Posted: November 16, 2007

Athletics: Tyson Gay a finalist to become 'NEXT' big star; voting is open

BOSTON, MA (Nov. 16, 2007) - Three-time World Champion sprinter Tyson Gay is among five finalists in ESPN's annual "NEXT" campaign. From now until Nov. 25, fans can go to ESPN.com to vote for the athlete they believe will make the biggest impact on the future of sports. The athlete with the most votes will appear on the Dec. 5 cover of ESPN The Magazine. ESPN is seeking "the one guy who we think is just going to be so exciting that you'll be talking about him all year long," said Alison Overholt, a senior editor at ESPN the Magazine, " . the guy who's so electrifying that he makes you remember why you love watching sports." This summer, Gay became only the second man in history to be crowned World Champion at 100 meters, 200 meters and the 4x100-meter relay in the same year. The fastest 100m-200m combination runner in history, his time of 19.62 in winning the 2007 US title ranks as the second-fastest ever in the sport, behind only Michael Johnson - who has called Gay "the Carl Lewis of his day." "We really think he's going to be the story coming out of the Summer Olympics," said Overholt. Voting is under way at ESPN.com, where NEXT is featured as a rotating element on its homepage. Or, go directly to /www.espn.go.com/mag. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest