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Armory Follows 10 IAAF World Championships Competitors: Recap TwoPublished by
The 15th IAAF World Championships are finally here and we’re following 10 athletes who have made major impacts at The Armory as they compete within the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China. This is not to say we won’t be mentioning others, but the 10 listed below will be the main focus for our recaps, which will be posted on August 23, 25, 27, 29 and 30. All times listed are EST.
David Verburg: 400m The 400m semi-finals were pretty quick. David Verburg needed to place second in his heat or have one of the next two fastest remaining times to move on to the final. He placed third and ran a strong 44.71, just off the cut-off time of 44.64. Five of the athletes in Verburg’s semi-final heat owned World Championship medals, including Kirani James and Luguelin Santos who took first and second with 44.16 and 44.26. The only American to advance to the final was none other than LaShawn Merritt, who took second in heat three with 44.34 to Russia’s Wayde Van Niekerk with 44.31. Competition Schedule: Finals on August 26 at 9:25am.
Phyllis Francis: 400m Phyllis Francis reported to have followed her race plan of getting out fast and staying strong, yet relaxed down the homestretch during the 400m prelim. She finished second in 50.52 behind Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson, who crossed the finish line in 50.34. The Queens, New York native also started well during the semi-finals, finishing third in a season’s best time of 50.50 behind defending champion Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain (50.16) and McPherson (50.32). Francis’ effort was good enough to qualify for the final based on time. Allyson Felix, an eight-time World Championships gold medalist, also ran a season’s best (49.89) and was the fastest to qualify for the finals. Natasha Hastings, who also grew up in New York, did not advance to the finals. Competition Schedule: Finals on August 27 at 8:40am.
Shannon Rowbury: 1,500m Americans Shannon Rowbury and Jenny Simpson were not in the camera’s frame during the final 150m of Tuesday’s 1,500m final. The two led much of the first 800m, but it was world record holder Genzebe Dibaba who took over during the second half and won it in 4:08.09. Rowbury and Simpson came through the first 400m in an unhurried 1:17. Dibaba also split 1:17 at 400m, but was sited in 10th. Dibaba, Simpson and Rowbury were in the 1-2-4 positions at the 800m mark with respective splits of 2:25.65, 2:25.81 and 2:26.01, but the Americans began to fade with around 600m left in the race. Rowbury crossed the finish line seventh with 4:12.39 and Simpson, who had lost her left shoe somewhere along the way, finished eleventh with 4:16.28. Though disappointed with that race’s outcome, Rowbury can still find comfort in the fact that she took bronze in the event in 2009 and still owns the 1,500m and 2-mile American records. Simpson can still say she earned gold in the event in 2011 and silver in 2013.
Evan Jager: 3,000m steeplchase Evan Jager’s third World Championships experience ended in frustration. He entered Monday’s 3,000m steeplechase final with the world’s second fastest time of 8:00.45, but finished in 8:15.47 behind four kenyans and American teammate and training partner, Dan Huling. Jager was in medal contention up until the final 300 meters, sharing the lead with Ezekiel Kemboi. But the sudden surge that came from the Kenyan’s proved to be too much to match, as they gradually pulled away from Jager to finish 1-2-3-4, Kimboi winning in 8:11.28 Weary from the surges and slowdowns of the tactical race, Jager was passed by Huling over the final barrier. Huling finsihed in 8:14.39 and fellow American Don Cabral was 10th with 8:24.94. Jager reported that he was disappointed with the day’s outcome, but happy he had ran the race aggressively. He also spoke about working on a better plan for competing against the dominant Kenyan runners during championship races.
Four of the 10 athletes we're following have yet to compete. Those athletes are:
Matthew Centrowitz: 1500m Mathew Centrowitz earned his second NYRR Wanamaker Mile title this year with an impressive 3:51.35. Centrowitz took bronze in 2011 and silver in 2013’s World Championships, but if he wants to continue his progression toward gold he’ll have to top a field that includes Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop, who is the 2013 world champion and recently became the third fastest 1,500m runner of all time. Competition schedule: Heats on August 26 at 10:35pm, semi-finals on August 28 at 7:55am and finals on August 30 at 7:15am.
Omar Craddock: Triple Jump The flashy, yet humble Omar Craddock showed The Armory some showmanship this past winter. This will be his second World Championships experience. He failed to make the event’s final during 2013, but has been on a roll this year, winning both USATF Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Craddock’s biggest competition will come from fellow former Florida Gators Will Claye, Christian Taylor and Marquis Dendy, as well as Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo. Having both jumped over 18 meters this year, Taylor and Pichardo are expected to steal the show on the runway, but don’t overlook Craddock who jumped 17.53m at USAs. Competition schedule: Qualification on August 26 at 10:00pm and finals on August 27 at 7:10am.
Sharika Nelvis: 100 Hurdles This is Sharika Nelvis’ first year as a professional track and field athlete and she’s certainly making the most of it. She won the 60m hurdles at the NYRR Millrose Games, placed third in the 100m hurdles at USATF Championships and currently owns the event’s fastest time with 12.34. The two other fastest short hurdlers in Beijing are fellow American’s Dawn Harper Nelson and Kendra Harrison. Competition schedule: Heats on August 26 at 11:15pm, semi-finals on August 28 at 7:25pm and finals on August 28 at 9:35am.
Brenda Martinez: 800m If you’ve visited The Armory during the last few years, you would’ve likely noticed the huge banner featuring Brenda Martine near the homestretch. She’s won plenty of races here, but made history when she took third at 2013’s World Championships, becoming the first American woman to ever medal in the event with a blazing 1:57.91. She’ll probably need to run near that or faster to medal in Beijing with a field comprised of seven ladies who have run under 1:59, three of which under 1:58. Competition schedule: Heats on August 25 at 10:25pm, semi-finals on August 27 at 8:05am and finals on August 29 at 7:15am.
Find our previous recap here: http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45586&do=news&news_id=363050 Find live results here: Find viewing information here: http://worldchampionships.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=744&do=news&news_id=362146
By Justin Gaymon // Photos by John Nepolitan and Victah Sailer More news |
