Clermont, Fla. – Several track and field athletes that train at the National Training Center (NTC), part of South Lake Hospital, will compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games this August.
Damu Cherry, Ocoee, Fla., finished second in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.58 in the United States Olympic Trials on July 6, 2008, in Eugene, Ore. The top three finishers earn a spot on the US Olympic Team. This will be Cherry’s first time making the US Olympic Team. Cherry has been training at the NTC since 2004.
Rodney Green will be competing for the Bahamas Olympic Team in the men’s 100-meter dash and the 4 x 100-meter relay. Green is a Bahamian citizen who attended Weber International University and now lives in Lakeland, Fla., and has also been training at the NTC since 2004.
Both Cherry and Green are coached by Dennis Mitchell, National Training Center Sports Performance Coordinator. Mitchell, who has a gold, silver and bronze Olympic medal in track and field, specializes in speed and agility training. Mitchell also coaches two additional sprint athletes, Jeff Demps and Kellie Wells, who both had excellent performances in the US Olympic Trials.
Demps, Groveland, Fla., ran a 10.01 in the quarter-finals of the men’s 100-meter dash. His time broke the national high school record and tied the junior world record for the 100-meter dash. Demps finished eighth in the finals of the 100-meter dash.
Wells, Orlando, competed in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and posted a personal best of 12.58 in the semi-finals. She qualified for the finals but tore a hamstring and was unable to compete.
Five additional athletes that are training at the National Training Center under a separate coach are also headed to the 2008 Beijing Games. Representing the United Stated is Natasha Hastings, Columbia, S.C., who will compete on the women’s 4 x 400-meter relay. Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown will be competing in the 200-meter dash and the 4 x 100-meter relay. Campbell-Brown is a four-time Olympic medalist. Other athletes representing Jamaica are Dwight Thomas, men’s 4 x 100-meter relay, and Aleen Bailey, women’s 4 x 100-meter relay. The fifth athlete is Aaron Armstrong, who will represent Trinidad and Tabago in the men’s 100 and 200-meter dash and the men’s 4 x 100-meter relay.
The NTC has all the necessary components for training including a 400-meter outdoor track and field complex, fitness center, cross country course, 70-meter by 25-yard outdoor aquatic center, human performance lab, massage and group fitness classes including Pilates and yoga. The NTC is open to visiting athletes and teams and also offers the community fitness memberships and has a wide variety of youth programming, camps, clinics and events. For more information on the NTC, please visit usantc.com or call 352.241.7144.