On Wednesday, August 18, the sport lost Scott Davis, 'the voice of US Track & Field", and Hal Connolly, the last US hammer thrower to win the Olympic gold medal. On Monday, August 23, the sport lost one of our best meet managers in Rick Milan. For over thirty years, Rick Milam was clerk of course on many All comers meets , and most major high school and open meets in Northern California. Rick had been fighting cancer for several years. On Sunday, August 22, Rick was involved in an auto accident, where he had a heart attack. He died on Monday, August 23 in the evening. A great guy, with a hearty laugh, Rick insured that two generations of track athletes got to run on time and in well run meets!  

On Friday, August 27, at the Belgacom Ivo Van Damme Meeting, held in Brussels, we had some tremendous American performances! Getting a poor start, Tyson Gay made up for the start over the next 80 meters and sprinted to the lead, running 9.79 for 100 meters in the 60 degree weather. Tyson will run the 100 meters in Zagreb on September 1 and is considering running the 4 x 100 meters in the Continental cup!

Leonel Manzano ran a brilliant last lap, taking second at the line, right behind Asbel Kiprop's 3:32.18. Leonel ran 3:32.57, with put Manzano in the All Time US Top ten list' number 10 spot, pushing Jim Ryun's 3:33.01 run for 1,500 meters, which was run in 1967, and at the time, the world best! Ironically, two weeks before, Manzano had run a 3:50.34 mile, for third in the Emsley Carr Mile at the AVIVA London GP, taking Jim Ryun's 3;51.1 mile from 1967 off the All Time US Top Ten list!

Allyson Felix cemented her second Samsung Diamond League event win, taking the 200 meters in 22.61 to Shalonda Solomons' 22.70. Felix had won the 400 meters the week before in Zurich.