Crouser, Dukes lead qualifiers Thursday morning at World Youth Champs
BRESSANONE, Italy -Ryan Crouser had the farthest toss in boys shot put qualifying and Dedric Dukes had the second-fastest time in the boys 200m qualifying Friday morning at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy.
The boys discus silver medalist at these Championships, Ryan Crouser (Damascus, Ore.) led group B and automatically qualified for the shot put final with his first heave of 20.56 meters/67 feet 5.5 inches. After two fouls, Davis Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.) put the shot 17.98m/59-0 and finished in 10th place in group A.
Running with his chain in his mouth, reminiscent of two-time World Outdoor 200m medalist Wallace Spearmon, Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) got out well in heat 4 of the boys 200m first round and cruised to the finish, winning in 21.28. Keenan Brock (Birmingham, Ala.) ran a conservative race in heat 9 and finished second in 21.45.
Running in heat 3 of the girls 200m first round, Briana Nelson(Greenville, S.C.) led from the gun after getting a good start out of the blocks and held on to win in 24.19, the third-fastest qualifier of the day. Yesterday's 100m bronze medalist, Ashton Purvis (Oakland, Calif.) won heat 6 in 24.26.
In heat 1 of the boys 2,000m steeplechase, the leaders took the race out from the beginning and Connor Martin (Carmel, Ind.) fell to the back. Moving up consistently throughout the race, Martin finished 10th in 6:03.61. It was his second-fastest race ever, out of the four total that he has run. Kenya's Hillary Kinsang Yego was the heat's winner in a world youth leading 5:34.13.
In girls javelin qualifying, Deloma Miller (Stonesboro, Pa.)finished in 11th place in group A with a best mark of 44.71m/146-8. Ashley Aldredge (Rustin, La.) was 10th in group B with 43.45m/142-6.
Team USA medal table as of July 9:
Gold (1)
Prezel Hardy (Killeen, Texas) boys 100m, 10.57
Silver (2)
Kori Carter (Claremont, Calif.) girls 100m hurdles, 13.26
Ryan Crouser (Damascus, Ore.) boys discus throw, 61.64m/202-2
Bronze (2)
Ashton Purvis (Oakland, Calif.) girls 100m, 11.48
Bridgette Owens (Oak Park, Mich.)
For more information on Team USA and the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships, visit www.usatf.org. For complete results, visit www.iaaf.org.
ATHLETE QUOTES
Connor Martin - boys steeplechase 1st round
"It was humbling (to come out here on the international stage and run with athletes of this caliber). I came into the race playing mind games with myself and I don't know why. I run better when I'm relaxed. And I've been training for cross country with no real speed work but I was able to finish stronger than I have been. Overall, I'm happy with my race. I would like to break six minutes, but I'm happy.
Italy is awesome, this trip has been great, but at the same time it's been hard to concentrate. I have to keep reminding myself that I am here to run.
The material of the barrier is different that what I'm used to, slipperier. When I pushed off a barrier after the water jump, my foot slipped and I almost went down. I would up hurdling half the race, which is something I've never done before. This is only my fourth steeplechase race (ever)."
Briana Nelson - girls 200m 2st round
"It was good. I'm glad I got the first round over with. My nerves get better once competition gets going.
I'm glad my competition has finally started. I'm ready to go."
Ashton Purvis - girls 200m 1st round
"It was good, I just wanted to win my heat so that I could make it to the next round and get a good lane. I'm a little fatigued from the rounds of the 100 meters, but I think if I just get worked on a little, have a massage then I will be ready to go."
Keenan Brock - boys 200m 1st round
"It went ok. I felt pretty good, except for that last 50m. I couldn't turn over, my legs just wouldn't turn over."
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org