INDIANAPOLIS -- Masters athlete Allen Woodard wins USATF Athlete of the Week after his record-setting performance on Saturday, April 4 at the 33rd Annual Victor Lopez Classic at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
 
Woodard (Houston, Texas) became the oldest man to run sub-50 in the 400 meters, when the 46-year-old clocked in at 49.69.
 
“I felt good during the race, but I didn’t know It was going to be a world record,” Woodard said. “I was running so easy and I knew it was fast, but I didn’t know it was going to be under 50 seconds. It was the perfect race.”
 
Woodard also took the top spot in the M45 200m with his time of 22.92 at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in late March, and he already has his next goal in mind.
 
“My next goal is to break 49 seconds. I feel like I have a different type of energy now, and I want that for my next goal. I have been working hard and I know I can do it.”
 
Other notable performances this week include:
 

• Aleec Harris (Atlanta, Georgia) won the 110-meter hurdles at Pepsi Florida Relays in 13.23, posting the fastest time in the world this year as he defeated both David Oliver and Jason Richardson in Gainesville, Florida.
• Tori Bowie (Clermont, Florida) ran a world-leading time of 22.61 for her 200m victory at Pepsi Florida Relays on Friday, April 3.
• Chanelle Price (Easton, Pennsylvania) ran a world-leading 800m, clocking 2:00.62 for the win at Pepsi Florida Relays on Friday, April 3. Her time was a new meet and facility record.
• Tabor Stevens (Canon City, Colorado), a senior at Adams State, won the 3000m steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational in a world-leading 8:32.50, besting a field of professionals and Division I standouts. His time goes down as the second fastest ever in NCAA Division II.

 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.

Amber Brooks
Internet Publishing Coordinator
Amber.Brooks@usatf.org