Navigation
U.S. Open Track & Field Meet: Visa Championship Series Begins on January 28
From USA Track & FieldLast updated January 19, 2012
Indianapolis, IN
The field of performers at the inaugural U.S. Open track & field meet will offer dazzling performances. The meet will be held on Saturday, January 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. USA Track & Field has included numerous American stars in the athletic program.
USATF’s Visa Championship Series begins with the U.S. Open, the first track meet to be held in the newly renovated Garden. It is also the first major professional meet in the United States as the 2012 Olympic year gets under way. The U.S. Open will be broadcast from 7-9 p.m. on Sunday, January 29, on ESPN2.
Bernard Lagat in the Men's Mile
The first announced athlete last November was American Bernard Lagat in the men's mile. Bernard Lagat won a record eight Wanamaker Miles while the Millrose Games were held at Madison Square Garden (MSG). At the new U.S. Open meet held in MSG, Bernard will race the men's mile with 2011 World Outdoor 1500m silver medalist Silas Kiplagat of Kenya, two-time World Indoor silver medalist Daniel Komen Kipchirchir of Kenya, and Henok Legesse of Ethiopia (3:54.81 personal best).Two American Record-Holders
Olympic medalists David Oliver and Jenn Suhr will be among the American stars competing in the U.S. Open.David Oliver set the American 110m hurdles record of 12.89 in Paris in 2010; that season, he also went undefeated outdoors. He was named the 2010 Jesse Owens Award winner as the nation’s top male track athlete. Oliver is the 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist and 2010 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist.
David Oliver graduated from Howard University in 2004, and currently trains in Kissimmee, FL. He has won the USA Indoor title in 2008, and the USA Outdoor title in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Oliver last ran at Madison Square Garden in the 2008 Millrose Games, finishing second in the 60m hurdles.
Jenn Stuczynksi Suhr is the 2008 Olympic silver medalist and American record-holder indoors (4.83m/15-10) and outdoors (4.92m/16-01.75) in the pole vault. Suhr is looking for a second Garden victory, having won here in 2009; in 2011, she was the runner-up at Madison Square Garden. The most dominant American vaulter of her era, Suhr is a 10-time USA Indoor and Outdoor champion and the 2008 World Indoor Championships silver medalist.
Jesse Williams in the High Jump
In 2011, Jesse Owens Award winner Jesse Williams became the first American man in 20 years--Charles Austin and Hollis Conway won gold and silver in 1991--to win a world championship medal in the high jump. He won the gold medal (2.35m/7-08.5) in Daegu.In 2011, Jesse Williams had one of the finest seasons by an American high jumper in decades: he won both the USA Indoor and USA Outdoor titles, along with the Diamond League Championship. His personal best is currently third on the U.S. all-time list, and his jump of 2.37m/7-9.25 was the best in the world last year. His career achievements include USA Outdoor titles in 2008, 2010, and 2011; and one USA Indoor title (2010).
Christian Cantwell in the Shot Put
Christian Cantwell, Adam Nelson, and Ryan Whiting will compete in the men's shot put; this group represented Team USA at the recent World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea. These three Americans have combined to claim 14 USA Indoor, USA Outdoor and Olympic Trials championships along with three Olympic medals and five World Indoor and World Outdoor gold medals.Christian Cantwell is a three-time World Indoor gold medalist and the 2009 World Outdoor champion. At the U.S. Open, Cantwell will begin his season as he seeks to defend his 2010 World Indoor title. Nelson brings two Olympic silver medals and a 2005 World Outdoor Championship to the Garden, while Whiting is the 2011 U.S. Indoor champion and recorded the farthest indoor throw in the world last year with his mark of 21.35m/70-0.5.
Two Jamaican Stars
Among the most consistent and decorated short sprinters of her generation, Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown’s resume is the stuff legends are made of: two-time defending Olympic 200m gold medalist; defending World Indoor 60m champion; 2011 World Outdoor champion at 200m; 2007 World Outdoor champion in the 100m.At the Garden in 2011, Veronica Campbell-Brown easily won the Visa women’s 60 meters. Among her other top honors are a bronze medal in the 100m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and silver in the 2000 Olympic 4x100m. At the World Outdoor Championships, she has won a total of seven silver medals, dating back to 2005.
Asafa Powell will make his indoor debut in New York at the U.S. Open; it is his first New York City appearance since he ran the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium and his first time competing indoors since 2004.
29-year-old Asafa Powell has run more sub-10 second 100m dashes than anyone in history, and held the title of world’s fastest human for three years. His 100m world record of 9.77 seconds set in 2005 was broken by countryman Usain Bolt in New York in 2008. Asafa is part of the Jamaican 4x100m relay team that currently holds the world record.
Prep Tradition at the Garden
Often some of the Garden’s most crowd-pleasing events, the Catholic High School Athletic Association boys’ 4x800m relay and girls’ 4x400 relay will be part of the U.S. Open program as well.“As we reinvent professional track & field at Madison Square Garden, we made it a priority to include a few, select high school events that give young athletes the chance to compete on the Garden stage, ” USATF Interim CEO Mike McNees explained. The high school relay events also allow fans to cheer for local heroes .
Tickets on Sale
U.S. Open tickets start as low as $15 and are available at the MSG Box Office, Ticketmaster charge at 866-858-0008, all Ticketmaster outlets, and THEGARDEN.com/USOPEN. Annual MSG Track & Field subscribers can contact 212-465-6073. USATF proudly accepts only Visa.Visa Championship Series on the Air
The U.S. Open will be broadcast on ESPN2 from 7-9 p.m. Eastern on January 29 and is part of USATF's most aggressive TV schedule in years.USATF's 2012 Indoor Visa Championship Series will continue with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Feb. 4 and the 2012 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 25-26, where athletes will qualify for the Team USA squad that will compete in March at the IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
All told, indoors and outdoors, the 2012 Visa Championship Series will feature five hours of coverage on NBC, four on ESPN and four on ESPN2 as the Visa Championship Series tees up the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. The Olympic Trials will be broadcast entirely on NBC and its affiliates.
For information on the Visa Championship Series, including the U.S. Open and TV information, see www.VisaChampionshipSeries.com.
Athlete Fields for 2012 U.S. Open as of January 17, 2012; subject to change
Men’s Events
Mile: Bernard Lagat (USA), Silas Kiplagat (KEN), Henok Legesse (ETH), Daniel Komen Kipchirchir (KEN), Anthony Famiglietti (USA), Matt Elliott (USA)
50m: Trell Kimmons (USA), Kimmari Roach (JAM), Asafa Powell (JAM), Justin Gatlin (USA), Daniel Bailey (ANT), Nesta Carter (JAM)
600 yards: Bershawn Jackson (USA), Renny Quow (TRI), Greg Nixon (USA), Tabarie Henry (UVI)
50m hurdles: Aries Merritt (USA), David Oliver (USA), Terrence Trammell (USA), Jeff Porter (USA), Dwight Thomas (USA), Omo Osaghae (USA)
Shot Put: Christian Cantwell (USA), Adam Nelson (USA), Ryan Whiting (USA), Cory Martin (USA)
High Jump: Jesse Williams (USA), Dusty Jonas (USA), Jamie Nieto (USA), Jim Dilling (USA)
Women’s Events
800m: Ajee Wilson (USA), Fantu Magiso (ETH), Jessica Smith (CAN)
Mile: Anna Pierce (USA), Stephanie Garcia (USA), Lauren Hagans (USA), Brenda Martinez (USA)
50m: Bianca Knight (USA), Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM), Alexandria Anderson (USA), Tehesia Harrigan (IVB), Jessica Young (USA), Gloria Asumnu (NGR)
500 yards: Monica Hargrove (USA), Jasmine Chaney (USA), Keshia Baker (USA), Davita Prendergast (JAM)
50m hurdles: Kellie Wells (USA), Lolo Jones (USA), Dawn Harper (USA), Tiffany Porter (GBR), Nia Ali (USA), Ginnie Crawford (USA)
Pole Vault: Jenn Suhr (USA), Becky Holliday (USA), Jillian Schwartz (ISR), Lacy Jansen (USA), Mary Saxer (USA), Janice Keppler (USA)