Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world record holder Justin
Gatlin tops the standings in the Race for the Visa Championship
following Sunday's Nike Prefontaine Classic as the men's standings saw
a major reshuffling. Michelle Perry, meanwhile, added to her lead in the
women's race.Gatlin's 100-meter time of 9.88 seconds with a 1.0 mps tailwind at Pre
earned him 1,253 points according to IAAF scoring tables, putting him in
the driver's seat toward the $100,000 first prize for the Visa
Championship. Shot putter Christian Cantwell's world-leading throw of
22.17m/72-9 nearly matched Gatlin's speedy run, earning the 2004
world indoor shot put champ 1,251 points.
Last week's points leader, Wallace Spearmon, fell to third with 1,211
points, tied with Bershawn Jackson after Jackson's 400-meter hurdles
victory at Prefontaine (48.22) also scored 1,211 points. Bernard Lagat
was bumped to fifth with 1,203 points from the adidas Track Classic.
Women's leader Michelle Perry kept her spot atop the women's
rankings, improving her point total to 1,194 with her time of 12.63 (+.8
mps) in the 100m hurdles at Prefontaine. Sanya Richards (1,183) and
Lisa Barber (1,180) held their second and third places, with no change
in the points they scored at the adidas Track Classic. Torri Edwards'
11.08 (+1.4 mps) win in the 100 gave her 1,174 points and fourth place
in the standings, while Treniere Clement moved into fifth with 1,170
points for her 4:04.40 in the women's 1,500 at Pre.
The stakes
A total of $320,000 will go to the top male and female athletes of the
Visa Championship Series. The first-place male and female each will
receive $100,000 each, while second place will receive $30,000, third
pockets $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth $5,000. Visa Champions will
be crowned at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships,
June 21-25 in Indianapolis.
The top-placing American in each event at every Visa Championship
Series meet scores points. Although an athlete can score points at any
Visa Championship Series event, they must win their event at the AT&T
USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be eligible for prize
money.
The vastly increased prize pool provides even more motivation for
American athletes to be at their best on the Visa Championship Series,
which helps provide financial and other support for athletes as they
pursue their Olympic dreams. It also adds to the excitement of the race
to be crowned Visa Champion, with both athletes and fans following
along each week to determine who the top performers will be.
The next stop of the Visa Championship Series is the Reebok Grand
Prix on Saturday, June 3. The meet will be broadcast from 6-8 p.m.
Eastern Time on ESPN2.