2017 IAAF World Championships London, UK August 4-13, 2017 Photo: KevinMorris@PhotoRun victah1111@aol.com 631-291-3409 www.photorun.net
Katie Burnett shatters American record in women’s 50 km race walk – USA Track & Field News
LONDON — Katie Burnett (El Cajon, California), Susan Randall (Beavercreek, Ohio) and Erin Taylor-Talcott (Portland, Oregon) made history Sunday morning as part of the first field of competitors for the women’s 50 km race walk at the IAAF World Championships.
Burnett took five minutes off her American 50 km record to finish in 4:21:51 Sunday, breaking her own 35 km (3:00:43) and 40 km (3:27:10) pending American records along the way.
Over the first 2 km, Portugal’s Inês Henriques and China’s Hang Yin separated themselves from the group, leaving the remaining five walkers battling for bronze. Burnett split the first 2 km in 10:28 for fifth, with Taylor-Talcott and Randall following in 10:34 and 10:54. By 4 km, Burnett made up ground, moving from fifth to third by 5 km to walk shoulder to shoulder with Nair Da Rosa of Brazil and Shuqing Yang of China.
Taylor-Talcott was disqualified with three bent knee violations just after the 8 km split, while Randall dropped off the pace of the chase pack. The trio of Da Rosa, Yang and Burnett stayed 1:25 behind the leaders as Henriques and Yin continued to push the pace, hitting 10 km in 51:45.
Over the next 10 km, Yang and Burnett worked to drop Da Rosa around the 18 km mark, coming through 20 km in 1:43:19. The duo came through the halfway point at 2:09:10 before Yang dropped the hammer, surging ahead of Burnett by 21 seconds at the 30 km split.
Burnett split 35 km in 3:00:43, nearly four minutes ahead of the previous American record for 35 km but still 50 seconds behind Yang. Burnett cut that lead to 39 seconds at the 40 km split and just five seconds at the 45 km split, coming through in 3:53:39 with 5 km remaining.
Over the next two km, Yang separated herself once again, putting :42 of room between her and Burnett. Her pace was too quick to catch, as Yang finished in a personal best 4:20:49 for bronze. Burnett crushed her pending American record, finishing in a personal best 4:21:51.
Randall missed the time cut, still needing to complete three loops of the 2 km course but on pace to finish in 4:50:00. She did not register a finishing time but was noted as sixth overall.
Maria Michta-Coffey (Nesconset, New York) and Miranda Melville (Rochester, New York) represented Team USATF in the women’s 20 km race walk Sunday, with Michta-Coffey registering the fastest performance by an American in the women’s 20 km race walk at the IAAF World Championships.
The lead pack broke away early and fast, with the top 20 walkers putting 20 meters between them and the rest of the field. Michta-Coffey and Melville stayed solidly in the middle of the chase pack, coming through 5 km in 37th (22:42) and 44th (22:52). Over the next 5 km, Michta-Coffey started picking off her competitors, cruising up to 28th in 45:29 for 10 km. With the lead pack still cruising at a torrid pace, five athletes broke away just before the 15 km mark to leave the rest of the field working to match their speed.
In the final 5 km, Michta-Coffey ramped up her speed to advance three spots and finished in a season’s best 1:32:14, the fastest ever by an American woman at the IAAF World Championships. Melville also closed hard to move up to 33rd place overall, finishing in 1:34:47.
Team USATF concludes competition tonight under the lights at Olympic Stadium in London. Fans can follow along with #TeamUSATF at #IAAFWorlds on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Full TV and webcast viewing times can be found here.
HELP TEAM USATF GIVE BACK: After a 32-medal winning performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Team USATF has joined forces with the American Cancer Society to raise money for the fight against cancer. Celebrate the success of Team USATF at the 2017 IAAF World Championships by making a pledge for every medal Team USATF wins in London! To make a pledge and to watch a PSA featuring Christian Taylor and cancer survivor Gabe Grunewald, visit www.nothingisimpossible.com.
TEAM USATF MEDAL TABLE
Gold (9)
Justin Gatlin, Men’s 100m, 9.92 (8/5)
Tori Bowie, Women’s 100m, 10.85 (8/6)
Sam Kendricks, Men’s Pole Vault, 5.95m/19-6.25 (8/8)
Phyllis Francis, Women’s 400m, 49.92 (8/9)
Kori Carter, Women’s 400m Hurdles, 53.07 (8/10)
Christian Taylor, Men’s Triple Jump, 17.68m/58-0.25 (8/10)
Brittney Reese, Women’s Long Jump, 7.02m/23-0.5 (8/11)
Emma Coburn, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, 9:02.58 AR (8/11)
Women’s 4x100m Relay (Aaliyah Brown, Allyson Felix, Morolake Akinosun, Tori Bowie), 41.82 (8/12)
Silver (10)
Jarrion Lawson, Men’s Long Jump, 8.44m/27-8.25 (8/5)
Christian Coleman, Men’s 100m, 9.94 (8/5)
Sandi Morris, Women’s Pole Vault, 4.75m/15-7 (8/6)
Joe Kovacs, Men’s Shot Put, 21.66m/71-0.75 (8/6)
Jenny Simpson, Women’s 1500m, 4:02.76 (8/7)
Dalilah Muhammad, Women’s 400m Hurdles, 53.50 (8/10)
Will Claye, Men’s Triple Jump, 17.63m/57-6.25 (8/10)
Courtney Frerichs, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, 9:03.77 (8/11)
Dawn Harper-Nelson, Women’s 100m Hurdles, 12.72 (8/11)
Men’s 4x100m relay (Michael Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Jaylen Bacon, Christian Coleman), 37.52 (8/12)
Bronze (8)
Mason Finley, Men’s Discus Throw, 68.03m/223-2 (8/5)
Amy Cragg, Women’s Marathon, 2:27:18 (8/6)
Evan Jager, Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, 8:15.53 (8/8)
Michelle Carter, Women’s Shot Put, 19.14m/62-9.5 (8/9)
Kerron Clement, Men’s 400m Hurdles, 48.52 (8/9)
Allyson Felix, Women’s 400m, 50.08 (8/9)
Tianna Bartoletta, Women’s Long Jump, 6.97m/22-10.5 (8/11)
Paul Chelimo, Men’s 5,000m, 13:33.30 (8/11)
Quotes
Note: for additional video quotes, see USATF’s Instagram feed.
Erin Taylor-Talcott: “I’m sad, frustrated, disappointed. I felt great out there. I was feeling fantastic, strong. It was such a surprise [to be disqualified]. (On fighting to bring the women’s 50 km to World Championships) Just like the men have their events that they like, that they’re stronger at, so do I. I’m an okay 20 km walker, but I’m a good 50 km walker. And I love the event. There are so many women who are so strong. Those women deserve the same opportunities and chances the men do. It’s amazing to have this opportunity to be a part of the first women’s 50 km at the World Championships, and I think it’s only going to continue to grow.”
Katie Burnett: "The crowd was outstanding. This has been such a supportive and incredible opportunity, and I'm just so glad I got to race here. I got a call four weeks ago, ‘would you do this?’ That's all the preparation I had, so to smash my PR and get a new American record, that's all I could ask for. This is just the start of a new trend. This will be the first of many 50 km championships and we're just the first of many athletes who will compete in it. (On how she feels after 50 km) I definitely started hurting after 35 km, my hips and feet were starting to hurt. It's not the softest surface, that road. The finishing carpet felt nice."
Susan Randall: "This was an amazing experience. The crowd was so loud. I have so many people here; I'm training here and my coach is here, my son is here, my family is here. I had many people cheering me on. This experience was so awesome; I was so happy. This was an amazing opportunity, and just a dream come true to compete at the World Championships and be one of the first women to do this."
Women’s 20 km Race Walk
Maria Michta-Coffey: “I went out competitive, I thought I could do an American record today. I was gutsy; I went with people. Unfortunately, at 12 km, the struggles of the season showed its effect on my fitness. I just didn’t have the strength to hold that gear to keep picking people off. I had to hold back a little bit. I’ve gotten myself to a place where I’m never completely alone. There’s always someone to pick off. I closed really solid. I dedicate laps to people, and I dedicated the last lap to myself. I had a girl passing me and I was like, ‘this is when you make yourself proud. This is how you define your race.’ I didn’t let her get ahead and I beat her to the turn. I finished ahead of her and I was really proud of that. (On having two Americans in the 20 km vs. one competitor on this course in 2012) Five years ago, we only had one Olympian in London and last year, we had two Olympians in Rio. Now we’re together here in London and we’re moving race walking in the right direction and we hope to keep pushing it forward as we go along.”
Miranda Melville: “It was a beautiful course and I would race it again anytime. I’d love to come back. This is one of my better times at a big international race and I’m happy with it. It has been such a rough year for me personally, and I’m just proud that I made it here and I did it. We can move forward, regroup and start over with a clean slate. (On five American women competing in race walk at the World Championships) It is absolutely phenomenal. I am so happy for Katie Burnett. She killed it. I was following along during my warm-up this morning and listening to the PA announcer. She’s such a strong athlete and I could not be prouder to represent Team USATF with her. I hope this continues to propel the 50 km forward through Tokyo and in the World Champs system. I’m so proud to represent my country with this group of women today.”
Amanda Brooks
Marketing and Communications Manager
USA Track & Field
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