by Larry Eder
Rudisha, Fraser-Pryce set for adidas Grand Prix
NEW YORK CITY (April 23, 2014) – Three of the most dominant athletes in the sport are the latest superstars to join the lineup for the adidas Grand Prix, which this year marks its 10th year of bringing the world’s top athletes to Icahn Stadium, organizers announced today.
David Rudisha, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Valerie Adams – who among them own five Olympic gold medals and 14 World Championships titles – will all be returning to the NYC event, set to held this year on June 14. One of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix has hosted two World Records and 15 National Records in its first nine years, and its fans have had the privilege of witnessing almost a dozen performances that were the fastest ever recorded on U.S. soil – including Rudisha’s awe-inspiring run here in 2012.
Tickets for the event, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, are on sale now at www.adidasgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722.
Rudisha is the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, 2011 IAAF World Champion, and World Record-holder (1:40.91) at 800 meters. In his U.S. debut at this meet in 2012, Rudisha sent the crowd into a frenzy with a stunning final lap that saw him stop the clock at 1:41.74, the fastest time ever run in this country. The 25-year-old Kenyan holds six of the 10-fastest times run in history.
Fraser-Pryce, 27, has won the past two Olympic gold medals at 100 meters, and is a six-time World Champion. Three of those world titles – at 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4×100-meter relay – came in 2013, earning Jamaica’s sprint queen the title of 2013 IAAF Female World Athlete of the Year.
Adams, 29, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion in the shot put, and has not lost a competition in more than three years, a streak of 46 straight victories going back to August 22, 2010. The New Zealander had eight of the 10 longest throws in the world last year and has been ranked #1 in the world for eight of the past nine years.
Also added to the lineup are:
• Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist and reigning World Champion at 400 meters, ranked #2 in the world.
• Erik Kynard of the USA and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar in the high jump. Kynard, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist ranked #4 in the world and Barshim, the 2014 World Indoor Champion and 2013 World Championships silver medalist ranked #2, will join the previously announced Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine, the 2013 World Champion rnaked #1, in what promises to be among the best high jump competitions ever seen in the U.S.
• Michael Tinsley of the USA and Javier Culson of Puerto Rico in the 400-meter hurdles. Tinsley and Culson, the 2012 Olympic silver and bronze medalists, respectively, also have three World Championships silver medals between them: two (2009, 2011) for Culson and another (2013) for Tinsley.
They will all be joined by the previously announced Olympic gold medalist and World Indoor Record-holderJenn Suhr in the pole vault; Sally Pearson, the reigning Olympic Champion in the 100-meter hurdles, andYohan Blake, the double 2011 World Champion (100 meters, 4×100-meter relay) and 2012 Olympic gold medalist (4×100-meter relay).
The sixth stop on the international IAAF Diamond League circuit, the adidas Grand Prix is in its 10th year at Icahn Stadium, in conjunction with the Randall’s Island Sports Alliance. The latest news, photos and information on the event can be found at www.adidasgrandprix.com; on Facebook; and on Twitter.
