Posted: June 2, 2006

Athletics: Lauryn Williams, Marion Jones join Reebok Grand Prix

NEW YORK CITY (June 2, 2006) – Lauryn Williams, the reigning World Champion, and Marion Jones, 2000 Olympic gold medalist, have been added to the lineup for the Reebok Grand Prix this Saturday, June 3, organizers announced today. They will join a strong 100-meter field that already included Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, the Athens triple-medalist who owns the fastest time in the world this year.

The only outdoor East Coast meet that offers head-to-head competition among world-class athletes, the Reebok Grand Prix begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets, at $30 and $20, are still available at www.ReebokGrandPrix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.

Williams, 22, is also the 2004 Olympic silver medalist at 100 meters and the 2006 World Indoor silver medalist at 60 meters, as well as owning 4x100-meter relay gold from Athens. Jones, 30, won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, three gold (100m, 200m and 4x400m) and two bronze (long jump, 4x100m), to become the first female track-and-field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics. Also a two-time World Champion at 100m, she has won a total of 10 World Championships medals. On May 13, she ran 11.06 to win the 100 meters at Xalapa, the fourth-fastest time in the world this year.

Headlining the event, which will feature 150 world-class athletes from 19 countries, is Justin Gatlin, the Olympic gold medalist and World Champion who just last month equaled the 100m World Record (9.77). Also set to compete are 2004 Olympic gold medalists Tonique Darling of the Bahamas and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia; and 2005 World Champions Michelle Perry and Adam Nelson of the USA.

In what promises to be another great match-up, featuring the two fastest men in the world this year, rising young stars Wallace Spearmon of the USA and Usain Bolt of Jamaica will face each other at 200 meters. Also expected are 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand and 3000m European Indoor Champion Alistair Cragg of Ireland.

Managed by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the event will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. ET. It is the fourth stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series.

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