Team USA Distance Squad Set for World Championships in Osaka – Lagat, Webb, Kastor best medal bets; NBC, Versus to broadcast meet – By Ryan Lamppa, Running USA wire

Olympic medalists Bernard Lagat and Deena Kastor and newly minted U.S. mile record holder Alan Webb lead the U.S. distance running squad for the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held August 25 – September 2 in Osaka, Japan. A record 203 federations are sending over 1,700 athletes to the biennial meet, and the athletes are expected to face warm and humid conditions during the competition. The men’s marathon on Saturday, August 25 at 7:00am kicks off the 11th edition, while the women’s 10,000 meters closes the day at Nagai Stadium.

Lagat, 32, who won bronze (2000) and silver (2004) medals in the 1500 meters for Kenya, will compete in the 5000 meters, one of the most competitive events in the world. The Tucson, Ariz. resident is also a medal contender in the 1500 meters along with Webb.

Kastor, 34, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. is moving down to the 10,000 meters after international success in the marathon (2004 Olympic bronze medal and 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and 2006 Flora London Marathon champion), but the Ethiopian women who swept the event in 2005 will be tough to keep off the podium.

At the 2005 World Championships hosted by Helsinki, Finland, Team USA set an all-time record in winning 14 gold medals. The Americans also added eight silver medals and three bronze medals to win 25 overall, matching the Team USA medal tally at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Below is the U.S. distance team for the Worlds with racing schedules and U.S. medals or best finish:

strong>MEN
1500 meters
Saturday, August 25, 11:25am (heat)
Monday, August 27, 8:40pm (semi)
Wednesday, August 29, 10:05pm (final)

Alan Webb (Reston, VA), 2004 Olympian and 2007 USA 1500m champion
Leonel Manzano (Austin, TX), 2006 NCAA 1500m champion
Bernard Lagat (Tucson, AZ), two-time Olympic 1500m medalist

Medals: Silver, Steve Scott, 1983 Helsinki; Bronze, Jim Spivey, 1987 Rome

3000 meter steeplechase
Sunday, August 26, 10:00am (semi)
Tuesday, August 28, 8:55pm (final)

Joshua McAdams (Provo, UT), 2007 USA 3000m steeple champion
Aaron Aguayo (Phoenix, AZ)
Thomas Brooks (Eugene, OR)

Best Finish: 4th by Brian Diemer at 1987 Rome

5000 meters
Thursday, August 30, 8:45pm (semi)
Sunday, September 2, 7:30pm (final)

Bernard Lagat (Tucson, AZ), #2 all-time U.S. man 5000m (12:59.22)
Matt Tegenkamp (Madison, WI), #4 all-time U.S. man 5000m (13:04.90)
Adam Goucher (Portland, OR), 2000 Olympian 5000m

Best Finish: 5th by Doug Padilla at 1983 Helsinki

10,000 meters
Monday, August 27, 9:40pm (final)

Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, AZ), two-time Olympian 10,000m
Galen Rupp (Portland, OR), U.S. collegiate 10,000m record holder (27:33.48)
Dathan Ritzenhein (Boulder, CO), 2004 Olympian 10,000m

Best Finish: 7th by Todd Williams at 1993 Stuttgart

Marathon (part of World Cup team competition / World Marathon Majors series)
Saturday, August 25, 7:00am

Mbarak Hussein (Albuquerque, NM)
Simeon Sawe (Santa Fe, NM)
Fernando Cabada (Bloomington, IN)
Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, MI)
Kyle O’Brien (Shelby Township, MI)

Medals: Gold, Mark Plaatjes, 1993 Stuttgart; Bronze, Steve Spence, 1991 Tokyo

WOMEN
1500 meters
Wednesday, August 29, 10:00am (heat)
Friday, August 31, 7:30pm (semi)
Sunday, September 2, 8:10pm (final)

Treniere Clement (Knoxville, TN), 2005-07 USA 1500m champion
Christin Wurth (Springdale, AR)
Erin Donohue (Haddenfield, NJ)

Medal: Gold, Mary Decker, 1983 Helsinki; Silver, Regina Jacobs, 1997 Athens and 1999 Seville

3000 meter steeplechase
Saturday, August 25, 10:40am (semi)
Monday, August 27, 8:20pm (final)

Jennifer Barringer (Boulder, CO), 2007 USA 3000m steeple champion
Anna Willard (Ann Arbor, MI), 2007 NCAA champion
Lindsey Anderson (Morgan, UT), 2007 NCAA runner-up

Best Finish: 9th by Elizabeth Jackson at 2005 Helsinki (medal debut event)

5000 meters
Wednesday, August 29, 8:05pm (semi)
Saturday, September 1, 8:30pm (final)

Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, NC), U.S. 5000m record holder (14:44.80)
Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, CA), two-time Olympian; #4 all-time U.S. woman 5000m (14:55.18)
Michelle Sikes (Winston Salem, NC), 2007 NCAA champion

Medal: Gold Mary Decker, 1983 Helsinki (3000m became 5000m in 1995)
Best 5000m Finish: 7th by Libbie Hickman at 1997 Athens

10,000 meters
Saturday, August 25, 9:50pm (final)

Deena Kastor (Mammoth Lakes, CA), 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist; U.S. 10,000m record holder (30:50.32)
Kara Goucher (Portland, OR), #2 all-time U.S. woman 10,000m (31:17.12)
Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, MN), 2005 USA 10,000m champion

Best Finish: 5th by Lynn Jennings at 1991 Tokyo and 1993 Stuttgart

Marathon (part of World Cup team competition / World Marathon Majors series)
Sunday, September 2, 7:00am

Mary Akor (Gardena, CA)
Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, CO)
Ann Alyanak (Bellbrook, OH)
Samia Akbar (Herndon, VA)
Dana Coons (Vienna, VA)

Medal: Silver, Marianne Dickerson, 1983 Helsinki

NBC, Versus to broadcast meet
The 2007 World Championships will be broadcast in the U.S. on NBC (network) and Versus (cable). The broadcast schedule is listed below. All times Eastern, subject to change and please check local listings.

August 25: 6:00 – 8:00pm on Versus
August 26: 12:30 – 2:30pm on NBC; 6:00 – 8:00pm on Versus
August 27: 7:00 – 9:00pm on Versus
August 28: 7:00 – 9:00pm on Versus
August 29: 7:00 – 9:00pm on Versus
August 30: 7:00 – 9:00pm on Versus
August 31: 7:00 – 9:00pm on Versus
September 1: 2:00 – 3:00pm on NBC; 9:00 – 11:00pm on Versus
September 2: 1:00 – 3:00pm on NBC; 6:00 – 8:00pm on Versus

In addition to the television broadcasts, WCSN.com will webcast the meet live (streaming video).

Source/Courtesy: Running USA – RunningUSA.org

Ryan Lamppa,
Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org |
www.RunningUSA.org