USA seeking redemption

Published: Saturday | April 25, 2009



Powell

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania:

The relay matchups that you didn't get to see at the 2008 Olympic Games are on their way to Philadelphia.

Today, at the 10th edition of USA vs the World at the 115th Penn Relays, Team USA will look to take their first step towards redemption in the men's and women's 4x100m relays.

With a record 13 nations set to compete, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Team USA are out to reclaim their stake as the dominant relay force during the first event of the 2009 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series. (USA vs the World at the Penn Relays will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 4-6 p.m. Eastern Time.)

Events at this year's USA vs the World include the Nike men's 4x100m, the Visa women's 4x100m, the Nike men's 4x400m, the Visa women's 4x400m, the men's distance medley relay and the women's sprint medley relay.

Races that could have been


Richards and Walker

2008 Olympic 100m and 200m bronze medallist Walter Dix, 2004 Olympic 4x100m gold medallist and two-time World Outdoor gold medallist Darvis Patton and three-time Olympic medallist Shawn Crawford lead Team USA Nike men's 4x100m relay pool that will take on the 2008 Olympic Games gold and silver medal teams from Jamaica and Trindad & Tobago, respectively.

Each team will have three of the four team members from Beijing with Jamaica bringing Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell (former world record holder), while Trinidad & Tobago's team will feature Richard Thompson, Marc Burns and Emmanuel Callender.

Also in Team USA's pool is two-time Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist, Terrence Trammell.

On the women's side, two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Allyson Felix and 2004 Olympic 100m silver medallist and two-time World Outdoor medallist, Lauryn Williams, lead Team USA's line-up that also includes 2005 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medallist Muna Lee and 2000 Olympic bronze medallist and two-time World Outdoor 4x100m medallist, Torri Edwards.

They will be faced with the Jamaican contingent including Olympic 100m gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser and 100m silver medallist, Kerron Stewart. Stewart was on the receiving end of a botched baton exchange in Beijing that forced the Jamaicans out of medal contention.

Also in the mix for the Visa women's 4x100m will be Nigeria, who will be bringing three of four team members from the bronze-medal winning team at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Potent 4x400m line-ups


Dix and Fraser

Olympic 400m gold medallist, LaShawn Merritt, leads a Nike men's 4x400m line-up that includes two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion Angelo Taylor and surprise Olympic bronze medallist David Neville, all of whom were part of the gold-medal winning 4x400m team in Beijing.

Also in the mix are 2008 Olympic 400m hurdles silver medallist and 2007 World champion, Kerron Clement, and 2004 Olympic and two-time World Outdoor 4x400m gold medallist, Darold Williamson.

They will be challenged by The Bahamas, who are bringing all four members of their silver medal-winning team from Beijing.

In the Visa women's 4x400m, Team USA brings Olympic 400m bronze medallist and Sanya Richards, who is ranked number one in the world, along with Felix and Natasha Hastings.

Medley standouts

They will face stiff competition from Jamaica's team, which includes Olympic relay bronze medallists Shericka Williams, Rosemarie Whyte and Novlene Williams-Mills, and Olympic 400m hurdles champion, Melaine Walker.

In the men's distance medley relay, athletes to watch include 2008 Olympian and two-time Penn Relays outstanding performer Leonel Manzano, four-time USA Outdoor champion Khadevis Robinson and 2008 Olympian Lopez Lomong.

Three-time Olympian Hazel Clark leads the way in the women's sprint medley relay that will also feature 2005 World Outdoor 200m silver medallist Rachelle Smith and the Barber twins - 2005 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medallist Lisa and 2007 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medallist Miki - among others.