DEMUS HURDLES U.S. 400 COMPETITION.Byline: Sean Martin Sean Martin may refer to:
CARSON - Lashinda Demus' family has lived in Palmdale since she was in the seventh grade. The 2005 U.S. outdoor 400-meter hurdles champion's career, however, got started in Long Beach. Demus attended Wilson High of Long Beach because she wanted to be part of the school's prestigious track program and attend school closer to her native Inglewood. Demus had to live with friends, away from her family, during the week to avoid the long commute between Long Beach and Palmdale. The choice paid off. Her career reached a pinnacle Saturday when she won the U.S. outdoor title at Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Center, not far from the high school where Demus was part of record-setting 4x400 relay teams during her freshman and senior seasons. She went on to star at South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. , where she won the 2002 NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association outdoor title. On Saturday, Demus ran a personal record and the second-fastest time in the world this year, 53.35 seconds, to win her national title and beat one of the strongest fields at the U.S. Championships. Shauna Smith finished second in 54.21. Four-time U.S. outdoor champion Sandra Glover Sandra Glover (born December 30, 1968 in Palestine, Texas) is an African American athlete competing in the 400 metres hurdles. Achievements
Sheena Johnson Sheena Johnson (born 1 October 1982) is an American hurdler. She finished fourth at the 2004 Summer Olympics and eighth at the 2006 World Athletics Final. Her personal best time is 52.95 seconds, achieved in July 2004 in Sacramento. , the 2004 Olympic Trials champion, was left off the team after finishing fourth in 55.55. ``I didn't know how fast I was running,'' Demus said about her personal-record time. The mark made her the fifth-fastest woman in U.S. history. ``I knew it would be a fast race. Everyone in that race could run that fast, so I knew the winner would put up a good time. I just had to wait for the outcome. I was happy, not surprised.'' Demus will get a chance in Helsinki to make up for a disappointing finish at last year's Olympics, where she failed to make the 400-meter hurdles final. ``I think I was just tired because I'd had a long season,'' said Demus, who had run a full collegiate season before the trials and was the 2004 NCAA outdoor 400 runner-up. ``I thought my chance was over and I slowed down too early.'' Demus said she feels good this year after competing in only one invitational meet in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. before nationals. Her top competition at the World Championships will be Yuliya Pechonkina Yuliya Sergeyevna Pechonkina, née Nosova (Russian: Юлия Сергеевна Печёнкина of Russia, owner of the world's best time this year at 53.05. Australian Jana Pittman is third on the list, one spot behind Demus, at 53.44. A medal would be Demus' first in senior international competition. She did, however, win the 2002 World and 1999 Pan Am junior championships. Demus said she is trying to win medals at the elite level, starting with the World Championships, as soon as possible because she said, ``I'm not going to run forever.'' The 22-year-old still has a long career ahead of her, and a lot of potential. ``The sky's the limit for Lashinda's career,'' said her agent, Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
Sean Martin, (818) 713-3607 sean.martin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lashinda Demus, the U.S. 400-meter hurdles champion, will next compete in the World Championships in August. Matt Sayles/Associated Press |
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