The Visa Championship Series always hits its stride this time of year with the trio of Carson, New York and Eugene leading into the National Championships. This year Carson will kick this stretch run off in fine style with stars galore this weekend.<\/p>\n
Previous Carson winners World Champion sprinter Tyson Gay and Olympic Champion sprinter Veronica Campbell Brown have both pulled out of the meet to spend a bit more time training and rehabbing from early season injuries, yet their absence should go unnoticed so deep is the quality of this year’s meet.<\/p>\n
Potential Highlights:<\/p>\n
Men’s 100 – The field includes the Olympic silver medalist (Richard Thompson) the most recent World silver medalist (Derrick Atkins), Olympic finalist Darvis Patton, and current world co-leader Travis Padgett. Padgett is the best starter in a field full of strong finishers. The best surge between 40 and 60 meters should secure victory. Look for Patton to pull it out in the seasons first sub10.<\/p>\n
Men’s 200 – Olympic gold (’04) and silver (’08) medalist Shawn Crawford, World finalist Marvin Anderson, and sub20 performers Rodney Martin (19.99) and Xavier Carter (19.63) take on Olympic 400 meter champion Lashawn Merritt! Merritt leads the world at 20.17 but that may not be good enough for top 3 in this field. Crawford will burn the turn and Carter will close late, but Merritt has looked effortless this year and rush off the turn and hold off any late rushes – and should better his PR of 19.98, which would give him the seasons first sub20.<\/p>\n
Men’s 400 hurdles – Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor v silver medalist Kerron Clement. Throw in former Olympic and World champion Felix Sanchez and tough as nails James Carter and we should see the year’s first 47 second clocking. Taylor and Clement are the fastest quarter milers in the field and should have a slight edge. Clement tends to have trouble over the final few hurdles, Taylor won’t falter and should win here with Carter making it tough with a strong close.<\/p>\n
Women’s 100 – Powerhouse and current world #2 Carmelita Jeter takes on last year’s US Olympic squad of Torri Edwards, Muna Lee and Lauryn Williams. Add Marshavet Hooker who was 4th at last year’s Trials and we have one hot race. Jeter has looked nearly unbeatable so far this spring, but Edwards has the skills to put this one away early and Williams always shows up to compete. Jeter has the added motivation of Jamaican Kerron Stewart having taken the world lead and running very well the last two weeks. I look for Jeter to continue her winning ways while throwing down the gauntlet to Stewart with a new world leader.<\/p>\n
Women’s 200 – Allyson Felix makes her season debut in an event she has dominated the past few seasons. Having lost the gold medal in Beijing after taking consecutive golds in the last two World Championships I’m looking for Felix to put the pedal to the medal here. She ran 49.7 in the 4×4 at Penn and took over the world lead in the 400 (50.75) in Doha last week. She should get a good run here from Sanya Richards, but Felix should easily surpass the current world leading time of 22.59.<\/p>\n
Women’s 100 hurdles – Olympic champion Dawn Harper takes on Michelle Perry, winner of the last two World Championships. Throw in burners Virginia Powell and Perdita Felicien and we should have one blazing race. This one is too tough to call as this is a very even, very tough group of young ladies. Perry is the most experienced which could give her a slight edge. But one wrong hurdle often decides this race. This should come down to the photo.<\/p>\n
All of these races and I’ve missed stars like Jeremy Wariner (400), Dwight Phillips (LJ), Terrence Trammell (110H), Jenn Stuckzynski (PV), high school prodigy Jordan Hasay (1500), Shalane Flanagan (5000) and Bernard Lagat (1500). This meet should be as exciting and deep as Doha. So grab your popcorn and tune in to ESPN2 for what should be an entertaining meet!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Visa Championship Series always hits its stride this time of year with the trio of Carson, New York and Eugene leading into the National Championships. This year Carson will kick this stretch run off in fine style with stars galore this weekend. Previous Carson winners World Champion sprinter Tyson Gay and Olympic Champion sprinter Veronica Campbell Brown have both pulled out of the meet to spend a bit more time training and rehabbing from early season injuries, yet their absence should go unnoticed so deep is the quality of this year’s meet. Potential Highlights: Men’s 100 – The field includes the Olympic silver medalist (Richard Thompson) the most recent World silver medalist (Derrick Atkins), Olympic finalist Darvis Patton, and current world co-leader Travis Padgett. Padgett is the best starter in a field full of strong finishers. The best surge between 40 and 60 meters should secure victory. Look for Patton to pull it out in the seasons first sub10. Men’s 200 – Olympic gold (’04) and silver (’08) medalist Shawn Crawford, World finalist Marvin Anderson, and sub20 performers Rodney Martin (19.99) and Xavier Carter (19.63) take on Olympic 400 meter champion Lashawn Merritt! Merritt leads the world at 20.17 but that may not be good enough for top 3 in this field. Crawford will burn the turn and Carter will close late, but Merritt has looked effortless this year and rush off the turn and hold off any late rushes – and should better his PR of 19.98, which would give him the seasons first sub20. Men’s 400 hurdles – Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor v silver medalist Kerron Clement. Throw in former Olympic and World champion Felix Sanchez and tough as nails James Carter and we should see the year’s first 47 second clocking. Taylor and Clement are the fastest quarter milers in the field and should have a slight edge. Clement tends to have trouble over the final few hurdles, Taylor won’t falter and should win here with Carter making it tough with a strong close. Women’s 100 – Powerhouse and current world #2 Carmelita Jeter takes on last year’s US Olympic squad of Torri Edwards, Muna Lee and Lauryn Williams. Add Marshavet Hooker who was 4th at last year’s Trials and we have one hot race. Jeter has looked nearly unbeatable so far this spring, but Edwards has the skills to put this one away early and Williams always shows up to compete. Jeter has the added motivation of Jamaican Kerron Stewart having taken the world lead and running very well the last two weeks. I look for Jeter to continue her winning ways while throwing down the gauntlet to Stewart with a new world leader. Women’s 200 – Allyson Felix makes her season debut in an event she has dominated the past few seasons. Having lost the gold medal in Beijing after taking consecutive golds in the last two World Championships I’m looking for Felix to put the pedal to the medal here. She ran 49.7 in the 4×4 at Penn and took over the world lead in the 400 (50.75) in Doha last week. She should get a good run here from Sanya Richards, but Felix should easily surpass the current world leading time of 22.59. Women’s 100 hurdles – Olympic champion Dawn Harper takes on Michelle Perry, winner of the last two World Championships. Throw in burners Virginia Powell and Perdita Felicien and we should have one blazing race. This one is too tough to call as this is a very even, very tough group of young ladies. Perry is the most experienced which could give her a slight edge. But one wrong hurdle often decides this race. This should come down to the photo. All of these races and I’ve missed stars like Jeremy Wariner (400), Dwight Phillips (LJ), Terrence Trammell (110H), Jenn Stuckzynski (PV), high school prodigy Jordan Hasay (1500), Shalane Flanagan (5000) and Bernard Lagat (1500). This meet should be as exciting and deep as Doha. So grab your popcorn and tune in to ESPN2 for what should be an entertaining meet!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-2y","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1548,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1548","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":0},"title":"Lausanne & Birmingham Lead Big Weekend","author":"CHill","date":"August 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If you\u2019re like me, you got spoiled during the Olympics with high level track and field every day for over a week. Things settled down quite a bit last week in Stockholm as many of London\u2019s stars took time out to catch their breath and rest a bit. Well, they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Birmingham\"","block_context":{"text":"Birmingham","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=birmingham"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sprinter Shadow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Sprinter-Shadow_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":191,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=191","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":1},"title":"Track Investments Also Underperforming During Downturn","author":"CHill","date":"July 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Many individuals have had their investment portfolios hit hard during the recent economic downturn. So much so that it has become common for people to avoid opening their financial statements to so as not to see the latest bad news. Given the performances of some of the sports biggest names\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"AT&T USA Outdoor Track And Field Championships - Day 4","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/6\/c\/5\/8\/ATT_USA_Outdoor_0d37.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2761,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2761","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":2},"title":"Men’s 200m Outlook, 2024","author":"CHill","date":"December 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"So, with the 100m in the books, as well as a discussion on the relay, let's take a look at the 200m. I'll start by saying that we have the fastest\/deepest group that the event has ever seen! Three of the six fastest ever (four of ten) are currently competing.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Faunbulleh\"","block_context":{"text":"Faunbulleh","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=faunbulleh"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/11F5FC87-F351-451A-B0D9-79BF4D6794A0-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":371,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=371","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":3},"title":"Borzov, Mennea, Wells, LEMAITRE !!","author":"CHill","date":"July 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Much has been made of the fact that Christophe Lemaitre became the first white sprinter to crack the sub 10 barrier when he blitzed to a 9.98 clocking at the French championships earlier this month. More impressive to me however, was yesterday\u2019s 100 meter victory at the European Championships. Because\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=371#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"July 29, 2010 - 06239235 date 28 07 2010 Copyright imago Chai v D Laage Athletics European Championships European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010 27 07 01 08 2010 Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic Lluis Barcelona 100m Final Christophe Lemaitre men Athletics euro Barcelona Action shot Vdig xsk 2010 horizontal Highlight premiumd.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view3.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9444042\/sports-news-july-2010\/sports-news-july-2010.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1220,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1220","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":4},"title":"Rome to Begin 10 Hot Days of T&F","author":"CHill","date":"May 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The US Olympic Trials begin in just a few weeks - June 22 to be exact - with several other national Trials around the same time period. Assuming that most athletes will want to rest award of the big meet, the next couple of weeks are going to be critical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Rome\"","block_context":{"text":"Rome","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=rome"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sprinter Shadow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Sprinter-Shadow_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1858,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1858","url_meta":{"origin":158,"position":5},"title":"NCAA Regionals On Tap This Week","author":"CHill","date":"May 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The championship portion of the collegiate season kicks into high gear this week with the Division I East (Greensboro NC) and West (Austin TX) Regionals. These meets are the precursor to the NCAA Division I Championships in Eugene in June. In many ways these meets are also a preview of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Barrett\"","block_context":{"text":"Barrett","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=barrett"},"img":{"alt_text":"Placeholder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Placeholder_thumb2.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}