Louisville Track and Field’s Matt Hughes Ready for 2011 World Championships in Athletics

Matt Hughes filled a spot in the 3,000m steeplechase on the Canadian World Championships Team.

 

August 17, 2011

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Former University of Louisville track and field standout and two-time national champion Matt Hughes qualified for the Canadian World Championships Team and is set to compete in the 3,000m steeplechase in Daegu, Korea, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics from Aug. 27-Sept. 4.

 

An Oshawa, Ontario, native, Hughes first secured the IAAF ‘B’ Standard at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, racing to a title-winning time of 8:24.87 in the steeplechase, just shades away from the IAAF ‘A’ Standard (8:23.10). Needing another ‘B’ Standard to qualify for a spot on the Canadian World Team, Hughes raced to a mark of 8:30.20 in Monaco at the Herculis Diamond League meet on July 22.

 

“I hadn’t been named for the team yet, but I knew if I ran 8:30, that I had done everything I could to make the team,” Hughes said following a workout in Louisville on Aug. 12. “Obviously, when I crossed the line in Monaco and I saw that I ran 8:30, it was a big weight off my shoulders.”

 

Hughes left for Daegu earlier this week, taking flights from Louisville to Indianapolis, then to Hong Kong, with the final flight landing in Daegu. The two-time All-American will have nearly two weeks to train and get acclimated to the weather conditions before competing in the 3,000m steeplechase heats on Aug. 29. Should Hughes advance, the final competition takes place on Sept. 1.

 

“It’s not like cross country, where there are 200 guys in the race, but there likely will be three heats of about 14 people,” Hughes said on the field of competition. “Every one of those guys is the best in their country. You’re allowed a maximum of three guys per country who have hit the standard.

 

“At this point, I’m not even looking at a time. The goal of the season was to make this team, so I feel like I’ve already accomplished my goal. Anything after this is just a bonus. I made the team, and I really have no expectations. Making the team was just one more step toward making the team next year. I can’t expect to go out to the Olympics next year without having this race first. This is a lead up toward the Olympics next year.”

 

Hughes, who has one season of eligibility remaining in cross country, is set to return to Louisville on Sept. 3

 

For all of the latest information on Louisville cross country and track and field, log on to UofLsports.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/louisvilletrack.

 

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For More Information, Contact:

Ira Green, (502) 852-4857

Ira.Green@louisville.edu