Sunday, July 3, 2016
CA Notice at Collection
Vashti Cunningham, the daughter of former NFL great Randall Cunningham, is Rio-bound after finishing second in the high jump on Sunday.
Cunningham cleared 6 feet, 5-1/2 inches, second to Chaunte Lowe’s 6-7. Lowe is heading to the Olympics for the fourth straight time.
“I’m very appreciative,” Cunningham said after qualifying. “To be able to go to the Olympics, I’m more happy than disappointed about finishing second. I always want to win, but this is something that will hit me on the head and make me work harder. I’ve got more motivation for Rio.”
Of her dad, who serves as her coach, Cunningham said: “He hugged me over and over. He’s going to have me working even harder before the Olympics. I don’t know of any coach I’d leave him for.”
News and notes from the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
“God blessed that girl, that little tall girl,” he said. “She stayed so calm out there. She listens, and she wants it just as much as Allyson Felix.”
Cunningham, 18, is the United States’ youngest track and field Olympian since 16-year-old Carol Lewis in 1980. Cunningham won the high jump at the world indoor championships in March.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Shoe Snafu in Women’s 10,000 Leads to Blood, DNF for Kim Conley
Blood dripped down the back of Kim Conley’s right ankle after she dropped out of the women’s 10,000-meter final Saturday morning in Eugene, Oregon. In a tight pack of 16 on the eighth lap, a spike from another competitor slashed Conley’s shoe, forcing her to briefly pull behind the pack and bend down to adjust the footwear.
Conley then launched a methodical surge to try and reconnect with the leaders. But by the time she pushed up to fifth, the lead group of Molly Huddle, Emily Infeld, and Marielle Hall—the eventual Olympic qualifiers—had gained too much distance. Conley dropped out of the race on the 21st lap.
“I am bummed, but I just had to make the decision [to drop out],” Conley said in the media center while the race was still going on. “I tried to stay really controlled and get my way back to the field, but at a certain point I decided the leaders were too far away.”
The DNF was strategic to conserve energy. Conley will return on Thursday to compete in the 5,000 meters. Four years ago at Hayward Field, her surprising kick on the homestretch of the 5K earned her the last spot on the Olympic team headed to London.
—Kit Fox
Friday, July 1, 2016
Nutrition - Weight Loss
Adam Nelson, 40, of Atlanta, was originally the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the shot put—but 12 years later he got his gold-medal moment in front of an enthusiastic Hayward Field crowd during the opening ceremonies of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
The original Athens Olympic shot put champion, Ukrainian Yuriy Bilonog, tested positive for doping in 2012.
Nelson stood atop a podium with a laurel wreath placed on his head, and he was awarded the gold medal by the coaches of the 2016 Olympic team, Vin Lananna and Connie Price-Smith. The U.S. flag was raised as and single trumpet played the national anthem.
Nelson isn’t done yet, however. He has come back from retirement and is competing in the trials again on Friday. After the first round he was in ninth place. The final is Friday night.
–Erin Strout
Friday, July 1, 2016
USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit
When he steps onto the track at Hayward Field for his first round heat of the 800 meters at Olympic Trials, Boris Berian will be wearing gear of his new sponsor—New Balance.
His signing with New Balance comes after Nike dropped its breach-of-contract lawsuit against Berian last week, which allowed the 23-year-old from Big Bear Lake, California, to sign with the sponsor that originally offered him a new contract in January.
Berian has posted impressive times in the past year, and as the 2016 world indoor 800-meter champion, he is a favorite to make the Olympic team.
“I’ve always liked New Balance as a brand and have found their running products help me run fast,” Berian said in a press release.
the eventual Olympic qualifiers team jacket and pants, Berian’s new contract is larger than the original one offered back in January that was at the heart of the Nike dispute.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
The Top Celebrity Marathon Times of 2024
Hayward Field won’t be the only Eugene stadium celebrating the nation’s top runners this weekend. The city’s minor league baseball team, the Eugene Emeralds, will hold a “Track Town Weekend” event at their games on Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2.
Festivities will include the team sporting jerseys featuring the iconic Hayward Field grandstands on both nights. The first 1,000 fans to Saturday’s game will receive a bobblehead of decathlete Ashton Eaton, a Eugene resident. There will also be auctions and track highlights on the video board.
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For more information, check out the team’s website.
—Derek Call
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Nike / Brian Tobin
USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit The Runner’s World Editors that Team USA athletes will wear atop the medal stand, and the shoes that every Nike-sponsored runner will wear. Dubbed “Unlimited,” the team's spikes and racing flats (above) will fade from the company’s familiar high-viz yellow (called “volt”) in the front to “hyper-punch pink” in the heel.
Nike / Brian Tobin.
First, in a development straight from the wind tunnel, is the AeroSwift kit, made of recycled polyester and featuring small, aerodynamic triangles that stand up from the fabric. These blades are intended to reduce drag and, the company reports, shave a “fraction of a second from sprinters’ times.”
Nike took the development a step further, creating its AeroSwift Tape Kit—think KT Tape with sharkfin-like blades sticking out. The tape approach allows the athlete to customize the application based on their event, the weather, or even personal preference.
The Olympics start August 5, with track and field getting underway August 12.
—Jeff Dengate
