Posted: June 8, 2005

Athletics: Stacy Dragila is surprise entrant in Reebok Grand Prix

NEW YORK CITY (June 8) – Stacy Dragila, who at the 2000 Olympics won the first gold medal awarded in the women’s pole vault, says she is planning to compete in the Reebok Grand Prix on Saturday.

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.

Dragila, the 34-year-old two-time World Champion and 16-time US champion (eight outdoor titles and eight indoor), sustained an Achilles injury in early spring, and the popular vaulter has missed most of the outdoor season while recovering. The ReebokGrand Prix is one of the last chances to tune up before the US Outdoor Track & Field Championships later this month, where the pole-vault pioneer would have to compete to earn a spot on the US team for the World Championships later this summer.

The Reebok Grand Prix this Saturday, 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 www.ReebokGrandPrix.com or by calling 1-877-RBK-GP05.