NEW YORK CITY (June 7) - Tirunesh Dibaba, who
earlier this year pounded a furious last lap to break the
world indoor record for 5000m, will lead a
world-class field at the same distance in the Reebok Grand
Prix on June 11, organizers announced today.
The Reebok Grand Prix will be the first international
competition ever held in the new Icahn Stadium on
Randall's Island, and marks the return of world-class
outdoor track and field to the East Coast.
Tickets, at $30 and $20, are still available but going fast.
Dibaba, 19, is one of the most exciting athletes in the sport
and a threat to break records every time she sets foot on a
track. The Ethiopian phenom already has won an Olympic
medal -- bronze at 5000m at the 2004 Olympic Games --
and is the reigning 5000m World Champion, the
youngest athlete ever to win a world title. Rumored to be in
astounding shape, Dibaba will toe the line against her
sister, Ejegayehu Dibaba, the Athens silver
medalist at 10,000m.
In other news, the match-up of 2004 Olympic champion Liu
Xiang and Allen Johnson, the
1996 gold medalist, takes on added significance as the first
meeting between the two in this country, after Johnson was
eliminated from the 110m hurdles at the Prefontaine
Classic last Saturday after a false start.
In addition, Alan Webb will try to keep up his
winning ways after breaking the American record
for 2 miles at the same event last weekend. After racing over
his usual mile distance there, he will race under it here at
1000m, going up against David Krummenacker.
Krummenacker set the US record for 1000m indoors in
2002,
the year before he won the indoor World Championship at
800m.
The Reebok Grand Prix on June 11 is the fifth stop of USA
Track & Field's Visa
Championship Series, and will be televised live on
NBC from 4-5:30 p.m. ET. Information and tickets
for the Reebok Grand Prix are available at
Reebok Grand
Prix
or by calling 1-877-RBK-GP05.