Athletes with Austin connections are off to a mixed start at the IAAF World Championships in Track & Field in Osaka, Japan. Texas Longhorn Leonel Manzano‘s season came to an anticlimactic end Saturday, as he placed 13th in his heat of the 1,500 meters. His time of 3 minutes, 45.97 seconds fell short of the 3:41.96 needed to advance to the semifinals, and 10 seconds behind the lifetime best that put him on the American team at the national championships back in June. Manzano was probably tired after the college season, a couple of months longer than the pro athletes in the meet have to deal with.
Reagan High School product Brendan Christian – running for his native Antigua – fared better, making it to today’s semifinals in the 100 meters, before bowing out of the event in seventh place. Christian is also entered in the 200 meters, the heats of which begin on Sept. 28.
Other upcoming start dates:
• Former Longhorn Nicole Denby, 100 meter hurdles: Monday morning (actually tonight at 8:10pm Austin time, since Osaka is 14 hours ahead of us)
• Former Longhorn Melaine Walker (competing for Jamaica), 400 meter hurdles: Monday morning (8:50pm tonight)
• Former Longhorn Sanya Richards, 200 meters: Aug. 29 and 4×400 meter relay: Sept. 1
• Former Texas high school champion Amy Acuff, high jump: Aug. 31
This article appears in August 24 • 2007.