US National Track and Field Championships Conclude at Hayward Field

The 2011 U.S. National Track and Field Championships marked their return to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon and it did not disappoint.

Widely regarded as the home of the sport of track and field in the United States, the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field once again proved why this venue has been bestowed with such a well-deserved moniker of “Tracktown USA.” The facility boasts the BSS 2000 embedded track surface, installed by Beynon Sports Surfaces in 2007 still looked, felt and performed like new - leading to extremely fast times and personal bests.

“Beynon Sports is thrilled to once again be a part of the U.S. National Track and Field Championships held at the incredible venue of Hayward Field. The BSS 2000 track and field surface provides the resilient response and maximum energy return that our athletes need to shatter records,” Drew Beynon, Chief Operating Officer of Beynon Sports Surfaces.

With the U.S. National Track and Field Championships being held at the same time as the Junior National Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field, the event gave the fans a chance to see not only the esteemed U.S. Track and Field athletes of today, but also preview the U.S. Track and Field superstars of tomorrow.

On the third day of competition, after winning the 400 meters, Allyson Felix set a record that left no question that she is the most versatile female sprinter the U.S. has ever seen. Felix is the only woman to ever complete the hat trick of winning U.S. titles in all the 100m, 200m, and 400m competitions. In addition, 18 year-old Trevor Barron became the youngest member of the U.S. team heading to the World Championships in Doegu, South Korea, by completing the 20km race-walk in a time of 1:23:25.10.

Walter Dix completed the sprint double by winning the 100m/200m race after Tyson Gay was forced to withdrawal before the semi-finals due to a hip injury. Dix came from behind in the 100m race to beat Gatlin by one-hundredth of second with a time of 9.94 seconds, and edged Darvis Patton by 0.03 seconds in the 200m with a time of 19.95 seconds.

Once again, prestigious Hayward Field proved to be the surface of champions for the track and field athletes of today and tomorrow.