Courtesy: USATF

A thrilling battle over 25 laps in the men's 10,000 meters highlighted the first day of competition Thursday at the 2003 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships presented by Verizon. In a five-way battle that turned in to a two-man race at Stanford University's Cobb Track and Angell Field, Alan Culpepper took the title on a day when the distance and throwing events took center stage.

The top three finishers in each event at the USA Outdoor Championships qualify for Team USA at the 2003 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships, August 23-31 in Paris, provided they have met IAAF standards.

Taking the track at 8:50 p.m., the men's 10,000 quickly turned compelling when defending champion Mebrahtom Keflezighi, the American record holder, towed a group that included Culpepper - the 1999 USA champion and 2002 5,000m champ - 2001 USA champ Abdi Abdirahman, 2002 USA marathon champion Dan Browne, and 2001 fourth-place finisher Weldon Johnson through 8,400 meters. Running at roughly 28:00 pace, Keflezighi backed off the lead with four laps to go, and Culpepper not only took over leading duties but threw in a surge that broke the race in two, with Culpepper and Keflezighi fighting for the title and Browne, Abdirahman and Johnson vying for the third and final position for the World Championships.

Keflezighi and Culpepper see-sawed for the final four laps - including on the final lap. Running the last 800m in 2:01.7, Culpepper sprinted to the win in the last 200, posting a time of 27 minutes 55.36 seconds. Keflezighi was two steps back in 27:57.59. In the meantime, the battle for third was equally compelling and varied, with Abdirahman holding onto third until the final 500 meters, when Browne passed him for good, finishing in 28:03.48. Johnson (28:06.58) snuck past Abdirahman (28:07.20) at the line for fourth.

The women's 10,000m shaped up much differently, with Deena Drossin making her move with 12 laps to go. Running unchallenged, the new American record holder in the marathon finished in 31:28.97. Elva Dryer placed second in 31:35.74, with Katie McGregor third in 31:54.78.

The women's throws provided compelling competition of their own. Aretha Hill won the first final of the 2003 Championships in a close women's discus. A four-time third-place finisher at the Outdoor Championships, Hill took her first U.S. title with a throw of 63.98 meters/209 feet, 11 inches. Suzy Powell was second at 62.58m/205-4, and four-time U.S. champion Seilala Sua was third at 60.01/196-10. Defending U.S. champion Kris Kuehl was bumped to fourth at 59.60m/195-6.

The women's hammer throw also featured close competition, as well as a surprise ending, when Melissa Price, eighth at this meet in 2002 and third in 2001, upset defending U.S. champion and American record holder Anna Norgren Mahon. Price's fifth throw of 70.34m/230-9 was a huge personal best and put her ahead of Mahon's best and final throw of 69.04m/226-06. Former American record holder Dawn Ellerbe was third (66.76m/219-0).

The men's discus likewise featured an upset when Carl Brown threw 66.66m/218-8 to upset three-time defending champion Adam Setliff (62.92m/206-5). Doug Reynolds placed third with 62.71m/205-9. Brown's previous best finish at the USA Championships was fourth in 1998.

The first round of the Verizon men's 100 meters lived up to its pre-meet reputation for intrigue. World record holder and 2001 World Outdoor silver medalist Tim Montgomery (10.04), World Outdoor bronze medalist Bernard Williams (10.06), J.J. Johnson (10.10) and Kaaron Conwright (10.16) won their respective heats to lead the qualifiers into Friday's semifinals. World Indoor 60m champion Justin Gatlin was the surprise of the event, placing fourth in his heat with a time of 10.32 and failing to advance.

Torri Edwards led all qualifiers in the Nike women's 100 meters with her wind-aided time of 11.00 seconds in the third of three heats. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers dominated the first heat, taking a huge lead before easing up to win in 11.15 seconds, with 2001 U.S. champion Chryste Gaines second in the race in 11.27. Muna Lee (11.16) of LSU, the NCAA indoor 60m and 200m champion, led fellow collegian Lauryn Williams (11.21) of Miami across the line in heat 2.

Lubert Lewis had the fastest time in the men's 800m heats (1:48.05), while Chantee Earl was quickest among the women (2:04.26). All the favorites in the men's and women's 800 advanced, although Regina Jacobs did not compete as expected, due to a slightly strained left Achilles tendon.

Jacobs did take the line in the Nike women's 1,500m, an event in which she owns 11 national titles and the last four U.S. crowns. She sprinted away to win her heat in 4:11.22, setting up the expected showdown with three-time U.S. champion Suzy Favor Hamilton in Saturday's final. Favor Hamilton won her heat in 4:12.42, the fastest qualifying time behind Jacobs.

In the 400 meters heats, World Indoor champion Tyree Washington turned in the fastest time in the men's section with 45.26, while NCAA champion and American junior record holder Sanya Richards, the 2002 U.S. junior champion and a freshman at the University of Texas, was the only woman to crack 52 seconds with 51.81.

Joanna Hayes was the fastest qualifier in the women's 400m hurdlers and the only competitor to break 56 seconds with her time of 55.83. Robert Gary (8:30.62), NCAA champion Daniel Lincoln (8:30.75) and Thomas Kloos (8:30.74) led the way in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals.

Kim Schiemenz led after one day in the heptathlon with 3,617 points. World Outdoor bronze medalist Shelia Burrell was second with 3,560 and Tiffany Lott-Hogan was third with 3,538.

In junior multi-events, Jessica Stockard was leading with 3,903 points in the heptathlon, while defending U.S. junior champion Donovan Kilmartin of YMCA Team Idaho led the men's junior decathlon with 3,877 points.