Gatlin pro outdoor debut?

[BillVol]

Does anybody know when/where Justin Gatlin will make his pro debut outdoors?

Thanks for any info.

[Guest]

I've heard that both he and Tim Montgomery are signed up for the new meet in Mexico City the first weekend in May. Would their managers/coaches actually let them go head-to-head in such a relatively meaningless (in terms of bucks available for selling such a titanic matchup) meet?

Oh yeah, they're both big Nike guys, so maybe they both race first--in keeping with recent tradition--on relays at Penn?

[gh]

OK, this is going to be LONNNNNG. Press release T&FN received on the staging of the Mexico meet:

General Information:

Grand Prix Banamex is an international Track & Field Athletics Meeting that
aims to bring together some of the world's best athletes in Mexico. For Ana
Guevara and other Mexican top-athletes the Grand Prix Banamex offers the
opportunity to compete with international stars in Mexico.

The idea to organise the Grand Prix Banamex was developed in February 2002
by former top-athlete German Silva. Silva, a two-time winner of the New York
City Marathon, ended his career in 2002 and wanted to stay involved in
international Athletics. One of his dreams was to have an international
Track & Field Meeting in Mexico. During his career as an international
athlete, Silva was represented by the Dutch sports management agency Global
Sports Communication, which is also the current manager of Ana Gabriela
Guevara. Silva asked Global Sports Communication to assist him in organising
the event. Only a little later, Silva and Global Sports Communication
contacted Asdeporte, a Mexican company specialised in the organisation of
running and triathlon events to assist them. Later these 3 parties founded
the organising committee of the Grand Prix Mexico and asked Ana Gabriela
Guevara to be their ambassador.

With Ana winning all her races during the 2002 season and being one of 4
athletes to share the 2002 Golden League Jackpot, athletics generated
considerable exposure in Mexico. It helped to speed up the process of
organising the event and attracted several major companies to become
partners of the event. As a result the first edition of the Grand Prix
Banamex will take place on May 3 2003 in the historical 1968 Mexico City
Olympic Stadium.


Goals:

The Grand Prix Banamex has set the following goals:

- To organise a world-class track meeting in Mexico City

- To become a Grand Prix-I Meeting (IAAF-standard) within a
period of 3 years time

- To have at least 6 Olympic Champions, World
Champions or World Record Holders participating in the meeting

- To become the best Track Meeting in the Americas

- To offer Ana Guevara a world class stage in Mexico

- To support and develop Track & Field Athletics in Mexico


Athletes:

The following athletes are confirmed for the event:

100 m:

Tim Montgomery USA
Jon Drummond USA
Troy Douglas NED
Ato Boldon TRI
Darren Campbell GBR
Tim Harden USA
Emedolu Uchenna NIG 200m, Commonwealth Champion 2002
Nicholas Macrosonaris CAN


200 m:

Jamie Baulch GBR
Troy Douglas NED
Ato Boldon TRI
Juan Pedro Toledo MEX
Christopher Williams JAM 200m, Silver Medallist World Championships
2001
Darren Campbell GBR 200m, Silver Medallist Olympic Games 2000
Emedolu Uchenna NIG 200m, Commonwealth Champion 2002
Justin Gatlin USA 60m World Indoor Champion 2003


400 m:

Felix Sanchez DOM 400m hurdles, World Champion 2001, 2002
Golden League Jackpot Winner
Alejandro Cardenas MEX
Matt Elias GBR
Zsolt Szegelet HUN
Avard Moncur BAH 400m World Champion 2001
Alleyne Franique GRN
Derek Brew USA


1500 m:

Jason Pyrah USA
Enock Koech KEN 4K World Cross Country Champion 2001
Elkanah Onkware Angweni KEN
Juan Luis Barrios MEX
Noah Ngeny KEN 1500m Olympic Champion 2000
David Lelei KEN
Yusef Abdi AUS
Bryce Knight USA
Ferdinando Vicari ITA
Abdelhak Abdallah ITA
Shadrack Lagat KEN 1500m World Junior Champion 1996


3000 m:

Reuben Kosgei KEN 3000m steeple chase Olympic Champion 2000
Shadrack Kosgei KEN
Pablo Olmedo MEX
Teodoro Vega MEX
Alejandro Suarez MEX
Enos Ketter KEN
Jonatan Morales MEX
Mikhail Ekinov RUS
Reda Benzine ALG
Isaias Haro MEX
David Galvan MEX


110 m hurdles:

Shawn Bownes RSA 110m hurdles Commonwealth Champion 2002
Yoel Hernandez CUB
Jonathan Nsenga BEL
Anier Garcia CUB 110m hurdles Olympic Champion 2000
Dudley Dorival HAI
Ron Brammlet USA


Long Jump:

Miquel Pate USA Bronze medallist World Indoor Championships
2003
Savanté Stringfellow USA Silver medallist World Championships 2001
Ignatsius Gasai GHA
Ivan Pedroso CUB Olympic Champion 2000
Thiago Dias BRA
Bogdan Tudor ROM
Kareem Street Thompson USA
Luis Meliz CUB


100 m:

Ionela Tirlea ROM 400m hurdles European Champion 2002, National
Recordholder
100m, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles
Julliet Campbell JAM 200m World Indoor Champion 2001
Inge Miller USA 200m World Champion 1999, Silver
Mercy Nku NIG
Endurance Ojokolu NIG


200 m:

Mercy Nku NIG
Inge Miller USA
Alyson Felix USA
Endurance Ojokulu NIG
Julliet Campbell JAM



300 m:

Ana Guevara MEX
Cathy Freeman AUS 400m Olympic Champion 2000 / double 400m
World Champion
Barbara Petrahn HUN
Monique Hennagan USA 4x400m Olympic Champion 2000
Tasita Bass USA
Ionella Tirlea ROM 400m hurdles European Champion 2002
Catherine Murphy GBR


1500 m:

Nouria Benida Merah ALG 1500m Olympic Champion 2000
Regina Jacobs USA 1500m World Indoor Champion 2003 / 1500m
World Indoor Record Holder
Sarah Schwald USA
Letitia Vriesde SUR Bronze medallist 800m World Championships
2001
Joanne Fenn GBR
Madrea Hyman JAM
Dulce Maria Rodriquez MEX
Madai Perez MEX


Long Jump:

Grace Upshaw USA 2002 US National Indoor Champion
Adrian Sawyer USA
Shakeema Walker USA
Luvia Pruteanu ROM
Jackie Edwards BAH
Dawn Burrel USA 2001 World Indoor Champion


High Jump:

Nicole Forrester USA 2001 World University Champion, 3rd
Pan-American Games 1999
Hestrie Cloete RSA 2001 World Champion, Silver medallist
Olympic Games 2000
Romary Rifka MEX
Monica Iagar ROM 1998 European Champion, 1998 European Indoor
Champion
Gwen Wentland USA

[tandfman]

I think those are the best fields to compete in Mexico City since the '70's. It will be ver-r-r-r-y interesting to see the times and (LJ) distances.

[BillVol]

I was hoping he'd run at Sea Ray, but he didn't. Looks like he's running only the 200 at the Mexico City meet. Probably his best event.

[Russ7291]

If Alyson Felix runs in Mexico City the HS and American (and World) Junior records may go sub 22 seconds.

[Guest]

and what a sad thing that would be..... the real tragedy of insane altitude-aided marks isn't that the screw up the all-time lists, it's that athletes/coaches/fans don't realize why the marks were so good and the athlete is doomed to spend forever wondering why he/she can't duplicate it.

[Russ7291]

I agree, especially since Felix probably can get close to 22 this year at sea level.