2006 Outdoor Nationals - Day 1 Mantia Caps Day of Records at Outdoor Nationals
Florida skater breaks own record, wins 1000 meters
By Planet staff
(posted Friday, May 26, 2006) 
Joey Mantia
photo: Luigino
The records set this morning by younger skaters at Outdoor Nationals didn't surprise Junior World Team coach Linda Wood. "The junior girls and guys had perfect track conditions," she said. Overcast sky and no wind. But by mid-day, when it was time for the adult time trials, a stiff wind had kicked up. It was bad for the women, who skated first, and even worse for the men. When Luigino's Joey Mantia started his 300-meter sprint, he was visibly buffeted by the wind. "You could see that he even shuttered a little," said George Neal of Liberty Sports. But the 20-year-old world champion recovered well enough to arrive at the finish line with a new U.S. record. "He was flying," Neal said. His time of 26.140 seconds shaved more than a half second off the old mark (26.707), which he set last year. The second and third fastest times of the day also beat the old record. Finishing in second place was Hyper's Dane Lewis with a time of 26.524; finishing third was Piedmont's William Bowen with a time of 26.720. The fourth place finisher, Triad Racing's Josh Wood, only finished three thousandths of a second behind the old record. Today proved a rough day for the 300-meter time trial record: It was broken by both the senior (adult) men and women and the junior (under 18) boys and girls. Aside from Mantia, High Point's Heather Richardson broke the junior women's mark (Go to story.); Luigino's Chad Horne broke the junior men's mark; and Luigino's Brittany Bowe toppled the women's mark (Go to story.) So what accounts for the sudden onslaught of records? Neal, formerly of Tru-Rev Sports, thinks it's the new bigger wheels. "Everbody's gotten accustomed to the 100s by now, and they're just faster," he said. Mantia finished the day of racing on the Velodrome by winning the 1000 meters. Wood finished second; Michael Cheek (Olympian Joey Cheek's younger brother) finished third. Top finishers:
Men's 300-Meter Time Trial - Joey Mantia (Luigino, Team Florida) 26.140 seconds
- Dane Lewis (Hyper) 26.524
- William Bowen (Piedmont) 26.720
- Josh Wood (Triad Racing) 26.72
Junior Men's 300-Meter Time Trial - Chad Horne (Luigino) 26.884 seconds
- Terrell Bradley 27.299
- Keith Carroll 27.360
- Kevin Quandt (Liberty Sports) 27.540
(Results provided by George Neal of Liberty Sports.) • Go to Upset in Basel • Go to World Cup tries a new format. • Go to Barbotin, Finster Win Val d'Europe. • Go to Smith, Presti Win Seoul World Cup. • Go to Event news. • Go to more Racing News. • Go to the Beginner's Guide to Outdoor Racing. | 
