By: Craig Morgan
Seven Sun Devil student-athletes -- past and present -- competed at the IAAF World Championships for track and field in London from Aug. 4-13.
Former NCAA champion Amy Cragg earned the bronze medal in the marathon, snapping a 34-year medal drought for American women with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds, just seven seconds off the gold-medal time and less than a second from the silver medal.
Bryan McBride advanced to the high jump final with a near personal-best leap of 2.29 meters and took eighth overall. Ryan Whiting advanced to the shot put final and finished seventh in his third outdoor World Championships since 2011. Chris Benard took sixth place in the triple jump with a mark of 17.16 meters. Shelby Houlihan (13th overall) qualified for the 5,000-meter final with a personal best 15:00.37.
NCAA hammer throw champion Maggie Ewen and long jumper Christabel Nettey also competed.
TheSunDevils.com caught up with four of those athletes for some quick thoughts on their experience. Here are their responses.
How did you feel about your performance?
Ewen: "I feel like my performance did not accurately represent where I was in my training. They were not the distances I would have liked to see."
McBride: "I felt bittersweet about my performance. I executed everything the way I wanted to in the prelims, which set me up to be in the finals. And during the finals, that execution wasn't there and being my first World Championships, I think competing back to back from prelim to final is something I'm not used to yet. But, overall, I am very happy with it! I ended eighth in the World at my first major championship and that is something I can be proud of!"
Houlihan: "Very disappointed in my performance. I didn't feel that the result reflected what I was fully capable of."
Whiting: "I felt like I could have performed better. Unless you have the gold in hand, that is kind of always the case. All things considered, it was a step in the right direction, making the finals and finishing seventh at the World Championships after not qualifying for the meet the last two years definitely feels good."
What was the most memorable part of the competition for you?
Ewen: "The most memorable part of the competition for me was watching the final of women's hammer. Watching such talented women in person and knowing that, someday, I could be down there competing alongside them, was really motivating."
McBride: "The most memorable moment would be when I looked at the screen and knew I made it to the finals! The finals is always the goal before the goal and coming off of a disappointing 2016 season not making a team, to be out there in front of 60,000 people and making the World Championship final is a feeling I will always remember!"
Houlihan: "Watching my teammates win medals. It was so amazing to watch and inspires me to want to be on that podium."
Whiting: "For me, the most memorable part of my competition was seeing the Kiwi, Tom Walsh, win the shot put competition. Tom is a good friend of mine and it couldn't have happened to a better guy."
What would you say you gained from the experience?
Ewen: "I obviously gained a lot of experience from this competition. I have never been to a meet like this so I did a lot of learning. Another thing I gained was a new appreciation for how hard I need to work. Competing on the national stage is tough but the world stage is a completely different animal."
McBride: "I would say that this experience gave me just that, experience. I can leave London now knowing how these major championships work and what to expect when you go through the warm-up area and the call room. I now know how it feels to have that many people watching you and some more efficient ways of handling that kind of excitement. I now know how it feels to go from prelims to a final and the amount of toll the body takes from that and I can do a better job of training my body for that in the future. I can now say I have experience under my belt when it comes to these meets and that is the most important thing I could have taken away from this."
Houlihan: "I gained experience in racing a 5k at the highest level. I'm still learning the event so that can be frustrating at times, especially this time, and gaining that experience in the event will only help me in the future."
Whiting: "I feel like I gained another notch in my belt, experience wise. This was my seventh national team and as I get older I feel like I can really appreciate what it takes to perform at the highest level year after year."
What was your favorite London moment, not associated with your competition?
Ewen: "I don't really have a favorite London moment, but I am very happy that I was able to experience such a beautiful and historic place with my family."
McBride: "The best London moment would be when I bit into my very first Nando's chicken! This food chain in London had some of the best tasting chicken I have ever had in my life! And I've had a lot of chicken. My chicken standards have risen to a higher level."
Houlihan: "Going to Platform 9¾ in King's Cross Station the day after my race! I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and I couldn't stop smiling because I was so excited."
Whiting: "Overall, the highlight of the meet for just about everyone has to be the fact that this was Usain Bolt's last major championships. Every time I have met and interacted with him he is gracious and a real asset to the sport."
With the World Championships over, what are your immediate plans?
Ewen: "My immediate plans are to rest, but knowing me it won't be long until I am back at the track. Also, school starts this week so my schedule's about to get really busy."
McBride: "I am currently heading back home to San Diego with plans to chalk up this 2017 as successful and over. It is definitely to rest, relax and enjoy my summer for a few months before I get back to the grind for the 2018 season."
Houlihan: "I'll be racing a 1,500 in Birmingham next!"
Whiting: "With World Championships over, I came home on Aug. 8 to be with my family (wife Ashley, formerly Evans, an ASU swim alum, my son 4 and my daughter 1.5). I have two more meets planned for the end of the season. I leave on the 17th for Birmingham, UK and then come back for my younger brother's wedding and return to Brussels for my last meet of the year on the 31st of August."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
Seven Sun Devil student-athletes -- past and present -- competed at the IAAF World Championships for track and field in London from Aug. 4-13.
Former NCAA champion Amy Cragg earned the bronze medal in the marathon, snapping a 34-year medal drought for American women with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds, just seven seconds off the gold-medal time and less than a second from the silver medal.
Bryan McBride advanced to the high jump final with a near personal-best leap of 2.29 meters and took eighth overall. Ryan Whiting advanced to the shot put final and finished seventh in his third outdoor World Championships since 2011. Chris Benard took sixth place in the triple jump with a mark of 17.16 meters. Shelby Houlihan (13th overall) qualified for the 5,000-meter final with a personal best 15:00.37.
NCAA hammer throw champion Maggie Ewen and long jumper Christabel Nettey also competed.
TheSunDevils.com caught up with four of those athletes for some quick thoughts on their experience. Here are their responses.
How did you feel about your performance?
Ewen: "I feel like my performance did not accurately represent where I was in my training. They were not the distances I would have liked to see."
McBride: "I felt bittersweet about my performance. I executed everything the way I wanted to in the prelims, which set me up to be in the finals. And during the finals, that execution wasn't there and being my first World Championships, I think competing back to back from prelim to final is something I'm not used to yet. But, overall, I am very happy with it! I ended eighth in the World at my first major championship and that is something I can be proud of!"
Houlihan: "Very disappointed in my performance. I didn't feel that the result reflected what I was fully capable of."
Whiting: "I felt like I could have performed better. Unless you have the gold in hand, that is kind of always the case. All things considered, it was a step in the right direction, making the finals and finishing seventh at the World Championships after not qualifying for the meet the last two years definitely feels good."
What was the most memorable part of the competition for you?
Ewen: "The most memorable part of the competition for me was watching the final of women's hammer. Watching such talented women in person and knowing that, someday, I could be down there competing alongside them, was really motivating."
McBride: "The most memorable moment would be when I looked at the screen and knew I made it to the finals! The finals is always the goal before the goal and coming off of a disappointing 2016 season not making a team, to be out there in front of 60,000 people and making the World Championship final is a feeling I will always remember!"
Houlihan: "Watching my teammates win medals. It was so amazing to watch and inspires me to want to be on that podium."
Whiting: "For me, the most memorable part of my competition was seeing the Kiwi, Tom Walsh, win the shot put competition. Tom is a good friend of mine and it couldn't have happened to a better guy."
What would you say you gained from the experience?
Ewen: "I obviously gained a lot of experience from this competition. I have never been to a meet like this so I did a lot of learning. Another thing I gained was a new appreciation for how hard I need to work. Competing on the national stage is tough but the world stage is a completely different animal."
McBride: "I would say that this experience gave me just that, experience. I can leave London now knowing how these major championships work and what to expect when you go through the warm-up area and the call room. I now know how it feels to have that many people watching you and some more efficient ways of handling that kind of excitement. I now know how it feels to go from prelims to a final and the amount of toll the body takes from that and I can do a better job of training my body for that in the future. I can now say I have experience under my belt when it comes to these meets and that is the most important thing I could have taken away from this."
Houlihan: "I gained experience in racing a 5k at the highest level. I'm still learning the event so that can be frustrating at times, especially this time, and gaining that experience in the event will only help me in the future."
Whiting: "I feel like I gained another notch in my belt, experience wise. This was my seventh national team and as I get older I feel like I can really appreciate what it takes to perform at the highest level year after year."
What was your favorite London moment, not associated with your competition?
Ewen: "I don't really have a favorite London moment, but I am very happy that I was able to experience such a beautiful and historic place with my family."
McBride: "The best London moment would be when I bit into my very first Nando's chicken! This food chain in London had some of the best tasting chicken I have ever had in my life! And I've had a lot of chicken. My chicken standards have risen to a higher level."
Houlihan: "Going to Platform 9¾ in King's Cross Station the day after my race! I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and I couldn't stop smiling because I was so excited."
Whiting: "Overall, the highlight of the meet for just about everyone has to be the fact that this was Usain Bolt's last major championships. Every time I have met and interacted with him he is gracious and a real asset to the sport."
With the World Championships over, what are your immediate plans?
Ewen: "My immediate plans are to rest, but knowing me it won't be long until I am back at the track. Also, school starts this week so my schedule's about to get really busy."
McBride: "I am currently heading back home to San Diego with plans to chalk up this 2017 as successful and over. It is definitely to rest, relax and enjoy my summer for a few months before I get back to the grind for the 2018 season."
Houlihan: "I'll be racing a 1,500 in Birmingham next!"
Whiting: "With World Championships over, I came home on Aug. 8 to be with my family (wife Ashley, formerly Evans, an ASU swim alum, my son 4 and my daughter 1.5). I have two more meets planned for the end of the season. I leave on the 17th for Birmingham, UK and then come back for my younger brother's wedding and return to Brussels for my last meet of the year on the 31st of August."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter