Team
USA ready to take on the world in Lisbon
USATF
5 March 2001 – Indianapolis - Nineteen 2000 U.S. Olympians - 11 of them medallists - headline the 49 members of Team USA who will compete March 9-11 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
USA Track & Field on Sunday announced the team, which includes five gold medallists, three silver medallists and three bronze medallists from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Performances at the 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix USA Indoor Track & Field Championships March 2-3 in Atlanta determined the U.S. roster for Lisbon, where Team USA seeks to continue its reign as the World’s #1 Track & Field Team.
Olympic women’s pole vault gold medallist and world record holder Stacy Dragila leads the contingent as she seeks to regain the World Indoor title she won in 1997. Dragila has improved on her own world indoor record four times this year, with a best of 4.70 metres (15 feet, 5 inches). The Pontiac Grand Prix Cup women’s winner will face strong challenges from the rest of the world, led by Svetlana Feofanova of Russia, who has cleared 4.65 (15-3) this season and is #2 in the world behind Dragila.
The United States will go for a 1-2 sweep in the men’s shot put, with Olympic silver medallist Adam Nelson and bronze medallist John Godina representing the United States. Nelson is the world’s top-ranked thrower and in Atlanta had the farthest throw in the world this year (21.40m / 70-2.5), while Godina is the 1997 World Indoor champion and the 1999 World Indoor silver medallist.
Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist and Pontiac Grand Prix Cup men’s champion Terrence Trammell will attempt to win his first international gold in the 60m hurdles, an event in which he leads the world this year with his time of 6.47. Pole vaulter Lawrence Johnson is also a gold medal favourite. His American-record clearance of 5.76 metres (19-6.5) at the Pontiac Grand Prix Indoor Championships makes him the #2 vaulter in the world this year behind Danny Ecker of Germany. Tye Harvey, second to Johnson in Atlanta, is the #3 jumper in the world this year.
Jearl Miles-Clark, who won her second 4x400 Olympic gold in Sydney, will compete in the 800 metres for the first time at the World Indoor Championships. Miles-Clark already has World Indoor gold, winning the 1997 400m title. Decathlon bronze medallist Chris Huffins will compete in the heptathlon, where he is counted among the favourites.
Other 2000 Olympic medalists competing for Team USA at the World Indoor Championships are women’s 4x400 relay gold medallist Monique Hennagan in the 400; men’s 4x100 relay gold medallist Tim Montgomery in the 60; men’s 4x400 relay gold medallist Jerome Young in the 4x400 relay; and women’s 4x100 relay bronze medallist Chryste Gaines in the 60. Additional 2000 Olympians competing are Amy Acuff, Dawn Burrell, Brad Hauser, Kellie Suttle, Connie Price-Smith, Nathan Leeper, Charles Austin, and Melvin Lister.
Leeper, the #4 high jumper in the world this year, 1996 Olympic high jump gold medallist Charles Austin, and U.S. women’s indoor champion Amy Acuff could all challenge for medals in Lisbon. Kevin Little returns to the World Indoor roster with a 1997 world title in the 200m to his credit, Tim Harden will try to improve on his 1999 World Indoor silver medal in the 60m, and American record holder Regina Jacobs attempts to move up from her 1999 bronze in the 3,000 metres.
Team USA Roster
Women
60m: Chryste Gaines, Angela Williams
200m: LaTasha Jenkins, Kelli White
400m: Suziann Reid, Monique Hennagan
800m: Jearl Miles-Clark, Jennifer Toomey
1500m: Collette Liss, Miesha Marzell
3000m: Regina Jacobs, Cheri Kenah
60m Hurdles: Anjanette Kirkland, Bisa Grant
High Jump: Amy Acuff
Long Jump: Dawn Burrell
Pole Vault: Stacy Dragila, Kellie Suttle
Shot Put: Connie Price-Smith
Triple Jump: Tiombe Hurd
4x400 Relay: Suziann Reid, Monique Hennagan, Tasha Downing, Donna Howard
Men
60m: Tim Harden, Tim Montgomery
200m: Kevin Little, Shawn Crawford
400m: James Davis, Milton Campbell
800m: Trinity Gray, Elliott Gaskins
1500m: Seneca Lassiter, Jason Lunn
3000m: Tim Broe, Brad Hauser
60m Hurdles: Terrence Trammell, Tony Dees
High Jump: Nathan Leeper, Charles Austin
Long Jump: Melvin Lister, Kevin Dilworth
Pole Vault: Lawrence Johnson, Tye Harvey
Shot Put: Adam Nelson, John Godina
Triple Jump: Kenta Bell
Heptathlon: Chris Huffins, Stephen Moore
4x400m Relay: James Davis, Milton Campbell, Jerome Young, Leonard Byrd
