NEW YORK – World champion Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, American sprint star Tyson Gay, Ethiopian distance standout Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam and reigning three-time world champion Swedish heptathlete Carolina Kluft will be among the headliners at the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix, organizers announced today.
The Reebok Grand Prix is the third 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.
Veronica Campbell-Brown
Campbell-Brown, 26, the reigning 100-meter world champion, will attempt to win her third straight Reebok Grand Prix title in the 100-meters. A five-time Olympic medalist, she captured gold in the 200-meters at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, becoming only the second woman in Olympic Games history to successfully defend her title.
The 26-year old Gay was a three-time world champion in 2007 in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4×100-meter relay and is the current American record holder in the 100-meters. For his 2007 performances, Gay was named IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, USOC Sportsman of the Year, Track and Field News Man of the Year and awarded the Jesse Owens Award.
Just two weeks ago, Gebremariam, 23, won the IAAF World Cross Country Championship in Jordan. The Ethiopian distance champion previously won World Cross individual medals in 2002, 2003 and 2004. With his individual gold and team silver medals, Gebremariam has now earned 15 medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, second only to compatriot Kenenisa Bekele.
Sweden’s Kluft, 26, who will compete in the long jump, is considered one the world’s greatest female athletes. Kluft won the Olympic heptathlon in 2004 and is the reigning three-time world and double European heptathlon champion.
