Heard Around the Track

 

November, 2001

INAUGURAL ELITE INDOOR MEET ANNOUNCED

Dyestat Meet Site: Click Here

Lincoln, NE--Olympic and World Championship track & field athletes will compete in the first-ever "adidas Midwest Indoor Track Classic" on February 9th in Lincoln. The meet will take place on and within the University of Nebraska's state-of-the-art 200-meter track in the Bob
Devaney Sports Center.

 

The elite portion of the Classic will feature world-class athletes in six events, and will come as a culmination to what is expected to be the largest high school indoor meet ever held in the Midwest. The creation of coach and meet director Chris Lester of Omaha, the adidas Midwest Indoor Track Classic will attract nearly 1,000 preps for high-level indoor competition. The elite open events, along with some premier high school events, will take place in the last two hours of the meet on February 9th. Four 2000 Olympic Games medalists and no less than a dozen
Olympians and World Championships competitors have already confirmed their participation.

Leading the list are:

*Allen Johnson, 2001 World Champion in the 110 high hurdles, 1996 Olympic Champion, 1995 and 1997 World Champion, co-American Recordholder in the outdoor event. Johnson will compete against 2000 Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell, who also won the World Indoor 60-Meter Championships in 2001, two-time Olympic medalist Mark Crear, and former NCAA champions Larry Wade and Dominque Arnold. A bonus of $1000 will be paid to the winner if he runs faster than 7.43, which would better Trammell's world-leading 7.47 of this past indoor season.

 

*Bernard Lagat of Kenya, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist and 2001 World Championships silver medalist at 1500 meters, and the second-fastest metric miler of all-time (3:26.34, equal to a mile in 3:42.9!). Lagat's major competition will come from two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Pyrah, who has a best of 3:55.14 in the mile. The winner of the men's mile will take home a $5,000 bonus if he breaks 4-minutes in the race, a feat never before performed in the state of Nebraska.

 

*Adam Nelson, Olympic and World Championships silver medalist in 2000 and 2001 in the shot put. Nelson was also the silver medalist in this year's World Indoor Championships. Nelson's biggest challenge will probably come from South African Janus Robberts, who recorded the farthest throw in the world in 2001, 72 feet 1 inch (21.97 meters). A bonus of $1000 will be paid to the winner of the shot put if he breaks 70 feet even, again a performance never seen in Nebraska, either indoors or out.

 

*Jenny Adams, the hottest American prospect in the high hurdles. After winning the 2001 NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, and finishing second in the USA Championships, Adams won five straight races in Europe against top competition, and finished 5th in the World Championships. She will face an international field in which all eight athletes have times which rank them among the Top 50 in the world. A bonus of $1000 paid to the winner if she runs faster than 7.95, the fastest time recorded by an American indoors in 2001.

 

*Lawrence Johnson, 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the pole vault, and 2001 World Indoor Champion. Johnson is the American recordholder indoors (19' 6 1/2") and is making his return to the vault wars after suffering a season-ending injury while winning the 2001 USA Championships
outdoors. Johnson's competition will likely come from 19-footers Russ Buller and Tye Harvey. A $1000 bonus will be paid to the winner if he breaks 19-feet in the vault in the Classic.

 

*Amy Acuff, two-time U.S. Olympian in the high jump, 4th in the 2001 World Indoor Championships, and the leading American jumper in the sport today. She will be challenged by Canadian Olympian Nicole Forrester. A bonus of $1000 will be paid to the winner if she jumps 6-5 (1.96 meters) or higher, which was the highest height cleared by an American indoors in 2001.

 

For more information about the meet, contact Meet Director Chris Lester at 402-201-5790-cell or at CLTrackEnforcer@aol.com. For more general information on the adidas Midwest Indoor Track Classic, go to www.nehighschoolclassic.org