Duane Solomon Stays Out of Twilight Zone, Wins 800m

Duane Solomon Stays Out of Twilight Zone, Wins 800m

Jul 12, 2015 by Karsten Kaufmann
Duane Solomon Stays Out of Twilight Zone, Wins 800m


Didn’t get a chance to watch the racing in Edmonton? Check out the top five moments from the Track Town Classic below.

1. Duane Stays Out of Twilight Zone, Takes Win in Slow Race



For the amount of talent in the field, the 800m race in Edmonton turned out to be a bit dull. The pacer took the field through in 51 seconds with Duane Solomon following close behind, showing no signs of going into the “twilight zone” as he set out to do a few weeks ago at the USA outdoor championships. Meanwhile, Nick Symmonds sat patiently in the middle of the pack as they approached the final lap. That’s pretty much how the race ended as well. Solomon took the win in a time of 1:46.13 with fellow Americans Erik Sowinski and Mark Wieczorek finishing 2nd and 3rd with times of 1:46.34 and 1:46.73. US champion Nick Symmonds did not have his signature kick in his legs today, as he finished in 5th place with a time of 1:47.53

2. Richards-Ross Comfortably Wins 400m



Sanya Richards-Ross
is arguably the most talented woman not representing her country in Bejing this year. She owns the American record in the 400m, and even holds the third fastest time in the World for 2015. After recovering from a tough US outdoor championship, Richards-Ross is still racing well. Her win today in Canada looked quite comfortable, as her 50.47 was a half second ahead of Jessica Beard’s 51.03. Richards-Ross also ran in the 100m later that day, finishing 5th in a time of 11.28.


3. Fashonista Maggie Vessey Wins 800m in Style...Again



Maggie Vessey
once again dressed to impress as she sported another original custom racing jersey for the Track Town Classic. Vessey was the only woman who stuck close to the pacer for the first lap, and in return held a 10 meter lead on the rest of the field until the final homestretch, where Canada’s Fiona Benson made a late challenge for the win. It would not be enough however, as Vessey took the win and the meet record with a time of 2:00.16. One can only imagine how much faster she would have ran with a more aerodynamic kit.

4. Seasonal Bests All Around in Men's 400M

Two-time olympic gold medalist and defending World champion LaShawn Merritt also looked strong in the men’s 400m, coming away with a convincing win in a time of 44.36 over Greneda's Bralon Taplin who ran 45.28. This is Merritt’s seasonal best for 2015. Also enjoying a solid outing was Jeremy Wariner. His fourth place and time of 45.42 was also good for a seasonal best.

5. Ashton Eaton Finishes Weekend On High Note

In one of the final events of the weekend, Ashton Eaton came away very excited after his close win in the 110 hurdles. His time of 13.38 is a new seasonal best, and is only three-hundreths of a second off of his PR. Kevin Craddock and Sekou Kaba rounded out the top three with times of 13.53 and 13.57. Eaton also competed in the shotput earlier in the weekend, where he threw 14.03m.