Track and Field Blogs - Justin Kopunek

The European season that provides the summer track excitement each year has just wrapped up the pre-Worlds portion. As always, droves of American professionals went over to get some quality competition, hunt down standards, and adjust to the lifestyle before worlds. This European adventure can be bittersweet for some and magical for others. With so many meets in so many different countries, it is hard to keep track of everything that happened. Below I took a look at the top 25 most successful European vacations leading up to the world championships based on if they ran personal bests (and how much of a improvement made), won races (and placing well depending on how competitive the meet was), hit standards, solidified a spot to worlds, broke through-barriers, ran records, or did something all together noteworthy.

25. Chris Solinsky - With all of the big meet experience Solinsky has in his young career, it is hard to believe Paris was his first Golden League meet. He stuck his nose in the race in which Bekele and Lagat eventually went 1-2. His time of 7:37.81 is less than a second off his best and was good enough for 4th, defeating the majority of a quality field.

24. Jenny Barringer – During her brief stint across the pond in a tune up for Worlds, Barringer won her only European race this year, a 5,000m run in Stockholm. Her time of 15:05.25, finishing well off a lackluster pace, was good enough to edge out the win for her second fastest time to date.

23. Ivory Williams – With a win in Rethymno running a PR of 9.93, Williams moved up to #2 in the US rankings for 100m this year. He also picked up key wins in Luzern and Athens. The latter was a +2.4 wind-aided 9.95 effort.

22. Leonel Manzano – Running in Europe for the first time, Leo had 2 personal best performances. He placed 3^rd in the Heusden 800m with a 1:46.20 clocking and then placed 2^nd to Lagat in the London Grand Prix mile with a 3:53.01. His time improved on his lifetime best by 3.97 seconds, a good sign heading in to Worlds.

21. Geena Gall – Running for the first time in Europe, the 2 time NCAA champ and now World team member squeezed 3 meets into one week in an attempt to break the 2-minute barrier. Although she did not accomplish this, she did run well placing 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th in her outings which were run close together to simulate the rounds run at Worlds. Running 3 consistently strong performances, one which was a PR at 2:00.44, shows promise for Berlin.

20. Russell Brown/Will Leer – Hard to separate these 2 after seeing their camaraderie after the race in Gent in which they both set new PBs in the 1,500. Brown won their heat in 3:37.32 with Leer 2^nd in 3:37.37. Brown continued his winning ways with a 3:57.54 mile victory in Brasschaat five days later.

19. Bernard Lagat – Lagat ran a decent 1:46.84 in Lausanne and followed that up by winning a 1,500 in Morocco in 3:32.56. Yes, Morocco is not in Europe, but the time is his fastest since 2006 and the meet is held in Tanger, about as close as you can get to Europe while being in Africa. He then ran a quick 7:33.15 in the Paris Golden League 3k, losing to Bekele by 4 seconds. He won again in London, winning the mile in 3:52.71, leading an American sweep of the top 3 spots.

18. Brenda Martinez – Martinez has been lighting up lower key meets as she won 3 races in personal best times in Europe. A 2:01.03 over Gall in Liege, a 4:09.52 win in Gent and a 2:00.85 in Brasschaat. She has really come along as a competitor and it will be interesting to see how she does internationally in years to come.

17. Julie Culley – As the 4^th place finisher at the trials with neither the A nor B standard, Culley needed to hit at least 15:25 to have a shot at making the world team. She did what she had to in Liege running a personal best 15:21.87. Now with the B standard and 3^rd place finisher without it, Culley has made Team USA. To add to that accomplishment, she took down a PB in the 1500 in Gent with a 4:13.18.

16. Matt Tegenkamp – If you are going to come to Europe and have only one race on the schedule, you better make it count. Teg did just that, running one of his fastest 5,000s to date. He placed a close 2^nd with a 13:07.97 in Heusden, beating some runners who have been sub-13 already this season. Importantly, the time is well under the A standard which means Teg’s run insured that his teammate, Evan Jager, would be joining him in Berlin for the 5k.

15. Allyson Felix - Although she had a few performances in Europe that were not her best, the defending World Champ really impressed when she got on the track for her signature event in Stockholm. She ran a blistering 21.88 for a world leading time, her fastest since she ran her PB of 21.81 in Osaka in 2007. Not only that, but she blew the competition away, winning by 0.36 seconds with second place running the 2^nd fastest time in the world this year.

14. Lolo Jones – The fastest hurdler in the world last year, Jones had been experiencing mostly disappointment since last years Olympics. Due to an injury this year, Jones had a string of sub-par performances, but she rebounded by running the world leading time for 100H in Rethymno, Greece. It is a shame the World leader will not be running in the Berlin, but her 12.47 has its redemptive qualities.

13. Evan Jager – One of the youngest racers on the European circuit, Jager raced only twice and hit significant PRs both times. First he won his section of the 1,500 in Heusden with a 3 second PR at 3:38.33. In his second race, the 3k at the Monaco Super Grand Prix, he ran over a 30 second personal best with a 7:41.78.

12. Carmelita Jeter – The top hope for an American female to get on the podium for the 100m in Berlin, Jeter picked up 2 wins in Europe with both times under 11 seconds. She won first in Rethymno in 10.97 and then again in the London Super Grand Prix with a 10.92 into a head wind. That time puts her at 3^rd in the world this year.

11. Lopez Lomong – Running decent times early in his European travels, Lomong has come on strong in the final stretch before worlds. In London he rounded out the American sweep in the mile running a personal best of 3:53.35. He improved upon that, running 3:32.94 in Monaco to place 7^th in the loaded 1500m. This was a 3.42 improvement and makes him much more competitive internationally. Only 2 Americans have run faster in the past 7 years, Lagat and Alan Webb.

10. Anna Willard – The girl who made her name as a steepler has shown this year that she is one of the fastest women in the world, regardless of barriers. She won the Paris Golden League 800 in one of the fastest times in the world, 1:58.80. She also won the tactical London Super Grand Prix 1500m by a slim margin over US champion Shannon Rowbury. Most recently she kicked hard to place 4^th with a 4:01.68 in Monaco.

9. Bershawn Jackson – The 400m hurdler has put together a great European season. He picked up wins in Ostrava and Rethymno and dipped under 48 seconds for the first time since 2006 in Monaco. He placed a close 2^nd to LJ van Zyl from South Africa 47.94 to 47.98, the top 2 times in the world. Between the 4 Americans, van Zyl and Isa Phillips, some very talented hurdlers will be left off the podium in Berlin.

8. Nick Symmonds – He was not having the best European season. It had been over a year since he set a personal best in his signature event. He was painfully close to being under 1:44 with a 1:44.10 PR. That all changed in Monaco when Symmonds jumped up the 800m All Time American’s list posting a 1:43.83. On top of that, he placed 3^rd in a solid field. The only people that beat him were the World Leader the past 2 years and an Olympic 800m Champion who both have lifetime bests of 1:42.

7. Christin Wurth-Thomas – Wurth-Thomas has raced a lot this season and it has led to some amazing results. Wurth-Thomas broke 2 major barriers in the same month for the first time in her career. She became the 4^th American woman ever to break 4 minutes in the 1,500m running 3:59.98 at the Rome Golden Gala. She came back to break 2:00 in the 800 in Monaco with a 1:59.35. Her 1,500 time ranks her 6^th in the world this year and she picked up a win in Stockholm over US champ Shannon Rowbury.

6. Dorian Ulrey – As was said about Tegenkamp, if you fly to Europe and race once, make it a good one. Ulrey did just that. After placing 3^rd at the US Championships, he was still over 3 seconds off the A standard that would ensure a spot at the World Championships. A last minute entry into the Rome Golden Gala 1500 provided Ulrey with a fast race where he scored well under the mark he needed to hit with a 3:35.23. Nothing is sweeter than not having to chase a standard all over Europe and getting it on your first attempt.

5. Dexter Faulk – Some people chase a standard in Europe, some people tune up for worlds, but for some it is all about vindication. Faulk had the fastest times in the first 2 rounds at the US Champs 110m Hurdles, but hit a hurdle in the finals and failed to qualify for the team. Since he has lowered his PR significantly to a quick 13.13 and won 2 Golden League meets in Paris and Berlin. He has also won in Prague this season, as well as, place 2^nd in 3 finals (Ostrava, Rethymno and Lausanne) in which he was only beaten by World Record Holder Dayron Robles.

4. Maggie Vessey – If you didn’t know better, you would think that after winning the Golden League 800 in Rome and the Flander’s Cup 800 in Gent, and setting a new PR of 2:00.04 that Vessey had gotten everything she could have hoped for out of her trip to Europe. Anyone who knew that she had to break 2:00 to have a shot at making the World team, however, knows that she would have left far from satisfied if that was all she did there. In Monaco, with only a few days remaining to hit the A Standard by taking 0.04 off of her PR she did so and more in winning her 3^rd major IAAF meet of the year. Not only did she break 2 and set herself up for a trip to Berlin, she smashed the A Standard with a 1:57.84 world leading time. Not bad for a girl who barely made the US trials last year.

3. Sanya Richards – Richards has been dominant this year, winning every single 400 she has been in. Wins in Oslo, Paris, Rome and Berlin have her as one of only 3 women left in the running for the Golden League Jackpot with only 2 meets left. She has won the prize twice before and looks to do it again. Her time from Oslo tops the world at 49.23 and her other 3 European times all rank in the top 5 in the world, as she owns 4 of them total. Hopefully her European streak will continue in Berlin and she will take home the illusive individual gold.

2. Tyson Gay – Following up his stellar domestic campaign, Gay remained undefeated for the season with his races in Europe. In Rome he flew to a 9.96 in the 100m prelims and came back to run a world leading 9.77 to win the finals. The time ties his wind-legal American Record from last year. After that he picked up a pair of wins. In London he ran 20.00 for 200m and followed that up with a superb 9.79 in the 100m in Stockholm.

1. Lashinda Demus – Demus is undefeated this season over 400mH and owns the top 4 times in the world this year. She picked up big wins in Prague, Rethymno, London and Monaco and in the latter 2 she defeated Olympic Champion Melanie Walker. In London she bettered her world leading mark with a 53.65 run. 3 days later she took over a second off that to run a personal best of 62.63, making her the 4^th fastest all time, just 0.02 seconds off of the AR and #2 AT.