byLarry Eder |
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Aries Merritt, photo by PhotoRun.net
David Oliver, photo by PhotoRun.net
4 World Champions added to adidas Grand Prix lineup
Richardson and Merritt to face Oliver in hurdles field with major star power
NEW YORK CITY (May 2, 2012)–A trio of the world’s best hurdlers, the
#1-ranked high jumper in the world, and the American Record-holder at
400 meters are among the world-class athletes joining the field for the adidas Grand Prix on June 9, organizers have announced.
Jason Richardson, Jesse Williams, Aries Merritt, and Sanya Richards-Ross are among the stars set to join previously announced 2011 World Champions Yohan Blake (100 meters), Carmelita Jeter (100 meters), and David Rudisha (800 meters), giving the event seven current World Champions with many more athletes yet to be announced.
Tickets for the adidas Grand Prix, in its eighth year as one of the premier track-and-field events in the world, are available at adidasgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722.
Topping the charts in the 110-meter hurdles is Richardson, the American
whose meteoric rise as a pro in 2011 reached its zenith when he was
crowned the IAAF World Champion. Richardson, 26, was the 2003 IAAF World
Youth Champion at both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles–the only
athlete ever to score that double–and the 2008 NCAA Champion at the high
hurdles, but made his major breakthrough as a pro just last year. In
2011, a personal best of 13.04 helped him to a #2 world ranking after he
finished 2010 as #6 in the U.S.
Going toe to toe with Richardson will be Merritt, another new American
star. Merritt, also 26, won the 2012 World Indoor Championships in
Istanbul, giving the adidas Grand Prix field both the
reigning indoor and outdoor World Champions and a matchup of athletes at
turning points in their careers after following similar paths: Merritt
was the 2004 World Junior Champion and 2006 NCAA Champion in the
110-meter hurdles before making his biggest mark as a pro this winter.
They will have to contend with no less than veteran superstar David Oliver,
who in 2010 became the third-fastest man in history when he ran 12.89
to break the American Record. Undefeated outdoors and ranked #1 in the
world that year, the 30-year-old Oliver is also the 2008 Olympic bronze
medalist and the 2010 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist. He was
ranked #3 in the world for 2011.
All three will be chasing the meet record of 12.92, set by Liu Xiang in
2007 in a thrilling duel that saw American Terrence Trammell finish
second in 12.95, the first sub-13 of his career and still his personal
best. Their times ranked as the fastest and third-fastest in the world
for 2007.
Headlining the men’s high jump will be Williams, the 2011 World
Champion, who last summer became the first American man to win that
title since Charles Austin in 1991. Williams, 28, finished the season
ranked #1 in the world. He is a five-time U.S. champion and the 2011
Jesse Owens Award winner, and heads into the 2012 Olympic Games as a
gold-medal favorite.
Richards-Ross, 27, is the 2009 World Champion and 2012 World Indoor
Champion at 400 meters. The American Record-holder (48.70), she is the
2008 Olympic bronze medalist and also owns two Olympic gold medals and
four World Championships gold medals in the 4×400-meter relay.
Also added to the field are Jamaican stars Sherone Simpson, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist at 100 meters and 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 4×100-meter relay; and Jermaine Gonzales, 2011 World Championships bronze medalist in the 4×400-meter relay.
The adidas Grand Prix will begin at 1 p.m. June 9 at Icahn Stadium on
Randall’s Island. The sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond
League circuit, it is also part of the Visa Championship Series. All of
the latest news, photos and additional information on the event can be
found at adidasgrandprix.com, the event’s pages on Facebook at facebook.com/adidasGrandPrix
and on Twitter at twitter.com/adidasGrandPrix. When tweeting, use #agpny.
