Tracking the Problem Down

The results were not exactly what they were looking from the team dubbed the "greatest team ever assembled.” Team USA earned less medals than many were hoping for at the Beijing Games.

The media highlighted the teams baton drops in the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relay. Last week the organization saw longtime coach Brooks Johnson resign as head of USATF’s High Performance Chair.

Then again with all things considered the 2008 Team had some good moments such as the come from behind victory in the women’s 1,600-meter relay, the 1-2-3 sweep of the men’s 400-meter hurdles, and Bryan Clay’s dominating decathlon victory.

CEO Doug Logan recently announced on his blog “shin splints” the members of the USATF High Performance Panel, which is charged with a top to bottom examination of the federation's high-performance programs by January 12, 2009. The sports chief has promised to publish the report on the USATF website.

The Panel will be composed of Olympic gold medalists Carl Lewis and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, who also has been a sports administrator; 1992 Olympic men’s coach and USTCCCA Hall of Fame coach Mel Rosen; renowned physiologist and Olympic silver medalist Ralph Mann; and USOC executives Doug Ingram, Steve Roush and Jay Warwick, all of whom have been successful athletes or coaches as well as NGB administrators.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.