Carter a US champion; 3 make team
From Eric Moore, Onnidan.com
Hampton University product James Carter won the USA title in the 400 meter hurdles Saturday at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis last week.
Carter will be joined by St.
Augustine's product Bershawn Jackson and
Howard University hurdler David
Oliver as members of Team USA competing at the 11th IAAF
World Championships in Athletics, to be held in
Osaka, Japan, August 24 - September 2.
Outstanding Hampton and MEAC triple jumper Yvette Lewis could join the team depending on whether she can achieve the World Championships qualifying standard. Lewis finished second in the triple jump with a best leap of 13.59 meters, just short of the "B" standard of 14.00 meters for the World Championships. Lewis has until August 13, 2007 (midnight Monaco time) to meet the standard.
Carter, the 2005 World Championship silver medalist, held off two-time defending champion Kerron Clement to win the Tyson men's 400-mter hurdles in a world-leading time of 47.72.
"There are a lot of things I want to improve, but I've got time before Osaka (World Championships), so I think my chances are pretty good," said Carter. The two-time USA outdoor champion will be looking for his first world outdoor title.
Jackson, the defending champion in the 400 hurdles, automatically qualified for the World Championships. He finished fifth in the 400 meter dash final.
Oliver earned a spot on the team by finishing third in the 110 meter hurdles behind Terrence Trammell, who won his first career U.S. crown and American record holder Dominique Arnolds.
Other HBCU products performed well in the USA Championships.
Defending USA long jump champion Brian Johnson, from Southern University, finished fifth in this year's event..
Anwar Moore, who ran collegiately at Saint Augustine's, finished fifth in the men's 100 meter hurdles final. Morehouse high jumper Keith Moffatt came in fifth in his event. Livingstone College product Jordan Vaden finished sixth in the 200 meter final. Jackson State's Michael Tinsley finished seventh in the 400 meter hurdles final won by Carter.
© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.