INDIANAPOLIS -- After breaking a 31-year-old American record in the women’s 1500m, Shannon Rowbury wins USATF Athlete of the Week following her performance at the Herculis Diamond League meeting last Friday in Monaco.
 
Rowbury (Portland, Oregon) battled with Jenny Simpson for the entirety of the race before making her move in the final moments. Rowbury finished third with a time of 3:56.29, surpassing the previous record of 3:57.12 by Mary Decker.
 
“The 1500m race is contested often, so to have the record stand for 31 years just shows how strong it was,” she said. “Mary Decker Slaney is a legend in our sport and I feel very proud to have placed myself amongst the best women in the history of American distance running.”
 
Rowbury now owns two American records outdoors, setting the two-mile American record at the 2014 Nike Prefontaine Classic. She will spend the next five weeks preparing for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, set for August 22-30, 2015.
 
Other notable performances this week include:
●     Tara Davis (Agoura Hills, California) took the gold in the long jump with a lifetime best of 6.41m/21-0.50 at the World Youth Championships. Davis became the first U.S. athlete, male or female, to earn gold in this event. Davis also competed in the triple jump final, where she finished ninth.
●     Norman Grimes (Canyon, Texas) won the 400H in 49.11, a World Youth lead, and helped the mixed 4x400m to gold in 3:19.54 at the IAAF World Youth Championships. Grimes also competed in the 110-meter hurdles, advancing to the semifinals.
●     Candace Hill (Stockbridge, Georgia) won the sprint double at the IAAF World Youth Championships, setting a World Youth best in the 200m in 22.43 after winning the 100m in 11.08. Hill is the first American to sweep the 100/200 at the WYC.
●     Joe Kovacs (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) won the shot put at the Monaco Diamond League meeting with a toss of 22.56m/74-0.25, the farthest throw in the world this year, to move to eighth on the all-time performer list.

Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; Grant Fisher, June 10; Ben True, June 17; Candace Hill, June 24; Justin Gatlin, July 1; Evan Jager, July 8; Christian Taylor, July 15; Shannon Rowbury, July 22.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.

Olivia Odle
Communications Intern
Olivia.Odle@usatf.org