American record holders lead U.S. delegate into Continental Cup

INDIANAPOLIS - David Oliver, Bernard Lagat, Molly Huddle and Kara Patterson are just a few of the U.S. stars that will lead the Americas against the world September 4-5 at the inaugural IAAF Continental Cup in Split, Croatia.

Formerly known as the IAAF World Cup in Athletics, the Continental Cup is a four continent competition between Africa, the Americas, Asia/Pacific and Europe. The Americas team is composed of athletes from NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean track and field federations), and South America. The Continental Cup title will be awarded to the continent with the highest collective point total of both men's and women's teams.

The teams will consist of two athletes per individual event however, only one athlete from any one country may compete in each individual event.

2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist and reigning U.S. Outdoor champion David Oliver will lead the America's men's squad.  Oliver is in the midst of a season where he has set the American 110m hurdles record on two occasions, and he will look to continue his season-long dominance.  After tying the American record (12.90) at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on July 3, Oliver sliced one-hundredth of a second off that time in setting the record later that month of 12.89 at the Samsung IAAF Diamond League Meeting Areva in Paris.

Two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat will look to win medals in two events at the Continental Cup, which is a feat he's accomplished more than once. The 2010 World Indoor 3,000m champion, Lagat, became the first man ever to win the 1,500m/5,000m middle-distance double at a World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007, and last year he took the bronze medal in the 1,500m and silver in the 5,000m at the World Outdoor Championships in Berlin. He is entered to compete in the 3,000m and 5,000m at Split, and he is the American record holder in both events.  

American record holder Kara Patterson is set to lead the America's women's team. In the midst of a breakout season, she set the American record of 66.67m/218-8 in the javelin when she won the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships and she now has four of the top five longest throws in U.S. history.

The 2010 USA Outdoor runner-up, Molly Huddle is set to run the women's 5,000m. Just a week ago in Brussels, Huddle took .04 seconds off Shalane Flanagan's previous American record when she finished tenth in the 5,000m in 14:44.76. Her time is also an Area and NACAC record. So far this season, Huddle has taken 30 seconds off the 15:17 lifetime best she had heading into the 2010 outdoor season.

The American record holder in the men' 100m, Tyson Gay will run the third leg on the men's 4x100m in Split. So far this year, Gay has run two of the top four times in the world this year including the 9.78 world leading time that he ran in London. He also won the men's 100m Diamond League trophy.

The America's team is listed below (Subject to change):

Men's Team

 

100m:  Monzavous Edwards (USA), Daniel Bailey (ANT)
200m:  Wallace Spearmon (USA), Churandy Martina (AHO)
400m:  Jeremy Wariner (USA), Ricardo Chambers (JAM)
800m:  Nick Symmonds (USA), Kleberson Davide (BRA)
1,500m:  Leo Manzano (USA), Taylor Milne (CAN)
3,000m:  Bernard Lagat (USA), Bayron Piedra (ECU)
5,000m:  Bernard Lagat (USA), Diego Borrego (MEX)
3,000m SC:  Daniel Huling (USA), Jose Sanchez (CUB)
110m Hurdles: David Oliver (USA), Dominique DeGrammont (HAI)
400m Hurdles: Bershawn Jackson (USA), Javier Culson (PUR)
High Jump: Dusty Jonas (USA), Donald Thomas (BAH)

Pole Vault: Derek Miles (USA), Giovanni Lanaro (MEX)

Long Jump:  Dwight Phillips (USA), Tyrone Smith (BER)
Triple Jump: Alexis Copello (CUB), Randy Lewis (GRN)

Shot Put: Christian Cantwell (USA), Dylan Armstrong (CAN)

Discus:  Jason Young (USA), Jorge Fernandez (CUB)

Hammer: A.G. Kruger (USA), Roberto Janet (CUB)

Javelin:  Mike Hazel (USA), Arley Ibarguen (COL)

4x100m: Wallace Spearmon (USA), Monzavous Edwards (USA), Churandy Martina (AHO), Daniel Bailey (ANT), Tyson Gay (USA)

4x400m: Jeremy Wariner (USA), Bershawn Jackson (USA), Greg Nixon (USA), Ricardo Chambers (JAM),  Nery Brennes (CRC), Javier Culson (PUR)

 

Women's Team

 

100m:  Shalonda Solomon (USA), Kelly-Ann Baptiste (TRI)

200m: Consuela Moore (USA), Cydonie Mothersill (CAY)
400m:  Debbie Dunn (USA), Shericka Williams (JAM)
800m: Alysia Johnson (USA), Kenia Sinclair (JAM)
1,500m: Christin Wurth-Thomas (USA), Nicole Edwards (CAN)

3,000m: Shannon Rowbury (USA), Malindi Elmore (CAN)

5,000m: Molly Huddle (USA), Megan Metcalfe-Wright (CAN)

3,000m Steeple: Lisa Aguilera (USA), Korine Hinds (JAM)

100m Hurdles: Lolo Jones (USA), Perdita Felicien (CAN)

400m Hurdles: Nicole Leach (USA), Nickiesha Wilson (JAM)
High Jump: Lesyanis Mayor (CUB), Lavern Spencer (LCA)

Pole Vault:  Becky Holliday (USA), Fabiana Murer (BRA)

Long Jump:  Brianna Glenn (USA), Yargelis Savigne (CUB)

Triple Jump: Erica McLain (USA), Yargelis Savigne (CUB)

Shot Put:  Jillian Camarena-Williams (USA), Misleydis Gonzalez (CUB)
Discus:  Becky Breisch (USA), Yargelis Barrios (CUB)

Hammer: Yipsi Moreno (CUB), Jennifer Dahlgren (ARG)

Javelin:  Kara Patterson (USA), Yainelis Ribeaux (CUB)
4x100m: Consuella Moore (USA), Kelly-Ann Baptiste (TRI), Sherone Simpson (JAM), Cydonie Mothersill (CAY), Debbie Ferguson (BAH)

4x400m: Debbie Dunn (USA), Nicole Leach (USA), Shericka Williams (JAM), Christine Amertil (BAH), Nickiesha Wilson (JAM)

 

For more information on the America's Team at the 2010 Continental Cup, visit www.usatf.org.

 

 

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USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
 
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