NEW YORK CITY – Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell, the most successful female track athlete at the 2004 Olympics, and New Zealander Nick Willis, who last month won the 1500-meter gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, are among the international stars set to compete at the 2006 Reebok Grand Prix on June 3, organizers announced today.
In Athens, Campbell won two gold medals (200m and 4x100m) and a bronze (100m) for Jamaica, and recently earned a 200m silver at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Named the 2004 Sportswoman of the Year in Jamaica, Campbell’s winning time of 22.05 in her 200m victory in Athens was the fastest in the world for 2004, and no woman has run faster in the last five years.
Willis, from New Zealand, broke the legendary John Walker’s 30-year-old national record for 1500m when he ran 3:32.38 last year in just his second professional race. A semifinalist at 1500m at the 2004 Olympics, Willis is a seven-time All-American out of the University of Michigan.
They will be joined by Commonwealth Games sprint champions Sheri-Ann Brooks (100m) and Omar Brown (200m), both of Jamaica; and the men who rounded out the 1500m medal stand with Willis in Melbourne, Nate Brannen of Canada (silver) and Mark Fountain of Australia (bronze.)
The Reebok Grand Prix, the only outdoor East Coast meet that offers head-to-head competition among world-class athletes, was the first international competition held in the new Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island when it debuted last year. Tickets, at $30 and $20, are now on sale at www.ReebokGrandPrix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC. Group discounts are available.
The event, managed by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. ET. It and is the fourth stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series.
