USA Track & Field – News – Queen Harrison sets Pan Am record, claims gold as USA goes 1-2 in 100mH

Charging out of the blocks and never challenged, Harrison (Woodland Hills, California) smashed the Pan American Games record in the women’s 100mH with a 12.52, her third-fastest time ever. Tenaya Jones (Rowlett, Texas) made it a 1-2 finish for Team USA, taking silver in 12.84. The last time the U.S. went 1-2 in the event was 1987, when it was LaVonna Martin and current USATF President Stephanie Hightower claiming the top two spots.

 

Team USA posted the fastest times in each of the women’s 100-meter hurdle heats as Jones ran a wind-aided 12.81 in the first heat, moving up around the fifth hurdle to gradually take the lead. Harrisonran smoothly and with a decisive victory as first in heat 2 with a barely wind-aided 12.72.

 

Amber Campbell (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) was in second place after three rounds of the women’s hammer at 70.99m/232-11, six inches behind leader Rosa Rodriguez of Venezuela. Campbell took the lead in the fifth round with a throw of 71.22m/233-8, but Rodriguez came back on her penultimate effort to throw 71.61m/234-11. That held up for gold as Campbell became the first U.S. woman to get Pan Am silver in the hammer, moving up from the bronze she won in 2011. Deanna Price(Carbondale, Illinois) was just outside the medals in fourth at 68.84m/225-10.

 

Taking the 3,000m steeplechase at a moderate pace through the first 1 km, Cory Leslie (Huron, Ohio) remained in second place and going strong with three laps to go. Separation came at the start of the final lap, when Canada took over at the the end of the first curve and gained a much more significant lead after Leslie lost his footing at the water jump. Leslie was overtaken on the final straightaway, finishing with the bronze medal in 8:36.83. Donnie Cowart (Rustburg, Virginia) finished fourth in 8:49.00.

 

A tactical and relatively slow pace saw a big pack in contention through the first half of the men’s 10,000 meters. Passing 5 km in 14:27.71, Brazil’s Giovani dos Santos did much of the lead work. with Aron Rono (Beaverton, Oregon) and Shadrack Kipchirchir (Beaverton, Oregon) of Team USA running comfortably in that group. Rono briefly took the lead through 6 km before conserving energy and fading to the back. Rono and Kipchirchir stayed in position through 9 km, where Canada’s Mo Ahmed took control. Ahmed kept control when it counted and made a strong move over the final lap to pull away for the win in 28:49.96, ahead of Rono in silver medal position at 28:50.83. Kipchirchir came through the line in 29:01.55 for fifth place.

 

After two throws, Darrell Hill (University Park, Pennsylvania) and Jonathan Jones (Portville, New York) were in third and fourth place in the men’s shot put with opening-round throws of 20.10m/65-11.5 and 19.88m/65-2.75 respectively, which would stand as their best tosses of the day. Hill was fourth in the final standings, one spot ahead of Jones.

 

Alysia Montaño (Valencia, California) starting inside in lane 2 in the first heat of the women’s 800m, ran to the front and pulled the field through 200 in 28.0 and 400 in 59.28. She held that lead until the 600-meter mark, where Brazil’s Flavia de Lima edged up on her shoulder. Coming into the home stretch Montaño saw she was safely in the top three and guaranteed a spot in the final, she eased off on her final strides to finish second in 2:02.95 behind de Lima.

 

Phoebe Wright (Signal Mountain, Tennessee) ran in third place throughout the second heat, never moving out from her comfortable position on the outside of lane 1. The tight pack came through 400 meters in 60.82 and Wright stayed tucked in behind Rose Mary Almanza of Cuba, with Canada’s Melissa Bishop just in front and to the outside of her. Those three claimed the automatic qualifying spots in the final, with Wright finishing in 2:04.88.

 

In the opening round of the women’s triple jump, Christina Epps (Morristown, New Jersey) had her best effort, 13.85m/45-5.25, which kept her in the top eight through three rounds and finished seventh in the event. April Sinkler (Stafford, Virginia) had her best jump in round three with a windy 13.16m/43-2.25 to place 13th.

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Team USA Medals at the Pan American Games (9)

 

Gold (1)

Queen Harrison, 100 hurdles (12.52, meet record)

 

Silver (4)

Tenaya Jones, 100 hurdles (12.84)

Amber Campbell, hammer (71.22m/233-8)

Aron Rono, 10,000 (28:50.83)

Kara Winger, javelin (61.44m/201-7)

 

Bronze (4)

Cory Leslie, 3000 steeplechase (8:36.83)

Jake Blankenship & Mark Hollis, pole vault (5.40m/17-8.5)

Kellyn Taylor, 5000 (15:52.78)

Lindsay Flanagan, marathon (2:36:30)