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Just to remind everyone that there are two Arkansas high school products on the USA men's track and field team...by the way, in Olympics and international lingo track anf field is simply "athletics"....

Wallace Spearman of Fayetteville and UAF in the 200m.....see short bio at:

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Wallace-Spearmon,-Jr-.aspx

Michael Tinsley of Pulaski Robinson and Jackson State in the 400m intermediate hurdles...Mike defeated Aneglo Taylor and Kerron Clement, two of the best American hurdlers in a generation...see short bio at:

http://www.usatf.org/Athletes/Bios/Tinsley_Michael.asp

Both Wallace and Mike won their events at the US Olympic Trials with very solid Olympic "A" standard times....both are medal contenders although these races are revy competitive...

Tyson Gay who starred at UAF is a favroite to medal in the 100m...key is his start...he ahs too get out clean and fast to have a gold chance...

Alistair Cragg who excelled at UAF is scedhueld to run the 5000m for Ireland...tough guy when healthy and in top form...... one level below the top Africans...

Tina Sutej who competed for UAF is scheduled to compete for Slovenia in the pole vaualt...she is her home country's national vault record holder.....verr fine vaulter but not likely to get to the finals but not out of reach on a good day....

Veronica Campbell-Brown was a superstar for Lance Harter at UAF and is a 5-time Olympic medalist with 3 golds...scheduled for 100m, 200m and 4 x100m relay....runs for Jamaica...nuff said....

Antwon Hicks of Hot Springs and Ole Miss just barely missed making the USA 110m hurdfle team as he came in 4th....

The full USA Track and Field team is at:

http://usatf.org/News/Powerful-Team-USA-roster-on-tap-for-London.aspx

10,000m – Janet Bawcom was an All-American at Harding University.

Thanks...I left her out inadvertently....very good runner....native of Kenya....

Mike Tinsley (Pulaski Robinson/Jackson State) ran a strong last 200m and blasted from 4th to 2nd over the last hurdle to take SILVER in the London 2012 men's 400m hurdles. Tinsley set a new personal best at 47.91 and finished a step behind hurdling legend Felix Sanchez.

Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville/Arkansas) starts his medal quest Tuesday in the 200m.

Spearmon ended up 4th behind the three speedsters from Jamaica. He came out of the blocks pretty well, ran the curve really well and just fell short of 3rd with a 19.90 time (really fast). Not a medal but 4th in the world is pretty good.

Katya Kostetskaya (Russia) who competed for Jonesboro, then for Texas State, was 9th in the Women's 1500m but that was just shy of 3rd in a slow and tactical race. S was iin 3rd/4th with about 350m to go when the Team USA tripped and fell causing a disruption and the race leaders took off at that exact moment. Katya lost 15m before she could re-accelerate.

So for athletes who competed from Arkansas high schools.....one of, if not the best ever, finish for former Arkansas high school athletes at "world championships"....

1 Silver (Mike Tinsley)
1 4th (Wallace Spearmon)
1 9th (Katya Kostetskaya)

Congrats to all.......