Marquee match-ups of world champions and Olympic medalists in place for 2009 Reebok Grand Prix
NEW YORK – Marquee match-ups for the women’s 100 meters featuring defending champion and Olympic Gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica and American Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams, the women’s and men’s 5,000 meter, women’s 400 meter, women’s 200 meter and men’s 110 meter hurdles for the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix announced today by organizers of the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix.
The Reebok Grand Prix is the fourth stop of USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series and will be held at 3:00pm on May 30, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
Women’s 100 Meters
The women’s 100 meter dash features a world-class field including Olympic 200 meters champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica and American Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams.
Campbell-Brown and Williams have gone head-to-head multiple times in recent years and have a history of performing well in major competitions. The two-time Olympic gold medalist at 200 meters, Campbell-Brown defeated Williams in a photo finish at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka in the 100 meters. Two years earlier, at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Williams won the gold at 100 meters with Campbell-Brown finishing a close second. The results of the women’s 100 meters at this year’s Reebok Grand Prix could serve as a preview for the results of 2009 World Championships set for Berlin later this summer.
Women’s 200 Meter
One of Jamaica’s sprint divas from the 2008 Olympics, Shelly-Ann Fraser, will take center stage in the women’s 200 meters. Fraser won gold at 100 meters at the 2008 Olympics with a personal best time of 10.78 seconds. Among her challengers will be up and coming Americans Shalonda Solomon and Bianca Knight. Solomon set an indoor American Record at 300 meters in February and Knight won the NCAA Indoor Championships at 200 meters in 2008.
Women’s 5,000 Meters
Ethiopia’s double Olympic gold medalist at 5,000 and 10,000 meters and nine-time world champion Tirunesh Dibaba will make her 2009 debut in the women’s 5,000 meters. Dibaba, who has set three world records in her young but wildly successful career, will be challenged by, among others, Kim Smith from New Zealand. Smith was a four-time NCAA Champion at Providence and is the New Zealand national record holder at 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Also added to the field is Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia, the 2003 World Cross Country Champion and 10,000 meter silver medalist at the 2003 World Championships; and Genzebe Dibaba, Tirunesh’s younger sister. The younger Dibaba won the 2009 World Junior Cross Country Championships and just two weeks ago won her first Ethiopian national title at 5,000m.
Men’s 5,000 Meters
The superb field for the men’s 5,000 meter event is headlined by defending 1,500 meter and 5,000 meter World Champion Bernard Lagat of the United States. Reigning World Cross Country Champion Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam of Ethiopia, 2008 Olympic 5,000 meter bronze medal-winner Edwin Soi of Kenya and 2008 Olympic 10,000 meter bronze medalist Micah Kogo also of Kenya will take on Lagat in a race that will threaten to break the 13 minute barrier for the first time ever on US soil. In 1996, Bob Kennedy was the first American athlete to run inside 13 minutes for 5,000 meters, and his American Record still stands at 12:58.21.
Women’s 400 Meters
America’s best will face Jamaica’s best in the women’s 400 meters. The American duo of Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards will take on Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills and Shericka Williams. Felix, America’s reigning World Champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist at 200 meters, ran the world-leading time at 400 meters several weeks ago in Doha. Sanya Richards has been dominated at this distance with the fastest time in the world in three of the last four years. Shericka Williams won the silver medal at 400 meters at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing just ahead of Richards. Novlene Williams-Mills is a two-time Olympic 4×400 meter bronze medalist and was the 2007 World Championships 400 meter bronze medalist. Williams-Mills has the second fastest 400 meter time of 2009, right behind Felix.
Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell, Jamaican Olympic finalist Maurice Wignall, 2005 World Championship gold medalist Ladji Doucouré of France will square off against 2008 Olympic silver medalist David Payne in the men’s 110 meter hurdles. Doucouré, who finished fourth behind Payne in Beijing, won the gold medal at European Indoor Championships in the 60 meter hurdles last March. Trammell, the 2007 World Championships silver medalist, is coming off an indoor season that saw him run the fourth fastest time in history over 60 meter hurdles. Wignall, the Jamaican record holder at the 110 meter hurdles, is the reigning Commonwealth Champion in the high hurdles.
Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the Reebok Grand Prix is in its fifth year and is the fourth stop on USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series. It features Olympic stars, top high school athletes and a Fastest Kid in New York competition for 7- and 8-year-olds. Events include men’s and women’s sprints, hurdles, middle-distance races, the pole vault and invitational high school races. Increased and upgraded backstretch seating at track level is being added to accommodate the growing demand and interest from fans in the New York area. Tickets are on sale now by phone at 1-877-TIX-TRAC or on-line at www.ReebokGrandPrix.com. Additional updates, photos and information can be found by visiting the Reebok Grand Prix pages on Facebook and Twitter.
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.
