BOSTON – The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will feature some of the world’s biggest track and field stars this weekend at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center, on the campus of Roxbury Community College. The top two athletes in each event will earn the right to represent Team USA at the World Indoor Track & Field Championships March 14-16 in Birmingham, England.

On the field, Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila will try to reclaim her world indoor record in the women’s pole vault on the same runway where she broke her own American record earlier this year. The top three shot putters in the world – Adam Nelson, Kevin Toth and John Godina – find fierce competition for just two spots on the U.S. World Indoor Championships Team. The men’s long jump faces the same dilemma as Savante Stringfellow, Miguel Pate and Dwight Phillips were ranked 1-2-3 in the world in 2002.

Events begin Friday afternoon, February 28, with the finals of the women’s and men’s weight throws and the first rounds of the 400 meters. A full schedule of competition begins Saturday, with the conclusion of the meet Sunday afternoon.

The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships are the final stop on USA Track & Field’s 2003 Indoor Golden Spike Tour. The Tour began February 1 at the adidas Boston Indoor Games; moved to New York February 7 for the Verizon Millrose Games; and headed to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Foods Invitational February 15. One world record and three American records have been set on the Tour in 2003 alone.

The 2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on Saturday March 1.

Visit the 2003 Indoor Championships section of the USATF Web site, www.usatf.org, for a complete schedule of events and the current status of athlete entries and declarations.

2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Event previews

Top 2003 performances as of February 20, 2003; Fields subject to change

Women’s high jump
Final Sunday 1:15 p.m.
World record: 2.07m/6-9.5, Heike Henkel (GER), 1992
American record: 2.01m/6-7; Tisha Waller, 1998
Meet record: 2.01m/6-7, Tisha Waller, 1998

THE SCOOP: American record holder Tisha Waller took the year off in 2001, but in 2002 she came back to win the U.S. indoor and outdoor titles. She is a five-time U.S. indoor champion, and she will face her top competition from 2001 indoor and outdoor champion Amy Acuff. The two women tied for first at the Verizon Millrose Games at 6-4.75, and they should push each other to great heights in Boston. Veteran Karol Rovelto, the 2000 Olympic Trials champion, should still be in the game late in the competition. Massachusetts native Kristy Laramee is the hometown hero and has twice cleared 6 feet this season.

Men’s high jump
Final Sunday 3:15 p.m.
World record: 2.43m/7-11.25, Javier Sotomayor (CUB), 1989
American record: 2.40m/7-10.5, Hollis Conway, 1991
Meet record: 2.38m/7-9.75, Matt Hemingway, 2000

THE SCOOP: Nathan Leeper has won the last four consecutive U.S. titles – indoor and outdoors in 2001 and again in 2002. He has a reputation for saving his best jumps for championship competition, and that makes him the man to beat. 1996 Olympic gold medalist and 1997 World Indoor champion Charles Austin never can be counted out, nor can Charles Clinger. The 2001 NCAA outdoor champion stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall and has a goal of being the first American to clear 8 feet. Olympian Kenny Evans and former NCAA champion Tora Harris, just out of Princeton, could be factors as well.

Visa women’s pole vault
Final Sunday 1:45 p.m.
World record: 4.77m/15-7.75, Svetlana Feofanova (RUS), 2003
American record: 4.72m/15-5.75, Stacy Dragila, 2003
Meet record: 4.62m/15-1.75, Stacy Dragila, 2000

THE SCOOP: Dragila has dominated this event in the U.S., winning every U.S. indoor title since the women’s vault was contested in 1996 except one: in 2002, Dragila did not compete at the USA championships. Mary Sauer claimed the title in her absence and looks to defend her crown. Sauer had the best vault among Americans indoors last year, while Mel Mueller also has cleared 15 feet. Kellie Suttle is the 2001 World Indoor silver medalist and she has performed well this year, twice placing second to Dragila on the Indoor Golden Spike Tour. Dragila has been on a roll, though. The Olympic gold medalist, world outdoor record holder and two-time world outdoor champion broke her own American record with her clearance of 4.71m/15-5.5 at the adidas Boston Indoor Games, then raised it to 4.72m/15-5.75 at the Verizon Millrose Games. She eagerly anticipates a showdown with Russian Svetlana Feofanova – who took Dragila’s world record from her – at the World Indoor Championships.

Men’s pole vault
Final Saturday 4:00 p.m.
World record: 6.15m/20-2, Sergey Bubka (UKR), 1993
American record: 6.02/19-9, Jeff Hartwig, 2002
Meet record: 5.96m/19-6.5, Lawrence Johnson, 2001

THE SCOOP: The United States typically places two athletes in the top three on the world and Olympic stages, so you’ll be watching the world’s best in this event. Derek Miles is his training has been vaulting well in 2003, with a victory over a packed field at the Verizon Millrose Games and again in Europe. Miles has the best mark by an American this year with 5.80/19-0.25. Tim Mack is the defending champion (5.72m/18-9.25) and is the 2001 Goodwill Games gold medalist. Tye Harvey was the 2002 U.S. runner-up and also owns the 2001 World Indoor silver medal.

Women’s long jump
Final Sunday 1 p.m.
World record: 7.37m/34-2.25, Heike Drechlser (GDR), 1988
American record:7.13m/23-4.75, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 1994
Meet record: 7.32m/24-0.25, Heike Drechsler (GDR), 1987

THE SCOOP: The women’s long jump is another relatively wide-open event. Grace Upshaw won the 2002 title with a jump of 6.41m/21-0.5; she was the runner-up in 2001 to Dawn Burrell, who went on to win gold at the 2001 World Indoor Championships. Brianna Glenn is the U.S. outdoor champion, while Adrien Sawyer is the only woman to have surpassed 21 feet so far in 2003. Jenny Adams did not compete in the long jump in 2002 after winning the 2001 U.S. outdoor title, but she has entered the event in Boston. This could be anyone’s game.

Men’s long jump
Final Sunday 3:10 p.m.
World record: 8.79m/28-10.25, Carl Lewis (USA), 1984
American record: 8.79m/28-10.25, Carl Lewis, 1984
Meet record: 8.59m/28-2.25, Miguel Pate, 2002

THE SCOOP: For the first time since the heyday of Carl Lewis, the United States now rules the long jumping world. Savante Stringfellow, Miguel Pate and Dwight Phillips finished the year ranked 1-2-3 in the world. Stringfellow is the U.S. outdoor champion (8.52m/27-11.5 – best jump in the world outdoors) and the World Cup gold medalist, achieving the #1 world ranking. Pate wowed the track and field world last year at the USA Indoor Championships with his jump of 8.59m/28-2.25. Phillips is a darkhorse who was second behind Pate at the 2002 Indoor Champs and is a threat to win any competition he enters. But look for a two-man race between Stringfellow, a 2001 Ole Miss grad, and Pate, a 2002 Alabama alum. At the Tyson Foods Invitational, Stringfellow jumped 8.29m/27-2.5 to beat Pate (8.27m/27-1.75) – they are the top two jumps in the world in 2003. Both men competed against each other in the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Championships, both men have won NCAA and U.S. titles, and both men are almost too close to call … and either could win the World Indoor title.

Women’s triple jump
Final Saturday 5:40 p.m.
World record: 15.16m/49-9, Ashia Hanson (GBR), 1998
American record: 14.23m/46-8.25, Sheila Hudson, 1995
Meet record: 14.23m/46-8.25, Sheila Hudson, 1995

THE SCOOP: Vanitta Kinard is the returning champion, winning the 2002 U.S. title with a jump of 13.62m/44-8.25. Kinard will have plenty of competition, however. Tiombe Hurd is the 2001 World Indoor bronze medalist and a two-time U.S. indoor champion (2000 and 2001). Yuliana Perez has been the top U.S. jumper outdoors, winning the 2002 U.S. title. She leads the U.S. indoors this year with a best mark of 13.77m/45-2.25. Tongula Givens is just two centimeters back, and she could find herself on the World Indoor team if she comes through.

Men’s triple jump
Final Saturday 2:45 p.m.
World record: 17.76m/58-3.25, Michael Conley (USA), 1987
American record: 17.76m/58-3.25, Michael Conley, 1987
Meet record: 17.76m/58-3.25, Michael Conley, 1987

THE SCOOP: World, American and meet record holder Michael Conley, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, is now USATF’s Executive Director of Elite Athlete Programs, but several young jumpers are lining up to fill his shoes. Best among them are Walter Davis and Kenta Bell. Davis won the 2001 and 2001 NCAA indoor and outdoor titles and graduated from LSU in 2002. He then won the 2002 U.S. outdoor title as well. Bell is the 2001 World University Games gold medalist. The 25-year-old had the best jump by an American outdoors last year (17.63m/57-10.25), while Davis had the best indoor mark (17.23m/56-6.5). Bell leads so far in 2003 (17.19/56-4.75), but it will be a horserace in Boston for the U.S. title. Either man is a medal threat at World Indoors. Tim Rusan is the defending U.S. indoor champion.

Women’s shot put
Final Sunday 3:30 p.m.
World record: 22.50m/73-10, Helena Fibingerova (TCH), 1977
American record: 19.83m/65-0.75, Ramona Pagel, 1987
Meet record: 20.23m/66-4.5, Ilona Breisenick (GDR), 1987

THE SCOOP: A group of throwers all are within one foot of one another on the current U.S. list, and all could emerge as U.S. champion. Among them are UCLA graduate and 2001 U.S. outdoor shot put champion Seilala Sua; New Hampshire native, 2001 U.S. junior champion and North Carolina sophomore Laura Gerraughty; and Ashland’s Adrienne Blewitt. A 2000 Olympian in the discus, Sua is the favorite but the competition should be close.

Men’s shot put
Final Sunday 1:30 p.m.
World record: 22.66m/74-4.25, Randy Barnes, 1989
American record: 22.66m/74-4.25, Randy Barnes, 1989
Meet record: 21.63m/70-11.75, Ulf Timmerman (GDR), 1987

THE SCOOP: The big men put on a big show for track fans as the world’s top three throwers – Adam Nelson, John Godina and Kevin Toth – compete for just two spots on the U.S. team for World Indoors. Whichever two make it through become the instant favorites for the world title. Godina is the 2001 World Indoor and Outdoor champion, but Nelson was #1 world ranked last year and won the U.S. indoor and outdoor titles. At age 35, Toth became the #2-ranked thrower last year, thanks in part to his win at the Nike Prefontaine Classic, over Nelson and Godina. All three men have thrown over 72 feet outdoors, and the meet record could be in jeopardy in Boston.

Women’s weight throw
Final Friday 1:30 p.m.
World record: 23.60m/77-5.25, Dawn Ellerbe (USA), 2000
American record: 23.60m/77-5.25, Dawn Ellerbe, 2000
Meet record: 23.60m/77-5.25, Dawn Ellerbe, 2000

THE SCOOP: Dawn Ellerbe, the world-, American-, and meet-record holder, dominated this event from 1996 through 2001. In 2002, Anna Norgren Mahon, a schoolteacher from Connecticut, emerged to dethrone Ellerbe. Norgren Mahon also took Ellerbe’s American record in the hammer throw outdoors in 2002. With a win over Ellerbe at the Verizon Millrose Games on February 7, Norgren Mahon is the woman to beat. But Ellerbe is motivated, and she seeks to regain her U.S. supremacy.

Men’s weight throw
Final Friday 11 a.m.
World record: 25.86m/84-10.25, Lance Deal, 1995
American record: 25.86m/84-10.25, Lance Deal, 1995
Meet record: 25.86m/84-10.25, Lance Deal, 1995

THE SCOOP: The scramble to fill Lance Deal’s sizeable shoes in this event has resulted in tremendous competition. Kevin Mannon is the defending champion, but John McEwen won in 2001. Gerry Ingalls, who placed fourth at the 2000 Olympic Trials and was second indoors in 2002, also could contend. Among current entrants, McEwen has the farthest qualifying throw in 2003 with 22.20m/72-10.