Bearkat heads to Thorpe Cup competition
7/14/2011 8:52:00 AM | Track & Field, Athletics
Named in honor of track and field legend Jim Thorpe, the Cup event is an international track and field duel between the USA and Germany.
Teams are made up of eight men and eight women who compete in the decathlon and the heptathlon, respectively.
In the combined events competition, athletes receive a predetermined number of points based upon their performances in each of the events. The top five men's and top three women's scores are added together to determine the overall team wings.
"The fact that our individual scores will be added together for one team total brings a whole new dimension to this competition," Johnson said. "You can't afford to let down in any of the events because you'll not only hurt yourself, you will let down your teammates. It's going to be exciting."
The 2011 Thorpe Cup marks the seventh time the competition has been held in the United States. The American team has won the Cup 11 times including victories in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
"This is an outstanding honor and opportunity for Matt," Sam Houston head track and field coach David Self said. "He will be competing with some of the top decathletes in the world."
Johnson, a junior from Port Neches Groves, became the fourth Sam Houston Bearkat men's competitor to earn NCAA Division I track and field All-America honors in June with a 14th place finish in the men's decathlon at the NCAA Championship in Des Moines, Iowa.
At the USA National Track and Field Championships in the same venue June 23-24, Johnson finished ninth in the men's senior decathlon.
"I've competed with several of the guys on the American squad at the NCAA and USA Track Meets. I think we're really going to have a stacked USA team," Johnson said. "We'll be headquartered at the Olympic Training Center and will attend several special events including a Padres baseball game."
Johnson became the first Sam Houston student-athlete to earn an NCAA national decathlon berth with his school record 7,686 points at this spring's Texas Relays.
The decathlon consists of the 100 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meter run, 110 meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meter run.
Other members of the USA squad for the Thorpe Cup are Mille Moss, Chris Randolph, Mark Jellison, Nick Adcock, Matthew Clark and Detmar Joe.
"We'll all head to San Diego on August 10," Johnson said. "This is going to be a big thrill for me."
