12th IAAF World Championships
August 18, 2009
Olympic Stadium
Berlin, Germany

4-time Olympian and 8-time World Championship Team Member Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA) qualified for Thursday's final in the Women's High Jump by clearing the automatic qualifying mark of 1.95m. Acuff cleared 1.80m/5-10.75, 1.85m/6-0.75 and 1.89m/6-2.25 on her first attempts but needed all three of her attempts to clear 1.92m/6-3.5. She then cleared 1.95m/6-4.75 on her second attempt to automatically advance to her sixth straight World Championship final. Afterwards, Acuff commented, "I'm really excited. I don't take making the finals for granted. Every one is a treasure. I'm really happy to be there, especially in Berlin. I felt like I got up at 6 a.m. I felt like it was early in the morning. I drank my little green tea, but it didn't really kick me up. I think I will feel better in the final. I want to go back (to the hotel), take a nap and get rested and try to have a more fluid run. I'm just going to let myself go and not micromanage everything."

Less than 48 hours after finishing 10th in her first international heptahtlon, Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) came out fresh and bouncy clearing 1.80m/5-10.75, 1.85m/6-0.75 and 1.89m/6-2.25 on her first attempts. At the next height, however, Day was unable to clear 1.92m/6-3.5 and failed to advance to the next round.

Wednesday's action will see Jake Arnold (Tucson, AZ) start day 1 of the Decathlon. Arnold will compete in the 100m, Long Jump, & Shot Put in the morning session and the High Jump, & 400m in the evening session.

12th IAAF World Championships
August 17, 2009
Olympic Stadium
Berlin, Germany

In only her sixth multi-event competition, 2008 Olympian Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) proved she will be a permanent fixture in the Heptathlon after finishing in 10th place at the 12th IAAF World Championships. Day started day 1 running 13.90sec in the 100m hurdles and followed with a 1.89m clearance in the High Jump and was in second place after two events with a total score of 2086 points. Despite not warming over the bar due to a serious case of patellar tendinitis caused by the long plane ride over to Germany, Day was excited to clear 1.89m. She put the Shot 13.42m to set a new event personal best and ran the 200m in 25.15sec for a 4 event total of 3714 points and finish day 1 in 8th place. Day 2 began with the Long Jump and Day only managed to leap 5.69m to fall into 11th place. She threw a new personal best 44.14m in the Javelin and ran the 800m in 2:13.84, the last of seven events, for a total score of 6126 points and a top 10 finish. "I'm very happy about my performance," Day commented after the grueling 800m. "It's my first major competition at the international scale and I couldn't be happier with 10th place in the world right now. It was a really good experience to compete at a world level. I'm going to put this in my pocket and keep training."

Two years ago at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, US Champion and 2008 Olympian Diana Pickler (Sachse, TX) finished her first international heptathlon in 25th place. She improved on that performance with an 11th place finish with a total score of 6086 points. A blistering start in the 100m hurdles with a finishing time of 13.50sec put Pickler in fourth place after the first event but below average marks in the High Jump (1.77m), Shot Put (12.40m) and 200m (24.75sec) resulted in many lost points and she finished day 1 in 12th place with a total score of 3589 points. Day 2 started off better for Pickler with a season best mark in the Long jump (6.24m) and she followed it up by throwing the Javelin 41.13m. Pickler finished the last of seven events by running a new personal best in the 800m crossing the finish line in 2:15.60. "I came in so prepared. I went in here faster and stronger than I've ever been, and I felt mentally prepared. It just didn't start out this way," Pickler commented after the 800m. "The first day was a struggle, and it was so frustrating, because I knew that I did everything to prepare right for this meet. It was hard to go out there and be disappointed with the way things went in day 1. I was nowhere close to where I should have been." She added "Today, I just tried to block everything out. I was really happy with setting a PR in the 800 after what I went through in the competition. Setting a PR in the 800 is going to make me mentally stronger."

In the qualifying round in the Women's Javelin, Kara Patterson (West Lafayette, IN) threw 52.91m and did not advance to Tuesday's final.

Athlete's seeing action on Tuesday will be 2008 Olympians Amy Acuff and Sharon Day competing in the qualifying rounds of the Women's High Jump.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 28, 2009
Eugene, OR

Team ASICS had a fantastic final day at the US Track & Field Championships with four athletes punching their tickets to Berlin, Germany for the 2009 IAAF World Championships (August 15-23, 2009).

Harris Soars to 2nd Outdoor Title
The qualifying party was started by 2004 Olympian Tora Harris (Chula Vista, CA) when he stunned the field by clearing 2.31m (7' 7") to win the competition. This is Harris' 2nd US Outdoor title and he dedicated his victory to the R & D Center in Kobe, Japan for producing custom made shoes for him which he wore for the first time in competition today. With windy conditions and a big field of 26 jumpers, Harris commented that "I was just hanging in there and staying tough. I had to make adjustments because of the conditions. It was a great day to jump despite having too much tail wind. It was a big field with 26 guys, so in that situation you need to make adjustments and settle down."

Brown to Berlin
Soon after Tora's winning jump, Ryan Brown (Seattle, WA) stepped on to the track for the final of the Men's 800m. Brown was in 7th place at the halfway mark coming through in 53.39sec but slowly moved his way to 5th place at the 600m mark in 1:19.55. Brown slowly made his move around the last turn and ran past the two runners in front of him to finish in 3rd place and win a plane ticket to Berlin. The 2-time NCAA Champion crossed the finish line in 1:46.67 to secure his spot on his first World Championship team.

1-2 Finish in the Heptathlon
As Brown was celebrating at the finish line, 2008 Olympians Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA), along with the other heptathletes, were brought onto the track for the final event of the heptathlon, the 800m. Pickler, by virtue of the lead she had going to the last event, was guaranteed a spot on the World Championship Team as long as she finished the race. Pickler finished sixth in the 800m with a time of 2:16.99 but scored enough points overall to win the competition with a new personal best score of 6290 points. This is her first outdoor title to go along with the two indoor titles she won in 2007 and 2008. With only four competitions under her belt this year, Pickler said "I definitely felt it a lot in speed and timing. But I'm just looking at the big picture really and trying to focus on what I'm trying to accomplish in the next few months." Pickler makes her second trip to the World Championships after competing in Osaka, Japan in 2007 where she finished in 25th place. Day, however, had to run 2:19.10 or faster in order to hit the "A" standard of 6100 points to guarantee her place on her first World Championship Team. Day was in 2nd place at the halfway mark and broke away from the pack of 14 athletes with 300m to go en route to running a new personal best of 2:13.54, almost 2 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher. "I knew what I needed (going into the 800). I wasn't running the race to just make it, I was running the best that I could," commented Day after the race. She finished second overall with a new personal best score of 6177 points and, with her 3rd place finish in the HJ on Thursday, will be going to Berlin looking to compete in two events.

In the Women's Pole Vault, 2008 Olympian April Steiner-Bennett (Springdale, AR) finished in a tie for 4th place clearing 4.45m (14' 7 ¼"). In the semi-finals of the 100m Hurdles, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) bumped into the runner in the lane next to her, was thrown off balance, and was unable to finish the race.

ASICS Athletes headed to Berlin:
Jake Arnold Decathlon
Ryan Brown 800m
Tora Harris High Jump
Amy Acuff High Jump
Sharon Day High Jump/Heptahlon
Kara Patterson Javelin Throw
Diana Pickler Heptathlon

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 27, 2009
Eugene, OR

2008 Olympian and Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson (Vancouver, WA) could not have planned a better debut as an ASICS athlete. In 7th place after three rounds in the Women's Javelin with a best throw of 52.02m (170' 6"), Patterson fouled on her fourth attempt, before unleashing a throw that measured out at 63.95m (209' 10"), a new personal best by almost 8 feet and the 2nd farthest throw in American history. Patterson's winning throw was over 15 feet further than the 2nd place finisher and earned her second consecutive National title.

Patterson just concluded her Purdue Boilermaker career two weeks ago, taking second place in the women's javelin throw at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. A two-time All-American at Purdue, Patterson is one of the top athletes in school history, winning four NCAA Mideast Regional titles, three Big Ten crowns and setting the Purdue and Big Ten records with her then career-best throw of 61.56 meters (202' 00"). The throw makes her one of two American women to ever surpass the 200-foot mark, and led her to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the Women's Heptathlon, Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) are in 2nd and 3rd place after the 4 events. Pickler posted marks of 13.43sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.81m (5' 11 ¼") in the HJ, 13.49m (44' 3 ¼") in the Shot Put, and 24.25sec in the 200m for a first day score of 3768 points. Day's 3739 points came from 13.82sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.90m (6' 2 ¾") in the High Jump, 12.75m in the Shot Put, and 24.66sec in the 200m. The last three events, the Long Jump, Javelin Throw, and 800m, are scheduled for tomorrow.

In her first race back since injuring her hamstring at the Drake Relays in April, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) advanced to tomorrow's semi-final after finishing 3rd in her heat in the 100m Hurdles. Jones crossed the finish line in 12.89sec.

In the 400m Hurdles final, Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) finished in 7th place with time of 57.47sec.

In the final of the Men's pole vault, Rory Quiller (Vestal, NY) cleared 5.40m (17' 8½") finishing tied for 13th place.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 26, 2009
Eugene, OR

The last time Jake Arnold (Tuscon, AZ) finished a Decathlon at Hayward Field, he was in the unenviable position of missing the Beijing Olympic Team by one spot when he finished in 4th place finish at last year's Olympic Trials. The pain of last year was in the back of his mind as Arnold ran around the track during the 1500m, the last of 10 events in the 2nd day Decathlon. This time, however, an American flag greeted him at the finish line as he finished in 3rd place overall with a total score of 7984 points and earning a spot on this year’s World Championship Team. A solid start in the first two events of Day 2, the 110m Hurdles (14.17sec; 5th fastest time overall and Discus Throw (45.75m; 2nd longest throw overall), put Arnold in 3rd place, a spot he would eventually hold on to for the rest of the day. This will be Arnold’s 2nd trip to the World Championships. He competed at the 2007 Osaka World Championships where he finished in 13th place.

Ryan Brown (Seatle, WA) advanced to tomorrow’s final of the 800m with a second place finish in heat one. Brown crossed the finish line in 1:47.81, the 3rd fastest time of the day. In the Women's 400m Hurdles, Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) qualified for tomorrow's finals after finishing in 4th place in heat one. Her time of 56.87sec is the 6th fastest time going into tomorrow’s final.

In the 5000m, Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes, CA) finished in 18th place running 12 ½ laps in 16:54.94.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 25, 2009
Eugene, OR

4-time Olympian Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA) and Beijing Olympian Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) both qualified for the IAAF World Championships by finishing 2nd and 3rd in the Women's High Jump. Acuff and Day, along with the event winner, cleared 1.95m (6' 4 3/4") with their places on the podium determined by clearances at earlier heights. This will be Acuff's 8th trip to the World Championships ('95, '97,' 99, '01, '03, ‘05, '07) and Day's 1st. Competing at her last US Championships, Acuff said "I felt like I was really ready to go today and do some good jumping. It was a little bit of a challenge for everyone with a 4.0 meter-per-second tailwind. There was a lot of move the marks back, trying to gauge how strong the gust was." She added that "returning to the World Championships never really gets old. You always get nervous. You always have to rise to the occasion. I don't take it for granted." Day will get a day off on Friday before returning to the track on Saturday to compete in the 2-day Heptathlon. In her last multi-event competition, Day posted the highest score (6063 points) by an American in 2009 en route to winning the America's Combined Events Cup in Havana, Cuba.

Suzy-Powell (Modesto, CA), looking to make her 5th trip to the World Championships, fell short of her goal as she managed only a 5th place finish in today's final in the Discus Throw. Powell's best throw was measured at 60.29m (197'10").

In qualifying events contested today, Ryan Brown (Seatlle, WA) placed second in his heat in the 800m to advance to tomorrow's semi-final. He ran 1:48.17 in the 2-lap race, the 4th fastest time of the day. Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) also qualified for tomorrow's semi-finals in the 400m Hurdles with a second place in her heat running 57.08sec. She goes into tomorrow's semi-final with the 6th fastest time overall. Jake Arnold (Tuscon, AZ) is in 5th place after the first day of the Decathlon with a total score of 4036 points. Jake will look to score big points tomorrow in the discus, pole vault, and 1500m.

Athletes who failed to advance to the semi-final round in their event were Greg Nixon (Columbia, SC) and Preston Perry (Houston, TX). Nixon was 6th in his heat in the 400m running 47.64sec while Perry was 6th in his 100m heat crossing the line in 10.35sec.

May 30, 2009
Reebok Grand Prix
Ichan Stadium
Randalls Island, NY

Beijing Olympian Suzy Powell (Modesto, CA) led Team ASICS at the Reebok Games with a third place finish in the Discus Throw. Powell, who has finished on the podium in each of her competitions this season, threw the discus 61.34m to secure third place.

Other ASICS athletes who competed in New York were Beijing Olympian April Steiner-Bennett (Springdale, AR), who cleared 4.42m (14' 6") in the Pole Vault to finish in fourth place, and Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) section 1 winner in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 56.02sec.

May 30-31, 2009
Wrestling World Team Trials
Council Bluffs, IA

The following ASICS Athletes qualified for the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark (September 21-27, 2009) by winning their respective weight division at this weekend's World Team Trials.

Women's Freestyle
Clarissa Chun (Colorado Springs, CO) 48kg/105.5lbs

Men's Freestyle
Jake Herbert (Wexford, PA) 84kg/185lbs

Men's Greco-Roman
Spencer Mango (Marquette, MI) 55kg/121lbs
Harry Lester (Marquette, MI) 74kg/163lbs
Dremiel Byers (Colorado Springs, CO) 120kg/264lbs

May 29-30, 2009
America's Combined Events Cup
Havana, Cuba

Beijing Olympian Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) won her first international competition over the weekend at the inaugural America's Combined Events Cup at the National Stadium in Havana, Cuba. A clearance of 1.93m in the high jump gave Day the overnight lead against the hometown favorite, Yariadmis Arguellas, with a total score of 3707 points. After event 5, Day lost her lead as Arguellas leapt further in the long jump with Day making up some ground in the 6th event with a longer throw in the javelin. Going into the last event, Day was 44 points behind Arguellas but her 800m time of 2:17.16 was 9 seconds faster giving her a total score of 6063 points. Day's total score is the US leading mark and a personal best by 206 points. Still considered a novice by many as she has only competed in 5 heptathlons in her career, Day will be a threat to make the 2009 World Championship team in 2 events as the schedule will allow her to contest both the high jump and the heptathlon at the upcoming US Championships later this month.

Sharon Day's event marks:
100m Hurdles 14.29sec
High Jump 1.93m
Shot Put 12.92m
200m 24.87sec
Long Jump 5.92m
Javelin Throw 40.19m
800m 2:17.16

100th Drake Relays
Des Moines, IA
April 23-25, 2009

In less than ideal conditions, American Record holder Suzy Powell (Modesto, CA) led Team ASICS at the 100th Drake Relays beating a very competitive field in the Women's Discus Throw including the Gold Medalist from the Beijing Olympic Games. Competing in cold and wet conditions, Powell's winning throw came in the 4th round measuring 59.15m/194' 1". Her victory at Drake gives Powell 2 wins this outdoor season as she won the same event at the Mt. SAC Relays one week earlier.

Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) also found her way to the podium with a 2nd place finish in the Women's 400m Hurdles. Wallace was in 4th place coming off the last turn but ran well over the last 2 hurdles to secure 2nd place in a season best time of 57.02sec.

In other events, Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA), Greg Nixon (Columbia, SC), and Rory Quiller (Vestal, NY) each finished 4th in their respective events. Acuff cleared 1.81m/5' 11 1/4" in the Women's High Jump and Nixon, the defending champion in his event, ran 46.38sec in the Men's 400m. Due to the wet conditions, the Men's Pole Vault was moved indoors as the track surface became to slick and dangerous for the vaulters to jump in. Quiller, whose poles did not arrive until 4 hours before the event due to an airline baggage error, managed to clear 5.37m/17' 7/14" on his first attempt but failed to clear any more bars after. Tora Harris (Chula Vista, CA) finished 6th in the Men's High Jump and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) failed to clear a height in the Women's High Jump.

Hometown favorite and Des Moines native LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) pulled up at the 8th hurdle and failed to finish the race. She was later diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring tear and will be out of action during the month of May for rest and rehab.

Pickler Named USATF Athlete Of The Week

March 7-8, 2009
Eddie Smith Field House, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

Jake Arnold (Tucson, AZ) and 2008 Olympian Diana Pickler (Austin, TX) each won their respective events at the 2009 USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships held March 7th and 8th at the Eddie Smith Field House on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. USATF named Diana Pickler Athlete of the Week for the week of March 9th following her outstanding performance.

Arnold came into the competition looking to defend the Heptathlon title he won last year and he finished the first 4 evens with a total score of 3144 points, ending Day 1 atop the leader board. He started off Day 2 with the second fastest time in the 60m Hurdles and his clearance of 16' 2 3/4" in the Pole Vault was almost a foot higher than any of the other competitors. A solid run in the 1000m, the last event in the 2-day competition, pushed Arnold's 2-day point total to 5748 points. Arnold, one of 3 new members to the ASICS elite athlete roster for 2009, was a 2-time NCAA Champion and All-American in the Decathlon while at the University of Arizona.

2008 Olympian Diana Pickler (Austin ,TX) also came into the competition looking to win her second consecutive Pentathlon Indoor Championship. Pickler started her day by winning the 60m hurdles, followed with the second best marks in the Long and High Jumps to win the competition with a score of 4391 points, 71 points better than second place finisher Sharon Day. Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA), who also competed in Beijing as a High Jumper, dominated the High Jump and posted the second best marks in the Shot Put and 800m to record a new personal best with a point total of 4320 points in only her second career indoor Pentathlon. To round out the podium spots, Julie Pickler (Manhattan, KS) finished in third place with a total score of 4292 points for the five events contested giving Team ASICS a sweep of the top 3 spots in the final standings. Julie Pickler won the Shot Put and ran the fastest 800m time of the day but could not overcome a below average high jump in order to overtake Diana Pickler and Sharon Day in the points standing.