Indianapolis - America's next generation of track & field stars will compete at the 2002 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic National Championships July 23-28 in Omaha, Neb. The six-day meet at Harry A. Burke (H.S.) Stadium will showcase more than 6,500 youth athletes from across the country.

“We are excited to have thousands of athletes competing at the Junior Olympic National Championships,” said USATF CEO Craig Masback. “Junior Olympics is one of our most successful programs, and it is a vital part of our athlete development program.”

The Junior Olympics Nationals is the third stop on the Verizon Youth Series. Verizon will honor male and female athletes-of-the meet at every meet of the series. At Junior Nationals, June 21-22 in Palo Alto, Calif., Sanya Richards and Benjamin Shorey earned the distinction. At Youth Athletics, July 3-7 in Miami, Fla., Kerron Clement was the male recipient and Trisa Nickoley was the female recipient.

The Junior Olympic National Championships attract nearly 7,000 competitors and 9,000 total entries each year. It is the largest and most visible young athlete developmental program in the world. This year's meet will also serve as one of the primary selection competitions for the 2003 IAAF World Youth Athletics Track & Field Championships, in Sherbrooke, Canada. (Athletes must also meet an IAAF qualifying standard to be eligible for the world competition.)

Competition age divisions and corresponding birth years for Junior Olympics are as follows: Bantam (1992-later), Midget (1990-1991), Youth (1988-1989), Intermediate (1986-1987), and Young Men/Women (1984-1985); athletes born in 1983 are also eligible if they will still be 18 on July 29, 2002.

For more information on the 2002 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships, all USATF Youth programs and the Verizon Youth Series, visit the USATF website at www.usatf.org.