News12 Jun 2014


Merritt, Aregawi, Stewart, Jones and Bowie set to compete in New York - IAAF Diamond League

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Abeba Aregawi winning at the 2013 IAAF Diamond League meeting in New York (© Victah Sailer)

LaShawn Merritt, Abeba Aregawi, Kerron Stewart, Lolo Jones and Tori Bowie are the latest athletes set to compete in Saturday’s adidas Grand Prix in New York, the sixth of this summer’s IAAF Diamond League meeting, organizers announced on Thursday (12).

Merritt, 27, won two Olympic gold medals in 2008 (400m, 4x400m), and is a seven-time IAAF World champion, including winning over 400m at Moscow 2013.

Aregawi, 23, of Sweden, is the reigning World champion indoors and outdoors over 1500m. Her time of 3:56.60 was the fastest in the world last year and she adds her name to an already deep women’s 1500m that includes Jenny Simpson, the 2011 IAAF World Championships winner and 2013 World Championship silver medallist, Brenda Martinez, the 2013 World Championships 800m bronze medallist, and Shannon Rowbury, the 2009 World Championships 1500m bronze medallist who recently set a US best at two miles, and also Morgan Uceny.

Jamaica’s Stewart is the 2008 Olympic Games 100m silver medallist, the distance that she will run in New York. She won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics Games as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m, with whom she also won World titles in 2009 and 2013.

Bowie stunned everyone when she won the 200m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene in a world-leading 200m in 22.18, only her second race at the distance as a professional athlete. The American then won the 100m in a personal best of 11.05 at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rome a week ago.

Jones, 31, and now famous for her Winter Olympics bobsled exploits, is a two-time gold medallist in the IAAF World Indoor Championships 60m hurdles.

Mary Cain, previously announced for the 1500m, will move to a special women’s 800m race. Just 18, she will graduate a week from Saturday from high school in nearby Bronxville, New York state, and has had a whirlwind spring of proms, exams, and other pre-graduation rituals.

Organisers for the IAAF

2014 IAAF Diamond League calendar

Doha, QAT – 9 May
Shanghai, CHN – 18 May
Eugene, USA – 31 May
Rome, ITA – 5 Jun
Oslo, NOR – 11 Jun
New York, USA – 14 Jun
Lausanne, SUI – 3 Jul
Paris, FRA – 5 Jul
Glasgow, GBR – 11-12 Jul
Monaco, MON – 18 Jul
Stockholm, SWE – 21 Aug
Birmingham, GBR – 24 Aug
Zurich, SUI – 28 Aug
Brussels, BEL – 5 Sep

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