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Christian Taylor Ready for Take Off at the Drake RelaysPublished by
Event record holder gets back on the runway on April 28By Scott Bush, DyeStat Editor The 2017 Drake Relays Presented by HyVee will be broadcast live from Drake Stadium at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday through Saturday April 27-29 via a mix of online coverage via USATF.TV and TV coverage. At the end of this month, the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee will once again bring together many of the world's finest track and field athletes, as they square off in early season competition. The past handful of years, the Drake Relays have upped their commitment to fielding world-class events and as the fields are slowly released, it's easy to see the 2017 edition will be as strong as ever. Headlining this year's jumps action is none other than two-time Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor, who will test his early season fitness against a fine field in the men's triple jump. After another golden season in 2016, Taylor clearly has his eyes set on the triple jump world record of 60-0.25 (18.29m), set by Jonathan Edwards in 1995. Taylor came close in 2015, leaping to the No. 2 mark in history with 59-9 (18.21m) performance, the same year he earned three other top 10 all-time marks. While Taylor is the pre-event favorite, he faces a quartet of fellow Olympians, including American Chris Benard. Other top Americans in the field include Omar Craddock, Donald Scott and Matthew O'Neal. O'Neal is off to a strong start this season, owning two of the top five marks in the world. The Drake Relays take place April 27-29 in Des Moines, Iowa. More news |