FINALS

Men’s 50 km race walk
7:50 a.m.
U.S. Entrant: Curt Clausen (Chula Vista, Calif.)
THE SCOOP: Clausen is the 1999 World Championships bronze medalist and a two-time Olympian. The 35-year-old was ranked #7in the world in 2001 and #4 in 1999. He won the 1998, ’99, 2000 and 2002 U.S. 50 km titles and will draw on his experience in Paris. The men’s 20 km walk featured a world best by winner Jefferson Perez of Ecuador; expect the 50 km also to be fast. 

Women’s 100m hurdles
7:25 p.m.
U.S. entrants: Miesha McKelvy (San Diego, Calif.) Jenny Adams (Champaign, Ill.)
THE SCOOP: Jenny Adams soundly won her semifinal race and McKelvy has been running well all year. Team USA won two medals in this event in 2001 and will try for two more in 2003 as a new world champion is crowned.

Decathlon Day 2 (110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1,500m)
10 a.m.
U.S. entrants: Tom Pappas (Knoxville, Tenn.), Paul Terek (Livonia, Mich.)
THE SCOOP: With Pappas in second after one day and Terek in fifth after Day 1, at least one medal looks likely in the decathlon for the U.S. Pappas looks for a medal to add to his 2003 World Indoor heptathlon gold.

QUALIFYING ROUNDS

Men’s 200 meters 1st and 2nd rounds
1st round 12:20 p.m., 2nd round 8 p.m.
U.S. entrants: Darvis Patton (Fort Worth, Texas), John Capel (Gainesville, Fla.), J.J. Johnson (Garland, Texas)
THE SCOOP: A relatively untested but very dangerous group will try to bring home gold for Team USA.  Patton is the U.S. champion and has shown blazing speed in the 100 this year, running 10.00 in Zurich. Capel is the 2000 Olympic Trials champion and was an Olympic finalist, but he slipped in the final in Sydney and hasn’t yet had the opportunity to show the world his best form in the 200. Like Patton, he showed blazing speed in Zurich with a personal-best time of 9.97. J.J. Johnson ran in the rounds of the 4x100m relay at the 2001 and, after first becoming a track and field athlete in 2000.

Men’s long jump qualifying
6:25 p.m.
U.S. entrants: Dwight Phillips (Mea Ariz.), Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.), Savante Stringfellow (Ridgeland, Miss.)
THE SCOOP: The United States has strength in the long jump that has not been seen since the early 1990s. Dwight Phillips won the World Indoor title in March and is the 2003 U.S. outdoor champion. Stringfellow was ranked #1 in the world last year, won the 2002 World Cup title, and is the 2001 World Outdoor silver medalist. Known more for his triple-jumping prowess, Davis is the 2002 NCAA long jump champion and was runner-up to Phillips at USA Outdoors. Only world-leading Yago Lamela of Spain (8.53m/28-0) has jumped farther than Stringfellow (8.46m/27-9.25), Pate (8.46m/27-9.25) and Phillips (8.44m/27-8.25) thus far in 2003.

Women’s 200 meters semifinal
7:40 p.m.
U.S. entrants: Kelli White (Union City, Calif.), Torri Edwards (Los Angeles, Calif.)
THE SCOOP: White and Edwards shrugged off linger fatigued from Sunday’s women’s 100 meter final to cruise through the first two rounds of the 200 on Tuesday. Expect them to get stronger as the 200 rounds continue as they set their sights on two more medals.

Men’s 400 meter hurdles semifinal
8:30 p.m.
U.S. entrants: Eric Thomas (Houston, Texas), Joey Woody (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
THE SCOOP: Woody and Thomas compete for the right to run in Thursday’s final. Both men are showing good form and have excellent opportunities to advance.

Women’s 1,500m first round
9:15 p.m.
U.S. entrant: Regina Jacobs
THE SCOOP: Regina Jacobs hopes to give herself an early birthday present by advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 1,500 meters. The indoor world record holder (3:59.98) turns 40 on August 28, half a year after becoming the first woman ever to break 4 minutes indoors and after winning the World Indoor title.