Saturday, May 4, 2013

Even More Olympians at Penn Relays!

Eighth in a series of posts about the 2013 Penn Relays, and last in a series of three specific to Olympians.

Duane Solomon ran for USC and competed on the USA squad in the 2012 Olympics in London.



Here in the first leg of the USA vs. the World Distance Medley Relay is a gaggle of Olympians and potential Olympians.  On the right, Anthony Chemut of Kenya, a 2012 Olympian for that country.  On the left, Abdelhadi Labali of Morocco, a possible future Olympian, took Bronze in the 1500m at the World Junior Championships last year.  Buried in the middle of the pack is Matthew Centrowitz Jr. running for USA Blue who placed fourth in the 1500m in the London Olympics.  He is the son of a two time Olympian... I guess he's in the family business.  The tall guy way in the back, running for USA Red is Andrew Wheating, a two time US Olympian who ran in the 800m at Beijing and the 1500m in London.



Here's a rare four time Olympian, Bernard Lagat, running the anchor leg of the DMR.  Bernard represented Kenya in 2000 and 2004, winning Bronze and Silver in the 1500m.  In 2008 and 2012, he represented the U.S. placing ninth and fourth in the 5k.  Lagat holds the Kenyan and American records in the 1500m.



Ryan Gregson competed in the 1500m for Australia in London, and is the Australian record holder in that event.


Neither Caleb Ndiku of Kenya or Aman Wote of Ethiopa are Olympians, but they sure ran like they were at Penn on the final leg of the USA vs. the World DMR.  Wote put on a massive kick on the final backstretch and took the race for Ethiopia.  Kenya place second and the USA third.



See more photos of the 2013 Penn Relays here:

2013 Penn Relays


See much more at wlpearce.com where it's all about the photos!

More Olympians at the 2013 Penn Relays

Seventh in a series of posts about the 2013 Penn Relays, and second in a series specific to Olympians.

There were more Olympians at Penn than you could shake a stick at!  Here's a continuation from the first post of that list...

Damar Forbes of LSU competed for Jamaica in 2012 in the Long Jump in London.  Damar won the event here at Penn Relays.


I'm going to throw Harry Aikines Aryeetey into the mix because I'm quite sure he will be a future Olympian.  Harry runs for Great Britain and has won Gold twice at the World Junior Championships and Bronze in the 4x100 at the World Championships in 2009 in Berlin.  Here's Harry warming up for the USA vs. the World 4x100.



Out in front in the first leg of the USA vs. the World 4x800m Relay is Marilyn Okoro of Great Britain.  She competed for Great Britain in Beijing in 2008, speaks four languages and sings in the jazz band "The Felonias Monks".  Interesting!   Melissa Bishop running for Canada, competed in the 800m in London.  In the background on the left is Zoe Buckman, an Oregon Duck who ran for Australia in London last year.



Running for USA Blue in the background is  Geena Gall who ran the 800m for the US squad in London.  On the right is Jemma Simpson running for Great Briain.  Jemma is an 800m and 1500m runner and represented Great Britain in the 800m finals in Beijing.


Here's a better shot of Geena Gall...


Alice Schmidt is a two time Olympian, running for the USA team at Beijing and London.  Behind Alice, is Lynsey Sharp who placed seventh in the 800m in London for Great Britain.  And almost covered up in the back is Diane Cummins running for Canada.  While Diane is not a past Olympian, she has a stellar career in the World Championships and Pan-American games going all the way back to 1998.


Another shot of Lynsey Sharp....


On the anchor leg of the 4x800 is Alysia Montano, a 2012 Olympian for the USA team in the 800m.  Alysia placed fifth in London and is the current American Record holder in the 800m, and always runs with a flower in her hair.  Very nice!


Nesta Carter of the Jamaican 4x100 team, here running the first leg of the USA vs. the World 4x100 at Penn, was part of the Jamaican 4x100 team that set a 4x100 world record in London last year and an Olympic record in Beijing four years prior.  He was also only the fifth runner ever to break 9.8 in the 100m.  Nesta is passing to Dexter Lee, who while not an Olympian, has more Gold from World Championships than you can count on two hands!  I predict we'll see Dexter in Rio in three years.


Sherone Simpson is here passing to Kerron Stewart at the first exchange of the USA vs. the World 4x100 at Penn, which Jamaica won.  The two are inexorably linked together as Olympians as they tied for Silver in a photo-finish in the 100m dash in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.   Sherone also won Gold in the 2004 Olympics as part of the Jamaican 4x100 team.  Kerron also brought home Bronze in the 200m in the 2008 games and Silver in 2012 as part of the Jamaican 4x100 team.



Even more Olympians in the next post....


See more photos of the 2013 Penn Relays here:

2013 Penn Relays


See much more at wlpearce.com where it's all about the photos!

Olympians at the 2013 Penn Relays

Sixth in a series of articles featuring the 2013 Penn Relays

There were a number of Olympians competing at the 2013 Penn Relays.  This is the first in a series of posts showing these Olympians. 


High jump winner Derek Drouin of Indiana University won the bronze medal for Canada in London last year.


Wallace Spearmon competed in 2008 and 2012, placing third in the 200m in 2008, but was DQed for stepping out of his lane, and placing fourth in 2012 in the 200m.  Here he is pumping the crowd up before the USA vs. the World 4x100.


Multiple Olympians in this photo of the anchor leg of the USA vs. the World 4x400... Florida Gator Tony McQuay, running for USA Red, ran the 400m and on the USA 4x400 team in London.  Errol Nolan ran for the Jamaican 4x400 team in London.  Lalonde Gordon took the bronze medal in the 400m in London for Trinidad & Tobago, and added a second bronze in the 4x400.


Ramon Miller ran for the Bahamas 4x400 team in Beijing, that team taking the silver medal in the 4x400.


Here's FOUR time Olympian Felix Sanchez, running for the Caribbean All Stars in the 4x400.  Felix won two gold medals in the 400m Hurdles, one in 2004 in Athens and another in 2012, running for the Dominican Republic.  Impressive career!


For the USA squad, Manteo Mitchell handing off to Bershawn Jackson.  Manteo was on the 2012 USA 4x400 team that won silver.  He ran the first leg of the race and revealed afterwards that he had broken his left fibula half way through the oval.  He sill managed a 46.1 400m.  Bershawn won a bronze medal in the 2008 games in the 400m Hurdles.  In the background, that's Kirani James handing off for the Caribbean All Stars.  Kirani brought home Greanada's first ever medal, Gold in the 400m at London last year.



Another Bahamian,  Michael Mathieu ran on the silver medal 4x400 team in London.  Michael holds the Bahamian record in the 200m.


Wesley Neymour ran for the Caribbean All Stars at Penn.  He was a reserve on the Bahamian 4x400 team for London.


 Leford Green placed seventh in the 400m in the 2012 games running for Jamaica.



Boniface Mweresa competed in London on the Kenyan 4x400 squad.


More Olympians in the next post....


See more photos of the 2013 Penn Relays here:

2013 Penn Relays


See much more at wlpearce.com where it's all about the photos!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

2013 Penn Relays Hurdles

Fifth in a series of posts about the 2013 Penn Relays

I love the hurdle events... especially with the 400mm lens.  The long lens provides an opportunity for excellent face-on photos of the hurdlers coming down the track, looking right into the "big eye".  The trick is picking the right lane to stand in to get the best pics.  I did pretty well this year (actually, the runners did pretty well).  Unfortunately, the event was run later in the afternoon and running away from the sun, so the photos have some unavoidable shadowing of the face.  Oh well... they don't set these meets up just for us photographers do they?

Here's the winner of the College Men's 110m Hurdles, Donald Politt of Syracuse with a time of 13.86.



And third place finisher Cameron Hall of Savannah State with a time of 13.99.  Cameron's looking pretty intense on the last hurdle.



And Joshua Thompson of LSU and Alonzo Williams of Bowie State battling it out.  It can be a tight fit in those lanes.




Here's the winner of the Olympic Men's Development 110m Hurdle, Gerkenz Senesca of Shore AC with a time of 13.84.





The Shuttle Hurdles event this year wasn't quite as well attended as in years past, but as exciting an event as ever.  No big wrecks this year, but some good running.  Here's the second place team of Western Carolina, comprised of Sam Lusty, Abraham Faison, Marquis Bailey and Tyler Bentley.  Congrats on a great finish guys.














See more photos of the 2013 Penn Relays here:

2013 Penn Relays


See much more at wlpearce.com where it's all about the photos!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

2013 Penn Relays Masters Events

Fourth in a series of posts about the 2013 Penn Relays

When you think Penn Relays, you think college track meet... or perhaps the hordes of young high schoolers who descend on Philly for the meet.  However, there are a few Masters events sprinkled in for us old guys.  I say "us old guys", but I really have nothing in common with these athletes other than age.  I walk around with fifteen pounds of camera gear... they run faster and farther than I have since college.

This is Dr. Ed Cox of the Syracuse Chargers, running in the 100m Dash, 75 and older.  Dr. Cox was the oldest participant in the race (in the meet) at 85 years young!  Wow!  He didn't win the race, but he sure didn't lose either... placed mid-pack in sixth place with a time of 17.35.  That's about 17.35 faster than I would have done it, because I'm sure I would have dropped dead half way down the track.  Congrats Dr. Cox, and keep on running!



In the last set of 4x400 events of the meet, we saw the Masters Over Forty 4x400.  I sure didn't look like any of these guys when I was forty (or thirty, or twenty....).  Following is the winning team, The Southwest Sprinters Track Club A Team of Edward Winslow, Eric Prince, Lyndell Pittman, and Khalid Mulazim with a time of 3:24:97.









See more photos of the 2013 Penn Relays here:

2013 Penn Relays


See much more at wlpearce.com where it's all about the photos!