2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview
Posted May 31st, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
With the 2008 IAAF Golden League kicking off in Berlin this weekend, outdoor track is in full swing. This being an Olympic year, every major meet from here on out can offer a piece of what the final Olympic track & field puzzle might look like. The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight:
100m
Men: Fresh off a sizzling 9.76 (just 0.02 slower than Asafa Powell’s world record), Usain Bolt will face World Champion Tyson Gay, who is facing some pre-Olympic jitters. Both men are fully capable of blowing their starts, which would offer Shawn Crawford and Xavier Carter some hope. There’s an A race and a B race. That’s always a letdown, isn’t it?
Women: Loaded with stellar American and Jamaican sprinters, this race should be a preview of the Olympic final: Veronica Campbell Brown, Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Torri Edwards, more.
200m
Men: Wallace Spearmon is the only man in the race to have broken 20 seconds. It’s his race for the taking.
Women: Lashauntea Moore, the 9th fastest 200m runner of 2007 (22.46) faces Muna Lee, the 2nd fastest in the world (22.30) from 2008 and Shalonda Solomon, the 7th fastest in the world (22.36) in 2006. Keep an eye out for University of Texas freshman Bianca Knight, who turned pro this year after running a fabulous 22.40.
400m
Men: Again, an A race and a B race. (A rhetorical question for the race organizers: why bother?) There’s no Wariner, Merritt or Taylor, but the USA has as many talented 400m runners as the Kenyans have marathoners and there are 11 Americans competing this weekend.
Women: The top four finishers from the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (DeeDee Trotter, Natasha Hastings, Mary Wineberg and Sanya Richards, in that order) will be running this weekend. I’ll bet you that Richards won’t finish fourth, either in this race or in the trials.
800m
Men: This should be Yusuf Kamel’s race. Nick Willis is stepping down from his normal 1500m, and it’s always interesting to watch a strength guy try to steal a race that is not his specialty, a la Alan Webb. Khadevis Robinson and Gary Reed will be threats. Will 2008 be David Krummenacker’s last hurrah?
Women: Maryam Jamal has run a 1:58.66 already in 2008, but that put her almost 3 seconds behind Kenyan teenage sensation Pamela Jelimo. Luckily for her, Jelimo won’t be in New York this weekend. Five of the top 10 US 800m runners in the Track & Field News Olympic Trials formchart will be in the race.
1500m
Men: Kevin Sullivan is (finally!) the big gun in a race, but I’m more interested in watching the Americans fight it out. With slots 1 and 2 at the Olympic Trials all but locked up by Alan Webb and Bernard Lagat (not necessarily in that order), who will grab slot number 3? Chris Lukezic or Lopez Lomong? I’m sure Leo Manzano, Rob Myers and Jon Rankin (who are not in the race) will be watching closely in order to gather some intelligence for next month.
Women: Carmen Douma-Hussar is always tough and Jenelle Deatherage has looked good this year. Sara Hall is looking to “get back up” after her last race and Sarah Jamieson is the 7th fastest 1500m runner in the world this year.
5000m
Men: This one is an International affair, with Rod Koborsi being the only American in the race. He’s got a pretty good story, though. Will this be his breakout race? That’d be fun to watch. Alistair Cragg’s a 13:07 guy and Ali Abdosh won adidas in 13:08, so it should be a hot race.
Women: Many of the top Americans will be competing, so it will somewhat resemble the Olympic Trials. I say “somewhat” because, of course, Shalane Flanagan won’t be there. Kiwi Kim Smith will be tough to beat.
3000m Steeplechase
Men: Two words: Paul Koech. The U.S. all-comers record is 8:04.51. That’s as good as gone. Three of the top 10 Americans are in this race, if you’re looking for a bit of a trials preview.
110m Hurdles
Men: Two more words: Liu Xiang.
400m Hurdles
Men: Three of the top 10 Americans, including the always technically “interesting” Kerron Clement, will be in the race.
Women: Four of the top 10 US women will be in the race, including Lashinda Demus and Osaka finalist Tiffany Williams.
Pole Vault
Women: Will Jenn Stuczynski set a world record this weekend? Will she then begin referring to herself in the 3rd person, as does Isinbayeva? I can’t wait for Beijing.
Shot Put
Men: Only 4 guys are competing, but, when their names are Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa, Adam Nelson and Dan Taylor, who else do you need?
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Tags: 2008 olympics, adam nelson, allyson felix, Beijing, beijing olympics, Christian Cantwell, Dan Taylor, Golden League, IAAF, Jenn Stuczynski, Kerron Clement, liu xiang, olympic games, Paul Koech, Reebok Grand Prix, Reese Hoffa, sanya richards, sara hall, tyson gay, Usain Bolt, veronica campbell brown
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The Final Sprint
[…] 2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight: … credit : http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/05/2008-reebok-grand-prix-preview/ […]
May 31st, 2008 at 12:03 pm[…] 2008 Reebok Grand Prix PreviewThe 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight: …TheFinalSprint.com | Premier Running Destinatio… - http://www.thefinalsprint.com|||Reebok Grand Prix:The Reebok Grand Prix kicks off at 5 pm on May 31, at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. On the heels of a sell-out last year, 1500 bleacher seats have been added on the backstretch to accommodate the expected demand in this Olympic …The CW11 Morning News Blog - http://weblogs.cw11.com/news/local/morningnews/blogs/|||Reebok Grand Prix: The Optimal Training PicksWe're back for the Reebok Grand Prix today, and I've made my picks. Let's hope my team doesn't get done in by the women like last time and that I take the much-deserved title of "LOTB Pick-N-Win Contest Champion". …Optimal Training - http://optimaltraining.typepad.com/blog/|||Get Yourself To The Reebok Grand Prix30 May 2008 If you can't spend thousands of dollars to go to the Olympics in Beijing, and you're in the New York area, you should try to get yourself to Reebok Grand Prix tomorrow at Icahn Stadium. It's one of the last chances to see the best track …Sports Biz with Darren Rovell - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837629|||Reebok Grand Prix in New on Olympics19 hours ago focus should be on the sport and the USA Olympic trials in late June, not doping.Catch Breaking News, Popular Entertainment… - http://www.zoogatv.com|||2008 Reebok Grand Prix PreviewThe 2008 Reebok Grand Prix is shaping up to be an extraordinary night and day. Meet organizers have landed some of the hottest races. The meet is run at the Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, a 480-acre park anchoring Manhattan, …PreraceJitters.com - http://preracejitters.blogspot.com/|||May 30: Reebok Grand Prix Should Clarify US Middle Distance …At Reebok Grand Prix, the US Middle Distance Picture Could Get Clearer The sprinters Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, and Lauryn Williams and China's hurdler Liu Xiang are the… The Daily News presents the most important …Runner's World: Daily News - http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/|||Reebok Grand Prix Start Lists….NOW UP!!They posted the start lists today for the Reebok Grand Prix, which begins in THREE DAYS! Why would anyone care who is racing anyway? Races and athletes of interest after the jump, if you're into that kind of.Less Than Our Best - http://givingless.blogspot.com/|||Catch Jenn, Sanya and Liu at the Reebok Grand PrixNutrilite® is the exclusive vitamin, mineral, and nutritional supplement brand of the 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, being held in New York City on May 31. And Team Nutrilite athletes will each defend their records there. …Team Nutrilite - http://teamnutrilite.opportunityzone.com/default.aspx|||Training for Reebok Grand Prix MeetI am excited to be competing again this weekend in the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. We are going to have a great field of women’s discus throwers. One of our American discus throwers, Stephanie has a current World Leading Mark at …Arethathrows.com - http://arethathrows.com/ […]
May 31st, 2008 at 8:03 pm[…] 2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview12 hours ago by Jimmie R. Markham The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight: …TheFinalSprint.com | Premier Running Destinatio… - http://www.thefinalsprint.com […]
May 31st, 2008 at 9:42 pm[…] 2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview15 hours ago by Jimmie R. Markham The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight: …TheFinalSprint.com | Premier Running Destinatio… - http://www.thefinalsprint.com […]
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