by Larry Eder
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie vs. Sherone Simpson, 2006 Oslo, photo by PhotoRun.net
photo by PhotoRun.net
photo by PhotoRun.net
Kalkidan Gezehenge, 2010 World Indoor Champs, photo by PhotoRun.net
The adidas Grand Prix fields are filling up and they should be even better than 2010! The adidas Golden Spikes series, giving the top 100 m and mile prepsters a chance to run against the best of the best, should add some excitement!
RBR will have coverage of all of these meets! You will not miss a minute of the action!
Prix good as gold
Lagat to run 5000m; Lolo Jones set for hurdles;
world’s top 3 in women’s 1500m
NEW YORK CITY (May 18, 2011) – Three
more of the world’s top sprinters have been added to a spectacular field in the
women’s 200 meters at the adidas Grand
Prix on June 11, organizers announced today.
Shelly-Ann
Fraser-Pryce (JAM);
the reigning Olympic and World Champion at 100 meters; Carmelita Jeter (USA), ranked #1 in the world last year at 100
meters; and veteran Debbie
Ferguson-McKenzie (BAH), the 2001 World Champion who earned a #4 world-ranking
in 2010, will compete in what is fast becoming one of the marquee races of the
meet and perhaps one of the best sprint matchups in all of 2011.
The trio will join previously announced
Allyson Felix (USA), the three-time
World Champion ranked #1 in the world last year; #5 Sherone Simpson (JAM), the reigning Olympic silver medalist at 100
meters; #3 Shalonda Solomon (USA);
and #6 Bianca Knight (USA).
In its seventh year as one of the
premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, is the
sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond League circuit. Nine athletes
ranked #1 in the world for 2010 – including Blanka VlaÅ¡ić, Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner and Bershawn “Batman” Jackson – are among
the superstars announced to date, along with new Jamaican sprint sensation Nickel Ashmeade and “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, the 400-meter Paralympic gold medalist hoping to
compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. Tickets are available at the event website, www.adidasgrandprix.com, or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.
The women’s 1500 meters is equally
loaded, with the top three women in the world for 2010 headlining the field. Nancy Langat (KEN), ranked #1 last year
and the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, returns to defend her adidas Grand Prix title, while #2 Anna Alminova (RUS) ran the fastest time in the world last year
(3:57.65). Gelete Burka (ETH),
ranked #3, is the 2008 World Indoor Champion. Kalkidan Gezahegne (ETH), the 2010 World Indoor Champion; Kenia Sinclair (JAM), the fastest
800-meter runner in the world so far in 2011 and World Indoor silver medalist
in 2008; Anna Pierce (USA), the
four-time U.S. champion who in 2010 ranked #2 in the world at 800 meters and #6
at 1500; and Jenny Simpson (USA),
the 2010 USA Indoor Champion at 1500 and 3000 meters, are among the athletes
who will challenge the top trio.
Leading the field in the women’s
100-meter hurdles are Brigitte
Foster-Hylton (JAM), the current outdoor World Champion, and Lolo Jones (USA), two-time World Indoor
Champion in the 60-meter hurdles. Challenging them will
be Delloreen Ennis (JAM), a three-time
World Championship medalist, and Kellie
Wells (USA), whose winning time of 12.58 in the season’s first Diamond
League meet, in Doha, is the fastest in the world this year. They join Tiffany Ofili-Porter (GBR), five-time
NCAA Champion and 2011 European Indoor silver medalist in the 60-meter hurdles,
and of course Jessica Ennis (GBR),
the 2009 World Champion in the heptathlon who was previously announced. More
top athletes are expected to be announced soon.
In the men’s 100 meters, Richard Thompson (TRI), Nesta Carter (JAM), Michael Frater (JAM) and Wallace Spearmon (USA) join previously
announced Gay (USA) and Ashmeade (JAM)
in the field. Thompson, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, is the defending adidas Grand Prix champion, while
Carter ran 9.78 seconds last season to tie Gay for the fastest 100-meter time
of the year. Frater, the 2005 World Championship silver medalist, was on the
4×100-meter relay team, along with Carter, that won gold en route to their
World Record in Beijing. Spearmon is a three-time World Championship medalist
at 200 meters and ranked #2 in the world last year at that distance.
The men’s 5000-meter field is headlined
by Bernard Lagat (USA) and Imane Merga (ETH). Lagat, the popular two-time
Olympic medalist at 1500 meters and 2007 World Champion at 1500 and 5000
meters, is the American Record-holder at the distance and has found great
success in New York as the eight-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile. His top rival
is Merga, ranked #1 in the world last year at 5000 meters and the 2011 World
Cross Country Champion.
All of the latest news, photos and
additional information on the adidas
Grand Prix can be found at www.adidasgrandprix.com and the event’s pages on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtag #agpnyc when
referencing or searching for the event.
In addition, media accreditation is now
available at www.adidasGrandPrix.com, under Media. The application deadline
is Wednesday, June 1. The adidas Grand
Prix, part of the Visa Championship Series, will begin at 1 p.m. on June
11.
About
Icahn Stadium
Icahn Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility on Randall’s Island featuring a
400-meter Mondo track and covered seating for spectators, is the premier
outdoor track-and-field venue in New York City. It was built by the Randall’s
Island Sports Foundation (RISF) in partnership with New York City Department of
Parks. The facility is programmed, operated and maintained by RISF.
