World's best tune up at Thorpe Cup
CHULA VISTA, CALIF. - Before they leave for the IAAF World Championships, the U.S.’s top decathletes and heptathletes will participate in a final tune up at the Thorpe Cup hosted by the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center on Saturday and Sunday, August 13-14.
The entire U.S. championships squad of multi-event athletes will be on hand participating in select events. The men’s lineup includes defending world champion Trey Hardee, 2011 world leader Ashton Eaton, 2008 Olympic gold medalist Bryan Clay and 2011 USA runner-up Ryan Harlan. The women’s roster includes 2011 U.S. champion Sharon Day and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Hyleas Fountain.
The Thorpe Cup is an international multi-event competition between the U.S. and Germany. The teams are made up of seven men and seven women. The top five men’s decathlon and the top three women’s heptathlon scores are added to determine the overall men’s and women’s team winners. With the timing of the Thorpe Cup immediately preceding the World Championships, it has become a tradition for the world squad to participate as a final tune up.
Heading into this year’s World Championships, the multi-event roster for Team USA is arguably the strongest ever, with the men aiming for a U.S. podium sweep. Multi-event competition begins on Saturday, August 27 in Daegu, South Korea.
For the Thorpe Cup, the U.S. women’s team includes Ryann Krais, Chantae McMillan, Bettie Wade, Abbie Norton (Stechschulte), Barbara Nwaba and Lindsay Lettow, coached by Lori Shepard and Kim Dismuke. The men’s team includes Miller Moss, Chris Randolph, Mark Jellison, Nick Adcock, Matthew Johnson, Matthew Clark and Joe Detmer, coached by Dan Lefever and Matt Chisam.
1996 Olympic gold medalist and American record holder Dan O’Brien will be on site as a commentator, and other multi-event Olympic alumni are scheduled to attend as well.
There will be a free live webcast of the Thorpe Cup at www.USATF.org provided in partnership with RunnerSpace.com.
For more information, visit http://usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2011/Thorpe-Cup.aspx
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.