Posted: April 22, 2005

Athletics: Adidas Returns As Home Depot Meet Sponsor, Wariner To Headline

By Bob Ramsak, Track Profile

(c) 2004 Track Profile all rights reserved TrackProfile.com

Just a few days after the formal announcement that adidas had ended its decade-long backing of the Oregon Track Classic, the global footwear and apparel company made a quick return with yesterday's announcement that it has become title sponsor of the May 22 adidas Track Classic in Carson, California, formerly known as The Home Depot Center Invitational.

2004 Olympic 400 meter champion Jeremy Wariner, Olympic 200 meter silver medallist Allyson Felix and 100 meter bronze medallist Maurice Greene, all key adidas-sponsored athletes, were announced as starters.

Wariner, whose 44.00 clocking in Athens was the fastest in the world since 2000, will make his season debut over the full lap at this weekend's Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas.

"Training went well so I expect a reasonable time [in Waco], hopefully under 45 seconds," Wariner said yesterday during a teleconference with Czech reporters. Wariner's European circuit debut will be at the Golden Spike Super Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on June 9. "I want to get better with every race and sooner or later attack the 44-second barrier." Wariner is also scheduled to compete at next weekend's Drake Relays.

Announcing the multi-year sponsorship agreement, Martyn Brewer, Director of Sports Marketing for adidas said he expects the meet to soon become a premiere stop on the U.S. track circuit. "After only two years, this track and field meet, at this great facility and location, already has the reputation as one of the season’s strongest meets and has the potential of becoming the best Track and Field event in America." The Home Depot Center is located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California, just south of Los Angeles. Last fall, adidas dropped its backing of both the Portland, Oregon meet as well as the Boston Indoor Games.

The adidas Track Classic is the second stop on the five-meet Visa Championships Series, which kicks off next weekend with the USA vs. the World portion of the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Additional stops on the series, which will award $100,000 in bonuses, are the Payton Jordon US Open in Palo Alto, California on May 30 and the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on June 4, before culminating at the national championships at the Home Depot Center June 23-26.

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