Team USA prepares for Lightning Bolt
PHILADELPHIA, USA — A storm is brewing in Philadelphia. The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, will lead Team Jamaica into Franklin Field on Saturday and look to give them just their second win in 11 years in the men’s 4x100m at the 11th edition of USA versus the World at the 114th Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With 12 nations set to compete, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, Team USA is out to reclaim their stake as the dominant relay force Saturday during the first event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series.
All eyes will be on Team Jamaica and the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt. The world record holder at 100m and 200m will combine with some of Jamaica’s best sprint talent to try and break Team USA’s stranglehold on the 4x100m title at USA versus The World.
Bolt leads a talented international field that includes the 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Outdoor Championships gold and silver medal winning teams from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Each team will bring the men who comprised the second, third and anchor legs of these medal winning teams.
Jamaica’s relay pool also includes former world record holder and two-time World Outdoor 100m bronze medalist Asafa Powell and Michael Frater. Trinidad and Tobago’s team will feature Richard Thompson, Marc Burns and Emmanuel Callender.
Team USA’s relay pool for the Nike men’s 4x100m is led by three-time Olympic medalist Shawn Crawford, 2008 Olympic 100m and 200m bronze medalist Walter Dix, 2004 Olympic 4x100m gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor gold medalist Darvis Patton, and reigning USA Indoor and Outdoor champion and 2010 World Indoor silver medalist Mike Rodgers.
On the women’s side, two-time World Outdoor bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter leads Team USA’s lineup in the Visa 4x100m. Jeter ended her 2009 campaign world-ranked #1 over 100m by Track & Field News after becoming the second-fastest woman in history and posting the fastest time over 100m in 12 years.
Joining Jeter in the pool is three-time World 200m champion Allyson Felix and local favorites Lisa and Miki Barber. Lisa is the 2006 World Indoor champion and 2005 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medalist and Miki was part of the gold-medal winning 4x100m at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships.
They will be faced with the Jamaican contingent that includes reigning Olympic and World Outdoor 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and Beijing 100m bronze medalist and Berlin silver medalist Kerron Stewart, along with Simone Facey, who was part of the gold-medal winning 4×100 with Fraser and Stewart in Berlin.