Lignano - International Meeting of Athletics' Sports Solidarity 2013

LIGNANO PREVIEW: McNamara Looks to Continue Winning Ways, Elliott Chases "B"

LIGNANO PREVIEW: McNamara Looks to Continue Winning Ways, Elliott Chases "B"

Jul 16, 2013 by Christopher Chavez
LIGNANO PREVIEW: McNamara Looks to Continue Winning Ways, Elliott Chases "B"

Meeting: Lignano - International Meeting of Athletics' Sports Solidarity 2013 
When: July 16, 2013
 
Where: Lignano, Italy

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Men’s 1,500m
The American contingent based in Belgium will make a quick stop in Lignano, Italy for the International Meeting of Athletics’ Sports Solidar. The men’s 1,500-meter field will be the main event with Jordan McNamara looking to build off his top American finish at Oordgem and his victory at Heusden.

Matt Elliott hopes to secure his spot as an alternate for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow by hitting the “B” standard of 3:37. He ran a 3.5 second personal best in Heusden’s “B” section of the 1,500, where he won.

Ben Blankenship, Mac Fleet, and Will Leer were not too content with their performances on Saturday night and expect to rebound in this field of 13 runners. DeSean Turner gets some 1,500-meter work in before preparing to steeple in Moscow. 

Men’s 800m
Just an hour before the 1,500-meter race, rabbit Matt Scherer will also be pacing the 800-meter race, which is expected to go out around 50 seconds. Elijah Greer is the favorite as he boasts the fastest personal best in the field with his 1:45.04 from Des Moines. Andy Bayer searches for a hidden gear of speed in his first 800-meter race since the Billy Hayes Invitational in early May. The still unsponsored Mike Rutt continues his tour of Europe after racing in Lignano, Budapest and Kortrijk. 

Men’s 400m
Arman Hall prepares for the World Championship with his second European race after a third place finish in Madrid. He’s the fastest sprinter in the 400-meter field. 

Women’s 800m
Several women runners in the field hope to break the two-minute barrier for the first time this year. Heather Kampf, Morgan Uceny, Maggie Vessey, Lea Wallace and Pheobe Wright are the five Americans racing. 

Women’s 1500m
In the women’s 1,500-meter race, Gabriele Anderson looks to defend her meet record of 4:04. She will have a quick turnaround in the coming days as she will also race in Monaco. Kate Grace bumps up in distance from her 800-meter specialty after running a personal best in Paris. Molly Huddle, Sarah Bowman, Chelsea Reilly, Rene Tomlin and Heather Wilson will be the other Americans in the race. 

Women’s 100 Hurdles
Kellie Wells wishes for a victory as she races against Loreal Smith, Andrea Bliss, Rose Koppitsch and Marizia Caravelli on her birthday. 

Flotrack will bring you all the action live compliments of Marco Pirona and the Lignano Meeting. I will be on hand to round up interviews after each race. For updates during the meet (wifi pending) follow @Flotrack and @Chris_J_Chavez.