Friday, April 18, 2008
The Kansas Relays features more than 3,800 athletes competing during a four-day span in everything from the hammer throw to the steeplechase. However, the main attraction at the 81st annual Kansas Relays is Saturday’s Gold Zone competition, which features a plethora of Olympic-caliber athletes. Here’s a look at a few of the big names participating on Saturday and the events in which they’ll compete:
Chris Cantwell, Shot Put (1:30 p.m.)
Cantwell is well established as the premiere shot putter in America. He was the World Indoor Champion in 2004 and 2008, the U.S. Indoor Champion in 2004, 2007 and 2008 and the 2005 U.S. Outdoor Champion. A three-time Kansas Relays champion, Cantwell set the Invitational Shot Put record in 2006 with a toss of 70-feet 3.75-inches. He also won the Kansas Relays Invitational Shot Put in 2002 as a member of the University of Missouri team and the 2007 Shot Put, competing unattached. Cantwell will compete for Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.
Bershawn “Batman” Jackson, 400-meter hurdles (4:35 p.m.)
Jackson is the three-time defending Kansas Relays champion in this event and he’s won it four out of the last five years. He set the meet record in 2005 and then again in 2006, crossing the line in 48.34 seconds. Jackson, 24, was the 2005 World Outdoor, 2005 USA Indoor and 2003 USA Outdoor champion in his event. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 2004 Olympic team. He is expected to compete this summer in Beijing.
Kansas City native and member of Total Sports Muna Lee brings home a victory on the final leg of the women's 4x100 meter relay. The team finished in first place with a time of 43.65 seconds.
Muna Lee, 400-meter hurdles (4:20 p.m.)
A 2000 graduate of Central High School in Kansas City, Mo., Lee is a fan favorite at the Kansas Relays. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Lee placed seventh in the 200-meter dash. In 2005, she won a gold medal at the World Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter relay, a silver medal in the 100 at the USA Outdoor Championships and another silver in the same event at the U.S. Indoor Championships. At the 2005 Kansas Relays, Lee set a then meet record time of 11.10 seconds in the 100.
Wallace Spearmon, Jr., 800 and 400-meter relays (12:10 and 2:25 p.m.)
The current American record holder in the indoor 200-meter dash, Spearmon is looking to build on a tremendous 2007 season. Last year at the World Outdoor Championships, Spearmon won a gold medal in the 400 relay and a bronze medal in the 200. He also finished second in the 200 at the USA Outdoor Championships. While at the University of Arkansas, he was a three-time NCAA champion in the 200 and won the same event at the 2006 USA Outdoor Championships.
— Edited by Jared Duncan
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