Stars to come out at Doha – News and Notes, Volume 8, Number 28 – US Track & Field NEWS

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner and triple World Outdoor champion Allyson Felix headline the American contingent for the 2008 Qatar Super Grand Prix Friday, May 9, in Doha, Qatar.

    A two-time World Outdoor 400 meter champion, Wariner will step down in distance, looking to improve on his personal best of 20.19 in the 200m. He will face stiff competition from 2007 World Outdoor 400m silver medalist LaShawn Merritt, who has already run a windy 19.80 (+3.2 mps) so far this year.

    Felix, a two-time World Outdoor champion over 200m, will officially open her outdoor season at Doha and will try to repeat her 100-400 win from 2007. This is the fourth year in a row that she has opened up her season at the Qatar Super Grand Prix.

    Other athletes to watch for include reigning World Outdoor champion Reese Hoffa, who is entered in the men's shot put and 2008 World Indoor champion Lolo Jones will be challenged by two-time U.S. Outdoor champion Ginnie Powell in the women's 100m hurdles.

    Fans can watch the meet live on www.wcsn.com beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 9. For more information, visit www.iaaf.org.

    Women's 100m stacked for adidas Track Classic

    Seven of the top 10 women in the world over 100 meters – including the last three World champions – are expected to toe the starting line at the adidas Track Classic Sunday, May 18 organizers announced Wednesday.

    The adidas Track Classic is the second stop on USA Track & Field's 2008 Outdoor Visa Championship Series. It will begin at 12:30 p.m. on May 18 at The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and will be broadcast live on ESPN from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. PDT (4 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT).

    The women's 100m race will be a rematch of the top four finishers from the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, won in a photo finish by Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown over silver medalist Lauryn Williams and bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter. Williams is the 2005 World Champion.

    They will be challenged by 2003 World champion Torri Edwards, who was fourth in Osaka, World Outdoor triple gold medalist Allyson Felix, 2006 World Indoor champion Lisa Barber, 2006 IAAF Athlete of the Year Sanya Richards, 2005 NCAA champion Marshevet Hooker and Kerron Stewart of Jamaica.

    Jeter and Edwards are likely to have large cheering sections. Jeter ran for Bishop Montgomery High School in nearby Torrance, and later competed for California State University, Dominguez Hills, while Edwards competed for Pomona High School and the University of Southern California.

    Felix will also double at her specialty, the 200 meters. She won back-to-back World Championships in 2005 and 2007. Tyson Gay, the three-time 2007 World champion and IAAF World Athlete of the Year, will also double. At 100m, he will go up against Derrick Atkins, the World Outdoor silver medallist from the Bahamas, while at 200m he will meet Xavier Carter, the third-fastest man in history behind Michael Johnson and Gay.

    Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the adidas Track Classic is the second stop of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series. Tickets, from $40 (finish line) down to $10, are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS. USATF welcomes you to pay with your Visa. For more information, visit www.adidasTrackClassic.com or www.visachampionshipsseries.com.

Vicky Oddi
Communications Coordinator
Vicky.Oddi@usatf.org