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Jamaican
High Relays Featured at Reebok Grand Prix
New York City
- In addition to the more than a dozen top stars of Jamaican
track and field, led by sprint queen Veronica Campbell,
Jamaica's top boys high school 4 x 400m relay teams will
compete against at least two of the top 4 x 400m teams from
the United States at the 2007 Reebok Grand Prix, organizers
announced today. The event, which for Jamaicans is fast
becoming a must-see event right along with the Penn Relays,
begins at 5 p.m. on June 2nd.
Two years ago, 200-meter
winner Usain Bolt, the World Junior Record-holder,
said the flag-waving crowd made New York City feel a lot
like "a second Jamaica. It feels like home." Immediately
after his victory, he jogged to the sidelines to sign
autographs for a crowd of delighted admirers.
Bolt will return on June
2. With him will be Campbell, the 2004 Olympic triple
medalist (200-meter and 4x100-meter gold, 100-meter bronze)
and the most successful female track athlete in Athens, and
Chris Williams, the 2001 World Championship silver
medalist at 200m and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in the
4x400m. Also expected are 2006 Commonwealth Games medalists
Sheri-Ann Brooks (gold, 100 meters); Omar Brown,
(gold, 200 meters); Novlene Williams (bronze, 400m);
and Jermaine Gonzales (bronze, 400m hurdles).
Rounding out the roster
of individual Jamaican athletes are Dwight Thomas
(100m); Peta-Gaye Dowdie (200m); Shereefa Lloyd
and Sonita Sutherland (400m); Lacena
Golding-Clarke and Delloreen Ennis-London (100m
hurdles); Michael Blackwood (400m) and Maurice
Wignall (110m hurdles).
New this year are two
relays: an international High School Boys 4x400m Relay and a
High School Sprint Medley Relay. Featuring some of the best
relays teams from the United States and Jamaica, the relays
are sure to be among the most thrilling events of the
evening and are guaranteed to quickly become a fan favorite.
Representing Jamaica will be three of the nation's best
teams: Calabar, Herbert Morrison and St.
Jago, whose star Yohan Blake was named the
Outstanding Relay Athlete at the recent Penn Relays. Blake,
who recently set a Jamaican junior record for 100 meters,
will run the relays in New York.
The third-annual
Reebok Grand Prix will begin at 5 p.m. June 2 at Icahn
Stadium on Randall's Island. Named one of the two top
international track-and-field events in the United States,
the Reebok Grand Prix has tickets, at $20, $30 and
$40, available by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC. For more
information and event updates, visit the event website at
www.ReebokGrandPrix.com.
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