byLarry Eder
Oliver, Eaton Among 5 Olympians Entered
In NYRR Millrose Games 60m Hurdles
American Pride: Olympians David Oliver and Ashton Eaton return to The Armory. Photos by Victah Sailer
NEW YORK, February 4, 2015 -The five Olympians, three of them medalists, highlight one of the most star-studded events in this year’s 108th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center.
As athletes, ambassadors for track and field, and cross-over personalities, it’s hard to beat a 60m men’s field that includes David Oliver, Jason Richardson, Jeff Porter and Ashton Eaton.
Oliver, who responded from a disappointing Olympic Trials in 2012 by coming back to win the 2013 IAAF World Championships title in the 110-meter hurdles, opened 2015 with a third-place finish at the Hilton Invitational/Camel City Elite Races in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan., 31, running 7.69 seconds.
A week later, also at Winston-Salem’s JDL Fast Track, was the David Oliver Invitational – a high school event that the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist is actively involved with as an initiative to give back to the sport.
Richardson, the Olympic silver medalist in 2012, placed second at the Hilton/Camel City meet with 7.60. Aleec Harris, another entrant in the Millrose field, won that race with 7.55 seconds, second-best in the world so far in 2015. Harris ranked sixth in the world in 2014 in the 110 hurdles outdoors.
Jeff Porter, a 2012 Olympian and 2013 Millrose Games winner, manages a full-time job, training and is pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Michigan.
Eaton, a world-class elite in a handful of his 10 decathlon events, returns to the 60 hurdles at The Armory after placing fourth last year. Eaton, the world’s greatest athlete by virtue of his world record in the decathlon, is one of the most popular and engaging athletes in the sport.
“What could be better than the in-form Ashton Eaton, the world’s greatest athlete, taking on two world champions David Oliver and Jason Richardson in the 60-meter hurdles,” NYRR Millrose Games Meet Director Ray Flynn said.
Additionally, Syracuse grad Jarret Eaton, third at Millrose last year, is part of a field that also 2014 world indoor champion Omo Osaghae, who lives and trains in Texas, and Barbados Olympian Greggmar Swift.
Earlier this month, USA Track & Field announced that both the Armory Track Invitational, held last weekend, and the NYRR Millrose Games will make up half of this season’s indoor USATF Championship Series. The NYRR Millrose Games is scheduled to be televised live nationally byNBC Sports Network (NBCSN) from 6-8 p.m. USATF.tv will carry live events from both meets as well.
This year’s NYRR Millrose Games promises to be one of the best ever and features the likes of 2014 World 800m leader Ajee’ Wilson along with the “fast and fashionable” Sanya Richards-Ross, who will attempt to break her own Armory Track record of 50.89 in the 400m, Olympic pole vault gold medalist Jenn Suhr, and Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp in the 5,000m with last week’s ATI champion Cam Levins. The men’s all-time NYRR Wanamaker Mile championBernard Lagat will try to win his ninth title in the elite mile field that includes defending champion Will Leer, 2012 champion Matthew Centrowitz and five-time NCAA championEdward Cheserek, while the women’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile will feature defending championMary Cain and her Nike Oregon Project teammates Shannon Rowbury, Treniere Moser andJordan Hasay.
This marks the fourth NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory and will include the country’s premier professional, college and high school track & field athletes competing on one stage.
Tickets for the NYRR Millrose Games can
be purchased at http://Tickets.
About The Armory Foundation
The Armory is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of “Keeping Kids on Track.” Each season the Armory — the proud home of the NYRR Millrose Games — hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 125,000 athlete visits. Besides its many youth sports and educational programs, The Armory runs the Armory Track Invitational, EmblemHealth Hispanic Games, the New Balance Games, and the New Balance Nationals Indoors. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. For more: Please visitArmoryTrack.com.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
