![\"Will](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/image2.png?resize=180%2C244\" "\\"Will")
There was a lot of activity in what was a long weekend of track and field as multiple day meets took center stage with athletes looking to qualify for the NCAA and World Championships. Clearly we are witnessing the first \u201cpeak\u201d of the year, as many folk showed up ready to rock and roll! So many, that I\u2019m going to tackle the highlights by areas of disciplines instead of individuals or individual events.<\/p>\n
Jumps and Vaults<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m going to start here, because the first real highlight of the weekend happened before the weekend got fully under way as Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) solidified her return to the vaulting wars by a) defeating up and coming Holly Bleasdale (GBR) head to head and b) breaking her own WR in the process! As Thursday in Stockholm \u201cIsi\u201d cleared 5.01m (16\u2019 5.25\u201d) to set a new standard and vault herself back to the top of the world\u2019s best. Bleasdale continued to show that she has indeed arrived as one of the world\u2019s best by clearing 4.72m (15\u2019 5.75\u201d) in second, but make nor doubt about it, pole vault gold will go through Isinbayeva. The season\u2019s other 16 foot vaulter, Jenn Suhr (USA), had an easy time as US Nationals, clearing 4.67m (15\u2019 3.75\u201d) to easily outdistance the field. World Indoors could see the first of two huge vaulting battles this year. <\/p>\n Moving from vaults to jumps, there was much to cheer about for US jump fans this weekend. Keeping with the vertical, Chaunte Howard Lowe, also missing last year due to maternity, signaled that she is back and ready to be a high jump force again, setting a new AR of 2.02m (6\u2019 7.5\u201d) to take the US title. Lowe\u2019s mark is #2 in the world this year and puts her back on a potential medal winning trajectory after taking time off to have her second child. Looks like she had perfect timing as she\u2019s only .03 off her outdoor PR with lots of time until Trials\/London. <\/p>\n The horizontal jumps had their stars as well, as former college teammates Will Claye (USA) and Christian Taylor (USA) put on anther show in the triple jump. Current World outdoor champion Taylor seemed on the verge of nailing a long one all day, but had several fouls that just missed the board. Still he hit 17.21m (56\u2019 5.25), good for second as Claye put on a show. Claye\u2019s series was 17.25m, 17.40m, 17.44m. and finally 17.63m (57\u2019 10.5\u201d) before finally passing his final two jumps. Claye\u2019s triple leap makes him #14 all time indoors, and #3 American. More importantly he and Taylor head to Istanbul as the #1 & #4 jumpers this season. Just a couple of years ago this event looked to be one of our worst. Now we\u2019re coming off a season where we took gold and bronze (Claye) in Daegu and both athletes look to only get better. Shows just how quickly an event can turn around. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Middle & Long Distances<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n A fairly quiet weekend in this area of events. We did get a couple of sub 2;00 runs from Russians Marina Pospelova (1:59.45) and Elena Kofanova (1:59.63) at the Russian Championships \u2013 moving into the #\u2019s 3 & 4 positions on the season. Setting up a potential run in the 1:58\u2019s Istanbul. <\/p>\n While the times weren\u2019t stupendous, due in part to the altitude, there were some interesting runs at the US Championships. Speaking of the 800, there could be another name to add to the growing stable of US 800 runners \u2013 Erica Moore. Ms. Moore merely went out and lead the 800 from start to finish \u2013 against none other than Phoebe Wright, Ms. \u201cI lead the race\u201d. The time was only 2:01.08, but it was a PR for Mr. Moore and she won by over two seconds! <\/p>\n Bernard Lagat once again showed that age is just a number as he easily burned the 3000 meter field to win in 7:47.54. Lagat bided his time throughout the race until the end when he simply shifted gears and ran away from Lopez Lamong and Galen Rupp. Lagat has the ability to go from 0 to 60 in nothing flat, and the only difference in his race is his legs are going faster \u2013 no strain, no violent pumping of arms, he just speeds up! Lagat is certainly a threat for gold in both Istanbul and London if his competitors are foolish enough to let him dictate the race. <\/p>\n Rupp was only third in the 3000, and came back to finish third in the 1500 as well. A very solid weekend of running, while working on his speed. He didn\u2019t win either race, but I expect it will be beneficial when it comes time to try and kick with the big boys outdoors in the 10,000. Jenny Simpson also ran the 1500\/3000 \u2013 and won both! Simpson\u2019s exploits reminded me of just how long the season is this year as she looked like a different runner than the one that was on the track last month. She was fluid and confident and controlled both races. At her current rate it\u2019s going to be hard to keep her off the US team for London \u2013 and the women\u2019s 1500 is shaping up as must see TV with she and Morgan Uceny already looking fit and women like Anna Pierce, Christin Wurth Thomas, and Shannon Rowbury certain to round into form before Trials. Simpson was sharp, especially in her 4:15.04 1500 win. And I have to add that runner up Brenda Martinez (4:15.11) showed one of the best finishes I\u2019ve ever seen by an American 1500 runner. She could crash the party outdoors if she can stay close enough to the women named above to use that kick in Eugene.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sprints & Hurdles<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n There was lots of action here this weekend \u2013 due in large part to US Nationals. Since Beijing everyone has been talking up a US v Jamaica rivalry \u2013 mostly off the strength of Usain Bolt & Tyson Gay, though Gay has spent much of the time convalescing. Istanbul could see a real rivalry in the 60 meters \u2013 without either Bolt or Gay taking part. For most of the season the Jamaican contingent of Lerone Clarke (6.47), Nesta Carter (6.49) and Asafa Powell (6.50) has led the event in finishes and on the clock. Sunday Trell Kimmons (6.45) and Justin Gatlin (6.47) put themselves in position to make the Istanbul sprint one serious event! I know some will say that the altitude played a roll \u2013 maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that both sprinters finally showed some patience and execution in their races \u2013 and looked every bit like sub 6.50 sprinters. The proof will be in the pudding as they say and both, as will the Jamaicans, will have to replicate their performance if they want to see the podium. But it does expand the discussion of a rivalry, and will only enhance the conversation with the running heads outside. <\/p>\n The woman that\u2019s surprised many in the sprints this year, Tianna Madison, just keeps on running fast and winning. This time she equaled her seasonal lead in the 60 with another 7.02 \u2013 in a race that was less than perfect. I\u2019m starting to get the feeling that she will run sub 7.00 this year \u2013 a feat only six women in history have accomplished. <\/p>\n The other sizzling event was the men\u2019s 60 meter hurdles. Things started out hot as Dexter Faulk screamed 7.40 in his heat to become #12 all time. Faulk couldn\u2019t seem to get his start right in the final however, as twice he false started. Yes I said twice, because after each false start he was allowed to run under protest (which goes back to why keep the old rule but I\u2019ll talk about that later in the week). In spite of the rash of false starts however, the final still went in 7.43 \u2013 to Aries Merritt. Merritt showed a lot of composure, maintained his cadence, ran down his lane, and got the win. Though not as quick off the blocks, Kevin Craddock finished strong to take second in 7.46. Both young men showed maturity to their races \u2013 consider that they finished ahead of two of histories best in David Oliver and Terrence Trammell, as well as Faulk. Especially Craddock who was deemed the next top hurdler coming out of high school in 2004. Since then he\u2019s suffered through a lot of injuries, yet still got down to 13.48 in the 110 hurdles. If he\u2019s finally got the injury bug off his back, Craddock could be ready to make a strong run for London. He and Merritt will both get to see just how good they are in Istanbul as they should get a shot at Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles. <\/p>\n There was also a ton of collegiate action this weekend. So much so that I will give them their own space tomorrow. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was a lot of activity in what was a long weekend of track and field as multiple day meets took center stage with athletes looking to qualify for the NCAA and World Championships. Clearly we are witnessing the first \u201cpeak\u201d of the year, as many folk showed up ready to rock and roll! So many, that I\u2019m going to tackle the highlights by areas of disciplines instead of individuals or individual events. Jumps and Vaults I\u2019m going to start here, because the first real highlight of the weekend happened before the weekend got fully under way as Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) solidified her return to the vaulting wars by a) defeating up and coming Holly Bleasdale (GBR) head to head and b) breaking her own WR in the process! As Thursday in Stockholm \u201cIsi\u201d cleared 5.01m (16\u2019 5.25\u201d) to set a new standard and vault herself back to the top of the world\u2019s best. Bleasdale continued to show that she has indeed arrived as one of the world\u2019s best by clearing 4.72m (15\u2019 5.75\u201d) in second, but make nor doubt about it, pole vault gold will go through Isinbayeva. The season\u2019s other 16 foot vaulter, Jenn Suhr (USA), had an easy time as US Nationals, clearing 4.67m (15\u2019 3.75\u201d) to easily outdistance the field. World Indoors could see the first of two huge vaulting battles this year. Moving from vaults to jumps, there was much to cheer about for US jump fans this weekend. Keeping with the vertical, Chaunte Howard Lowe, also missing last year due to maternity, signaled that she is back and ready to be a high jump force again, setting a new AR of 2.02m (6\u2019 7.5\u201d) to take the US title. Lowe\u2019s mark is #2 in the world this year and puts her back on a potential medal winning trajectory after taking time off to have her second child. Looks like she had perfect timing as she\u2019s only .03 off her outdoor PR with lots of time until Trials\/London. The horizontal jumps had their stars as well, as former college teammates Will Claye (USA) and Christian Taylor (USA) put on anther show in the triple jump. Current World outdoor champion Taylor seemed on the verge of nailing a long one all day, but had several fouls that just missed the board. Still he hit 17.21m (56\u2019 5.25), good for second as Claye put on a show. Claye\u2019s series was 17.25m, 17.40m, 17.44m. and finally 17.63m (57\u2019 10.5\u201d) before finally passing his final two jumps. Claye\u2019s triple leap makes him #14 all time indoors, and #3 American. More importantly he and Taylor head to Istanbul as the #1 & #4 jumpers this season. Just a couple of years ago this event looked to be one of our worst. Now we\u2019re coming off a season where we took gold and bronze (Claye) in Daegu and both athletes look to only get better. Shows just how quickly an event can turn around. Middle & Long Distances A fairly quiet weekend in this area of events. We did get a couple of sub 2;00 runs from Russians Marina Pospelova (1:59.45) and Elena Kofanova (1:59.63) at the Russian Championships \u2013 moving into the #\u2019s 3 & 4 positions on the season. Setting up a potential run in the 1:58\u2019s Istanbul. While the times weren\u2019t stupendous, due in part to the altitude, there were some interesting runs at the US Championships. Speaking of the 800, there could be another name to add to the growing stable of US 800 runners \u2013 Erica Moore. Ms. Moore merely went out and lead the 800 from start to finish \u2013 against none other than Phoebe Wright, Ms. \u201cI lead the race\u201d. The time was only 2:01.08, but it was a PR for Mr. Moore and she won by over two seconds! Bernard Lagat once again showed that age is just a number as he easily burned the 3000 meter field to win in 7:47.54. Lagat bided his time throughout the race until the end when he simply shifted gears and ran away from Lopez Lamong and Galen Rupp. Lagat has the ability to go from 0 to 60 in nothing flat, and the only difference in his race is his legs are going faster \u2013 no strain, no violent pumping of arms, he just speeds up! Lagat is certainly a threat for gold in both Istanbul and London if his competitors are foolish enough to let him dictate the race. Rupp was only third in the 3000, and came back to finish third in the 1500 as well. A very solid weekend of running, while working on his speed. He didn\u2019t win either race, but I expect it will be beneficial when it comes time to try and kick with the big boys outdoors in the 10,000. Jenny Simpson also ran the 1500\/3000 \u2013 and won both! Simpson\u2019s exploits reminded me of just how long the season is this year as she looked like a different runner than the one that was on the track last month. She was fluid and confident and controlled both races. At her current rate it\u2019s going to be hard to keep her off the US team for London \u2013 and the women\u2019s 1500 is shaping up as must see TV with she and Morgan Uceny already looking fit and women like Anna Pierce, Christin Wurth Thomas, and Shannon Rowbury certain to round into form before Trials. Simpson was sharp, especially in her 4:15.04 1500 win. And I have to add that runner up Brenda Martinez (4:15.11) showed one of the best finishes I\u2019ve ever seen by an American 1500 runner. She could crash the party outdoors if she can stay close enough to the women named above to use that kick in Eugene. Sprints & Hurdles There was lots of action here this weekend \u2013 due in large part to US Nationals. Since Beijing everyone has been talking up a US v Jamaica rivalry \u2013 mostly off the strength of Usain Bolt & Tyson Gay, though Gay has spent much of the time convalescing. Istanbul could see a real rivalry in the 60 meters \u2013 without either Bolt or Gay taking part. For most of the season the Jamaican contingent of Lerone Clarke (6.47), Nesta Carter (6.49) and Asafa Powell (6.50) has led the event in finishes and on the clock. Sunday Trell Kimmons (6.45) and Justin Gatlin (6.47) put themselves in position to make the Istanbul sprint one serious event! I know some will say that the altitude played a roll \u2013 maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that both sprinters finally showed some patience and execution in their races \u2013 and looked every bit like sub 6.50 sprinters. The proof will be in the pudding as they say and both, as will the Jamaicans, will have to replicate their performance if they want to see the podium. But it does expand the discussion of a rivalry, and will only enhance the conversation with the running heads outside. The woman that\u2019s surprised many in the sprints this year, Tianna Madison, just keeps on running fast and winning. This time she equaled her seasonal lead in the 60 with another 7.02 \u2013 in a race that was less than perfect. I\u2019m starting to get the feeling that she will run sub 7.00 this year \u2013 a feat only six women in history have accomplished. The other sizzling event was the men\u2019s 60 meter hurdles. Things started out hot as Dexter Faulk screamed 7.40 in his heat to become #12 all time. Faulk couldn\u2019t seem to get his start right in the final however, as twice he false started. Yes I said twice, because after each false start he was allowed to run under protest (which goes back to why keep the old rule but I\u2019ll talk about that later in the week). In spite of the rash of false starts however, the final still went in 7.43 \u2013 to Aries Merritt. Merritt showed a lot of composure, maintained his cadence, ran down his lane, and got the win. Though not as quick off the blocks, Kevin Craddock finished strong to take second in 7.46. Both young men showed maturity to their races \u2013 consider that they finished ahead of two of histories best in David Oliver and Terrence Trammell, as well as Faulk. Especially Craddock who was deemed the next top hurdler coming out of high school in 2004. Since then he\u2019s suffered through a lot of injuries, yet still got down to 13.48 in the 110 hurdles. If he\u2019s finally got the injury bug off his back, Craddock could be ready to make a strong run for London. He and Merritt will both get to see just how good they are in Istanbul as they should get a shot at Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles. There was also a ton of collegiate action this weekend. So much so that I will give them their own space tomorrow.<\/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":[183,40,229,228,155,184,199,225,188,223,213,227,226,224,5,187,15,48],"class_list":["post-890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bleasdale","tag-claye","tag-craddock","tag-faulk","tag-gatlin","tag-isinbayeva","tag-kimmons","tag-kofanova","tag-lagat","tag-lowe","tag-madison","tag-martinez","tag-moore","tag-pospelova","tag-rupp","tag-suhr","tag-taylor","tag-wright"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-em","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":925,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=925","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":0},"title":"Hot Istanbul Match Ups","author":"CHill","date":"March 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The World Indoor Championships this weekend in Istanbul Turkey will close out the elite indoor season and provide a segue into the outdoor season proper. As such we should see the best performances yet on the 200 meter oval. Before I post my predictions tomorrow on who I think the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bleasdale\"","block_context":{"text":"Bleasdale","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=bleasdale"},"img":{"alt_text":"Isinbayeva","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Isinbayeva_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":933,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=933","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":1},"title":"World Indoor Predictions","author":"CHill","date":"March 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"After\u00a0 much back and forth, here are my predictions for the World Indoor Championships. I had lots of internal debate, especially in the 60\u2019s and the men\u2019s field events \u2013 competitions that I expect will be very close. Actually, looking over the start lists, with the exception of a handful\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Flags","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Flags_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Flags_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Flags_thumb.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":880,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=880","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":2},"title":"Projected U.S. Indoor Champions","author":"CHill","date":"February 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re getting ready to wind this indoor season down. Several countries will now put together their teams for the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, which will be the culmination of the season. Here in the U.S. that process will be a Trials meet this coming weekend in Albuquerque, New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Prediction\"","block_context":{"text":"Prediction","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=prediction"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn3.google.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfxL7XmcpqwuHddDqlRmpP4ahVGz7K3IA56tqCavvXrF9ZfEuiQA","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":443,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=443","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":3},"title":"Fayetteville & Karlsruhe on Tap for Weekend","author":"CHill","date":"February 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Two facilities with tracks and meets that have reputations for producing top level marks are on tap for this weekend. The Tyson Invitational kicks things off today with action in Fayetteville Arkansas. If you want a sneak peak at the NCAA Indoor meet, look no further as many of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TVV0kX1CiVI\/AAAAAAAAAG0\/V_qKfN3Ew5Y\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":805,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=805","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":4},"title":"Weekend Action, Jan 21\/22","author":"CHill","date":"January 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Now it feels like track season, as several performances that were turned in this weekend were truly up to par. As usual for this time of year the best of them were in the field \u2013 specifically the pole vault. In Reno, Nevada at the annual pole vault summit, Brad\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Adams\"","block_context":{"text":"Adams","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=adams"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":819,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=819","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":5},"title":"Weekend Action, Jan 28\/29","author":"CHill","date":"January 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes we spend so much time wishing that the Bolt\u2019s, Gays, and Bekele\u2019s of the sport were competing, that we forget just how much talent there is in this sport! That was evidenced this weekend, because as early as it is in the season, there is still plenty to talk\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Claye\"","block_context":{"text":"Claye","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=claye"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890","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=890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":891,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890\/revisions\/891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}