"...and Louise holds a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it!"
That's a line from my favorite Bob Dylan song (lyrically speaking, that is!), "Visions of Johanna".
But "Louise", in this case, is aka "Swift Girl" on Twitter.
And she HATES Justin Gatlin with a passion!
So I'm certain (Check her tweets from today!) she went apoplectic seeing the result from the Men's 200 at the Senior USATF meet, which ended a few hours ago.
Gatlin sped his 200 in 19.57, cleaning everyone else's clock in the process!
It was no contest!
Just for the Record (which is what this blog is all about, right?), he broke his own Age 33 record.
He nabbed the USATF Meet Record.
He moves from 6th to 3rd on the A-T US list.
And he moves from 8th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 5th.
But he also improves his place on my 100-200 Combined Events list.
His times of 9.74 and 19.57 add to 29.31.
So he moves from 6th to 4th on that list!
The sprints--both Men's and Women's--produced some incredible times.
And only SOME of them were wind-aided!
One that wasn't was the Women's Semi, where English Gardner ran 10.79, improving her PR by 0.05.
She moves from 11th A-T US to 7th, tied with 1 other.
On the World DDD, she becomes 13th A-T, tied with 3 others.
Her entrance onto the World list eliminated some BIG names FROM the list!
Three women had 10.83's that are now gone.
Sheila Echols's time dated from 1988.
Juliet Cuthbert's time dated from 1992.
And the WR holder in the 400, Marita Koch's 10.83 dated from 1983!
Other's connected to the meet's venue, aka Oregon Ducks, had good marks.
Jenna Prandini won the 200 in an 0.01 PR of 22.20.
But she remains 20th A-T US, except now she's not tied with anyone.
Jasmine Todd ran 10.92 in the 100 final.
She's now 24th A-T US, tied with 3 others.
She also LJ'ed 22-5.25.
But she misses my US DDD by one-half inch!!
Trayvon Bromell offered some excitement to the crowd by timing 9.84 in a 100 heat!
It tied the USATF Meet Record.
It broke his own Age 19 Record.
In fact, no one under the age of 21 has run faster!
He moves from 13th A-T US to 4th.
He's also 10th A-T World, tied with 2 others.
Diondre Batson ran 9.94 in a heat.
He's now 23rd A-T US, tied with 1 other.
Taken OFF my list was a super (in every sense) oldie.
Jim Hines, who ran the first automatic-timed sub-10, a 9.95 dating from 1968 (!!), is no longer on my list!
Before leaving the sprints, I have to add some GREAT news about Kaylin Whitney.
If you read my USATF Junior Championships post, you know she ran 22.75 in her heat, plus a windy 11.18 in her 100 heat.
Well, she slightly improved on her HS PRO Record in the 200!
In the Semi, she matched her PR from last year, running 22.49.
In the final, she missed a ticket to Beijing by one place, but improved her HS PRO Record to 22.47!
(And she gets the HS PRO Junior Class Record also!!)
A truly GREAT meet by a young lady who can't even vote yet!!
Both 3000 Steeplechase races gave us some good marks---not to mention some spills and thrills (in the Women's race).
Evan Jager towed Dan Huling and Don Cabral to fast times.
In the process, he carved out a new USATF Meet Record time of 8:12.29.
Huling missed his PR by less than a second, but Cabral sliced his by about 6 seconds!
His 8:13.37 moves him from 18th A-T US up to 7th!
After allowing Stephanie Garcia to lead the first few laps, American Record holder Emma Coburn took control, increased the pace, headed to a USATF Meet Record time of 9:15.59.
It was her own MR she broke!
Garcia got a PR, but almost crashed in the final 100 meters, paying the price of her fast early pace.
Her time of 9:23.48 was a PR by 0.80 seconds.
But her 4th A-T US list placing doesn't change.
The battle for 3rd was a replay of the NCAA, when Colleen Quigley raced against Leah O'Connor.
Except here, as they came to the final water jump, Quigley cleared it cleanly, while O'Connor slipped on the hurdle, took a dive, getting up to race again, but finding herself with a gap she couldn't close.
Quigley thus stamped her passport to China with her 3rd place time of 9:24.92.
(She finished in a sprint, almost catching the fading Garcia!)
She moves from 9th A-T US, tied with 1 other, into 7th.
O'Connor recovered enough to also get a PR.
Her 9:31.03 moves her up one spot on the A-T US list, from 14th to 13th.
The short hurdles also produced a couple of shocks.
Lolo Jones made it to the final.
Lolo Jones ain't going to China.
Queen Harrison didn't made it to the final.
Queen Harrison isn't going to Beijing either.
One who more than made the cut was Sharika Nelvis.
She ran 12.34---in a heat!
(The final was slower, won in the 12.5's!)
However, her time moves her from 17th to 4th on the A-T US list!
She also becomes 7th A-T World!
She just missed (by 0.01) the Age 25 Record, set by Yordanka Donkova in 1987!
Her entering the World DDD erases 2 significant names from it.
Cornelia Oschkenat's time dates from 1987.
Ginnie Crawford is still running, but is also gone from my list.
Her time dated from 2007.
While I'm on the hurdles, I'll mention a race held in Jamaica over the weekend.
Omar McLeod beat Hansle Parchment, running 12.97, easily bettering his PR of 13.21.
He's now 14th A-T World, tied with 1 other.
Oh, and BTW, he ALSO knocked a couple of iconic names OFF my World list!
Gone are Reggie Torian from 1998.
But even more important, gone also is Greg Foster, whose time dated from 1981.
Marquis Dendy won the LJ, but his winning jump of 28-5.75 had an aiding wind of 3.7!
However, he also had a legal mark of 27-6.50.
This makes him 21st A-T US, tied with 1 other.
Dendy lost the Triple Jump to Omar Craddock's massive PR, but his 56-6.50 mark makes him 18th A-T US.
Craddock's PR of over a foot and a half, 57-6.25, makes him 11th A-T US, tied with 1 other.
The Women's TJ produced a mildly shocking winner in Christina Epps.
Her 46-2.75 makes her 11th A-T US.
Keturah Orji didn't PR, but finished 3rd, making the team for the WC---IF she can get the Qualifying mark in the next few weeks!
(Same goes for Ms Epps and the other placer.)
While on the Triple Jump, I found a VERY old mark I need to report.
No, it's not a few MONTHS old!
It's from---2013!
Somehow I missed April Sinkler's 45-7 mark from 2 years ago!
She's thus 21st A-T US!!
Is this report too long already?
I hope not, because I still have LOTS to report.
So if you're tired, take a break, then come back and continue reading!
Turning to the Throws, let's go first to Poland, where it was reported Anita Wlodarczyk broke her own HT World Record with a toss of 261-11.
One problem.
It's NOT going to be ratified!
Even Anita said so!
Why?
It was thrown from a platform built on one side of a river, and the ball and chain was thrown to the other bank.
I don't know the official ruling, but take my word---NO WR!!
The USATF meet's Women's Javelin had great depth--at least if you consider ONLY American depth!
Kara Winger won the event easily, but no PR.
Neither did Shelbi Vaughan, who finished 2nd, PR.
But the next three changed their status on my DDD's.
The resurgent Hannah Carson got a MASSIVE PR of 10 feet 4 inches (!!), throwing the spear out 195-5!
She thus moves all the way from 24th to 8th on my US DDD list!
Kimberley Hamilton's mark of 193-8 moves her up 2 spots on the A-T US list, from 11th to 9th.
And Karlee McQuillen's throw of 186-3 makes her 21st A-T US.
DeAnna Price, who won the NCAA Hammer Throw with a PR of 234-6, increased that mark to 237-2 in taking a close 2nd in the event here.
She steps up one notch on the A-T US list, from 9th to 8th.
Jessica Ramsey's HT of 225-8 makes her 24th A-T US.
A deep Men's Shot Put found Ryan Whiting finishing just 7th, throwing 68-2.50.
But sometimes 7th place gains you a Record!
Whiting's mark is the best-ever 7th Place!!
The Women's SP also had some depth.
Michelle Carter won with her longest toss in years, as she hit 65-8!
But it missed the Meet record by about 9 inches, and it wasn't a PR, as SHE holds that MR!!
Three women DID get PR's.
Tia Brooks's throw of 62-1.25 moves her from 12th to 10th on the A-T US list.
Jeneva Stevens threw the ball out 61-9.75.
She moves from 17th to 13th on the A-T US list.
And Jessica Ramsey's 60-5.25 makes her 23rd A-T US.
Raven Saunders got a good 6th round mark, giving her the "Collegiate" lead.
Meaning, she beat all the other 5 or 6 Collegians in the meet, thus winning this "Alternate NCAA"!
LOL
Sean Furey's winning Javelin Throw of 272-7 moves him from 14th to 12th on the A-T US list!
Both HJ's were interesting---in different ways.
Eric Kynard won the Men's side with 7-9.25.
This tied the USATF Meet Record.
It also tied his PR, which was first hit in 2013.
He then tried 3 times at the American Record height of 2.41, or 7-10.75!
JaCorian Duffield jumped 7-8.
He's now 14th A-T US, tied with 4 others.
Comebacking Mama Chaunte Lowe won the Women's HJ with 6-3.25, failing 3 times at the Beijing Q of 6-4.25.
Almost-40 (July 27th!) Amy Acuff finished 3rd with a 6-2 leap.
This ties her 2015 best.
But if she'd been 40 now, she would've missed the Age 40 Record by 0.75 inches!
One of them will have to jump 6-4.25 in order to secure their ticket to Beijing!
It's ironic (??) that 17 year old HS Junior, Vashti Cunningham---who won the USATF Junior Championships HJ with a mark of 6-0.75---HAS the necessary Beijing Q mark!!
Too bad she chose to jump with her peers, instead of with her "elders"!!
The Women's Pole Vault turned into its expected 3-way battle, with Jenn Suhr, and recent College Grads-turned Pro's, Sandi Morris and Demi Payne, playing passing games as the bar was raised to the 15 foot level.
While none of the 3 got a PR--Suhr won with 15-9.75, then came Morris at 15-3, and Payne at 15-1--three others did!
Following the Big 3 came Katie Nageotte's 14-11.
This makes her 19th A-T US, tied with 1 other.
Kristin Hixson and Leslie Brost both jumped 14-9.
Hisxon's vault matched her 2013 PR.
She's 22nd A-T US, tied with 7 others.
One of those 7 is Brost, whose 14-9 also makes her 22nd, tied with 7 others!
Tianna Bartoletta LJ'ed 23-4.50 for the win.
She moves from 7th to 4th on the A-T US list!
But she misses my World list by a mere 0.75 inches!
The Heptathlon saw a mildly shocking winner.
Barbara Nwaba outran Sharon Day-Monroe in the 800, thus extending her mere 7 point lead for the comfortable victory.
Her PR total of exactly 6500 points moves her from 13th to 6th on the A-T US list!
Erica Bougard added 38 points to her recent PR, scoring 6288 in third.
But there's no change in her list status, so she's still 17th A-T US.
Heather Miller-Koch scored 6274 points.
This makes her 18th A-T US.
Are you struggling with my masochistic-length post?
Well, hang in there, we're almost finished!!
Georgeanne Moline crashed and burned in the 400H, but Cassandra Tate didn't.
Her 2nd place mark (to Shamier Little's non-PR time of 53.83) of 54.01 makes her 14th A-T US.
Moved OFF my DDD was LaTanya Sheffield, whose 1983 mark was the oldest on my US DDD!!
Also removed from a United States DDD was----MARY SLANEY!!!
It took a SPECTACULAR race in the Women's 5000 to make that happen!
While the time wasn't SUPER fast, it was fast enough to remove Slaney's one-time American Record time from my list!
Her 15:06.53 dated from 1985!
Anyway, it was a great race to watch!
(And I'll be watching it again and again---and again!!)
Nicole Tully led awhile, then Shalane Flanagan took over, as she is won't to do.
(Thank you, Shalane, for making EVERY race you run FAST!!)
The K's went by in 3:02, 3:00, then 3:05.
That was when Tully retook the lead, with (among others) Marielle Hall and Abbey D'Agostino joining the party.
The next 1000 or so found them in a tight-knit little group.
The pace didn't sag, but it also didn't increase much.
Until the last 600 or so.
ALL of them tried to take the lead at the same time, forcing a 3-wide line around the penultimate curve.
The expected flat-out SPRINT then started, with Tully's speed winning the day---BARELY!!
Her 15:06.44 beat Hall's 15:06.45---by the thinnest of hairs!
And not far back, also sprinting hard, came Abbey D, finally back to her domineering strength from her collegiate years!
Tully's time wasn't a PR, but Hall's was.
She's now 23rd A-T US!
And SHE was the one that forced Ms Slaney OFF the list!
Abbey ALMOST caused another SUPER Icon OFF my list.
But Suzy Favor Hamilton's 15:06.48 remains, Abbey's time just 0.12 from removing Suzy!
In 4th came Emily Infeld, whose 15:07.18 missed my US DDD by just 0.70 seconds!
(You think Suzy will survive the summer??)
There was a BIG upset in the Women's 20000 meter Walk, held on Agate St, just outside Hayward Field!
Miranda Melville and AR holder Maria Michta-Coffey battled it out for 15K, before Melville took off.
She gained about 30 seconds on each of the last 5 K's, winning by about 2 minutes!
The 800's were won by two folks who were coming back from assorted "problems".
Nick Symmonds forgot his Beer Miles and "Life Outside the Oval Office" to win the Men's race from Casimir Loxsom's first sub-1:45.
Returning-from-pregnancy Alysia Montano returned also to her USATF Championship-winning ways, defeating Brenda Martinez with a solid 1:59.15!
(And yes, she had a flower in her hair, and the cutest little baby in her arms when she was interviewed afterwards!)
The races also saw 2 serious contenders fall (??), both Maggie Vessey and Duane Solomon finishing their respective races in over three minutes!!
Vessey's mishap apparently caused Ajee Wilson to lose a shoe, forcing her to finish the race with one shoe'd foot, and one in socks!!
She managed to finish in the Bronze medal position!
Finally----YES, FINALLY!!!---there was the women's 1500.
Remember me saying (in my USATF Junior post) that Sarah Feeny and Stephanie Jenks led that race through 800 in around 2:20?
Well, the "ADULT" women went through THEIR 800 in around 2:26!!
Kate Murphy won that Junior race in 4:16.98---as a HS Soph!!
World Champion and Diamond League winner Jenny Simpson had to sprint a 58+ last 400 to secure HER win in 4:14 and change, just 2 seconds faster than Murphy!!
And Mary Cain?
Nope!
The girl who made the 2013 WC team at age 17 is now 19, but just not the same Mary Cain!
While the first 7 women sprinted that final 400 in times ranging from 58.81 (Shannon Rowbury) to 59.95 (Treniere Moser), Cain ran hers in "just" 60.48!!
The "old" Mary would have run that lap in 57 seconds!!
And thus, I'll end this "little" post with another Bob Dylan lyric.
"Oh, I was so much older then---I'm younger than that now!"
Oh, really?
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