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INDIANAPOLIS – Masters athlete and noted jazz musician Nolan Shaheed
has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after he
broke his own world record in the M60 800 meter race in 2:08.56 Saturday
in Los Angeles.
Running
at the Tommie “Tiny” Lister Classic, Shaheed lined-up next to
collegiate athletes young enough to be his sons or even grandsons. With
200m to go, announcer Bill Fitzpatrick noted that Shaheed needed a
33-second closing 200m to set the world record. With the crowd behind
him, Shaheed crossed the line half a second faster than his efforts at
the Mt. Sac Relays the previous week.
“The
college kids were wonderful celebrating with me and coming up to shake
my hand after the race,” Shaeed said. “Then I was named the athlete of
the meet, and that was really heartwarming because there were hundreds
of great college kids running at this meet, and for them to decide that
mine was the greatest achievement of the meet was very touching for me.”
Shaheed
was first introduced to track in high school, but did not compete
seriously until his late 20’s. While he once clocked 1:46 for 800m,
Shaheed has watched his times in the 800 and 1500m creep up by an
average of one second each year as he gets older.
“I
will be one of the 95-year-old guys running masters races,” Shaeed
admits. “I never want to retire from track and field; it’s good for your
body, and it’s good for your mind.
Now
in its tenth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to
recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names
a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website.
Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous
week.
Winners:
January 5, Bill Tribou; January 12, Tyler Sorensen; January 20, Josh
Cox; January 26,Ben Shorey; February 2, Ashton Eaton; February 9, Ashton
Eaton; February 16, Bernard Lagat; February 23, Ryan Crouser; March 2,
Jillian Camarena-Williams; March 10, Bill Collins; March 16, Miles
Batty; March 23, Shalane Flanagan; March 30, John Nunn; April 6, Aries
Merritt; April 13, Gunnar Nixon; April 20, Desiree Davila; April 27,
Nolan Shaheed
WEEK IN REVIEW — APRIL 18-24
From USATF Statistician Glen McMicken
WINDY WACO WELCOMES TOP ONE-LAPPERS
Defending
world champion Sanya Richards-Ross and 2004 Olympic champ Jeremy
Wariner had to fight against fierce winds in Central Texas, but both
400m stars came away winners at the Michael Johnson/Dr Pepper Classic.
Richards-Ross held off Texas A&M’s NCAA indoor quarter champ Jessica
Beard to win in 52.00, while local favorite Wariner, who ran for Baylor
in college, opened his one-lap season with a 45.61.
The strong winds aided Sam Houston State’s Artis
Edwards to an 8.12m/26-7.75 win in the long jump, and also helped
Baylor’s Nick Lyons to a 78.39m/257-2 javelin win.
MITCHELL’S ACC DEUCE TAKES WORLD LEAD
Florida
State’s Maurice Mitchell was a surprise world leader after the ACC
Championships at Duke, rolling to a 20.19 in the 200m to lead a medal
sweep in that event by the Seminoles. He added a 10.03 PR in the 100m
with a kindly 2.0 aiding wind to take second.
North Carolina’s LaToya James moved atop the U.S. 400m
hurdle list with her 55.83 victory, and Clemson’s Bridgette Owens took
over the No. 9 spot on the all-time U.S. junior women’s 100m hurdles
list with her 13.16 PR. Team USA’s 2010 World Junior 200 gold medalist
Stormy Kendrick led the Clemson women to the team title with her 100/200
double.
BATMAN FLIES TO AMERICAN LEAD WITH 400H WIN AT KANSAS RELAYS
Bershawn
“Batman” Jackson, who won Olympic and World bronze at the last two
international majors, hurdled his way to the U.S. lead in the 400m
hurdles with his 48.98 at the Kansas Relays. Other stars at the meet
included 2005 World 100m champ Lauryn Williams, who took a windy century
win in 11.10, and Kellie Wells, who continued her tear in the 100m
hurdles with a breezy 12.75 victory.
2008 Olympic silver medalist Sheena Tosta opened her 400m
hurdle season with a 57.04 to win, and former Indiana State NCAA indoor
and outdoor pole vault champ Kylie Hutson soared to the U.S. outdoor
lead with a 4.50m/14-9 clearance.
Ivory Williams picked up his second-straight Kansas Relays 100m
title with a solid 10.05, while Antwon Hicks clocked 13.35 to win the
110m hurdles over 2010 U.S. bronze medalist Ronnie Ash.
RODGERS, KNIGHT SPEEDY DOWN SOUTH
World
Indoor 60 silver medalist Mike Rodgers sizzled the Ole Miss track on
the way to his second-fastest 100m ever, assuming the U.S. list lead
with a 9.96, and he also took top honors in the 200m. Bianca Knight was
the star of the women’s meet, capturing a 22.68w/52.55 long sprint
double.
WIND, WIND, MORE WIND… DUNCAN BLASTS 200 AT LSU
She
had the assistance of a generous 3.2 mps tailwind, but no matter how
strong the breeze, Kimberlyn Duncan’s 200 was blazing fast. The LSU
speedster racked up the third-fastest all-conditions collegiate 200
all-time with her 22.18. Zedric Thomas of LSU was also the beneficiary
of ample winds in the men’s triple jump, spanning 17.05m/55-11.25w, the
best all-conditions outdoor mark by an American this year.
WILSON ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL
Former
Indiana star Aarik Wilson hasn’t triple jumped since the Olympics at
Beijing in 2008, so it was a welcome sight to see the defending Olympic
Trials champ begin a comeback with a 15.58m/51-1.5 at the Polytan
Invitational in Bloomington. Wilson has battled debilitating leg
injuries since his stellar ’08 campaign.
Molly Beckwith, another former Hoosier star, clocked the
best outdoor 800 time in the U.S. this year with her 2:01.49.
LAZAS JUMPS TO NO. 5 ON ALL-TIME JUNIOR DEC LIST
Arkansas
freshman Kevin Lazas, who finished 14th for Team USA at last summer’s
World Junior Championships, overcame tough weather conditions at the
McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville to claim the No. 5 spot on the
U.S. junior all-time decathlon list with a 7,542-point effort.
ELLIS MEET YIELDS HS STEEPLECHASE HISTORY
New
York high schooler Eddie Owens ran the fastest prep 3,000m steeplechase
time in 32 years at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton. The
Brooklyn Packer runner finished in 8:59.53, also an age-17 U.S. record.
CROUSER MAKING THROWS WAVES AGAIN…MAKE THAT CROUSERS
Oregon
has a passel of talented Crousers roaming the throwing circles and
runways, and 2011 indoor shot star Ryan Crouser showed that he is ready
to make a splash outdoors after his 72-7.5 win in the shot at the
Centennial Invitational. That toss gave the 2009 World Youth champ the
No. 7 spot on the all-time outdoor prep list.
Sister Haley Crouser grabbed the No. 6 notch on the
all-time high school list in the javelin at the same meet with her
173-0. For good measure, Washington prep Sean Keller moved to 10th on
the U.S. junior all-time jav list with his 232-1.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National
Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race
walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest
organized sports, the World’s #1 Track & Field Team, the
most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high
school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in
the United States: www.usatf.org.
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