MOSCOW ? Former University of Idaho student-athlete and current assistant track & field coach Angela Whyte took eighth in the women's 100m hurdles Wednesday at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
Whyte was competing in the first World Championship final round of her career. She ran a 12.66 in the final race, just .03 seconds off her personal best. Michelle Perry of the United States, the world leader for most of the outdoor season, won the event with a time of 12.46.
Whyte finished second in her preliminary heat with a time of 12.81, then finished second in her semifinal heat with a time of 12.65 to advance to her first career final at the meet. She had previously made the finals at the 2004 Olympic Games, when she finished sixth, but had finished in the semis at the 2003 and 2005 IAAF meets.
Whyte was a four-time All-American from 2001-03 at Idaho, winning five individual Big West titles and running on three more Big West champion relays. She was a two-time Big West Track & Field Athlete of the Year after leading the Idaho women to Big West team titles in 2001 and 2003. She holds the Big West Championship Meet record and the all-time Big West record in the 100m hurdles, as well as 13 Idaho school records.
Other former Vandals competing at the World Championships include seven-time All-American and 2000 NCAA shot put champion Joachim Olsen, who made the finals of the men's shot put, but fouled on his attempts, and Anders Møller, who hit a season-best 53-9¼ in the men's triple jump, but did not qualify for the final round.
Vandal fans can follow Whyte in a blog of her activities at the meet, leading up to her competition on August 27-29.
Thursday, August 23
“It's 6:30 in the morning for me. It's Friday (still Thursday back in Idaho). This will be my 4th day in Japan. Why am I waking up so early? Well, since getting here I've been going to sleep at around 10:30-11:00 pm. Besides, I'll have to wake up at this time for my first race because I run my first round at 10 am.
I really like Osaka so far. The people are extremely nice and entirely too helpful. There are 3-4 hotels where the teams are staying. We, the Canadians, have been lumped in with the Americans at one hotel. The majority of the other teams are staying elsewhere. On every floor of the hotel where athletes are staying there is a security guard posted up as soon as you get off the elevator. You have to have your accreditation tag to be on the athlete's floor. The dining hall is open from 6 am to midnight with only 3 hours during that time where they are closed to prepare for the next meal. The food is pretty good. They have a few authentic dishes but most of it is familiar, North American food. I'm going to stay away from anything I don't normally eat, because knowing my luck...I'll get sick (knock on wood).
I have yet to go anywhere other than the hotel and the track. I'm hoping to go see something soon though. Besides, I really would like to use my weak Japanese speaking skills. I took Japanese in high school and a couple years in University but obviously nothing really stuck. I've tried already and it hasn't gone too well. In fact, the people that I tried to talk to have looked at me, paused with confused looks on their faces, (I know they probably wanted to laugh a little) and then tried to speak English. That's so sad...but I'm going to keep trying.”
Sunday, August 26
I ran this morning. Wow. I'm not sure what to think really.
I woke up at 5:45 am. I wanted to make sure that I woke up in time to have something to eat, shower and be on the bus by 7:00am. My race was at 10:18 am. I sure didn't enjoy that. I was awake, but not awake at the same time. When we arrived at the warm-up track I went directly for one of team Canada's massage tables to lay down.
I warmed-up about an hour and a half before actual race time. It had to have been 90 degrees outside. I know that it was definetely 90+ when I raced...and that's at 10 in the morning!!!! It is extremely hot and humid here. Seriously...I have never sweat so much in my life. I sweat completely through t-shirts. Gross...I know. And the humidity...absoutely horrible for my hair. ONE BIG PUFF BALL. I tried to stay inside, in air conditioning, as much as possible. The heat sometimes is unbearable.
I ran okay in my heat. I ended up an automatic qualifier for the semifinals by placing second in my heat. I ran 12.81. I didn't feel that great to be completely honest but I'm not complaining. I made it through. Tomorrow is going to be a battle. I'll have to be top four in my semi. I really want to make the final but it's gonna be tough for sure.
Oh well...Gotta do what I gotta do (and that's run fast...simple enough I guess).
Monday, August 27
It's 1:12 pm. I race today. The SEMI'S (ooooooh!).
So what does one do the day of an important race? I did laundry. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to do laundry. I figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some clean clothes and such. It took forever.
The hotel has provided us with washers, dryers and soap for free. But I brought my own soap. Tide, of course. And Bounce dryer sheets. I'm a dork like that. It takes forever for clothes to dry, so I ended up spending way more time than it should normally take. Oh well.
I'm going to TRY to take a nap. I woke up at 7am and I don't want to be tired later, but I might be too wound up to close my eyes.
No lie...I'm gonna be nervous. I tend to be extremely critical of myself and over think sometimes. I can't do that tonight. I gotta just let it happen.
Sheesh...this stuff is nerve racking.
Oh...and at this exact moment my rooommate is blaring Black Eyed Peas "Where is the Love" and singing at the top of her lungs.
I don't know what to think about that. No comment!
Tuesday, August 28
I'M IN! I did what I needed to do. I was soooooooo relieved. Whew!
My warm-up went well today. Well except for one thing. I took the time to set up my overspeed mechanism (don't worry about what it is...just know that I took the time to set it up...). I reached the point of my warm-up where I was going to do some hurdles and walk over to where I had set up my "secret weapon" and it wasn't there anymore.
It was laying in a pile a few feet away from where it was originally set up. I was upset. One of the other hurdlers (her coach, I
believe) disassembled it to use the hurdles that I had attached my mechanism to. To make a long story short, the thing was all tangled up and it would've taken forever for me to get it put back together.
Luckily my Team Canada coach and one of my friends helped me out, which put me back on schedule. Ok...really, it is my fault to set up something on hurdles that someone else would need...but I don't like admitting it.
I talked to Coach Phipps right before I entered the call room. He calmed me down a little, which was tremedously important. And it worked. He, along with some die hard track fans, stayed up until 3:30 am to watch me on the internet (pay $5 and you can see it on WCSN). That made me feel so warm and fuzzy. But seriously...that's the coolest thing someone has done for me.
Major Championships in Track and Field 101 (for anyone who doesn't know and would like to)
The Call Room
A very scary place that you have to go before they release you onto the track. They call us in 30 min before race time. They check your bib numbers, your spikes (to make sure they are the appropriate length), your accrediatation (aka your ID which usually has some awful picture on it that doesn't even look like you), electronics (you can't have any electronics out on the track...but you can sneak them in if you hide them well), and some other boring stuff.
Bib Number
The number you see on the front and back of competitors uniforms.
Call Room #2
Yes another scary place where you and your competitors try to not look at each other (but we secretly check each other out, size up the competiton). Here we get hip numbers which correspond to the lane we'll run in. Some people put their spikes on at this time...others don't. A lot of the girls have, what I like to call, "the stone face" on. You know, the intimidating, "don't mess with me, I'm the stuff," focused face. I walked over and rolled my head on the air conditioning.
On the track
Tonight we had to wait for the hurdles to be set up (sometimes they are already there waiting). Then it was open for business. We only had about 5 minutes to get our final preparations in, then they closed the track. At that point everyone strips down to their competition gear and waits behind their blocks while your heart tries to jump out of your chest. Then introductions start.
A crew of two guys with a t.v. camera walk infront of us while each person is announced over the loud speaker(everyone tries to act calm and cool for the big screen, but really...we ain't foolin nobody...maybe it's just me). At this point you realize you can't turn back now (darn it), so you might as well make the best of it.
SHOWTIME
