Cantwell wins shot put gold in Berlin

  BERLIN - 2008 Olympic silver medalist and two-time world indoor champion Christian Cantwell won the gold medal in the men's shot put Saturday evening at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
 
Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.) grabbed the early lead in the competition with his first round throw of 21.54 meters/70 feet 8 inches. 2008 Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski of Poland wrested the lead from Cantwell with his fourth-round toss of 21.68m/71-1.50, and increased it in round 5 when he threw 21.91m/71-10.75.

Cantwell needed a clutch performance late in the competition and got it in round 5 with his winning throw of 22.03m/72-3.50, which is the best throw in the world this outdoor season.

Majewski finished as the runner-up in the competition, with Germany's Ralf Bartels pleasing the home crowd with a personal best third-round throw of 21.37m/70-1.50 that earned him the bronze medal.

2007 world outdoor champion Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) finished fourth (21.28m/69-9.75) in the competition, with 2005 world outdoor champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson (Athens, Ga.) taking fifth (21.11m/69-3.75).

Yoder Begley runs career best 10,000m time

2009 USA 10,000m champion and 2008 Olympian Amy Yoder Begley (Beaverton, Ore.) was the top finishing American this evening in the women's 10,000 meters. Yoder Begley finished the race in sixth-place in 31 minutes 13.78 seconds after finishing 26th at the Beijing Olympics.  Yoder Begley's performance is a new personal best, easily bettering the 31:22.69 she posted in winning the 2009 U.S. title.

2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist and American record holder Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.) finished in 14th place in 31:32.19, and 2005 U.S. 10,000m champion Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.), placed 17th in 32:18.49.

U.S. men all qualify for 100m semis

Reigning world champion and current world leader Tyson Gay (Clermont, Fla.) ran hard for nearly the entire race in heat 4 of the men's 100m quarterfinals before dialing it down five meters in front of the finish and winning in 9.98 seconds.

2009 USA Indoor and Outdoor champion Michael Rodgers (Round Rock, Tex.) had a great start in heat 1 of the men's quarters and rode that momentum to the win in 10.01 seconds. Also moving on to tomorrow's semifinals will be Monzavous "Rae" Edwards, who finished third in heat 5 in 10.15. Edwards grabbed his right hamstring area after the race before laying down on the track. A couple minutes later he got up and walked slowly off the track. He later said the pain was caused by a "Charlie Horse" (painful muscle spasm) and that he would be ready to run on Sunday.

Also in men's 100m quarterfinal action, 2008 Olympic Games finalist Darvis "Doc" Patton (Grand Prairie, Tex.) got out well in heat 3 and turned off the afterburners well in front of the finish line. Patton finished as the runner-up in 10.05 and easily qualified for tomorrow's semifinals.

Team USA 400m hurdlers look to duplicate Olympic sweep

Reigning world champion and 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) was in control throughout heat 3, crossing the finish line first in 48.39 seconds. Clement will move on to compete in Sunday's semifinals.
  2005 world outdoor champion, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and reigning USA Outdoor champion Bershawn "Batman" Jackson (Savoy, Ill.) finished second in heat 2 of the men's 400m hurdles in 49.34 seconds, and 2009 USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Johnny Dutch (Clayton, N.C.) finished third in heat 1 in 49.38. Both advance to the semifinals.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.) finished fourth in heat 4 in 49.64 seconds and was not to advance to the final. However, following the race two competitors in Taylor's heat, Brendan Cole of Australia and Kurt Couto of Mozambique, were disqualified for trail leg violations (IAAF rule 168.7).  Taylor is now credited for third place in his heat and will advance.

U.S. quartet advances in men's 1,500m

Reigning world 1,500m champion Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.) completed the first task towards defending his title by finishing second in heat 2 of the men's first round of competition. Lagat was in seventh-place with 200 meters to go and that's when he began making his move to the front of the pack. He finished in 3:41.60 and will move on to Monday's semifinals.
  Joining Lagat in the semis will be 2008 Olympic Trials runner-up Leonel Manzano (Austin, Tex.).  Manzano came off the final turn in heat 1 of the men's 1,500 meters in sixth-place and moved up steadily throughout the final 150 meters before finishing second in 3:42.87.

2008 U.S. Olympic delegation flag bearer and 2009 U.S. Outdoor champion Lopez Lomong (Colorado Springs, Colo.) looked strong in heat 3, where he finished third in 3:44.89. Lomong, who was shoved in the back on the backstretch of the final lap, will advance to thesemis.

2009 USA Outdoor Championships third-place finisher and first-time World Outdoor Championships participant Dorian Ulrey (Port Byron, Ill.) ran in heat 4, which was the fastest of the day.
  Ulrey finished eighth in 3:38.86, but will move on to the semis as the eighth-fastest qualifier of the day and the fastest American.

Johnson advances in women's pole vault

2009 USA Outdoor Championships runner-up Chelsea Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) qualified eighth in the opening round of the women's pole vault and will advance to the final on Monday evening. The 2004 NCAA Outdoor champion while at UCLA, Johnson had a best clearance this evening of 4.55 meters/14 feet 11 inches.

2009 USA Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Jillian Schwartz (Jonesboro, Ark.), who is competing at her fourth World Outdoor Championships, finished qualifying in 15th place (4.50m/14-9) and did not make the final. 2000 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world outdoor champion Stacy Dragila (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished 22nd in qualifying (4.25m/13-11.25).
  Team USA heptathletes finish first day of competition

2008 Olympian, 2009 USA Outdoor heptathlon runner-up and 2005 NCAA champion Sharon Day (Costa Mesa, Calif.) is in eighth-place after the first day of competition in the women's heptathlon with her four-event total of 3,714 points.
  2008 Olympian and 2009 USA champion Diana Pickler (Sachse, Tex.) currently sits in the 12th spot (3,589 points) going in to tomorrow's action, and 2009 USA Champs third-place finisher Bettie Wade (Northville, Mich.) is 27th with 2,875 points.
  For complete results, quotes and Team USA reports, visit www.usatf.org.

Fans can watch Team USA on national television broadcasts on NBC and Versus, or online via live, daily Webcast at www.universalsports.com. For complete TV listings, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/mediaCoverage.asp.
  For more information on Team USA at the World Outdoor Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/IAAFWorldOutdoorChampionships/.

  About USA Track & Field
   
  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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