BATON ROUGE — The LSU track and field program is always well-represented on the international stage, and it will be no different this week as nine current and former athletes compete for their respective countries at the 12th IAAF World Championships beginning Saturday at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
The nine-day meet, which will be held at the site of the infamous 1936 Olympic Games, will run from Aug. 15-23 as LSU athletes representing six different countries are scheduled to compete.
The reigning Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson will be the first Tiger to compete as he lines up in the qualifying heats of the men’s 100-meter dash on Saturday. Thompson, who set his personal best of 9.89 seconds in the Olympic final a year ago, will run for Trinidad & Tobago with a seasonal-best time of 10.01 that ranks No. 12 in the world for the 2009 season.
Thompson will also compete as a member of the 4×100-meter relay team for Trinidad & Tobago that will begin Aug. 21. This will be his second career appearance at the IAAF World Championships.
Joining Thompson on the first day of competition will be former teammate Isa Phillips, who is scheduled to run the 400-meter hurdles for Jamaica. Phillips is a threat to take home the gold in his second trip to the World Championships as he currently ranks No. 3 in the world with a personal best time of 48.05 in 2009.
While qualifying in the men’s 100-meter dash is set to begin Saturday, two former Lady Tigers are slated to line up in the qualifying round of the women’s 100-meter dash on Sunday.
Olympians Muna Lee of the United States and Kelly Baptiste of Trinidad & Tobago will be in the field in the 100-meter dash as both are strong medal contenders this weekend. Baptiste is the No. 4 sprinter in the world this summer with a seasonal best and personal-best time of 10.94. Lee is also in the mix after taking the silver medal in the event at the USA Championships with a wind-aided time of 10.78 in the final.
Not only will they compete in the 100 meters beginning Sunday, but both athletes will also compete in the 200 meters beginning Wednesday and the 4×100-meter relay beginning Aug. 21 at Olympic Stadium.
Former Tiger standout Walter Davis has enjoyed tremendous success at the World Championships during his career, and he will make his fifth-straight appearance while competing in the qualifying round of the men’s triple jump on Sunday. Davis is a two-time medalist at the World Championships as he took home the gold medal in 2005 before winning a bronze medal in the triple jump in 2007.
Also scheduled to compete for the first time during Sunday’s action are former Lady Tiger greats Neisha Bernard-Thomas of Grenada and Marian Burnett of Guyana in the 800-meter run. This will be Burnett’s fourth career appearance at the World Championships, while Bernard-Thomas is making her second.
Phillips is not the only former LSU national champion to compete in the 400-meter hurdles for Jamaica as former Lady Tiger star and 2008 Olympian Nickiesha Wilson lines up in the qualifying round of the women’s event on Monday. Wilson enters the meet ranked No. 16 in the world this season with a top time of 55.20 as she is set to make her second career appearance at the World Championships.
Wilson just missed winning a medal at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, two years ago with an impressive fourth-place finish in the final of the 400 hurdles while setting her personal best of 53.97.
LSU junior-to-be Gabriel Mvumvure will then make his World Championships debut on Tuesday as he is set to run in the qualifying round of the 200-meter dash for his native country of Zimbabwe. Mvumvure is an NCAA Championships participant in the event in 2009 as he boasts a seasonal best time of 20.72.
Be sure to follow all the action and receive daily updates from the World Championships by logging on to the official website for LSU athletics, www.LSUsports.net.
LSU’s Participants in the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics
Kelly Baptiste, 100 meters/200 meters/4×100 relay, Trinidad & Tobago
Neisha Bernard-Thomas, 800 meters, Grenada
Marian Burnett, 800 meters, Guyana
Walter Davis, Triple Jump, United States
Muna Lee, 100 meters/200 meters/4×100 relay, United States
Gabriel Mvumvure, 200 meters, Zimbabwe
Isa Phillips, 400 hurdles, Jamaica
Richard Thompson, 100 meters/4×100 relay, Trinidad & Tobago
Nickiesha Wilson, 400 hurdles, Jamaica
Television Schedule for 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics
Date Network Time (Central)
Saturday, Aug. 15 NBC 12-2 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 NBC 1-3 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 17 Versus 12-3 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 Versus 12-2 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 19 Versus 12:30-3 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 20 Versus 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 21 Versus 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22 NBC 12-2 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 23 NBC 1-3 p.m.