NASSAU, Bahamas, May 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Once again, Mondo is the surface of new world records. At the inaugural International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) World Relays last weekend, three world records were set on a new, state-of-the-art track: Mondo's Super X 720 track.
On Saturday, Kenya's Mercy Cherono, Faith Kipyegon, Irene Jelagat and Hellen Obiri and their mark of 16:33.58* in the women's 4x1500-meter relay took a staggering 32 seconds off the previous record of 17:05.72 set by another Kenyan team in Nairobi last month.
Also on Saturday, the Jamaican men's 4x200-meter quartet of Nickel Ashmeade, Warren Weir, Jermaine Brown and Yohan Blake set a new world record of 1:18.63* to beat the prior record set by the United States in 1994 by 0.05.
The third world record came on Sunday when the Kenyan team of Collins Cheboi, Silas Kiplagat, James Magut and Asbel Kiprop ran the men's 4x1500-meter relay in 14:22.22* which shattered the previous time of 14:36.23 set by Kenya in 2009 by 14 seconds.
The site of the newest world records, the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium Located in the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, is the first facility in the Latin America and Caribbean region and among the first in the world with the innovative, new Mondo Super X 720 surface, which is manufactured by Mondo, the global leader in the track and field, indoor sport and contract flooring markets.
The 15,000-seat stadium that houses the recently installed eight-lane, 400-meter competition track has received the prestigious Class 1 certification by the IAAF, so it meets the precise quality and performance requirements of the organization, including those for synthetic track surfaces. The venue also will host the 2015 IAAF World Relays.
Mondo's new Super X 720 track combines the wear layer of the company's renowned Super X Performance track and the backing of Mondotrack, which are vulcanized together to form one continuous, seamless piece of material that delivers exceptional traction, durability, drainage and safety. The backing provides exceptional shock absorbency and energy return, which further helps the performance layer increase athletes' comfort and enables them to achieve faster times than when running on other surfaces. More than 230 world records have been set on tracks made by Mondo.
Other facilities in the U.S. with the Super X 720 surface include Drake Stadium at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State (California), which is hosting next month's 2014 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, John McDonnell Field at University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) and the Vanderbilt Student Rec Center at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee).
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the track and field, indoor sport and contract flooring markets, manufacturing flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and millions of square feet of the company's high-performance athletic surfaces are installed worldwide.
An official supplier of athletic tracks for the past 10 Olympic Games, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, the company sells its products in more than 196 countries through Mondo-owned manufacturing companies in Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and China. For news updates, the latest on Mondo products, events and flooring installations, visit mondoworldwide.com and like Mondotrack's Facebook page and Mondo America's Facebook page.
*pending ratification
Mondo and Mondotrack are registered trademarks of Mondo.