Posted: May 17, 2006

Athletics: Spearmon, top hurdlers set for Sunday's adidas Track Classic

CARSON, Calif. (May 16) – Wallace Spearmon, the 2005 World Championships 200-meter silver medalist; and a star-studded group of hurdlers have been added to the field for the adidas Track Classic this Sunday (May 21), organizers announced today. In a marquee match-up, Spearmon will face Jeremy Wariner, the 400-meter Olympic champion who is stepping down in distance here as he looks ahead to a possible 200m-400m double at the 2008 Olympics.

The 2006 adidas Track Classic, which will feature nearly 40 Olympic or World Championships medalists, including 13 Olympic gold medalists and 11 individual World Champions, is shaping up as perhaps the best international track-and-field event in Southern California since the 1984 Olympics. It will begin at 12:30 p.m. PT on May 21 at The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and be broadcast live on ESPN from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. PT. (4 p.m.-6 p.m. ET).

In a topnotch women's hurdles field, the last three World Champions – Michelle Perry (2005), Perdita Felicien (2003) and Anjanette Kirkland (2001) – will face 2004 Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes. An added twist finds both Perry (Quartz Hill/Palmdale) and Hayes (John W. North/Riverside) as local favorites.

Spearmon, meanwhile, is one of the brightest newcomers in the sport. In addition to his runner-up finish in Helsinki, he holds the American Record indoors for 200 meters, the indoor World Record at 300 meters, and brought home a gold medal from the 2006 World Indoor Championships 4x400m relay team.

Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the adidas Track Classic is the second stop of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series. Tickets, at $45 (finish line), $30 (homestretch) and $20 (backstretch) are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS, and for more information and frequent updates, visit the event website at www.adidasTrackClassic.com.

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