Michigan nationals Day 4: Woodard tops Dussett in electrifying 4×4

Storm system passed north and south of us.

Storm system passed north and south of us.

Official results don’t show it, but the most exciting moment of Day 4 at Michigan nationals was an unexpected showdown between two of the best fortysomething quarter-milers in the world. Allen Woodard, 47, and Antwon Dussett, 40, didn’t know until just before the 4×4 relay they would be their teams’ respective anchors. As fate would have it, they took batons about even on a day of extreme winds. They battled each other and a tremendous headwind on the back stretch. I haven’t heard their splits, but Allen prevailed by about the same margin he did in winning his 400 to Antwon’s 400 — 49.32 to 49.88. USATF covered other highlights. I’ll have more to say in coming days, but I thought the facility was fantastic and treatment of athletes better than most meets (no anal half-hour deadline on declaring for a race). I saw a guy pouring ice water into a big Gatorade dispenser with only hours left in the meet. But online results are still a mess. (Tip: In Google Chrome, do a right-click on a specific event and select Open Link in New Tab.) In coming days, I’ll upload hundreds of photos to my Google Drive — for printing, Facebook sharing and use by your local paper. First up: Shuttle hurdle relays.
Allen reaches finish line ahead of Antwon in a sizzling relay on a day that dodged rain bullet.

Allen reaches finish line ahead of Antwon on a day that dodged a rain bullet.

Here’s the USATF release from Grand Valley State University:

The final day of the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships was met with three broken records and many outstanding performances in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Sunday, as the 400m hurdles, 1500m, and relay events marked the conclusion of the championship weekend.

The weekend battle for the Masters Outdoor Championships club champion came to a finish on Sunday, with TNT International Racing Club taking the title with (595) total points. The chase for the championship was tightly contested throughout the meet, with So Cal Track Club (562) finishing in second, followed by the SC Striders Track Club (312), the Philadelphia Masters (304) and the Potomac Valley Track Club (265).

Monica Kendall (Beaverton, Oregon) had an outstanding performance in the W60-64 shot put, breaking the current American mark of 11.78m/38-7.75 (Joanne Grissom, 1998) with 12.58m/41-03.25. Kendall initially broke the record on her third throw, but continued to improve in three consecutive throws.

In the W45-49 400m hurdles, Lisa Daley (White Plains, New York) broke the current American record with a time of 1:08.24, a record previously set by Karen Steen in 2010 with 1:08.91. Daley initially broke the record earlier this year with a time of 1:07.07, though her record has not yet been certified. Daley’s record-breaking performance adds to her American record total, as she currently holds the W40-44 400mH mark of 1:03.95.

91-year-old Dixon Hemphill (Fairfax Station, Virginia) had a successful final day of competition, bringing home three gold medals in the span of one hour. Hemphill won the M90 1500m with a time of 15:12.32, and followed by winning the javelin throw and 200m. Hemphill was among the most successful athletes of the weekend, winning gold in six of his seven events.

Joy Upshaw (Lafayette, California) won her third title of the weekend, taking the W55 200m crown in 27.68. Upshaw would have broken her second American record of the weekend, but it was a wind-assisted time. Upshaw also broke Phil Rascker’s 27.78 record in June, with a time of 27.54, now a pending mark awaiting certification.

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July 17, 2016

4 Responses

  1. Jeff Davison - July 18, 2016

    Ken. Thank you for all the thousands of pics you took at the meet. Can’t wait until the triumph return of Ken Stone in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay … hopefully it’s soon.

    Thank you to all eleven shuttle hurdle Relay teams braving the crazy weather and heavy winds … with grace the hurdles bring to track and field.

    There was at least one Club Record in the SHR.

    When it’s the last running event of the meet its “The Man / Woman Standing” event.

    And thank you to Bill Murray. Gary Snyder. And Carroll DeWeese.

  2. Jeff Davison - July 18, 2016

    And thank you Pete Taylor

  3. Whoould be your daddy - July 18, 2016

    Can’t believe Ken caught all those photos !

    I’m slightly envious ( in a good way) of Allen and Antwon. I’m never ceased to be amazed how some guys seemingly don’t age !! Kudos for running so fast. Same can be said for some of out other stars.

  4. Nadia - July 18, 2016

    This was my first outdoor competition and I loved. A big “Thank You” to the organizers, officials, and volunteers for this great event.

    One question, where could I find pictures of the women’s steeplechase? Maybe I’ll find myself there 🙂 Thank you!

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