News15 May 2014


Cain and Simpson to do battle in New York – IAAF Diamond League

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Mary Cain celebrating

A two-time Olympic gold medallist, a three-time world champion, and the most dynamic young US middle-distance runner in a generation are among the latest athletes added to the field of the adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 14, organisers for the IAAF Diamond League meeting announced on Thursday (15).

Mary Cain, who earlier this month turned 18, rewrote various record books last year by breaking US high school and national junior records marks at eight distances, including the 1500m, and became the youngest athlete ever to represent the USA at an IAAF World Championships.

In 2014, she has already broken the world junior indoor 1000m record twice and won the US national 1500m title and in New York she will be competing just 15 miles from her home town of Bronxville in New York state.

She will race over 1500m at the Diamond League meeting and among the athletes she will face will be Jenny Simpson, the 2011 world champion. Three-time US champion Morgan Uceny is also in the field.

Among the overseas stars going to New York will be Felix Sanchez of Dominican Republic and Robert Harting of Germany. Between them, they own three Olympic gold medals and five world titles.

Sanchez, 36, became 400n hurdles world champion for the first time in 2001, and then repeated that feat in 2003 before winning his first Olympic gold medal in 2004. In 2012, he sensationally won his second Olympic gold in London.

Harting, 29, is the Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the discus.

Other overseas athletes at the meeting include Great Britain’s Tiffany Porter – the world bronze medallist will meet the previously announced Sally Pearson, the reigning Olympic 100m champion – and Warren Weir of Jamaica, the 200m Olympic bronze medallist and world silver medallist.

Other global champions already announced are Bohdan Bondarenko, David Rudisha, Jenn Suhr, Yohan Blake, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Valerie Adams and Christine Ohuruogu.

The sixth stop on the IAAF Diamond League circuit, the adidas Grand Prix is in its 10th year at Icahn Stadium.

Organisers for the IAAF

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