Nation's Elite Junior Track Athletes to Compete in Columbus

Jun 16, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Columbus will welcome the nation's best track & field athletes ages 14-19 to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium when the city hosts USA Track & Field's USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships, one of the sport's most prestigious annual events.

The 2008 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held June 20-22 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on The Ohio State University campus. Approximately 600 of the best track & field athletes ages 14-19 from the United States will compete. U.S. Olympians such as Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones have competed in past Junior Outdoor Championships.

This year's meet will include middle distance sensation Jordan Hasay of California and hurdles youth world-record holder William Wynne of Georgia. Central Ohio standouts who qualified and entered the prestigious meet include New Albany sophomore Hannah Robertson (high jump), New Albany senior Rosie White (long jump), and Gahanna sophomore Blake Heriot (100, 200).

Hasay, 16, is the most accomplished youth middle distance runner in the United States. She enters the event with qualifying marks of 4:16.9 in the 1,500 meters and 9:23.90 in the 3,200 meters. Wynne, 18, was named the 2007 Youth Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field. He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1007 IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, including a youth world record mark of 49.01 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Heriot won the boys 200-meter dash at the Division I state track meet this past weekend. Robertson and White registered qualifying marking in their respective events by winning Division I regional championships in late May.

Tickets to the 2008 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships are $30 each for an adult all-sessions pass and $10 for a youth (ages 3-12) all-sessions pass. Day passes are $12 for adults and $10 for youths. Tickets can be purchased at www.Columbus08.com.

Also visit www.Columbus08.com for more information about how to volunteer at the three-day event, which will be held June 20-22 on The Ohio State University campus.

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission, The Ohio State University and USA Track & Field's Ohio Association will host the event in partnership with USA Track & Field, the Indianapolis-based organization that is the governing body for track & field in the United States. Columbus is hosting the event for the first time.

"We are extremely pleased to host the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2008 and we look forward to welcoming the elite athletes, coaches, family and fans to Columbus," said Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. "Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is the ideal facility to host this event, and it will provide the perfect centerpiece to showcase our community."

The USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships is USA Track & Field's premier event for athletes ages 14-19 and is used for the selection of elite junior athletes to represent the United States in international competition, including the World Junior Track & Field Championships, Junior Pan American Games and other junior international competitions.

Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, named in honor of Olympic champion and former Buckeye standout Jesse Owens, was completed in 2001. It is home to the OSU men's and women's track, soccer and lacrosse teams, as well as the site of the Ohio High School Athletic Association's state high school track meets. The facility has permanent seating for 10,000.

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission was founded in June 2002 to attract professional, amateur, collegiate and youth sporting events to Columbus.