Contact: Melissa Beasley
Communications Coordinator, USATF
In Santiago, via email: Mbeasley@usatf.org
http://www.usatf.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, October 21, 2000

Team USA's Danners Qualifies for Pole Vault Final
Walker finishes 17th in the heptathlon

SANTIAGO, Chile - Rocky Danners advanced to Sunday's pole vault final while Jamie Walker wrapped up the heptathlon competition to highlight Team USA's Saturday performance at the IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships.

Danners (Tennessee) qualified for the finals in the men's pole vault with a mark of 5.10m/16.8.75. The 2000 U.S. Junior pole vault champion, Danners will compete in a field of 12 for the gold medal Sunday afternoon.

In the finals of the discus, Dan Ames (UCLA) finished ninth with a mark of 51.61m/169-3. South Africa's Hannes Hopley (59.51m/195-2) won the gold while Sweden's Niklas Arrhenius (59.19m/194-2) and the Netherlands Rutger Smith (58.70m/192-7) won the silver and the bronze respectively.

Walker (Arkansas) finished strong in her final day of the heptathlon competition. Walker, the 2000 U.S. Junior heptathlon champion, ended the competition in 17th place with a score of 5021. In Saturday's events, Walker jumped 5.53m/18-1.75 in the long jump, threw 31.37m/102-11 in the javelin and ran 2:26.03 in the 800 meters. On Friday, Walker clocked 14.57 in the 100-meter hurdles, cleared 1.62m/5-3.75 in the high jump, put 10.85m/35-7.25 in the shot and ran 25.71 in the 200 meters.

In other preliminary action, Robert Kennedy (California-Berkeley), missed the qualifying mark by just 10 centimeters with a jump of 7.36m/21-1.75 in the men's long jump. Kennedy, the 2000 U.S. junior long jump runner up, finished 12th overall, 5th in his flight. Robert Etheridge (Northeastern St. (LA)), the 2000 U.S. junior long jump champion, finished 32nd overall, 19th in his flight with a mark of 6.81m/ 22-4.25.

Team USA will conclude their competition on Sunday with the finals of the pole vault and the 4x100 men and women's relay.

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