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LANDOVER, Md. - Fierce competition and world-record setting athletes
took center stage Sunday in concluding a successful 2009 USA Masters
Indoor Track & Field Championships at Prince George's Sports and
Learning Center in Landover, Md.
With nearly 1,000 athletes
submitting entries, the 2009 edition of the USA Masters Indoor
Championships was the largest Championships ever.
Ninety-fiveyear old Leland McPhie of the So Cal Track Club set his second and
third world age-division records of the competition with his wins in
the M95 high jump and triple jump. His first record came in the high
jump with his clearance of 0.96 meters/3 feet 1.75 inches. The previous
record of 0.86m/2-9.75 was set in 1997 by Everett Hosack. McPhie then
established a new world record with his leap of 3.81m/12-6 in the
triple jump.
The So Cal Track Club's Sumi Onodera-Leonard
continued her record-setting ways with a world record in the W80 800m.
The only entrant in her age-division, she won the race in 4:59.60,
surpassing the previous record of 5:16.53 set by Canada's Ivy Granstrom
in 1996. In the W70 800m, Jeanne Daprano broke the world record in
winning her race in 3:09.74. The previous record of 3:14.00 was set by
Canada's Jean Horne in 2004.
McPhie's and Onodera-Leonard's
performances helped the So Cal Track Club claim it's fifth-consecutive
team title with 439 points. The Potomac Valley Track Club, the host of
the event, were the runners-up with 358 points and the Philadelphia
Masters Track & Field Club were third with 223 points.
Sid
Howard (New York, N.Y.) won the M70 800m in an age-division American
record 2:33.36, breaking James Sutton's previous record of 2:34.10 from
2002. The runner-up was Thom Weedle (Minneapolis, Minn.) in 2:5072.
George
Matthews (Hayden Lakes, Idaho) set his second American age-division
record of the weekend with his winning heave of 10.51m/34-5.75 in the
M65 super weight throw breaking Robert Cahners' existing record of
8.60m/28-2 from 2008. Cahners (Naples, Fla.) was the runner-up with
8.85m/29-0.5. In the M75 super weight throw, Bob Ward (Dallas, Texas)
crushed the existing American record with his heave of 10.38m/34-0.75.
The previous record of 7.70m/25-3 was set in 2007 by Pay Carstensen.
In
the women's super weight throw, Oneithea Lewis (Oakland, Calif.) broke
her own American record in the W45 age-division with her winning heave
of 10.52m/34-6.25. Her previous record of 9.63m/31-7 was set in 2007.
In the W60 age-division, So Cal Strider Myrle Mensey set her second
record of the competition with her heave of 9.21m/30-2.75 breaking
Carol Young's 2001 record of 8.13m/26-8. Betty Jarvis (Aberdeen, Va.)
broke her own American record in the W90 age division with
3.67m/12-0.5.
Robert Hewitt (Gresham, Ore.) set an American
record in the M75 triple jump with a hop, skip and leap of
9.63m/31-7.25. His mark broke the previous record of 9.38m/30-9.25 set
by Edwin Lukens in 1997.
In one of the biggest upsets of the
meet, 2006 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year Bill Collins shot out of
the blocks and was in the lead in the M55 200m heading into the final
straight. But with a late charge from Oscar Peyton, Collins was nipped
at the line and took second in 23.98 to Peyton's 23.97.
In the
M55 800m, it was a back-and-forth battle between So Cal Track Club's
Nolan Shaheed and Houston Elite's Horace Grant. Grant had the early
lead with Shaheed taking over on the third lap. But Grant surged and
took back the lead on the backstretch of the fourth lap and continued
to pull away, crossing the line in 2:09.92 for the win with Shaheed the
runner-up in 2:11.68.
In more action from yesterday, Val
Barnwell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) broke his own world record in the M50 60m,
crossing the line in 7.13. His previous record of 7.18 was set in 2008.
In the M65 60m, Steve Robbins (Cleveland, Ohio) broke James Paddie's
2006 American record of 8.05 with his winning time of 8.04. In the
men's 60m hurdles, Johnny Watson of the So Cal Track Club ran an
American record 8.14 for the win, breaking Rod Jett's 2008 record of
8.22.
For more information and complete results from the 2009 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/. Pictures will be posted in the week following the meet.
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