{"id":546,"date":"2011-08-06T17:27:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-07T00:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=546"},"modified":"2011-08-06T17:27:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-07T00:27:00","slug":"london-gp-day-two-u-s-step-up-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=546","title":{"rendered":"London GP, Day Two \u2013 U.S. Step Up Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With the close of the London meet, there are only a handful of small meets left until the opening of the World Championships on August 27th. This was it for any \u201cbig\u201d tests until Daegu \u2013 and the final day gave us a few things to ponder, as a group of American athletes stepped up and asked to be counted.  <\/p>\n

Chief among them being the place of Sanya Richards Ross (USA) among the 400 meter hierarchy. As recently as earlier this week when I put the 400 meter poll up on this site, Sanya was no where near being considered a factor for Daegu \u2013 I almost didn\u2019t put her name on the poll. Today, however, after covering 400 meters of real estate in 49.66 sec (the #2 time this year) she is suddenly smack dab back in the middle of the conversation! Richards Ross ran a vintage type race for her \u2013 out fast; strong around the second turn; and holding off challengers down the finishing stretch. He closest pursuer was Jamaican Rosemarie Whyte who ran a PR 49.84 by running a similar race pattern to Richards Ross, though not quite so fast through the first half of the race. Suddenly, within the last couple of weeks, the women\u2019s 400 has gotten a bit crowded. And what looked perhaps to be the easiest part of the 200\/400 double for Allyson Felix may now be the hardest part. More when I begin to look at event previews.<\/p>\n

A few other individuals moved into the Daegu conversation today, perhaps the most unexpected being triple jumper Christian Taylor (USA). Taylor has had a long season,taking second at the indoor NCAA meet after setting an indoor PR 56\u2019 11.5\u201d. He improved to a PR 57\u2019 1\u201d to win the outdoor NCAA title (with a windy 58\u2019 4.75\u201d) before winning the Trials for Daegu with another PR of 57\u2019 4.5\u201d. Today he took on defending World Champion Phillips Idowu (GBR) and emerged victorious with a PR 58\u2019 0\u201d and suddenly we have a challenger in the men\u2019s triple jump! Taylor\u2019s jump featured a beautiful final phase, as Taylor seems to get better and better as the competition ramps up. And with 59 foot leaper Teddy Tamgho out with injury there is no one out there that is clearly better than Taylor. The triple jump just got a bit more interesting. <\/p>\n

As did the men\u2019s sprints with this meet. Yesterday it was Jamaican Yohan Blake stepping up and winning a not so close 100 meters from the field. Today it was Walter Dix (USA) toeing the line in the deuce and running well clear of the field. Dix\u2019 early acceleration was not the best, but from mid turn to the line, his power and speed endurance were clearly superior to anyone else in the field. And with Tyson Gay out, only Usain Bolt looks to be in the same class as Dix in this event \u2013 and with a decent start Dix should factor in the 100 as well. Dix won double bronze in Beijing in the sprints and with 3 weeks to sharpen looks to be in shape to challenge for both podiums again. <\/p>\n

Another sprinter who looks ready to \u201cupgrade\u201d in Daegu is Carmelita Jeter (USA) who went head to head with defending World Champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce (JAM). Fraser Pryce has had very few competitions this summer, and she and Jeter hadn\u2019t faced each other since Pre back at the beginning of June (Jeter 10.70, Fraser 10.95). Today Fraser Pryce once again displayed her quick getaway, and Jeter her top end. Once again top end won out as Jeter took a 10.93 to 11.10 win over the defending champion. And moving strongly into the conversation for Worlds was Kelly Ann Baptiste (TRI) who ran stride for stride with Jeter over the final stages to take a close second in 10.97. Baptiste has to at least be mentioned with Marshevet Myers (USA) and Kerron Stewart (JAM) as strong medal contenders, and has shown a top end capable of competing with Jeter and Veronica Campbell Brown (JAM) in the gold medal hunt. This is shaping up as another hot race in Korea. <\/p>\n

Finally, it was nice to see a pair of middle distance runners step up into the mix. First was Shannon Rowbury who, though third in Berlin, hasn\u2019t had the most exciting of seasons so far. Today she stepped up and took a close third in the 1500 in a seasons best 4:05.73. A very good effort for her and with 3 weeks to go potentially a sign that she may yet give the big girls a strong run in Daegu. The athlete that really got my heart pumping, however, was Leo Manzano. Manzano was third in London last year with a PR 3:50.64 in the mile, today he ran the mile again \u2013 and upgraded to first place in 3:51.24 \u2013 very close to his PR. What was exciting was the manner in which he won, and who he beat for the victory. Because after staying competitive throughout most of the race, Manzano outran Bernard Lagat (USA) and Augustine Choge (KEN) \u2013 two well established milers with strong kicks of their own. Manzano looked strong and unafraid as he sailed down the finishing straight \u2013 and looked ready to compete well at Worlds. It was certainly nice to see someone other than Lagat look ready to perform over 1500 meters \u2013 especially since Lagat will only be contesting the 5000 in Korea. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time now to try and put it all together. I\u2019ll be taking a look at many of the events for Worlds over the next three weeks, before the opening gun on August 27th. And if London showed us anything, it\u2019s that things are just starting to get interesting!<\/p>\n

Full results for London can be found here<\/a>. And below are videos of some of the exciting action that took place today. <\/p>\n

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With the close of the London meet, there are only a handful of small meets left until the opening of the World Championships on August 27th. This was it for any \u201cbig\u201d tests until Daegu \u2013 and the final day gave us a few things to ponder, as a group of American athletes stepped up and asked to be counted.  Chief among them being the place of Sanya Richards Ross (USA) among the 400 meter hierarchy. As recently as earlier this week when I put the 400 meter poll up on this site, Sanya was no where near being considered a factor for Daegu \u2013 I almost didn\u2019t put her name on the poll. Today, however, after covering 400 meters of real estate in 49.66 sec (the #2 time this year) she is suddenly smack dab back in the middle of the conversation! Richards Ross ran a vintage type race for her \u2013 out fast; strong around the second turn; and holding off challengers down the finishing stretch. He closest pursuer was Jamaican Rosemarie Whyte who ran a PR 49.84 by running a similar race pattern to Richards Ross, though not quite so fast through the first half of the race. Suddenly, within the last couple of weeks, the women\u2019s 400 has gotten a bit crowded. And what looked perhaps to be the easiest part of the 200\/400 double for Allyson Felix may now be the hardest part. More when I begin to look at event previews. A few other individuals moved into the Daegu conversation today, perhaps the most unexpected being triple jumper Christian Taylor (USA). Taylor has had a long season,taking second at the indoor NCAA meet after setting an indoor PR 56\u2019 11.5\u201d. He improved to a PR 57\u2019 1\u201d to win the outdoor NCAA title (with a windy 58\u2019 4.75\u201d) before winning the Trials for Daegu with another PR of 57\u2019 4.5\u201d. Today he took on defending World Champion Phillips Idowu (GBR) and emerged victorious with a PR 58\u2019 0\u201d and suddenly we have a challenger in the men\u2019s triple jump! Taylor\u2019s jump featured a beautiful final phase, as Taylor seems to get better and better as the competition ramps up. And with 59 foot leaper Teddy Tamgho out with injury there is no one out there that is clearly better than Taylor. The triple jump just got a bit more interesting. As did the men\u2019s sprints with this meet. Yesterday it was Jamaican Yohan Blake stepping up and winning a not so close 100 meters from the field. Today it was Walter Dix (USA) toeing the line in the deuce and running well clear of the field. Dix\u2019 early acceleration was not the best, but from mid turn to the line, his power and speed endurance were clearly superior to anyone else in the field. And with Tyson Gay out, only Usain Bolt looks to be in the same class as Dix in this event \u2013 and with a decent start Dix should factor in the 100 as well. Dix won double bronze in Beijing in the sprints and with 3 weeks to sharpen looks to be in shape to challenge for both podiums again. Another sprinter who looks ready to \u201cupgrade\u201d in Daegu is Carmelita Jeter (USA) who went head to head with defending World Champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce (JAM). Fraser Pryce has had very few competitions this summer, and she and Jeter hadn\u2019t faced each other since Pre back at the beginning of June (Jeter 10.70, Fraser 10.95). Today Fraser Pryce once again displayed her quick getaway, and Jeter her top end. Once again top end won out as Jeter took a 10.93 to 11.10 win over the defending champion. And moving strongly into the conversation for Worlds was Kelly Ann Baptiste (TRI) who ran stride for stride with Jeter over the final stages to take a close second in 10.97. Baptiste has to at least be mentioned with Marshevet Myers (USA) and Kerron Stewart (JAM) as strong medal contenders, and has shown a top end capable of competing with Jeter and Veronica Campbell Brown (JAM) in the gold medal hunt. This is shaping up as another hot race in Korea. Finally, it was nice to see a pair of middle distance runners step up into the mix. First was Shannon Rowbury who, though third in Berlin, hasn\u2019t had the most exciting of seasons so far. Today she stepped up and took a close third in the 1500 in a seasons best 4:05.73. A very good effort for her and with 3 weeks to go potentially a sign that she may yet give the big girls a strong run in Daegu. The athlete that really got my heart pumping, however, was Leo Manzano. Manzano was third in London last year with a PR 3:50.64 in the mile, today he ran the mile again \u2013 and upgraded to first place in 3:51.24 \u2013 very close to his PR. What was exciting was the manner in which he won, and who he beat for the victory. Because after staying competitive throughout most of the race, Manzano outran Bernard Lagat (USA) and Augustine Choge (KEN) \u2013 two well established milers with strong kicks of their own. Manzano looked strong and unafraid as he sailed down the finishing straight \u2013 and looked ready to compete well at Worlds. It was certainly nice to see someone other than Lagat look ready to perform over 1500 meters \u2013 especially since Lagat will only be contesting the 5000 in Korea.   Time now to try and put it all together. I\u2019ll be taking a look at many of the events for Worlds over the next three weeks, before the opening gun on August 27th. And if London showed us anything, it\u2019s that things are just starting to get interesting! Full results for London can be found here. And below are videos of some of the exciting action that took place today.        <\/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-546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-8O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1296,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1296","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":0},"title":"Trials Preview – Women’s 200 Meters","author":"CHill","date":"June 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While the men's 100 is potentially the most \"story\" laden event heading into the Trials, it's certainly not alone in terms of story lines and depth. One of my favorites in this regard is the women's 1500, which I discussed in detail earlier. However, also recently entering into the \"drama\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"200\"","block_context":{"text":"200","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=200"},"img":{"alt_text":"Allyson Felix","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Allyson-Felix_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":561,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=561","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":1},"title":"Final U.S. Medal Predictions","author":"CHill","date":"August 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s here. Two days until the start of the WorldChampionships. \u2013 which means it\u2019s time to make my final predictions for U. S.medal hopes in Daegu.On the one hand, this list looks very good, as it contains apotential of 31 medals \u2013 one more than the stated goal of 30\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=561#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1745,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1745","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":2},"title":"2012 400 Meter Rankings – Men\/Women","author":"CHill","date":"December 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While the short sprints have been on fire since 2008, the 400 has struggled a bit. The previous two men's Olympic champions - and sub 44 performers - have suffered injuries at the wrong times. While several emerging stars have been up and down, and injury prone. on the women's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Borlee\"","block_context":{"text":"Borlee","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=borlee"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kirani James","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Kirani-James_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":413,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=413","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":3},"title":"The New \u201cMedal\u201d Watch List","author":"CHill","date":"November 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"At the beginning of his short reign as CEO of USATF, Doug Logan set 30 medals as a goal for the US squad at the 2012 London Olympics. That bit of goal setting was the impetus for the creation of my \u201cThirty Watch List\u201d \u2013 to\u00a0 monitor our progress towards\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=413#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Allyson Felix of the U.S. celebrates after winning the women's 400m race during the London Grand Prix Diamond League athletics tournament at Crystal Palace in London August 14, 2010. REUTERS\/Paul Hackett (UNITED KINGDOM - Tags: SPORT ATHLETICS)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view2.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9546363\/felix-celebrates-after\/felix-celebrates-after.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":586,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=586","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":4},"title":"American Women Leading the Way to London","author":"CHill","date":"September 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As we close to door on the 2011season all was not bleak for the U.S. on the track. While our men had their difficulties and many lament that the rest of the world has \u201ccaught up\u201d to us; the distaff side of things did remarkably well. From the 100 through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Anderson\"","block_context":{"text":"Anderson","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=anderson"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-YIfC-UCfXRY\/Tn9bEbrcrBI\/AAAAAAAAAgU\/q0Kp_Id2bK8\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":385,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=385","url_meta":{"origin":546,"position":5},"title":"He\u2019s Baaack \u2013 Wariner 44.13 in Zurich","author":"CHill","date":"August 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Zurich\u2019s Weltklasse invitational lived up to it\u2019s storied tradition with some outstanding races on the track. In a meet with several standout events, the men\u2019s 400 was especially sweet because, for me, it marked the true return to form of Jeremy Wariner. Now THAT is how Jeremy Wariner is supposed\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Jeremy Wariner of the U.S. celebrates after winning the men's 400 metres event at the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich August 19, 2010. REUTERS\/Ruben Sprich (SWITZERLAND - Tags: SPORT SPORT ATHLETICS)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9568322\/wariner-celebrates-after\/wariner-celebrates-after.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546","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=546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}