| This past July 15 – 19th, twenty countries came together in the heart of Switzerland to take part in IWAS Athletics Junior World Championships 2009. Team USA proudly brought 18 junior athletes to the games in Nottwil, Switzerland to compete in track and field. (Athletes: Zachary Abbott, George Anglin, Wes Cuevas, Colin Cutter, Steven Ferreira, David Grassi, Bob Hunt, Gianfranco Iannotta, Kaleb Kallappa, Chelsea McClammer, Bryson McLeod, Kristen Messer, Adam Saldana, Josh Scanlon, Kanya Sesser, Josh Swoverland, Rachel Voss, Amberlynn Weber. Team USA Staff for this competition included: Barb Chambers-Team Leader, Jimmy Cuevas-Equipment Manager, Denise Hutchins-Medical, Teresa Skinner-Track Coach, Laurie Voss-Field Coach, Tomie Zuchetto-Assistant Team Leader. This entire group of talented athletes represented the USA last year at IWAS, however it was on their own soil. This year, many of them experienced their first overseas travel and true international competition. Eight gold, fourteen silver, and twelve bronze for a totaled thirty four medals were donned, making the US the largest medal contender of this competition. Field athlete Rachel Voss of Collinsville, IL was our first gold medal winner throwing the javelin 14.85 meters. Zach Abbott of Portland, OR earned a gold medal (16.12 meters) and Adam Saldana of Oklahoma City, OK brought home a bronze (16.82 meters). Success continued at the discus competition with Rachel Voss earning a bronze (15.31 meters) and Adam Saldana producing the silver (22.79 meters). At the shot put pit Colin Cutter of Piedmont, OK received a bronze (6.57 meters); Zach Abbott earned silver (6.17 meters) along with Rachel Voss (5.99 meters). Steven Ferriera of Renton, WA achieved a personal best by ½ meter in shot put. George Anglin of Troy, MO and Wes Cuevas of Jersey City, NJ rounded off this 7 member field team. Field coach Laurie Voss was very pleased with her athletes’ accomplishments, stating “it was a pleasure and honor to work with these fine athletes!” Fourteen track athletes came together, supporting each other to achieve some incredible performances. Two world records were broken by Franco Iannotta and Kanya Sesser in the 100M. The competition overall this year was outstanding and our track athletes rose to the challenge. The first medals were brought in by Josh Swoverland, Kaleb Kallappa and Chelsea McClammer with the 5000M. Josh started with silver in the 5000, added a bronze in the 800M and a bronze in the 4X100M relay. Kaleb added his bronze in the 5000 to that first day and earned a bronze with his teammates in the 4X100M relay as well. Chelsea added her silver in the first day for the 5000 and later added a spectacular bundle of medals with 3 golds in the 400M, 800M, and 1500M; 2 silvers in the 100M, 200M, and 4X100M relay. From there, Team USA kept the flag flying. Bryson McLeod’s power emerged in an incredible 200M race, easily snagging the gold medal and earning silver in the 400M. Wes Cuevas had a spectacular finish in the 1500M, capturing the gold, along with 2 silvers in the 800M and the 400M, and the bronze in the 200M. Amberlynn Weber had a heart pounding finish in the 400M, achieving a huge personal best and a gold medal. She also came home with 3 silvers in the 200M, 800M, and 4X100M relay, as well as a bronze in the 1500M. Zach Abbott had some classification challenges during and throughout this international competition, that he handled with integrity and maintained his focus. Not only did he medal in both field and track, he brought home 2 silvers in the 200M and 1500M and a bronze in the 4X100M relay. Josh Scanlon also had some classification challenges, yet he too exhibited incredible integrity and maturity. His competitive spirit helped him to achieve a bronze in the 800M (as a higher classification) and succeed in pushing numerous personal bests. Bob Hunt had the privilege of playing a role in the only USA sweep with Zach Abbott and Wes Cuevas in the 1500M. With a bronze in that race and a bronze in the 800M, this was definitely Bob’s best of the 4 international competitions that he has competed in. Kristen Messer handled this competition with her usual style, grace, and maturity. With limited opportunities for athletes with CP, Kristen crossed over and competed as a 52. And since there are no other athletes in her class, she was on the track competing with 53’s. There was never a complaint but rather hopes and dreams that this will someday change. Kristen Messer and Kanya Sesser both brought home silver in the 4X100M relay. David Grassi also had a competition full of personal bests and captured the Bronze medal in the relay with his teammates. When asked what his highlight of the week was… it was definitely that relay! George Anglin stated “I loved every minute of my first international experience!” He also came away with some incredible memories and some outstanding personal bests. At the closing ceremonies, Gianfranco Ianotta was awarded the “Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year” recognizing his world record achievement. It was an incredible week, full of results well deserved, memories that will last a lifetime, and a stronger desire to learn more, train more, and compete more! |
