Contact: Tom Surber Media Information Manager USA Track & Field (317) 261-0500 x317 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.usatf.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, January 29, 2003 Olympic stars and record holders to compete at Boston INDIANAPOLIS - A stellar field of U.S. and international stars will kick off USA Track & Field's 2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour Saturday at the adidas Boston Indoor Games. Held at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, the meet will be broadcast live February 1 from 6-7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. U.S. stars Maurice Greene, Stacy Dragila, David Krummenacker and Regina Jacobs headline the event, which offers bonus money to any athlete who sets a world or American record. In its seven-year history, $140,000 in bonuses for world and American records have been awarded to athletes at the adidas Boston Indoor Games. At this year's event, local organizers Global Athletics and Marketing, Inc., will provide bonuses of $10,000 for any American record and $25,000 for any world record. Strong fields will be featured throughout the meet, highlighted by the Verizon men's 60m dash, the women's 60m, the adidas men's 1,500m, the women's 1,500m and the Visa women's pole vault. As the world indoor record holder for 60 meters (6.39 seconds) and the 1999 World Indoor Champion in the event, Maurice Greene is the heavy favorite in the men's 60m. A two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time World Outdoor Championships gold medalist, Greene will face a stiff challenge from defending World Indoor champion Tim Harden, and defending Boston champion Jon Drummond. 2002 U.S. Indoor 200m champion and reigning world 200m indoor champion Shawn Crawford also is in the field, along with Joshua "J.J." Johnson, who placed second in the 60m at the 2002 Millrose Games. Marcus Brunson, Kaaron Conwright and Ghana's Aziz Zakari also will compete Saturday. After a landmark 2002 season, David Krummenacker returns to Boston to compete in the adidas men's 1,500 meters after sprinting past Kenya's Laban Rotich in the final lap of the 1,000 meters at last year's event to win in the new American indoor record time of 2:17.85. Krummenacker, whose 2002 performance bettered Ocky Clark's 1989 AR of 2:18.19, will have his sights on Jeff Atkinson's 1989 U.S. 1,500m record of 3:38.12. Krummenacker will have his hands full competing against Kenyans Bernard Lagat, the 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, and Laban Rotich, the third-fastest man ever at 1,500m indoors (behind only Hicham el Guerrouj and Haile Gebrselassie). Kevin Sullivan of Canada, who was fifth at the 2000 Olympics, also could be a factor. Other Americans in the field include 2002 U.S. Indoor mile champion Jason Lunn, 2002 U.S. Indoor, and Outdoor runner-up, Bryan Berryhill and 2000 Olympic semi-finalist Michael Stember. Last year's women's 60m runner-up Chryste Gaines, the 2001 World Indoor bronze medalist and defending U.S. 60m champion, will face a difficult challenge from 1999 World Outdoor 200m champion and fellow Olympic relay gold medalist Inger Miller. Four-time NCAA women's 100m champion and 2002 USA Indoor 60m runner-up Angela Williams is also in the field, along with Americans Torri Edwards, who placed fourth in the 100 meters at the 2002 USA Outdoor Championships, and hurdles specialist Kim Carson. The Americans will be challenged by 2000 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist Savatheda Fynes of the Bahamas, who placed fourth here last year. Regina Jacobs returns to the Reggie Lewis Center after setting records there each of the last three years. Jacobs will compete in the 1,500 meters on Saturday after setting a new world two-mile world best there last year in 9:23.38. Also at Boston in 2001, she ran a meet record for 3000 meters, 8:43.38, and in 2000 she set the American record for 1000m when she ran 2:35.29. To set records four years in a row at Boston, Jacobs will look to better Mary Slaney's 23-year-old American record of 4:00.8. Jacobs will have to be at her best to defeat a strong international field including Ireland's Geraldine Hendricken, who last year became the second-fastest Irish 1500m woman in history behind only Sonia O'Sullivan. Lyudmila Vasilyeva of Russia, who ran the eighth-fastest time in the world outdoors in 2001, also is in the field, along with Romania's Elena Iagar, who was among the fastest women in the world last year at this distance. American Collette Liss, who finished the 2002 season ranked #9 in the U.S. by Track & Field News at 1,500m and 3,000m, also will compete in Boston. The Visa women's pole vault is a star-studded affair as well, featuring world outdoor record holder and Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila. Now fully recovered from a sore left foot that hampered her throughout the 2002 season, Dragila returns to the indoor circuit looking to regain her world indoor record. A six-time U.S. Indoor champion and the 1997 World Indoor gold medalist, Dragila will be challenged by 2002 U.S. Indoor champion Mary Sauer, and former American record holder Mel Mueller. 2001 World Indoor Championships silver medalist Kellie Suttle also is in the field. Athletes with local ties competing at the adidas Boston Indoor Games include former NCAA 5000-meter champion Jonathon Riley of Brookline, Mass., making his professional indoor debut; and newly-crowned NCAA cross-country champion Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead, Mass. Other athletes to watch include 2000 Olympic 1,500m gold medalist Noah Ngeny of Kenya, 2002 USA Indoor and Outdoor 200m runner-up Darvis Patton; 2000 Olympic 100m hurdles bronze medalist and four-time U.S. Indoor champion Melissa Morrison; 2002 U.S. 800m indoor champion Derrick Peterson, 2002 U.S. Indoor mile champion Jason Lunn, 2002 U.S. Indoor 400m champion Monique Hennagan, 2002 NCAA Outdoor 400m hurdles champion Lashinda Demus and 2002 U.S. Indoor 3,000m champion Amy Rudolph. The Golden Spike Tour continues Feb. 7 at the Verizon Millrose Games in New York City and Feb. 15 with the Tyson Foods Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. The Tour will conclude with a return to Boston's Reggie Lewis Center March 1-2 for the 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. For more information on the adidas Boston Indoor Games and the 2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour, visit www.usatf.org. adidas Boston Indoor Games Start Lists (Subject to change. All countries USA unless other wise denoted) Verizon men's 60m: Maurice Greene, Jon Drummond, Shawn Crawford, Marcus Brunson, Joshua "J.J." Johnson, Tim Harden, Kaaron Conwright, Abdul Aziz Zakari (GHA). Men's 200m: John Capel, Darvis Patton, Melvin Lister, Dwight Thomas, Dwight Thomas (JAM), Stanley Egbor (NGR). Men's 800m: Derrick Peterson, Bryan Woodward, Trinity Gray, Eliott Blount, Lubert Lewis, Otukile Lekote (BOT), Neil Speaight (GBR), Jean Destine (HAI), Daniel Caulfield (IRL). adidas Men's 1,500m: David Krummenacker, Bernard Lagat (KEN), Kevin Sullivan (CAN), Michael Stember, Ibrahim Aden, Laban Rotich (KEN), Bryan Berryhill, Jason Lunn, Berhanu Alemu (ETH), Hachlaf Abdelkader (MAR), Fidele Baregensabe (BUR), Markos Geneti (ETH). Xerox Men's 3,000m: Daniel Lincoln, Jonathon Riley, Clint Wells, Luke Watson, Dan Wilson, Ryan Kirkpatrick, Paul Bitok (KEN), Noah Ngeny (KEN), Martin Keino (KEN), Michael Aish (NZL), Robert Whalley (GBR), Alistair Cragg (IRL), Berhanu Adane (ETH), Daniel Zegeye (ETH), Irba Lakhal (FRA), Sammy Mutai (KEN). College Distance Medley Relay: Arkansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Univ. of Arizona, Providence, Dartmouth, Southern Methodist, Boston College, Villanova. Women's 60m: Chryste Gaines, Inger Miller, Angela Williams, Torri Edwards, Kim Carson, Aleen Bailey (JAM), Myriam Mani (CMR), Savatheda Fynes (BAH). Women's 400m: Monique Hennagan, Tasha Downing, Lashinda Demus, Demetria Washington, Me'Lisa Barber, Tonique Williams (BAH). StretchRite Women's 800m: Hazel Clark, Chantee Earl, Sasha Spencer, Alice Schmidt, Yasheka Taylor, Brigita Langerholc (SLO), Melissa DeLeon (TRI), Sandra Moya (PUR). Women's 1,500m: Regina Jacobs, Collette Liss, Janelle Deatherage, Heather Sagan, Sarah Hann, Meskerem Legesse (ETH), Geraldine Hendricken (IRL), Lyudmila Vasilyeva (RUS), Birhane Hirpasse (ETH), Grace Njoki (KEN), Elena Iagar (ROM), Svetlana Bandrakova (RUS-pacesetter). Women's 3,000m: Amy Rudolph, Blake Russell, Katie McGregor, Shalane Flanagan, Rachel Sauder, Beth Hoge, Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar (ETH), Kathy Butler (GBR), Sentayehu Ejigu (ETH), Sinead Delahunty-Evans (IRL), Korene Hinds (JAM), Sarah Dupre-Healy (CAN), Carmen Douma (CAN), Siri Alfheim (NOR), Tracy Robertson (CAN). Women's 60m Hurdles: Melissa Morrison, Jenny Adams, Tiffany Ross, Damu Cherry, Dionne Rose-Henley (JAM), Vonette Dixon (JAM), Cecile Michot (FRA). Visa Women's Pole Vault: Stacy Dragila, Mel Mueller, Mary Sauer, Kellie Suttle, Jill Schwartz, Vanessa Boslak (FRA). adidas Boston Indoor Games Schedule of Events (Subject to Change) Master's Mile - 5:00 pm Women's 3000 Meter Run - 5:10 pm VISA Women's Pole Vault - 5:30 pm BAA Kid's Relay - 5:25 pm College Men's DMR - 5:35 pm Opening Ceremonies - 5:48 pm Women's 60 Meter Hurdles - 6:01 pm Men's 800 Meter Run - 6:12 pm Women's 60 Meter Dash - 6:18 pm Men's 200 Meter Dash - 6:25 pm Verizon Men's 60 Meter Dash - 6:32 pm Women's 1500 Meter Run - 6:39 pm adidas Men's 1500 Meter Run - 6:50 pm Boy's High School Mile - 7:02 pm Women's 400 Meter Run - 7:10 pm Girl's High School - 7:20 pm StretchRite Women's 800 Meter Run - 7:30 pm XEROX Men's 3000 Meter Run - 7:40 pm # # #
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