Hardee Wins World Championship
Ex-Longhorn takes decathlon title
By Lee Nichols, 3:49PM, Thu. Aug. 20, 2009
Texas ex Trey Hardee, who still trains in Austin, won the decathlon moments ago at the IAAF World Track & Field Championships in Berlin. Hardee scored 8,790 points in the two-day, 10-event competition, making him the 9th-best decathlete in history.
Hardee started strong yesterday, leading through the first three events, then slipped into 2nd after a sub-par high jump and sunk to 3rd after the 400 meters.
But today, he bounced back by blowing out the field in the 110 meter hurdles and notching an all-time personal best in the javelin throw, and recording seasonal bests in the other events. By the time the closing 1,500 meters came around, about the only way he could have lost would have been to not finish.
Other Austin/Longhorn results:
* Former Longhorn and Beijing Olympic champion Melaine Walker of Jamaica won the 400 meter hurdles in 52.42 seconds, a championship record.
* Former Austinite Amy Acuff placed 12th in the high jump. She plans to retire after this season. It was the seventh time she has qualified for the world championship final.
* Texas ex Marshevet Hooker fell to the track and didn't finish her semifinal in the 200 meters. It appeared she pulled a hamstring.
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Lee Nichols, Dec. 29, 2009
Lee Nichols, Sept. 5, 2009
Sept. 3, 2021
Track & Field, Trey Hardee, IAAF, Melaine Walker, Amy Acuff, Marshevet Hooker
