Johnson (Chula Vista, Calif.) is the first woman from the United States to win an International Canoe Federation World Cup Event. Johnson won a gold medal in Szeged, Hungary, at World Cup No. 2 in the k-1 1000m on May 18. This was a monumental event for USA Canoe/Kayak and a huge win for Johnson. It was her first World Cup gold medal. Johnson won a silver medal in the 1000m k-1 in 2006 and is USA Canoe/Kayak’s most decorated female athlete.

Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) became the most decorated athlete in the history of Taekwondo when he won his fourth straight World Taekwondo Championship on May 20 in Beijing, China, to go along with his two Olympic gold medals. His four World titles equal that of Korean legend Kook-Hyun Jeong, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for accomplishing the same feat. More remarkable is the fact that Lopez has won the World titles over a seven-year span (2001, 03, 05 and 07). His two Olympic gold medals were won in 2000 & 2004, and he has not been defeated in any match since 2001. He won six straight matches to claim the 2007 title, defeating Korea’s Chang-ha Jang in sudden death overtime in the final match to claim the gold.

Led by a trio of Team USA rookies Derek Eoff (Greenfield Wis.), John Janawicz (Winter Haven, Fla.) and David O’Sullivan (Orlando, Fla.) and veterans David Haynes (Las Vegas, Nev.), Rhino Page (Fresno Calif.) and Bill Hoffman (Columbus, Ohio). Team USA became the first country to sweep all six gold medals in the current format of the American Zone Bowling Championships, which date back to 1961. Team USA claimed 11 out of a possible 18 medals at the week-long event featuring 18 countries from North, South and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

Among the many highlights of the week was a fifth straight team gold medal at the tournament, dating back to 1993, and sweeps of the gold, silver and bronze medals in all-events and Masters (an event featuring the top 16 from all-events). In addition, three American Zone Championships records were broken – team six-game total (6,464), trios three-game series (2,158) and trios single game total (779, powered by a 290 from O’Sullivan and a 279 from Janawicz).

In their first international competition with Team USA, Eoff and O’Sullivan each claimed five out of a possible six medals, tying an American Zone Championships record, while Janawicz had four.

Second place for the female vote went to reigning U.S. Outdoor champion Jenn Stuczynski (Churchville, N.Y.) who surpassed the American record in the women's pole vault May 20 at the adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., with her clearance of 4.84m/15-10.5. The previous record of 4.83m/15-10 was set in 2004 by 2000 Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila.

Third place for the female vote went to 16-year-old Taekwondo athlete Charlotte Craig (Murrieta, Calif.). A last-minute replacement to the U.S. World Championship Team, Craig defeated several big-name fighters en route to capturing a bronze medal in her first Senior World Championships on May 18 in Beijing, China.

Craig’s bronze medal in the women’s finweight division came on the opening day of the tournament and inspired the U.S. Team to three more medals at the five-day event. Craig defeated athletes from the Dominican Republic and Canada. She also defeated the defending world champion Belen Asensio of Spain. Craig lost in the semifinals 2-0 to the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Yaowapa Boorapolchai of Thailand.

Second place for the men went to cyclist Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo.) who brought home two gold medals for the United States at the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships in Valencia, Venezuela.

Huff captured a gold medal in the men’s omnium with 15 points in the five-event competition. Huff captured the victory with solid all-around performances in sprint-and-endurance-oriented events. Huff placed second in the 200-meter time trial, fifth in the scratch race, third in the individual pursuit and fifth in the points race before clinching his overall victory with a close win in the kilometer time trial.

Only days later, Huff teamed up with Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) to win gold in the Madison event. The duo rode a near-perfect Madison to claim the win and score significant qualification points for the United States towards the 2008 Olympic Games.

Third place for the male vote was a tie between track and field’s Breaux Greer and bowling’s Derek Eoff.

Greer (Athens, Ga.) broke his own American record May 20 at the adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A seven-time U.S. champion, Greer opened his competition with a throw of 90.71 meters/297 feet 7 inches, to smash his previous American record of 87.68m/287-8 that was set in 2004. For his effort, Greer was named the Team USA Athlete of the Meet, presented by Visa, and became the ninth-best performer of all time globally.

Eoff (Greenfield, Wis.), competing in his first international bowling event in his first year with Team USA, tied an American Zone Championships record with five medals out of a possible six events – three gold medals (team, trios, doubles), one silver (all-events) and one bronze (singles). He also helped break three other records at the tournament – trios three-game series (2,158), trios single game record (779) and team six-game event record (6,464).

Eoff’s performance helped the United States to become the first country to sweep all six gold medals in the current format of the American Zone Championships, which date back to 1961. Team USA claimed 11 out of a possible 18 medals at the week-long event.

The U.S. Women’s Goalball Team took home second-place honors for the team award. The team won the 7th Malmo Intercup Goalball tournament in Malmo, Sweden, May 18-20. After losing their first game to Finland, the team won six straight games including the gold-medal game over Paralympic champion Canada, 4-2. Lisa Banta (Tucson, Ariz.) anchored a stout team defensive effort, which held the strong field of opponents to an average of under one goal per game including three shutouts. Team Captain Jen Armbruster (Birmingham, Ala.) and Asya Miller (Lapeer, Mich.) were the tournament’s leading scorers with 16 and 13 goals, respectively. Stacie Jenkins (St. Augustine, Fla.) rounded out the team in her first overseas international competition. This was the fourth time in five years that the U.S. has captured this prestigious tournament, which yearly features all the top teams in the world.

In third place for the team vote was the U.S. Madison Cycling Team. The Duo of Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) and Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo.) captured a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships in Valencia, Venezuela in May.

For Huff, it was his second continental title of the games after winning gold in the omnium event. For Pearce, the Madison event at the Pan Am Championships was his first gold since announcing his return to competition after retiring following the 2004 Olympic Games.

Results

Women
1. Carrie Johnson
2. Jenn Stuczynski
3. Charlotte Craig

Men
1. Steven Lopez
2. Brad Huff
3. Breaux Greer and Derek Eoff

Team
1. U.S. Men’s Bowling Team
2. U.S. Women’s Goalball Team
3. Men’s U.S. Madison Cycling Team

For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division at (719) 866-4529.