Sanya Richards completes her 49.89 sec display in Kingston (© Errol Anderson - The Sporting Image)
Sanya Richards, 21, currently IAAF World Ranked number one at 400m, Bernard Lagat, two-time Olympic medallist at 1500m, Andrew Rock, the 2005 World Championships 400m silver medallist, and Xing Huina, China’s Olympic women’s 10,000m gold medallist, are the latest attractions to be added to the line-up for the adidas Track Classic on 21 May.
Richards, the 2005 World Championships women’s 400m silver medallist, will step down in distance to face World 200m champion Allyson Felix, 20, at the latters specialty. Richards is already in fine form this season at 400m, having run 49.89 on 6 May in Kingston. The Jamaican-born American shouldn’t be left for speed at the 200m either, as she has a personal best of 22.53 (2005), and has gone even faster indoors (22.49 – 2004, the fastest ever time by a junior indoors). Felix for her part holds the World junior record outdoors of 22.18, which she set when taking the Olympic silver in 2004. It should be quite a contest.
Bernard Lagat, will take on a 1500m field that includes Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain, the double 2005 World champion at 800m and 1500m, and Nick Willis of New Zealand, the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist at 1500m.
A 4x400m relay gold medallist in both Athens and Helsinki, Andrew Rock will square off at 400m against 2006 Commonwealth Games champion John Steffensen of Australia, and Darold Williamson, the 2005 NCAA champion and Olympic relay gold medallist.
Xing Huina, from China, will toe the line at 3000m against two-time U.S. Olympian Amy Rudolph, U.S. Indoor champion Carrie Tollefson, and the previously announced Marla Runyan, who is making her comeback from maternity.
Barbara Huebner for the IAAF