14) Sure the attendance was disappointing but the weather was sublime.

After Moscow, Rojo went to St. Petersburg for a few days of sightseeing, meaning he was in Russia for 2.5 weeks. Every single day almost was 70 degrees and sunny. Looking back, it’s clear the first few days of the World Champs were certainly unseasonably warm (it was very hot on the day of the women’s marathon) but based on weather, Russia would be a great place to have the Olympics. Unless you live on the West Coast, New England or upstate New York, many in the US fail to realize that the summer can truly be enjoyed outdoors without becoming drenched in sweat.

15) Shannon Rowbury and Molly Huddle Didn’t Blow Their Medal Chances By Not Going For It

After worlds, a mini controversy broke out when blogger Kevin Liao criticized US 5000 runners Molly Huddle and Shannon Rowbury for voluntarily choosing to not go with the leaders when they pace got hot in the middle of the women’s 5000.

Our thoughts? We have three and they are rather simple and to the point.

i) We understand why people like Liao thought this was the case as the BBC announcers and Rowbury both talked about it.

Many people watching the race live likely were doing so via the BBC stream and the BBC announcers during the race made a comment along the lines of you could almost see the Americans debating whether to go with the increase in pace or not. Then post-race Rowbury gave that line of reasoning support when she said in a post-race interview (embedded below), “In retrospect, with about five laps to go, the leaders, the top 4 kind of took off and I hesitated. I thought about going but didn’t and that’s where I think I took myself out of a shot for a medal.”

ii) The fact of the matter is no amount of guts would have allowed Rowbury and Huddle to stay close in the women’s 5000 once the top women from Africa decided to make an honest run of it about mid-way through the race.

Rowbury is a very successful elite athlete because she’s talented, works hard and believes in herself so it’s probably a little bit of a good thing that she’s a bit delusional when thinking about her medal prospects. In reality, Rowbury didn’t take herself out of a shot for a medal – the African runners shoving the pace down midway through the race eliminated Rowbury from medal contention.

Barring some weird combination of food poisoning/illness and/or falls for the top Ethiopian/Kenyan entrants, Rowbury had essentially no chance of a medal unless the pace stayed over 15:30 pace for the entire first 4k. Thus once the pace started going mid-way through the race, it was over for the Americans no matter how badly they did or didn’t want it.

The winning time ended up being 14:50 – very fast by American standards (Huddle’s American record is 14:44, Rowbury’s lifetime pb is 15:00) – even though the first half was run at a pedestrian 15:36 pace.

iii) Despite what people think, it was actually smart for the Americans to not go with the pace increase mid-way though the race.

The American record holder, Molly Huddle is more experienced in the 5000 than Rowbury. Thus it’s no surprise that we thought Huddle’s post-race comments were right on the money. When asked, if she thought about sticking with the pace increase to see what might happen, Huddle responded that she actually thought it was smart not to go with the pace.

“I think I’m realistic enough to know that if I’m going to break into the medals it’s going to be (the result of) someone else’s misfortune kind of,” said Huddle. “Not that I can’t do it. But I’m going to really have to hunt and be smart about it. I think I know my PR level is probably mid 14:30s and they can run 14 teens so you really have to use what you have wisely.”

Huddle knew that if she was going to medal, someone else would have to make a mistake. Sometimes, particularly when it’s hot, runners bite off more than they can handle. If Huddle runs smart, and they blow up, maybe she steals a medal like when Wesley Korir came from basically a minute back to win Boston in 2012.

In the end, that didn’t happen but Huddle still did end up with the highest finish every by an American woman at Worlds in the 5000 (6th).

Another 4-medal night for Team USA as 400m hurdlers, Simpson deliver

8/15/2013

MOSCOW - Team USA’s 400m hurdles crew came through in intense competition, winning a combined three medals in the women’s and men’s races, while Jenny Simpson nearly pulled off a wire-to-wire win as she got silver in the women’s 1,500m at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships Thursday night at Luzhniki Olympic Stadium.

With three silvers and one bronze medal on the night, Team USA now has 14 medals (4 gold, 8 silver, 2 bronze) to top the medal charts, and continues to lead the point standings by 64 over Russia, 163-99.

Americans take half of 400m hurdles medals

The women’s 400m hurdlers kicked off the medal haul, claiming silver and bronze. Olympic silver medalist and defending world champion Lashinda Demus (Los Angeles, Calif.) got out strong, leading the first 250 meters. Demus stretched for the tenth hurdle, but Czech’s Zuzana Hejnova took the lead coming into the home stretch making her move and extending the gap to win in a world-leading time of 52.83. Demus' training partner Dalilah Muhammad (Bayside, N.Y.) passed her just before the line to take the silver in 54.09, with Demus claiming bronze finishing in 54.27. It was an impressive finish for the youthful Muhammad and the still-recovering-from-injury Demus.

Olympic silver medalist Michael Tinsley was next on the track for the men’s 400m hurdles, where he battled Trinidad and Tobago’s Jehue Gordon, the 2010 World Junior champion. Tinsley (Round Rock, Texas) blasted from the blocks in lane 3 and was well in the lead over the first three hurdles. Gordon came back on him around the curve, and a battle was on in the homestretch. Gordon took the early advantage, but Tinsley seemed to inch ahead of Gordon with one stride left. That final stride made all the difference; however, and Gordon took the win as both men dove through the line, with Gordon clocking a world-leading 47.69 to Tinsley’s personal-best 47.70. Emir Bekric of Serbia was third in a national record 48.05; American Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.) was eighth in 49.08.

Simpson runs strong

The women’s 1,500m was held at the start for more than 10 minutes while the men’s high jump competition concluded. After the gun finally sounded, Simpson (Boulder, Colo.) bolted to the lead, with 17-year-old Mary Cain (Bronxville, N.Y.) on her shoulder and then tucking in behind. Simpson led through 400m in 1:05.73, followed by Hellen Obiri of Kenya. Simpson continued to lead as Cain moved to midpack. Simpson continued towing the field through 800m in 2:13.92, this time with Abeba Aregawi of Sweden on her shoulder. Cain came through in 12th.

At the bell, it was Simpson in 3:03.78, with 1200m passed in 3:18.91. Aregawi took the lead at 1200m but Simpson fought back, along with Obiri. In the homestretch, Simpson came back on Aregawi, but the Swede held on to win in 4:02.67 to Simpson’s 4:02.99. Obiri came third in 4:03.86, with Cain 10th in 4:07.19.

Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard (Toledo, Ohio) easily managed 2.20m/7-2.5 on his first attempt and was clear until 2.32m/7-7.25, where he needed two tries. Kynard went out at 2.35m/7-8.5 to finish out of the medals in fifth place in the greatest men’s high jump competition in world championships history. Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine won out in a duel with Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, clearing a championships record 2.41m/7-10.75 to Barshim’s 2.38m/7-9.75. Derek Drouin of Canada was third with a national record 2.38.

American record holder Evan Jager (Portland, Ore.) ran with the lead pack throughout the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final, and went through the bell lap with a pack of five. He surged to challenge the top three down the backstretch and over the final water jump but couldn’t keep up with the Kenyan leaders over the final 100 and just missed out on fourth place at 8:08.67. His time is the third fastest ever by an American and the fastest at a world championships.

Moving to finals

The U.S. men ran to a world-leading time of 2:59.85 in the first round of the 4x400 relay.

James Harris (Lanett, Ala.) got Team USA off to an early lead and got the baton to David Verburg (Lynchburg, Va.) in the first position. Verburg held the lead until the final straight when Jarrin Solomon of Trinidad and Tobago pulled along side. Josh Mance (Los Angeles, Calif) bolted out of the exchange zone to gap the Trinidadians, but they once again pulled alongside Team USA on the homestretch. 19-year-old Arman Hall (Pembrook Pines, Fla.) ran one stride ahead of Deon Lendore of Trinidad through 300 meters, but coming down the homestretch, Hall opened a small lead to take the win, with Trinidad more than half a second behind in 3:00.48.

Three-time world champion and reigning Olympic champion Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.) ran an impressive 22.30 to win semifinal two, the fastest of all three sections. She will be joined in the final by Jeneba Tarmoh (San Jose, Calif.) who ran a season-best 22.70 from lane eight to take third in the first semifinal, and last year’s Diamond League champion Charonda Williams (Richmond, Calif.) who took third in the third semifinal at 22.80. Kimberlyn Duncan (Baton Rouge, La.) closed hard to place third in semifinal two at 22.91, but did not advance to the final

The World Championships boast nearly 50 hours of television coverage in the U.S. with broadcasts airing during all nine days of competition.

For more information on Team USA at the IAAF World Championships, visit www.USATF.org. Live results and startlists are available at www.IAAF.org.

Athlete Quotes

Dalilah Muhammad, women’s 400m hurdle final

"I'm just really excited about it. I don't think people really expected me to get on the podium, so to get silver, that is something. You know I tried to get out good and hard, but not go out too fast and die at the end. I was really able to run my own race being in lane six, I didn't really have anyone in front of me to push me along. My mom came out to support me, so I'll probably just be celebrating with her tonight."

Lashinda Demus, women’s 400m hurdle final

"It is a blessing. I'm happy for [Dalilah Muhammad] since it is her first championships. Coming from a long year of injuries, and you name it for me, this is literally a good thing for me. I'm happy that I made it this far. I had a couple of tears behind my knee, I strained my hamstring this year, so I've been battling some wars coming back, but I have the heart of a champion, and this is what I do. I know how to pull it through when the time is right."

Michael Tinsley, men’s 400m hurdle final

“At hurdle 10 I just came off and I went to pump, and I thought I may have gotten him. I knew it was close, but I just leaned as hard as I could. It was a great race, I had a personal best tonight. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to win; I really wanted the gold, but I thank God I was able to come out and compete to my best.”

Kerron Clement, men’s 400m hurdle final

"First I want to say thank God for me being healthy and finishing the race. Of course it wasn't the race I wanted. I'll just continue to work hard and be positive."

Jenny Simpson, women’s 1500m final

"I think the last 200 I was almost unconscious. I just kept telling myself, just run as hard as you can. The whole race I don't think I ever intended to lead as much as I did, but I definitely wanted to be in control, and as soon as I ended up in the lead I told myself, my mantra the whole way was, 'be hard to beat, be hard to beat, you be the one that everyone has to beat the last 200m.' When (Abeba) Aregawi (SWE) moved past me, I thought, ’this is perfect, I have someone to hunt,’ and that is when I am at my best. I just really tried to forget about the time, running on the rail and all that, just get up on her shoulder and remind her that you are going to fight and she is going to have to run hard. I don’t know exactly where the separation happened, but the whole time I was just trying to stay as close as I could.”

Mary Cain, women’s 1500m final

"Oh geez, I'm not even sad. I'm just angry, and I think that is a good thing. I think this is all a learning experience, this whole meet. I know I have to put things in perspective, and when I was in the line I was like, 'so many kids my age would die to do this.' But I'm a tough person, I expect a lot for myself, and I think later tonight I'll refocus.

“I don't know what happened, I really don't. I was in there, and I was running to win. That's crazy, I know. I think a lot of people didn't even think I'd get out of heats, kind of let alone myself. Then in the semis they were like, 'Did you see her race?' and they were like, 'no way'. I think a lot of people would have been like ‘hell, I'm cruising it in, I'm just going to be smiling, waving that last lap,’ but I knew I still could run faster and I just kicked it in.

“I think later tonight I'm going to be really, really angry in a good way, and I think I'm going to be really motivated. I think you guys are probably a little scared, normally you see me like, 'oh ducks, puddles' but I'm going to go home and I'm going to get into this. I think this is going to motivate me so much for next year. Next year there are no Worlds, it's just me and learning how to race."

Erik Kynard, mens' high jump final

"It was an up and down night. I had a hard time figuring it out tonight. The track is fast, I kept being a little close. I think I was just all jumped out. I'm a little exhausted, but it's alright. But it's okay, it happens. These guys are great, (Derek) Drouin (CAN) broke the national record. Even if I made 35, it took 38 to medal. It has been the greatest high jump year period in track and field history. So I'll just get ready for next year."

Evan Jager, men’s 3,000m steeplechase final

"I almost had Koech right at the end, but he held me off, and the other three guys were to far ahead of me to worry about passing in the end. I'm disappointed, but I'm also just a little bit happy improving upon last year. That was the ultimate goal, just to improve on 6th place, and I did that, I was fifth, and I was only two seconds off the winner this time as opposed to five last year and completely getting by doors blown off in the last 400. I'm definitely happy with how far I've come, and I'm excited for the future. But I really wanted a medal, I wanted it real bad."

James Harris, Men’s 4x400 relay qualification (lead off)

“It felt really good. I hadn't raced on a while and I felt like I had to leave it all out there. I looked up and the clock said 44.8 for my split and it felt good when I gave the stick to David. I wasn't afraid at all, I knew these guys were going to hold it down regardless. It felt really good. I'm looking forward to the finals tomorrow.”

David Verburg, Men’s 4x400 relay qualification (second leg)

“My goal was just to get out and make the cut in. I wanted to get my teammates in a good position. James had a good lead off so I knew that we had two world class sprinters following up. So my my goal was to get the stick around, stay healthy and hopefully split a fast time.

Josh Mance, Men’s 4x400 relay qualification (third leg)

“It was good. I knew the guy was going to come. I just wanted to run a smooth race. I came home and got on it. I got the stick to Arman first, that was the goal so I'm happy with today's work.”

Arman Hall, Men’s 4x400 relay qualification (anchor leg)

“It was fun. I felt like I kind of messed on the second round and I didn’t make it to the finals. I knew in the relay that I had to leave it all out there. I feel like I redeemed myself, I just have to do the same thing in the final. They gave me the baton in a great position. They gave me a lead and a great position. I have to stay calm, stay within myself and be confident in my ability to run away with it.”

Allyson Felix, women’s 200m semifinal

“It felt good. It felt comfortable. I just wanted to come in and get a good lane for the final.”

Jeneba Tarmoh, women’s 200m semifinal

“It was an okay race, I ran my season’s best. I ran exactly like my coach told me to do, to run a very aggressive turn, pumped my arms coming off. That’s exactly what I did. I’m not exactly pleased with my time, but there will be other days.”

Charonda Williams, women’s 200m semifinal

“I had a technical, strategic error in my race. Moving forward I know what I need to do. I need to get my hips up in the last 10 meters of my race. I dropped my hips and my forearms just lost. I’m thankful and I made it to the finals. That’s what I’d planned to do.”

Kimberlyn Duncan, women’s 200m semifinal

“It didn’t go as well as I wanted it to, especially on the time. We’ll just see what happens. Hopefully, I’ll make it.”

Americans get 4x4 redemption; Whiting takes shot silver at World Championships

8/16/2013

MOSCOW - A return to gold for the men’s 4x400m and a silver medal for Ryan Whiting in the men’s shot put in his first World Outdoor Championships Friday night at Luzhniki Stadium. The medals helped provide a bright spot to an evening in which one of the sport’s biggest stars fell to injury.

Team USA now has won 16 medals in these championships - 5 gold, 9 silver and 2 bronze - and leads the point standings 194-127 over Russia.

Gold and silver night

After a disappointing silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay at the London Olympics, a young Team USA, with an average age of only 23-years-old, came together to bring Team USA back to its gold standard in the relay. David Verburg (Lynchberg, Va.) ran the lead leg and brought Team USA to the exchange zone even with the field. Newly crowned 400m silver medalist Tony McQuay(Gainesville, Fla.) split 44.68 to create a small lead for the U.S. with Belgium second and Great Britain third. It was 19-year-old Arman Hall (Pembrook Pines, Fla.) who opened a lead for Team USA on the final stretch to split 44.92. Fresh off of his World Championship title, LaShawn Merritt(Suffolk, Va.) split an easy 44.74 to anchor the Americans home in a world-leading time of 2:58.71. Jamaica edged out Russia for second, clocking 2:59.88 to Russia’s 2:59.90. This is the 8th gold Medal for Team USA at the World Championships. This also marks Hall’s fifth world championship medal in three years - 2011 World Youth 400m and sprint medley relay champion, 2012 World Junior 400m and 4x400m champion and now his first senior title.

The first thrower of the night and the top qualifier, Ryan Whiting (Port Matilda, Pa.) put up a first-round throw of 21.57m/70-9.25 to immediately take the lead. Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.) sat in third with a second-round throw of 21.12m/69-3.5. Hoffa didn’t improve on that mark and ended up fourth. Defending champion David Storl of Germany uncorked 21.73m/71-3.5 in the fourth round to knock Whiting to the silver-medal position, with Hoffa remaining third after four rounds of throwing. But Canadian Dylan Armstrong’s fifth-round mark of 21.34m/70-0.25 pushed Hoffa into fourth and off the medal podium. Cory Martin (Opelika, Ala.) sent the shot 20.09m/65-11 and did not get to advance to the final three throws.

Felix suffers hamstring tear

What was hoped to be a historical triumph turned to tragedy in the women’s 200-meter final. Going for a record fourth world title in the event, Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.) visibly cried out half-way through the turn, then fell to the track, clutching her right leg. Although a stretcher was brought out to the track, Felix’s older brother and manager, Wes, carried his sister off the track. An ultrasound performed immediately at the track revealed a tear of her right medial hamstring.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica went on to win the 200 in 22.17, completing a 100-200 double, with Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast second in 22.32 and Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria third in 22.32. Jeneba Tarmoh (San Jose, Calif.) was fifth in 22.78 and Charonda Williams (Richmond, Calif.) sixth in 22.81; both women returned to check on Felix before leaving the track.

The final of the men’s 5,000m started at a jog, until Isiah Koech of Kenya sprinted to the lead and was soon followed by the rest of the field. A tactical race was on again, with surges and slow-downs and multiple leaders. With 600 meters remaining, the fight for the finish began in earnest, with Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.) Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.) and Ryan Hill (Hickory, N.C.) still in the main pack. Coming through the bell, Lagat got tangled up a bit, but came back to move up to fourth over the final turn, but didn’t have enough to hold his position for the finish. Lagat finished 6th in 13:29.87, with Rupp 8th in 13:29.87. Hill finished 10th in 13:31.27. Mo Farah of Great Britain duplicated his 10,000m-5,000m Olympic double in Moscow, winning the race in 13:26.90.

Jeneva McCall had the farthest toss ever by a U.S. woman at the World Championships, placing ninth. McCall (Carbondale, Ill.) threw 72.33/273-3 on her first attempt and improved incrementally on her next two throws. Her toss of 72.65m/238-4 on her third attempt was her best effort of the evening. Amanda Bingson (San Marcos, Texas) had one legal throw of 72.56m/238-1 to place 10th on her second attempt. All four throws surpassed the previous best by a U.S. woman at Worlds, so McCall now holds that distinction.

As the oldest man to ever jump in the final of a World Championships, 35-year-old Dwight Phillips(Smyrna, Ga.) leapt 7.88m/25-10.25 on his third attempt, but did not advance to the final three attempts and finished 11th.

Qualifying Action

For the first time in World Championships history, Team USA will have three women in the 800-meter final. In the first semifinal, Alysia Montano led the pack through 400m in 56.33, and held on for the win in 1:58.92, with Brenda Martinez (Big Bear Lake, Calif.), kicking to place second in 1:59.03. 19-year-old Ajee Wilson (Neptune, N.J.) unleashed a furious kick over the final 150 meters to move from last to cross the line in 2:00.90 to take the third auto qualifying spot in the final.

The men’s 1500m semifinal saw 2011 bronze medalist Matthew Centrowitz (Portland, Ore.) advance to the final, finishing second in his heat with his well-timed kick over the final 250m to finish at 3:35.95 and claim an automatic qualification. In the first semifinal, Lopez Lomong(Beaverton, Ore.) was sixth in 3:43.79; Leo Manzano (Austin, Texas) moved from last to eighth in the final 200m, finishing in 3:44.00 as neither man advanced.

Curtis Mitchell (Daytona Beach, Fla.) blasted a lifetime best of 19.97 to win the first semifinal of the men’s 200m. Mitchell clocked the fastest time of the day, and will advance automatically to Saturday’s final. Isiah Young (Lafayette, Miss.) clocked 20.36 in lane eight to finish third in the second semi, and Wallace Spearmon (Dallas, Texas) finished sixth out of the third heat in 20.66 as neither advanced.

The World Championships boast nearly 50 hours of television coverage in the U.S. with broadcasts airing during all nine days of competition. View the complete broadcast schedule here.

For more information on Team USA at the IAAF World Championships, visit www.USATF.org. Live results and startlists are available at www.IAAF.org.

Athlete Quotes

David Verburg, men’s 4x400m relay

“My whole goal was to get out and get the stick to Tony [McQuay] in a good position. I just wanted to get around the track healthy. My goal was to get out and make sure to take care of my leg.”

Tony McQuay, men’s 4x400m relay

“My job was to get the stick, get to the break first and to get around the track as fast and as comfortable as possible. To get the lead up for Geno [Arman Hall].”

Arman Hall, men’s 4x400m relay

“I knew these two were going to get me a big lead. All I had to do was keep it, extend it. I just have to do my job. He said he had my back, so I had his. He already ran 43 so he didn’t need to do too much.”

LaShawn Merritt, men’s 4x400m relay

“Two guys yesterday got us here and we needed to go close it out today. Every man did their job. I told them all you have to do is get the stick around and I’ll close it for you. It meant a lot for us to get this 4x4 gold back. We got the silver last year and we’ll take that. But we want the gold, that’s what we work for. We train to win. It helped that we had the two fastest men in the 400 already, but we’re running around with USA on our chest which gave us another chip on our shoulder. We went and got the job done.”

Ryan Whiting, men’s shot put final

“I qualified the way I wanted to. My first throw was exactly what I wanted. I just didn't improve. I have no excuses. I should've beat him foul or not, things happen. I should have beat him anyway.”

Reese Hoffa, men’s shot put final

“It was hard. It's my typical reforms cue. I go 21-ish. I wish I want to be better. But I don't know. It makes you definitely appreciate being here. That's the big thing. I'm happy at I went out here and kind of showed I still have it. I still threw, I’m having fun. It's a challenge. I haven't completely figured out at this age how to give it up yet. I just want to go out there and continue to throw well.“

Cory Martin, men’s shot put final

"It wasn't good. I never felt comfortable I was timid in the the ring, I was timid in my throwing, i didn't attack. I think I probably sat too long, I didn't keep warm. I'll learn for next time."

Allyson Felix, women’s 200m final

“I’m extremely devastated. I was really hoping to go out there and put together a great race. Now I am consulting with doctors to figure out what is going on with my right hamstring. It is a serious injury, but I don’t know exactly to what extent. I wish all of my teammates the best for the rest of the meet.”

Charonda Williams, women’s 200m final

“It wasn't the final I expected. I I think while I was running, I actually saw Allyson [Felix] go down. I was like, ‘Oh shoot, keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.’ When I finished I thought I'm happy I made it to the final.”

Jeneba Tarmoh, women’s 200m final

“I just tried to get out really hard and get my arms going. “

Galen Rupp, men’s 5,000m final

“It went back and forth a little bit. We talked about everything we could’ve done. It's not going to finish the way it always does. It’s (pace changes) always a possibility. You never know for sure how it’s going to go. We try to prepare for every possibility and do the best you can. I'm a little tired but I recovered pretty well. Just got to get back to training and go on to the next one.”

Bernard Lagat, men’s 5,000m final

“I put myself in the best position all the way. I was telling myself all the time it's a good pace, not too bad. There was a surge here and there But that did not throw me off at all. I kept telling myself stay composed, you're going to do this. I believed in it one hundred percent. I've never gone into a race believing that I would really win. I believed it. So I went went in and I didn’t finish in the medals. I don’t see that as a disappointment, but it is something to look at as I gave my best. Sometimes you win, you lose, so I’m saying that today."

Ryan Hill, men’s 5,000m final

"I'm not sure what place I came in yet. It kind of matters. I think I was either eleventh or tenth. Tenth I will be pretty happy. Eleventh I won't be very happy. I didn't have the best strength-speed combo to keep up with the best guys in the world. I'm a little disappointed but I am happy with how long I was in contact with them. It was a great experience today.”

Amanda Bingson, women’s hammer throw final

“It was a rough day. I'm still young, I'm still learning. This was my second major championship overseas. My head’s held high. I'm happy with where I came in. Last year at the Olympics I finished 28th. To be in the top 12 I'm very proud of that. It just didn't happen for me today.”

Jeneva McCall, women’s hammer throw final

"I felt strong but slow. It felt like trying to turn in peanut butter out there. I just tried to stay mentally strong. I was Miss Consistency as always. Women's hammer throwing in America is coming up. We are going to change the game."

Dwight Phillips, men’s long jump

“Today I gave everything I had, and it just wasn't enough. Obviously I was looking for that storybook ending, but I'm so proud of myself. Last year I had an Achilles rupture and I was able to come out here and make it to the final. I knew it was going to be a longshot, but once you make it to the finals anything can happen. The best person won today. I'm happy I was able to follow in the long legacy of all our great long jumpers in our history: Jesse Owens. Ralph Boston, Carl Lewis, Mike Powell, the guys that paved the way for us. I'm just grateful that now I am part of that legacy as well.”

Leo Manzano, men’s 1500m semifinal

“I just tried to put myself into position this time around. It was a slow tactical race, and I was trying to conserve some energy in the back, then when it was time to make a move and find an open spot, and I just couldn’t find it. Then I was in the back and I just couldn't regain. I guess I have to regroup and just finish out the season.”

Matthew Centrowitz, men’s 1500m semifinal

“Yeah, it’s three for three now, it’s definitely a feat within itself. But there is no time to enjoy it now, I have to gear up in two days to fight again. I definitely gave myself a lot to work for, but I stayed as relaxed as possible. Obviously I didn’t want to cut it close, but I knew that top seven would go instead of five, so that helped a little bit. I relaxed knowing I didn’t have to go from 10th to 5th, I could just pick off a few guys, but obviously I wasn’t trying to cut it that close.”

Lopez Lomong, men’s 1500m semifinal

“I thought I could kind of wait and have a big kick. I thought they would be out there and running very fast, but I was waiting a little bit. It was a great season for me. I narrowly got nipped out at the finish, but I’m very proud of how my season went.”

Wallace Spearmon, men’s 200m semifinal

“I'm proud of the young Americans in the final."

Isiah Young, men’s 200m semifinal

"It went better than the prelims. It felt more comfortable. I felt like I had my rhythm back, I was in lane 8' so I was kind of far from the action. I did the best I could."

Curtis Mitchell, men’s 200m semifinal

"I'm just real blessed right now. Everything is coming together, all the hard work. I'm just happy. It was a good run. Tomorrow will be special."

Ajee Wilson, women’s 800m semifinal

“The last 150 I was feeling okay. I know I was in the back but I knew I have a pretty strong kick, and even though there was a lot of moving around and bustling. In the race. I knew I had something left. Usually I probably get bumped to the back, but this time I just held my ground and kept going.”

Brenda Martinez, women’s 800m semifinal

“It was tough. I had to listen to coachs plan. I need to get out harder, and go out .58. I have to run that, think that, sleep that. I think I went out a little bit harder today, and must try to close that gap in the end. I went lactic pretty bad but I'm strong enough to hold on and maintain. I was hurting pretty bad that last bit.”

Americans win 2 middle-distance medals in 5-medal closing day of World Champs

8/18/2013

MOSCOW - Matthew Centrowitz and Brenda Martinez won historic medals in the men’s 1,500 and women’s 800 meters, Will Claye took bronze in the men’s triple jump and the U.S. men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams won silver, in a dramatic day of competition Sunday at the World Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

When the drama had cleared, Team USA finished with 25 medals - six gold, 14 silver and five bronze - tying their second-best medal tally at the World Outdoor Championships. Team USA again dominated the scoring table, finishing with 282 points to Russia’s 182 and Kenya’s 139.

Centro, Martinez sprint to podium

In winning silver in the men’s 1,500m and bronze in the women’s 800m, Team USA won a medal in both the men’s and women’s 800 (Nick Symmonds, Martinez) as well as the men’s and women’s 1,500m (Centrowitz, Jennifer Simpson).

Centrowitz (Portland, Oregon) improved upon his bronze medal finish from the 2011 World Championships, sprinting to a silver medal in Moscow. A masterful technician, he bided his time, staying in the top half of the pack and running as high as second place as the pack moved along at a measured but honest pace of 1:59.24 at 800 meters. At the bell, the pack remained relatively tightly bunched, with Centrowitz patiently sitting on the rail. When the field broke down the final straightaway, Centrowitz was in third and seized an opening, running three wide to move up to second in 3:36.78. Asbel Kiprop of Kenya defended his title and took the gold in 3:36.28, with Johan Cronje of South Africa third in 3:36.83. Centrowitz joins Bernard Lagat as the only U.S. men to win two medals in the 1500m at the World Championships.

Martinez (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) won the first ever World Championship medal in the 800m for an American woman. She started conservatively, running eighth at 200m and 7th at 400m. Martinez managed the traffic well as five women sprinted to the line in a race for second place behind Eunice Sum of Kenya. Martinez found a spot on the rail to nab the bronze in a personal best of 1:57.91, behind Sum (1:57.38) and Mariya Savinova of Russia (1:57.80). Alysia Montaño (San Francisco, Calif.) bolted to an early lead, splitting 56.06 for 400m, but her lead disappeared with 150 meters to go, and she dove across the line in fourth 1:57.95. 19-year-old Ajeé Wilson(Neptune, N.J.) set an American Junior record of 1:58.21 in sixth.

Claye snares bronze

Will Claye (Gainesville, Fla.) repeated his bronze medal performance from the 2011 World Championships with his mark of 17.52m/57-5.75. Claye landed progressively better marks on each of his first three jumps, though he maintained his third place position throughout. Claye’s best mark came on his third attempt, but it was enough to hold him in the medal position through the next three rounds. Defending Olympic and World Champion Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) opened with a jump of 16.99m/55-9 to place him fourth, and improved on his final attempt to 17.20m/56-5.25, but was unable to move onto the medal stand.

Team USA relays survive tense hand-offs to medal

Both the men’s and women’s relays featured breath-holding moments for American fans. In the men’s 4x100, Charles Silmon (Waco, Texas) led off for Team USA and handed off even with Jamaica. A strong second leg by Mike Rodgers (Round Rock, Texas) put the Americans in the lead at the second exchange, which Jamaica slightly bobbled. Mookie Salaam (Edmond, Okla.) ran hard around the turn on the third leg. As Justin Gatlin (Clermont, Fla.) took off for the final exchange, he stumbled and struggled to recover and get the baton from Salaam. Once he did, he ran home to silver behind the Usain Bolt-led Jamaicans, who won in a world-leading time of 37.36. The U.S. was second in 37.66 with Canada third in 37.92 after Great Britain (37.80) was disqualified.

The women's 4x100m team orginally won bronze, but in a dramatic turnas the team returned to the hotel for the night, they learned that the second-place French team had been disqualified, upgrading the U.S. medals to silver. In the women’s 4x100, anchor Octavious Freeman (Lake Wales, Fla.) snatched a second-place finish from the jaws of defeat in a reshuffled Team USA relay order. With Allyson Felix (hamstring) and Carmelita Jeter (quadriceps) out with injuries suffered or exacerbated in Moscow, Team USA presented a brand new lineup. Jeneba Tarmoh (Voorhees, N.J.) got out well in the first leg, handing off to Alexandria Anderson (Austin, Texas), who ran a blazing second leg and approached English Gardner (Los Angeles, Calif.) in the lead for the second exchange. Gardner took off well in front of Anderson and had to slow almost to a stop in the exchange zone to complete the pass as Anderson also slowed. Gardner ran a hard turn and handed off to Freeman, who ran from seventh to third in an amazing final leg. The final results have Jamaica first in a World Championships record 41.29, with Team USA second in 42.75 and Great Britain and Northern Ireland third in 42.87.

For more information on Team USA at the IAAF World Championships, visit www.USATF.org. Live results and startlists are available at www.IAAF.org.

Athlete Quotes

Matthew Centrowitz, men’s 1500m final

"I was very fatigued during that victory lap. I gave it my all out there. I was just a little disappointed not getting gold because I’m such a competitive guy, but getting silver to Kiprop is gold any other day. That guy is on another level right now. I was happy to give it a shot at 100 and glad I was in a position I wanted to be in, but like I said, he’s on another level right now.

“I’m a very patient guy as it is. I was sitting on the inside, and I can’t get out. I’m starting to half panic, half focus that there’s still a race going on. Every time you hit a straight away, everyone just kind of drifts wide a little bit, kind of pushes whoever is going wide. So I figured that there would be a gap open up. Fortunately there was. It was a little tricky being in that position.”

Brenda Martinez, women’s 800m final

“I had to really calm my nerves. I knew it was probably the biggest race of my life. I just wanted to give everything I had. Again I had to go by 58 and stay relaxed. On that last turn I really had to dig deep, I saw everyone around me. I knew that last 100, I had to give it everything I had.”

Alysia Montaño, women’s 800m final

"I just wanted to do what I do in practices. I have had phenomenal practices. That last 50 meters, I wanted to show everyone what we’ve been doing in practice but I just didn’t have it. I’m disappointed."

Ajeé Wilson, women’s 800m final

“I think it pretty much played out how my coach thought it would. The first quarter was really fast. We knew it was going to go out fast in the first 400. So the goal was just to stay relaxed and run within myself and go through a pace that was decent for me.”

Charles Silmon, 4x100m men, first leg

"I feel good. We messed ourselves up going for a gold medal, but you know I'm lucky to be here and to be on this team with a bunch of fast guys. I'm blessed with that, so I can't really complain."

Mike Rodgers, 4x100m men, second leg

"Charles just motivated me, how he got out of the blocks. We had a good exchange, and I thought we had it today, but we made a mistake that cost us the gold. But I'm happy with my first world outdoor medal in the 4x1, so I'm happy. There will be years to come and golds to come."

Mookie Salaam, 4x100m men, third leg

"It was very exciting, you know we had two young guys on the team, myself and Charles, and then two vets, Mike and Justin. Before we got our medals, I just thanked them for getting me my first world championship medal ever, it's just the start."

Justin Gatlin, 4x100m men, fourth leg

“First of all I want to congratulate my teammates. They are a young group of guys who have never been on a team together. Not just on a relay, but together, period. For them to come out and be able to push the pace going around the track, I think they put together good exchanges. I just stumbled in my three-point stance coming out of my exchange, and it set us back a little bit, so I’m just happy we were able to get a medal.”

Jeneba Tarmoh, 4x100m women, first leg

"My first leg was great. I wish I could've put my teammates in a better position. I'm more than happy we had a great exchange. We can't be mad with that."

Alexandria Anderson, 4x100m women, second leg

"People have been counting us out from the beginning because we're such a young team. Me and Jeneba have been on World teams, she's been on the Olympic team. English and Tay are new, this is their first team. People just didn't believe in us. What we kept stressing was that we believe in ourselves and we're here. Everyone is on that track for a reason. These four are together for a reason. We got the bronze medal and I couldn't be happier."

(On the exchange between 2-3) "It was a misunderstanding. Adrenaline is always going to be flowing and everyone is going to go out there and have something to prove. I'm proud of English. She did her thing on the curve and brought us back. Tay did really good job on the end curve. We try not to focus on the negative, just focus on the positive. "

English Gardner, women's 4x100m, third leg

"We definitely had our mishaps, but we went out there and we performed the way we did. I can't explain how proud I am of all my girls, as I am about our anchor leg who didn't give up despite the finish. You can't teach that, that was heart. I feel like the whole team went out there and we ran with as much as they could. I couldn’t be more proud that we came out with a bronze."

Octavious Freeman, women's 4x100m, fourth leg

"I feel like everyone kind of doubted us. My thing is that we are going to make mistakes at a young age, but we came back, and we did good as a team. I'm just happy to say I'm part of Team USA, we represented USA very well. There is always room for improvement."

Christian Taylor, men’s triple jump final

"It just wasn't my day. The atmosphere was there, the relays were going on, the energy was really good. It just was one of those days. I didn't step up to the plate. I couldn't keep my calm. I got really excited. Qualifying was great. I really attacked it, I just couldn't make things happen. The season’s not yet over. It's good to see Teddy [Tamgho, gold medalist from France] do what he did. It's good to see the 18-meter mark again. But he also encouraged me and I think that's good for the event."

Will Claye, men’s triple jump final

"It was probably the best triple jump competition ever in the history of the triple jump. I feel blessed to take the bronze. It's been a really rough year for me, there have been a lot of ups and downs, so just for me to come here and get the bronze, I feel like I won. I'm thankful and I'm going to continue to work hard and next time I'll come back with the gold."

Mike Holloway, men's head coach

"I thought it was a great championships for both the men and the women. Everybody competed hard. In an athletics competition, you are going to have some things go not as you want them to, but I was really proud of our athletes continuing to fight their way through the championships. It can be hard the year after the Olympics to get yourself up again, and I think that led to some of the injuries that we had. But the young kids really stepped up. We didn't get the results we wanted to in the relays today, but we got the stick around, and we got medals. I'm very proud of everyone involved.”

Beth Alford-Sullivan, women's head coach

"We had a great couple of weeks together. Team USA has a ton of enthusiasm and a great future ahead of us. I was really, really proud of people stepping up when we had to change orders in the 4x1 and certainly in the 4x4. We really stepped up, and people were very, very strong teammates. I really felt like people supported each other and were with each other through the thick and thin. I just felt like we responded very well. I'm very happy to hear the medal count. We didn't put a medal count out there. We are young, and this is the type of thing that bodes well in two years for another world champs, and another year to the Games. It gives us some time to season these kids up and get them the maturity that they need physically and just racing maturity to be ready to go in Rio."