INDIANAPOLIS -- David Oliver earns USATF Athlete of the Week honors after his world-leading performance at the Beijing IAAF World Challenge meet on Wednesday, May 20 in Beijing, China.
 
Oliver (Orlando, Florida) won the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a world-leading time of 13.15 in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium, which acted as host to the 2008 Olympic Games and will soon host the 2015 IAAF World Championships.
 
Oliver’s win in Beijing was his second title in four days. He won the Shanghai Diamond League crown in what was a season’s best 13.17, his fastest time since August 2013.
 
“I felt like I had built good momentum from the Shanghai race,” Oliver said. “I was able to execute a little bit better and run faster in Beijing. I’ve been progressing and getting better week by week and at the end of the day, every race is an opportunity to compete and put your best foot forward. This week was just great.”
 
He sets his sights next on the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon this weekend and his ultimate goal of returning to China later this summer to defend his gold medal at the 15th IAAF World Outdoor Championships.
 
Other notable performances this week include:
 

• Michael Norman (Murrieta, California) of Vista Murrieta High School, won the 200m in a wind-aided 20.39, the 400 in 45.99, and ran on the winning 4x100 (40.53) and 4x400 (3:13.09) relays at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Sectional.
• Lauren Rain Williams (Westlake Village, California), of Oaks Christian School, finished first in the 100m and 200m with her times of 11.38 and 22.68 respectively at the CIF Southern Sectional. Her time in the 200m made her the fifth-fastest high school girl ever in all conditions.
• Alexis Browner (Sacramento, California) of Wayland Baptist University, won the 100m (11.43) and 200m (23.48) and ran on the winning 4x100m (44.91) and 4x400m relays (3:38.72), leading her school to the 2015 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship.
• Kathy Bergen (La Canada, California) broke the W75 high jump world record with her mark of 1.21m/3-11.75 at the 42nd annual Meet of Champions on Saturday, May 23 in Costa Mesa, California.

 
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; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver.
 
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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/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.