Christian Cantwell unleashes a 21.76m effort in Modesto (© Kirby Lee)
Modesto, USAPole vaulting events and the Men’s Shot Put have been the mainstays of the California Invitational Relays in recent years, so it was not surprising that these same events took centre stage on Saturday (10) in the 67th edition of the yearly fixture in Modesto, in California’s warm central valley.
(After a number of years as the Modesto Relays, the competition has reverted to a variation of its original name, the California Relays.)
Christian Cantwell uncorked a 21.76m in the Shot Put and Jenn Stuczynski leaped a world-leading 4.70m Pole Vault as two of the highlights during the warm (30C) afternoon competition.
21.76m effort by Cantwell
Cantwell eschewed a place in this weekend’s Grand Prix meeting in Doha, preferring to stay at home to compete. The result was a world-leading 21.76m, surpassing the 21.48m posted by his top American rival, Osaka champion Reese Hoffa, which came on Friday at the Qatar meeting. It was Cantwell’s third consecutive win in his four Modesto appearances.
After leading off with a 20.93m, Cantwell let loose with his big throw and a big yell, also gesticulating in a way that only comes when a thrower has produced a supreme effort.
“When I let go, I thought I had something over 22 metres,” Cantwell later said, “but it veered off to the left just a little too much. Had it gone a little more in my ‘power alley’, I definitely would have had 22.”
“But I felt pretty good about today,” he continued. “It was a season best, and it came after some tough days for training in Missouri, with the bad weather and all. My goal was to throw better than I did at Drake [20.88m two weeks ago].”
To the untrained eye, the ring crafted of plywood for its prominent but temporary location in the middle of the field looked flimsy at best, as the wood continually sagged and sprang back as the heavy throwers tested the surface. But Cantwell had nothing but praise for it afterwards.
“It was slippery at first. I slipped about 8 cm on my first throw. But then I knew the right adjustment to make,” he said. “I really like throwing on plywood. I’m heavy, and many times a concrete ring will have too rough a surface for me to get speed. On plywood, I can slide much better. And it’s easier on the joints.”
Cantwell next appears at the Carson meeting next weekend, followed by Hengelo (24 May), New York (31 May), Eugene (8 June), and eventually the US Olympic Trials (27 June - 6 July). “But I may drop one of those from the schedule,” he said, revealing an important upcoming family moment.
“My wife [former World indoor bronze shot put winner Teri Steer] is going to give birth by Caesarean section on 27 May,” he said, a procedure made necessary by the anticipated 5500g size of Jackson Daniel Cantwell by that date.
Finishing behind Cantwell was US university student Russ Winger in an outdoor PB 20.86m, one centimetre ahead of Dan Taylor, whose final-attempt 20.85m just missed taking second place. Dylan Armstrong of Canada was a close fourth in 20.68m, just four centimetres off his 20.72m PB from last year.
4.70m victory for Stuczyski, near misses at 4.90m
For pole vaulter Jenn Stuczyski, Modesto served as an outdoor season debut. The silver medallist at last winter’s World Indoor Championships took a page from the “minimalist guide to pole vaulting” so often expounded by her main international rival, Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva. Waiting until everyone else had exited the competition at 4.60m, Stuczynski opened with a first-attempt clearance of a world-leading 4.70m.
After briefly conferring with her coach, Rick Suhr, Stuczynski then asked for a would-be American record 4.90m, at which she came tantalizingly close on the first of her three unsuccessful tries.
“It’s hot out here,” she complained, while speaking with the media in an unsheltered area in the centre of the infield. “I’m from Buffalo and I’m used to temperatures around 10C!”
Regarding her extraordinarily high start for the day, Stuczynski said it was the highest she had ever opened. “Normally, I like to start at about 4.50. But with the heat, I knew I didn’t have a lot of jumps in me. I started running out of steam at the end,” she continued. “But I thought I could get 4.90m. I had jumped it in warm ups.”
“My first attempt was really good, but I didn’t get deep enough into the pad. I was over the bar on all three. I just couldn’t get the standards right,” she said of her record tries.
Stuczynski will next appear in Carson this coming weekend. After that, her only other planned appearance before the US Olympic Trials will be in the Reebok meeting in New York.
Among those in the field behind Stuczynski was the first Olympic gold medal winner in the event from the Sydney Games, Stacy Dragila, who continues her comback after injury last year with an admirable fifth-place 4.40m, her best jump in almost a year.
The Men’s Pole Vault saw Giovanni Lanaro of Mexico winning with a season-best 5.80m over Jeff Hartwig and Derek Miles, both at 5.50m. The Los Angeles-based Lanaro then ended the competition with three attempts at a would-be national record 5.90m.
100/200m double for Williams
The track at Modesto has always had its share of speedy times, but the frequent gusty winds have banished many of them to the purgatory of wind-aided lists. Today, the winds were not as prevalent as in past years, and some notable track races resulted.
The Helsinki gold medallist (and Osaka silver winner) in the Women’s 100m, Lauryn Williams, won her specialty in 11.18, a feat made easier by a cramp which hindered two-time 100m Hurdles World champion Michelle Perry midway through the race. Perry had an excellent start and was leading Williams by about a half metre when the injury struck.
Later in the afternoon, Williams came back with a 22.85 in the 200m, her second “deuce” of the season. When asked if she was adding the longer race to her repertoire, she laughed and said she “preferred the shortest race possible.” Expanding further, Williams said, “I thought I would dabble some in the 200. It should make me stronger in the 100 for this year.”
Elsewhere...
For Tyler Christopher, Canada’s star sprinter and the world indoor 400m champion this past winter, Modesto provided the scene for his first serious 200m race since 2005. After running a tentative curve, the 24-year-old overhauled Mickey Grimes in the final metres to win, 20.55 to 20.67.
An earlier section revealed a promising sprinter in the junior ranks, Ryan Bailey, who lowered his PB in the event by almost a half second with a superb 20.69.
World indoor 60m fourth placer Mike Rodgers had the fastest wind-legal performance in the Men’s 100m with a PB 10.06 to move to the top of the US list in that event. But for sheer speed, Rodgers was upstaged in an earlier section by Carlos Moore, who scorched the sprint apron with his wind-aided (+2.6) 9.97.
Valencia 60m Hurdles silver medallist Candice Davis led a quartet of runners under 13 seconds in the 100m Hurdles with her PB-equaling 12.80. Of note in the race was the second sub-13 of the year for heptathlete Hyleas Fountain, who equalled the 12.98 she ran in Berkeley two weeks ago.
The men’s hurdle race was easily taken by Anwar Moore in a wind-aided (+2.1) 13.32.
Two days after her world-leading 66.17m PB at Salinas, Stephanie Trafton continued her winning ways in the women’s Discus with a 63.29m victory, more than two metres ahead of runner-up Anna Söderberg of Sweden (61.16m) and former Olympian (and Modesto native) Suzy Powell (60.98m).
Ian Waltz won the men’s event in a season-best 64.53m ahead of John Godina (63.39m) and Casey Malone (63.20m).
The women’s Hammer saw Sultana Frizell of Canada establish her second national record of the spring, as her winning 69.39m nudged her old mark by two centimetres. Finishing in second was a former Canadian recordholder, Jennifer Joyce, with 67.70m.
At age 35, two-time Olympian Kevin McMahon returned to competition this weekend for the first time since 2004 and won the men’s Hammer with 75.08m.
Trevell Quinley was the only competitor in the men’s Long Jump to reach eight metres, which he did exactly with 8.00. The women’s event went to Grace Upshaw on the strength of her wind-assisted final-round 6.70m leap, which stole the event from erstwhile leader Jenny Adams (6.51m).
Among the other winners were Darold Williamson with 46.26 in the men’s 400m, and Khadevis Robinson, who lead from gun to tape in his 1:47.32 performance in the men’s 800m.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
