The World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships (WMAIC) that brought the local athletic community and 99 nations together in Gainesville last week has come to a close.
This year’s competition, held at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center and West End, marked the WMAIC’s first appearancein the U.S. since its inaugural meet in 2004. The event saw 1,457 Americans running, jumping and throwing—nearly six times the252 Americans who competed at the 2023 WMAIC in Poland.
Team USA came away from the meet with a dominant win, earning 557 combined medals for men and women (185 gold, 190 silver and 182 bronze) over Great Britian and Northern Ireland’s second place of 93 total medals. Athletes broke nearly 70 championship records and at least 19 world records during the eight-day competition.
Twenty-three members of Team USA wereAlachua County residents, including WMAIC 200-meter champion and 60-meter bronze medalist Amanda Roberts.
Here’s a round-up of all Alachua County WMAIC competitors organized alphabetically in their age group. Their times and marks are followed by their overall and nationality place and are from a finals race unless marked as prelim or semi-final.
Women
35-39
LaKendra Cook
400m
1 minute,16.42 seconds (prelim)
Overall: 9th place out of 10 runners
American: 5th out of 5
Ami McClay
10-Kilometer road race
40:36.95
Overall: 6/12
American: 2/5
40-44
Lindsay Courson
10K road race
52:04.20
Overall: 16/16
American:9/9
8K cross country
44:44.06
Overall: 13/13
American: 6/6
Lisa Johnson
8K cross country
Did Not Start (DNS)
Elizabeth Suda
3000m
10:35.48
Overall: 4/7
American: 3/4
45-49
Amanda Roberts
200m
25.68 seconds
Overall: 1/6
American: 1/4
60m
7.99
Overall: 3/8
American: 2/4
Amber Wilhoit
200m
30.26 (semi-final)
Overall: 16/17
American:9/10
400m
1:09.29 (prelim)
Overall: 8/11
American:4/4
Leanne Harrison-Forbes
800
DNS
50-54
Gretchen Loyd
10k road race
44:50.29
Overall: 13/22
American: 8/12
55-59
Tanja Taivassalo
10K road race
52:04.08
Overall: 10/12
Canada: 1/2
8K cross country
43:12.05
Overall: 12/12
Canada: 1/1
60-64
Lisa Coleman
8K cross country
Disqualified (DQ)
80-84
Judy Womack
800m
5:53.91
Overall: 5/6
American: 4/5
1500m
11:54.18
Overall: 5/6
American: 4/5
Men
35-39
James O’Donnell
60m
8.88 (prelim)
Overall: 32/33
American: 8/8
40-44
Adam Varnedoe
10K road race
DNS
45-49
Adam Anderson
60m
11.20
Overall: 35/36
American: 11/12
200m
DNS
Moises Ivan Baez Feliciano
Javelin
45.31 meters
Overall: 4/13
Puerto Rico: 1/1
David Tenney
10K road race
43:57.55
Overall: 12/15
American:5/5
50-54
Tim Powell
1500m
5:19.68 (prelim)
Overall: 18/18
American: 6/6
800m
2:27.66 (prelim)
Overall: 19/22
American: 7/7
55-59
Soren Brockdorf
200m
31.87
Overall: 36/38
American:14/16
Volker Mai
Long jump
5.24m
Overall: 8/15
American: 4/8
60-64
Clay Clement
8K cross country
40:37.40
Overall: 23/30
American: 9/12
10k road race
DNS
400m
DNS
70-79
Bruce Kritzler
6k cross country (70-89)
36:09.41
Overall: 11/17
American: 7/8
1500m
7:36.77
Overall: 8/8
American: 3/3
80-84
William Hutchinson
60m
13.69 (prelim)
Overall: 18/18
American:5/5
