 runners in the world and finished
second in 51.16, beating among others former world champion Jearl
Miles-Clark.
Her greatest achievement came in June at the USA Junior National
Championships, part of the Verizon Youth Series, where she broke the
American junior record in the 400 with a time of 50.69. She won the U.S.
Junior 200 title as well. She then headed to her hometown of Kingston,
Jamaica, for the World Junior Championships, winning the silver and bronze
medals in the 400 and 200 meters, respectively, capping off a remarkable
season as the media star of the championships. Richards currently is a
freshman at the University of Texas.
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