Solid sprint double for Goodman in Greensboro

from iaaf - - Greensboro, USA – Chalonda Goodman set meet records of 11.30 in the girls’ 100m and 22.94 in the 200m to win the events for the third year in a row at the Nike Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T on Friday and Saturday (19-20).

Goodman’s times were the fastest in the nation by a U.S. high school athlete this season.

Goodman, the 200m silver medallist in the 2007 World Youth Championships in Ostrava, equaled her PB of 11.30 set earlier this season in the prelims. Goodman ran 11.38 in the final into a -1.8 mps headwind in the final.

In the 200m, Goodman smashed her previous best of 23.22 run in the 2008 edition fo the meet by nearly three tenths of a second to move into a tie for 10th on the all-time U.S. performer list.

Breaking 23 seconds had been the goal for Goodman, a senior at Newnan High in Georgia, this season. She was incredulous, putting both hands on her head, after her time flashed on the scoreboard after the 200m.

“It’s almost unbelievable and unreal that I actually did it,” said Goodman, who will attend the University of Texas in the fall. “I didn’t care if it was 22.99. It just means so much to get it here.”

Goodman turned back Octavius Freeman to win the 100m and 200m. Freeman finished second in both races in 11.66 and 23.20.

Goodman said that Freeman, a sophomore at Lake Wales (Fla.), pushed her to the sub-23 clocking despite a mediocre start.

“I felt the pressure of (Freeman) going off the turn so I had to kick it into another gear and then drive to the finish,” Goodman said.

Goodman was joined as a double sprint winner along with Dentarius Locke, who won the boys’ 100m in 10.59 and the 200m in a wind-aided 20.87. Locke, who will attend the University of Tennessee, also clocked 10.41 in the 100m prelims.

Wyatt Runs Meet record of 49.78 in 400m Hurdles

Reggie Wyatt set a meet record of 49.78 in the 400m Hurdles to move into fifth on the all-time U.S. high school performer list.

It was the first race of the season in the discipline for USC-bound Wyatt, who set a national high school record 35.02 in the 300 hurdles at the California State Championships on 6 June.

“Basically, I just went out there like a 300 hurdles race and the last 100 tried to bring it home,” Wyatt said. “Off the turn, I just tried to maintain. I thought breaking 50.00 was going to be really hard but it wasn’t hard as I thought.”

The lanky 1.95m tall Wyatt was never challenged in the warm and humid conditions on Saturday making up the stagger out of lane four over the first three hurdles.

The USC-signee won by nearly two seconds over runner-up Jordan Rispress of Ohio (51.54). The only blemish on Wyatt’s race was a stutter over the final barrier.

“If I get some races under my belt, my times are going to get faster,” Wyatt said. “It is the same stride pattern as the 300 hurdles but the last 100 is something that I need to work on.”

Wyatt also hopes to take a shot at the national record of 49.38 set by Kenneth Ferguson in 2002. On Saturday, Wyatt broke Ferguson’s meet record of 49.79 by 0.01 seconds came within a 0.01 of the No. 4 mark of 49.77 set by 2007 World Champion Kerron Clement in 2002.

Wyatt’s main objective was to run under 50 seconds on Saturday, not to challenge the national record in the 400 hurdles as had boldly proclaimed in the 300 hurdles throughout the season.

Wyatt anticipated that it may take a few races to get in the vicinity of the national record.

“It was my first race and (personal best). I am pretty excited with it,” Wyatt said. “Really I didn’t want to put pressure on myself to break the record today just jumping out there.”

Sveinsson Sets Sophomore Bests in Mile and Two Miles

Chelsey Sveinsson set national sophomore (second year of high school) records in the girls’ Mile (4:40.24) and the Two mile (10:04.85) for 2009 yearly U.S. bests.

Along with Goodman, Wyatt and Sveinsson, nation-leading marks were turned in by Ebony Eutsey in the girls’ 400m (52.07); Jasmin Stowers in the girls’ 100m Hurdles (13.59), Trevor Dunbar in the Two Miles (8:49.79) and Wayne Davis in the 110m Hurdles (13.37).

Jack Whitt scaled 5.39m for a meet record in the Pole Vault before taking three tries at a national record 5.57m.

Mason Finley, who set a national record in the Discus Throw at 236-6 this season, won the Shot Put at 21.86m and the Discus at 64.31m. The Shot Put competition featured three throwers over 21.33m with Finley, runner-up Stephen Saenz (21.79m) and third-place Nick Vena (21.51m).

National Record in 800m Sprint Medley Relay for New Bern

New Bern High of North Carolina won four relays, including a U.S. national record of 1:28.20 in the 800m Sprint Medley Relay and posting the No. 2 time of 3:08.05 in the 4 x 400m relay for the fastest time in 24 years. New Bern also won the 4 x 200m and 1,600m Sprint Medley Relays.

The time in the 800m Sprint Medley Relay by the quartet of Faquawn Greene, twins Anthony and Andrew Hendrix and Daishawn Styron broke the record of 1:28.43 set by Long Beach Poly in 2007.

Greene, the Hendrix brothers and Mile Sparks trails only the national record of 3:07.40 set by Hawthorne in 1985.

The two national records this weekend were the third and fourth national records of the year along with the indoor 4 x 400m Relay and the Outdoor 1,600m Sprint Medley Relay.

Kirby Lee for the IAAF

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