2012 USA Indoor Championships

PREVIEW: 2012 USA Indoor Championships - Women's Field Events

PREVIEW: 2012 USA Indoor Championships - Women's Field Events

Feb 24, 2012 by USATF News
PREVIEW: 2012 USA Indoor Championships - Women's Field Events
Suhr, Camarena-Williams, Reese highlight women's field events at USA Indoor Championships 

USA Indoor Championships Event Previews:
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INDIANAPOLIS – Recent American indoor record setters Jenn Suhr and Jillian Camarena-Williams along with two-time World Outdoor Championships long jump gold medalist Brittney Reese will lead a number of loaded groups of women’s field events into the USA Indoor Track &Field Championships February 25-26 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

The fourth and final stop on the indoor Visa Championship Series, the meet will be broadcast on ESPN on Sunday, February 26, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern. Spots will be on the line for TeamUSA for the World Indoor Championships, which will be held March 9-11 in Istanbul, Turkey.

With the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Mexico Sports Authority, University of New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque and USATF New Mexico all as official hosts, this is the third consecutive year the Albuquerque Convention Center has hosted the USA IndoorTrack & Field Championships.

Camarena-Williams, Carter battle once again in women’s shot put
American indoor and outdoor record holder Camarena-Williams and 2011 USA Outdoor championMichelle Carter have created a competitive rivalry in the women’s shot put that will make its next stop in Albuquerque. Both throwers finished the 2011 season ranked in the top 10 in the world according to Track & Field News.

Carter, a three-time USA Outdoor champion and the 2006 USA Indoor champion, claimed theUSA Outdoor title last season, but Camarena-Williams brought home a bronze medal from the 2011 World Outdoor Championships to go along with her U.S. indoor title.

Earlier in the indoor season at the USA Track & Field Classic February 11 in Fayetteville, Ark., Camarena-Williams bettered her existing indoor American record with a personal best of 19.89m/65-3.75. It bettered her previous American record of 19.87m/65-2.25, which she set last season in Albuquerque at the USA Indoor Championships.

Reese begins defense of World Indoor title
The first step in defending her 2010 World Indoor Championships gold medal in the long jumps starts in Albuquerque for Reese. She is coming off a 2011 season that saw her grab the #1 ranking in the world and her second World Outdoor Championships gold medal.

The two-time USA Indoor champion and three-time USA Outdoor champion will also be looking to get back to her winning ways at the Indoor Championships. After back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, Reese finished runner-up last season to Janay DeLoach. Reese fouled five or her six jumps last season in Albuquerque. DeLoach, who finished 2011 ranked #5 in the world and is coming off a win at the USA Track & Field Classic, will also be in the field.

Suhr in search of another USA Indoor title and VCS championship
The 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist in the women’s pole vault, Suhr will be in search of her sixth USA Indoor title in Albuquerque and will be looking to defend her indoor Visa Championship Series (VCS) title from 2011.

Suhr has put together an impressive 2012 indoor season after bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2011 season. Despite the injuries, Suhr finished the 2011 season ranked #1 in the world by Track & Field News and finished runner-up at the USA Outdoor Championships. Now feeling healthy, Suhr became the first American woman to vault 16-feet indoors with her winning jump of 4.88m/16-0 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix February 4 in Boston and establish a new indoor American record.  The mark bettered her existing indoor American record of 4.86m/15-11.25, which she set last year at the USA Indoor Championships.

Suhr will be vying for another spot on Team USA for the World Indoor Championships, where she won a silver medal in 2008. The defending women’s Visa Champion, Suhr currently holds a narrow lead over Tianna Madison in the VCS standings heading into the competition this weekend. Each men’s and women’s VCS winner receives a $25,000 bonus.

For more information on the USA Indoor Championships, the Visa Championships Series or USATrack & Field visit http://usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2012/VCS/Home.aspx and www.usatf.org.

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