Eugene, Ore. - The run-up to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field begins in earnest this Sunday when Eugene, Ore., hosts the 2008 USA Team Trials for the IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Some of the country's top walkers - including several Olympic Team contenders - will compete for the right to represent Team USA at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup, to be held May 10-11 in Cheboksary, Russia. The first five women to finish Sunday's 20 km race under 1 hour, 48 minutes, and the first five men to finish under 1:36 will make the team for Russia. A total of 55 countries and more than 600 athletes are expected to compete at the World Race Walking Cup.
Leading the list of current entries for Sunday's trials are Olympian Teresa Vaill and three-time national outdoor champion Joanne Dow. Vaill is on a hot streak in 2008, having won her seventh career national indoor 3,000m race walk title in February at the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also won the national 1-mile title indoors on February 1 at the 101^st Millrose Games. Vaill tallied five national race walking titles at various distances in 2005 alone and won the 2004 Olympic Trials at 20 km, making her Team USA's sole female race walker in Athens at age 41.
"What I want to do Sunday is get the Olympic A standard for the walk," said Vaill, referring to the standard of 1:33:30. "That's my goal this week. I'm really confident because I've been racing really well. From doing it in 2004 I've learned a lot, so I feel really good."
In addition to performance standards, Vaill hopes to take something else away from her experience in Eugene: "It's great to go out there now so I can look at the course," she said."Just to be out there and being around where the Olympic Trials is going to be is a good way of getting the feel of it."
The bronze medalist in the race walk at the 2003 Pan Am Games, Joanne Dow's most successful year of late came in 2006, when won she won the IAAF World Race Walking Cup Team Trials, as well as the 20 km outdoor and 3,000m indoor titles. She is a five-time national champion indoors and three-time winner at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Also entered in the women's field is Jolene Moore, the defending, two-time overall winner of the USA Race Walking Grand Prix Series.
Top men's entries include Theron Kissinger, a top-3 finisher in past USA 50 km championships, and Dave McGovern, who in his 25-year race-walking career has won 13 national titles. On his Web site, he points out that he has walked 20 km in 1:24:29, making him the fastest American ever to not make an Olympic Team. Perhaps 2008 will be his year!
Two relative newcomers on the men's side that should be factors in the race are the most recent NAIA Collegiate National champions in the competitive walk. A senior last year at Central Methodist University Patrick Stroupe was the 2007 indoor and outdoor Collegiate National champion. Chris Tegtmeier, from Concordia University in Nebraska, was second to Stroupe at last year's outdoor nationals as a freshman and won this year's collegiate indoor T&F championships at East Tennessee State University. Both are shooting for the Olympic Games "A" standard.
Sunday's USA Team Trials for the IAAF World Race Walking Cup begin at 7:45 a.m. with the men's race. Women follow at 9:45 a.m. Races will be contested on Leo Harris Parkway, adjacent to Autzen Stadium.
In addition to the Nike Prefontaine Classic, Eugene will host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, June 27-July 6 at Hayward Field.
Below is the list of entrants as of Wednesday, March 25, 2008 (http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/USATeamTrials-IAAFWorldRWCup/)
Men's Entries
Jeremy Bahr-worley unattached
Theron Kissinger Connecticut Rwers / New Balance
Shawn Magee unattached
Jared Swehosky unattached
Patrick Stroupe unattached
Charles Collier Athletics East
Michael Tarantino unattached
Christopher Tegtmeier Concordia College (Neb)
Michael Kazmierczak Walk USA
Dave McGovern unattached / New Balance
Women's 20 km Race Walk
Margaret Ditchburn unattached
Carmen Jackinsky Racewalkers Northwest
Christina Peters Goshen College
Sara Standley-Gonzalez unattached
Joanne Dow unattached / adidas
Kristen Mullaney Pegasus Athletic Club
Jamie Burmeister unattached
Teresa Vaill Walk USA
Jolene Moore New York Athletic Club
Sam Cohen Parkside Athletic Club
Maria Michta Walk USA
Loretta Schuellein Walk USA
Stephanie Casey unattached
Susan Armenta unattached
Susan Randall Miami Valley TC
Solomiya Login Southeastern PA Athletic Club
Lauren Forgues Maine Racewalkers
Kelly Wong Golden Gate Race Walkers
Thanks to USATF for this article.