Track & field to take center stage Saturday in New York

The shining stars of track & field will make the lights of Times Square seem dim in comparison Saturday when many of the world's finest athletes compete in New York City at the 2007 Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island.

Tyson Gay, Lauryn Williams, Dwight Phillips, Rachelle Smith, Shawn Crawford, Wallace Spearmon, Allyson, Felix, Hazel Clark, Bernard Lagat, Stacy Dragila, Alan Webb, Jenn Stuczynski, Bershawn Jackson, Terrence Trammell, Tirunesh Dibaba, Liu Xiang and Craig Mottram and are just a few of the big names who will be on hand.

The third event of USA Track & Field's 2007 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Reebok Grand Prix will be televised Saturday night, June 2, on ESPN2 from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and on Sunday, June 3, from 1 - 2 p.m. on CBS. All times are Eastern.

Atkins, Spearmon, Crawford headline men's sprints

The men's sprint events, featuring many of the world's fastest athletes, should prove most entertaining. The men's 100 meters is headlined by Tyson Gay, who ended the 2006 season ranked #2 in the world at 100 meters, and #1 globally at 200 meters. He'll be challenged by reigning world and Olympic men's long jump champion Dwight Phillips, and young, up-and-comer Derrick Atkins, who posted the second fastest 100m time in the world this year of 9.98 seconds, on April 28 in Berkeley, Calif.

2005 World Outdoor silver medalist, reigning USA Outdoor champion and 2006 Reebok Grand Prix winner Wallace Spearmon will headline a competitive men's 200 meters. Earlier this season at the adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., Spearmon posted the second-fastest time in the world this year of 19.91 seconds. He'll face a strong challenge from Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who ended the 2006 season ranked #4 in the world, and #10 world-ranked Chris Williams.

The men's 400m also will be strong led by 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist and reigning USA Outdoor champion Andrew Rock. He'll face 2004 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Derrick Brew, and #3 world-ranked LaShawn Merritt, who dipped under 20 seconds for 200 meters earlier in May at the adidas Track Classic.

Hot women's 100 meters

One of the most highly anticipated events will be the women's Visa 100 meters. Reigning World 100m champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams will take on 2005 World Outdoor Championships 200m gold medalist and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix and triple Olympic medalist Veronica Campbell of Jamaica. Yet 2003 world champion Torri Edwards could be considered the favorite following her world-leading win May 20 at the adidas Track Classic in 10.90 seconds.

The women's 200 meters should be interesting as 2005 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist and reigning USA Outdoor champion Rachelle Smith will take on high school phenom Bianca Knight, who is a senior at Ridgeland HS in Ridgeland, Miss. The 2005 World Junior champion at 100 meters and silver medalist at 200m, Knight owns the U.S. high school indoor 200m record of 22.97 seconds.

In addition to competing in the 100 meters, Felix is also entered in the women's 400 meters, where she'll face two-time USA Indoor champion and Olympic relay gold medalist Dee Dee Trotter.

World's best hurdlers to strut their stuff

The fields for the hurdles races in New York feature many of the world's best, and leading the way is Liu Xiang of China, the Olympic champion and world record holder, who ran 12.88 in Lausanne last year to break his own WR. Dominique Arnold competed against Liu in Lausanne, finishing as the runner-up in the U.S. record time of 12.90 seconds. Liu and Arnold will face a stiff challenge from two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell, who is coming off a win at the adidas Track Classic.

The men's 400m hurdles features a stellar cast led by reigning world champion Bershawn Jackson, who posted the fastest time in the world this season with his May 5 win in Osaka, Japan, in 48.13 seconds. He'll face two-time defending U.S. champion and Visa Champion Kerron Clement, 2003 World Outdoor silver medalist Joey Woody, adidas Track Classic winner Kenneth Ferguson, and two-time national champion and 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist James Carter.

The women's 100m hurdles will be headlined by reigning U.S. and NCAA champion Ginnie Powell, who'll take on fellow Americans LoLo Jones, the 2007 USA indoor champion,and Jenny Adams. 2003 world champion Perdita Felicien also is in the field.

Men's mile features outstanding field

Top Americans Bernard Lagat, Alan Webb and Chris Lukezic will face international stars Craig Mottram and Nick Willis in what should be a tremendous men's mile race.

A two-time Olympic medalist and reigning U.S Outdoor champion, Lagat enters as the favorite, while Webb is a two-time U.S. outdoor champion and Lukezic is the reigning national indoor titlist.

This event will provide a rematch of the memorable duel between Lagat and Mottram, waged at the 2007 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. Lagat won at Millrose with a strong finishing kick, but Mottram, the Australian mile record holder, is well-known in New York as a two-time winner of the Healthy 10K and the 2005 Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile winner. Also keep an eye on 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand. An added attraction in the men's mile will be provided by Matthew Centrowitz. A senior at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Md., who will run collegiately at Oregon, on Saturday he set a Class 4A and Maryland state record when he won the state title at 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 4.09 seconds.

Dibaba headlines women's 5,000 meters

Ethiopia's #1 world-ranked Tirunesh Dibaba will be the heavy favorite in the 5 km in New York, where she will try to surpass countrywoman Meseret Defar's world-record time of 14:24.53 run at this meet last year.

In other running events, watch for 2007 USA 8 km champion Anthony Famiglietti in the men's 5,000 meters, three-time USA Outdoor champion Hazel Clark in the women's 800 and two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper in the women's 1,500m.

U.S. record holders headline pole vault competition

A who's who of American pole vaulting will be on display Saturday as U.S. record holders Jeff Hartwig and Jenn Stuczynski headline talented fields.

Stuczynski has been the dominant force in women's pole vaulting this year in posting the top two performances in the world this season, topped by her American-record clearance of 4.84 meters/15 feet 10.50 inches, at the adidas Track Classic. Stucznski bettered the previous AR by 2000 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Stacy Dragila, who also is in the field.

On the men's side, U.S. indoor and outdoor record holder Jeff Hartwig will have his hands full dealing with 2006 World Indoor champion and 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist Brad Walker. Others to watch include 2000 Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson and 2006 U.S. Outdoor champion Russ Buller.