World, Olympic 100m champs to face off at adidas Grand Prix

Jeter v. Fraser-Pryce in U.S. v. Jamaica; Wariner at 400m on June 9 in NYC

Courtesy of the adidas Grand Prix organizers
April 3, 2012

NEW YORK (April 3, 2012)—Three of the top four women in the world, including the reigning World and Olympic champions, will headline the 100-meter dash at the adidas Grand Prix on June 9, organizers announced today.  

Carmelita Jeter, Kelly-Ann Baptiste and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, ranked No. 1, 3 and 4 in the world for 2011, will do battle in the short sprint, while a resurgent Jeremy Wariner will return to Icahn Stadium to defend his 400-meter title.

In its eighth year as one of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, will feature dozens of Olympic medalists and World Champions, including the reigning World Champion at 100 meters, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake. It will again be the sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond League circuit, and is part of the Visa Championship Series. Tickets are now available by calling 1-877-849-8722.

On her way to being ranked No. 1 in the world at 100 meters for the third consecutive year, the 32-year-old Jeter won gold at the 2011 IAAF World Championships at 100 meters and silver at 200 meters, as well as anchoring the U.S. squad to a gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay. The second-fastest woman in history with a personal best of 10.64, Jeter was dominant from start to finish last year, winning 11 of her 12 competitions at 100 meters.

Baptiste, from Trinidad and Tobago, is the 2011 World Championships bronze medalist at 100 meters, and the 25-year-old’s personal best of 10.84 is a national record.

Fraser-Pryce, also 25, is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and 2009 World Champion at both 100 meters and the 4x100-meter relay. Finishing fourth, just 1/100ths of a second behind Baptiste in Daegu, South Korea, for bronze last summer, Fraser-Pryce nonetheless ran the first leg on the Jamaican 4x100-meter team that set a national record on the way to winning a silver medal.

On the men’s side, Wariner is looking toward his third Olympics. The 28-year-old already has four Olympic medals: gold at 400 meters in 2004 and in the 4x400-meter relay in 2004 and 2008, and silver at 400 meters in 2008. He also owns five World Championships titles, including individual gold in 2005 and 2007, and has five times (2004-2007, 2010) been ranked No. 1 in the world. On the comeback trail from a torn toe ligament that kept him out of the World Championships last summer, Wariner anchored his Central Texas All-Star 4x400-meter relay team to victory on March 31 at the Texas Relays. He and his wife, Sarah, married last November, are expecting their first child in October.

The adidas Grand Prix will begin at 1 p.m. at Icahn Stadium on June 9. All of the latest news, photos and additional information on the event can be found at adidasgrandprix.com, the event’s pages on Facebook at facebook.com/adidasGrandPrix and on Twitter at twitter.com/adidasGrandPrix. When tweeting, use #agpny.