Nwaba joins a select group of Americans to have earned an Olympic or World Championship medal
Beijing Reflections: Barbara Udoezi Nwaba
By Norm Zÿlstra, Throwholics.com My post meet reflection on the 2015 Beijing World Championships.
My first World Championships went as follows.
I had a decent hurdle race to start off the heptathlon, running a 13.59, a tenth off what I ran at USA Nationals. I was really hoping for a [personal best] since I felt great in practice and was running fast. However I knew there were six more events I had left where I could improve and put together a big score…
Unfortunately this is all a tall tale. I would have been ecstatic if things had actually went this way. The truth is I take seven steps to the first hurdle but on the opening day of Worlds I let myself take eight steps instead, jumping off the wrong leg. I tried to recover in between hurdle one and two but I was too bunched. I hit hurdle two with my lead leg and went down, smacked the track hard and rolled into lane two. I could not believe this was happening to me. Before I could even think I got back up, ran over hurdle three and four, and hit hurdle five. Down I went again and this time all I could do was stare down the track in complete shock of what had just happened. My hopes of a podium finish were over. To put things in perspective when I ran 13.49 at USAs it was worth 1052 points. 25 seconds would have given me a whopping 4 points. Somehow they clocked me finishing at 59 seconds. Only I didn’t finish the race and nor did it matter. I walked off the track in disbelief. Pain on my face, tear stricken, and feeling immensely disappointed I wanted to be anywhere but inside the Bird’s Nest.
Luckily for me I have an awesome group of people in my corner. The support I received from my coach, family and friends really helped me get through the next six events. And not only get through it but really enjoy my time out there like I should. When my coach said, “Now let’s make it your goal to feel comfortable out there because you never quite looked yourself,” and my mother said, “Dry your eyes, don’t worry. You walked away with no injuries.” Barbara+Nwaba+Ekaterina+Voronina+15th+IAAF+AGXREDnORRAlIt really put into perspective just how awesome of an opportunity I was in and that I could not let it go to waste. I was officially getting ready for Rio 2016 and what better environment could I ask for?
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Santa Barbara TC's Nwaba Wins 1st U.S. National Title in Heptathlon
Nwaba earns first IAAF World Championship berth; scores 6,500pts, the 6th U.S. all-time Heptathlon mark and ranked 5th in the World in 2015; SBTC's Lettow also breaks 6,000pts finishing in 5th place
Since 2012, Barbara Nwaba has been the runner-up at the 2012 NCAA Division I Championships, 2014 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the 2015 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She would reverse this streak at the 2015 USA Championships in Eugene, OR with a personal best 6,500 points, dethroning the two-time reigning champion and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alumna Sharon Day-Monroe for the title.
This is Nwaba's first national title and her 6,500 points in the Heptathlon ranks 6th in the U.S. all-time as well as currently ranking her 5th in the world. She also qualified for the IAAF World Championships, which will be held in Beijing, China from August 22-30, 2015.
SBTC's Lindsay Lettow also had a career day breaking 6,000 points for the first time with 6,023pts and a fifth place finish. Lindsay Schwartz would fall just 29 points shy of a best finishing in 8th place with 5,969pts.
Heptathlon Day 1
The first day began with two personal bests by Schwartz & Lettow in the 100m Hurdles, 13.55 and 13.56 respectively while Nwaba remained just a tenth of a second off of her best with a 13.49, notching 1,052pts for the event.
In the High Jump, Lettow leaped to her second personal best of the day with a 1.76m (5'9.25") leap. Nwaba maintained her form with a 1.82m (5'11.5") jump, two inches off her career best.
Saturday's competition concluded with Nwaba racing to a 23.76 personal best in the 200m, closing the gap with Day-Monroe to 20 points headed into the final day of the Heptathlon. Schwartz also set a personal best in the 200m with a time of 24.06. Schwartz and Lettow concluded day one in 6th and 8th respectively.
Heptathlon Day 2
After what had been unseasonably warm temperatures in Eugene for the Decathlon and first day of competition in the Heptathlon, temperatures in the low 70s welcomed the athletes for Sunday's events. Perhaps enjoying the similarity to Santa Barbara's cooler June weather, Nwaba took to the skies in the first event of the morning with a personal best of 6.23m (20'5.25") in the Long Jump; a seven inch personal best and the first time over 20 feet for her. The jump would move Nwaba 36 points ahead of Day-Monroe with two events remaining in the Heptathlon.
In the Javelin, Nwaba tossed the spear 43.48m (142'8"), just five feet off her best, maintaining a slim 8 point lead over Day-Monroe heading into the final event, the 800m. Lettow also performed well setting a personal best of 42.63m (139'10) in the Javelin.
At 800m, an event Nwaba has excelled at recently, dropping four seconds off her best since 2014 and seven seconds since 2012, needing to finish ahead of Day-Monroe to take her first U.S. National title. She would lead from the gun with Day-Monroe on her shoulders and pulled away from the field in front of the loud Hayward Field grandstands, crossing the tape in a personal best 2:07.13 and scoring 6,500pts for the two-day competition.
Lettow would race to another best finishing in 2:11.90, catapulting herself to a 5th place finish and personal best 6,023pts; the first time for her over the 6,000pts barrier. Schwartz finished in 8th with 5,969pts, just 29 points shy of her personal best.
Additional Santa Barbara Notables
SBTC Sends 4 Athletes to the USA Track & Field Championships
USA Track & Field Championships Updates
Barbara Nwaba leads the SBTC contingent as the second ranked heptathlete in the United States
From Santa Barbara Track Club
Beginning Thursday, June 25, SBTC athletes enter one of the most important competitions of the season with the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, OR determining Team USA squads for the IAAF World Championships, Thorpe Cup and other opportunities to represent the United States in 2015.
At the 2014 national championships Barbara Nwaba finished 2nd with 6,307pts in the Heptathlon, a personal record at the time. Qualifying only days prior to the national championships, Thomas FitzSimons, Jr. also reached the podium, surprising the field with a third place and 7,645pts in the Decathlon.
The two-day Heptathlon and Decathlon competitions will take place Thursday, June 25 - Sunday, June 28 at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field.
SBTC Athlete Bios at USA Championships
Barbara Nwaba - Heptathlon (UC Santa Barbara '12) - Ranked 2nd in Heptathlon field Lindsay Schwartz - Heptathlon (South Alabama '13) - Ranked 8th in Heptathlon field Lindsay Lettow - Heptathlon (Central Missouri '12) - Ranked 9th in Heptathlon field Tom FitzSimons , Jr. - Decathlon (Mount Saint Mary's '12) - 4th Place at 2015 USA Championships
Follow SBTC on Television & Live Stream on the Web (look for the orange and blue tinted uniforms)
Webcast / Television (All Times are PST) SUNDAY 6/28
8AM PT - Racewalk - LIVE on USATF.tv 10:20AM - 12PM PT - All Events - LIVE on USATF.tv 12PM - 3PM PT - LIVE on NBC (Online here) [Check local listings] (Field Events will be LIVE on USATF.tv) 3PM PT - THE COOL DOWN - on USATF.tv
SUPPORTING SBTC As a non-profit organization, we rely on the support of donors and our community outreach programs. We're proud to have one of the only track clubs in the country in which our athletes play a vital role in giving back and mentoring youth through our SB Youth Track Club and its various local programs throughout the year. They do more than simply train in Santa Barbara. They create a positive impact in the lives of area youth while we as coaches and you as donors get to support and inspire the Olympic dreams of some of the United States top heptathlon and decathlon hopefuls. You are helping athlete's dreams come true!
As we prepare to head into the championship season and the 2016 Olympic year, we would greatly appreciate your support of these fine athletes within the Santa Barbara Track Club for their travel, living expenses and training needs. All donations are tax deductible and will go towards the athletes we support.
ABOUT SBTC The Santa Barbara Track Club aims to create a progressive and cohesive Track & Field experience for members of our community from youth to masters as well as the development of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls alike. The professional athletes are composed of combined events athletes and middle distance athletes who also work within the community by serving as coaches and mentors to youth. The coaching and personal training efforts of the athletes help to fund the continued growth of Santa Barbara as an international training hub as well as to promote cultural exchange and shared education.
Nwaba 11th at International Hypo Meeting in Gotzis, Austria
SBTC's Nwaba sets personal best; wins 800m, final event of the day; Oregon TC's Brianne Theisen-Eaton wins title; SBTC's Lindsay Schwartz wins Oyonnax meeting in France From Santa Barbara Track Club, updated 6-1-15
Coming off of a personal best Day 1 for Santa Barbara Track Club's Barbara Nwaba (USA), she concluded the two-day Hypo Meeting in Gotzis, Austria, one of the most celebrated Track & Field events in the world, with a personal best Heptathlon score of 6,342 points. She finished in 11th place in an international field, which coincides with the 11th best mark in the world in 2015 and is the leading American score heading into the USA Track & Field Championships in late June.
Nwaba also capped off her career day with a thrilling 800m victory, setting a personal best of 2:07.37 and netting her an additional $1000 in prize money. Nwaba now sits in 13th place on the all-time U.S. Heptathlon list having moved up two spots.
Oregon Track Club's Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN) who trains in Santa Barbara in the off-season won the meet with 6,808 points, a personal best, Canadian national record, world leading mark in 2015 and is the 15th best mark in the world All-Time.
Nwaba By the Numbers
Day 1
Day 2
Schwartz wins France (6-1-15 update) Also competing internationally the last weekend in May were SBTC's Lindsay Schwartz and Thomas FitzSimons Jr. The pair were invited to compete in an multi-events competition by the Oyonnax Track Club for their wins at the 2015 Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational hosted by the SBTC in April.
Schwartz won the women's Heptathlon with 5747 points on Sunday, May 31 capping off a successful weekend of international events for the SBTC Elite athletes.