COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Jessica Galli (Savoy, Ill.), Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Md.) and Amanda McGrory (Champaign, Ill.) qualified Saturday to race on one of track & field’s biggest stages, the 2007 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
The trio advanced after finishing in the top-eight in the 1500-meter qualifying race at the inaugural Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Ten athletes will compete in the women’s exhibition event in Osaka on Sept. 1, with the U.S. having the most competitors in the field.
U.S. Paralympics Track & Field Head Coach Troy Engle (Colorado Springs, Colo.) pointed to a combination of factors for why the women are performing so well.
The good quality coaching and the environment at the University of Illinois have really helped Jessica and Amanda to become stronger and stronger,” Engle said. “All three have taken a very professional approach to their training. They’ve got great coaches with high levels of expertise, so I feel it’s only fitting that they’re at the highest levels of track and field based on their approach to the sport and the guidance they’re receiving.”
Osaka will also host a men’s 1500m exhibition event, but there will be no U.S. athletes competing, as Jordan Bird (Wichita, Kan.) and Josh George (Champaign, Ill.) narrowly missed the cut in the qualifier at Windsor.
The Boiling Point event also saw McFadden post a world record time in the T54 200m, pending approval from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The 18-year-old finished with a time of 28.33 seconds, edging out Canada’s Chantal Petitclerc, the former record holder if McFadden's time stands.
