Contact: Tom Surber
Media Information Manager
USA Track & Field
At the Xerox Media Center: (780) 821-4150
http://www.usatf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 2, 2001
Khannouchi, men's marathoners to kick off World Champs for Team USA
EDMONTON, Canada - The 8th IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships
begin Friday in Edmonton with Team USA in position to defend its status as
the World's #1 Track & Field Team.
Olympic gold medalists Marion Jones, Maurice Greene, Stacy Dragila, Angelo
Taylor, Nick Hysong, Allen Johnson, Gail Devers, Bernard Williams, Tim
Montgomery, Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young, Jon Drummond, Chryste Gaines,
Jearl Miles-Clark and Monique Hennagan are on the Team USA roster for
Edmonton. More than 60 of the Team's athletes were 2000 Olympians.
During the World Championships, a male and female U.S. athlete will be named
the Xerox Athlete of the Day during each day of competition. On the final day
of competition, Sunday, August 12, the overall Xerox Athletes of the Meet,
male and female, will win a Xerox WorkCentre M940. The Xerox WorkCentre M940
includes a color flatbed printer, a copier, scanner and a PC fax. Xerox also
is supporting the USATF Xerox Media Center at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Championships begin Friday with the opening ceremonies and the men's
marathon. World record holder Khalid Khannouchi will lead the five-man
American team in his first competition representing the U.S. after receiving
his American citizenship last year.
A native of Morocco, Khannouchi set the world marathon record of 2:05.42 at
the 1999 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In his first marathon as an American
citizen, Khannouchi set the U.S. record of 2:07.01 last year in Chicago.
During a USATF teleconference earlier this week, Khannouchi expressed his
enthusiasm about wearing the U.S. singlet for the first time in Edmonton.
"I'm excited about the new experience," he said. "All the years we've been
fighting and working so hard. It feels good that finally I'm a citizen and
that I can represent my country the way I want and the way people expect."
Khannouchi also said that his training has gone well and he's ready to
challenge the world's best. "I think I'm pretty good," he said. "I feel
confident and excited about the new experience. I feel I'm ready to go. I
want to make a statement - I hope I can get a gold medal for the U.S. in the
World Championships, that will motivate the rest of the team."
Other Americans competing in Friday's marathon include former U.S. record
holder David Morris, 1999 U.S. World Championships member Eddy Hellebuyck,
14th place finisher at the 2001 Boston Marathon Josh Cox, and 2001 Las Vegas
Marathon winner Mike Dudley.
In action on Saturday, two-time world outdoor champ John Godina, 2000 Olympic
silver medalist Adam Nelson and 2001 U.S. 3rd-place finisher John Davis will
compete in men's shot put qualifying in the morning, followed by the final
later in the day. In the only other final on Saturday, 2000 Olympic Trials
champion Tim Seaman will challenge the world's best in his specialty, the 20K
race walk.
Many of Team USA's top stars will compete in qualifying rounds on Saturday,
including Maurice Greene, Tim Montgomery, Bernard Williams and Curtis Johnson
in the men's 100m, and world record holder Stacy Dragila, Alicia Warlick,
Mary Sauer and Tracy O'Hara will compete in women's pole vault qualifying.
Antonio Pettigrew, Leonard Byrd and Jerome Young will participate in opening
round action in the men's 400 meters. Qualifying in the men's hammer throw
will feature two-time U.S. champ Kevin McMahon. The first round of the
women's 10,000 meters will also take place, featuring two-time U.S. champ
Deena Drossin and Jen Rhines.
Two-time World Championships 1,500m silver medalist Regina Jacobs will join
three-time Olympian Suzy Favor and Sarah Schwald in 1,500m qualifying, and
2001 U.S. outdoor champ David Krummenacker will be joined by Derrick Peterson
and Khadevis Robinson in the first round of the men's 800 meters.
The women's heptathlon competition begins Saturday, with the United States
represented by two-time defending U.S. champion and 2000 Olympian DeDee
Nathan and 1999 U.S. champ, 1999 World Championships team member and 2000
Olympian Shelia Burrell.
LaMark Carter, Robert Howard and Walter Davis also will compete in men's
triple jump qualifying.
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