For eight years the adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium in New York City has been a premier track meet to watch for fans around the world. The meet has featured elite athletes for a number of years and this year is no exception as athletes from 42 different countries will compete this Saturday. 72 of these athletes are Olympic or World Championship medalists and 40 are Olympic Gold medalists and/or World Champions. With such a stacked field of competitors, each event is sure to bring some great performances.
 

Starting with the women’s 100m, the field includes a list of powerhouses such as two-time Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix , Tianna Madison who was third in the 60m at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, Carmelita Jeter, reigning World Champion and ranked #1 in the world in 2011, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, 2008 Olympic gold medalist and 2009 World Champion, and Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Tinidad and Tobago, World Championships bronze medalist. The top three times in the world are currently held by Jeter (10.81), Baptiste (10.86), and Felix (10.92). This race will definitely be a battle as the fastest women in the world race for the win on Saturday.
 

The men’s 800m will be a match-up to see as David Rudisha of Kenya, World Champion and World-Record holder will make his U.S. debut by taking on Alfred Kirwa Yago of Kenya, the 2007 World Champion, Abubacker Kaki of Sudan, the 2011 World Championships silver medalist and two-time World Indoor Champion, Boaz Lalang, 2010 World Indoor silver medalist, and Robby Andrews who will be making his professional debut for adidas. 
 

Some action from the women’s 5k will include Meseret Defar, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2007 IAAF World Champion making a comeback in New York City. She is entered in the 5k for the first time since breaking the World Record at Icahn Stadium in 2006.
  

The men’s 1500 looks like it will be a showdown between two-time Olympic medalist and 2007 World Champion Bernard Lagat, Augustine Choge of Kenya, 2012 World Indoor silver medalist in the 3k, Craig Mottram of Australia, the 2005 World Championships Bronze medalist in the 5k, and 2009 World Championships finalist Leonel Manzano. Lagat should be looking for some redemption after his 14th place finish at the Pre Classic. 
 

The men’s 110m hurdles is another event that features a stacked field of competitors, which will be led by Cuba’s Dayron Robles, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and World record holder, 2011 World Champion Jason Richardson, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and American record holder David Oliver, and 2012 World Indoor Champion Aries Merritt of the U.S.
 

The adidas Grand Prix also features the finale of the adidas Golden Stripes that includes four races for the best high school athletes in the country: the boy’s Dream 100m, the boy’s Dream Mile, the girl’s Dream 100m, and the girls Dream Mile. Athletes that are invited include the top athletes and winners of three qualifying meets in the Adidas Golden Stripes series, provided those athletes meet the qualifying times.  
 

For the boy’s Dream 100, the athlete to watch would be Tyreek Hill who holds the #1 time in the U.S of 10.19 as well as the #1 time in the 200m. The Douglas, Georgia sprinter also holds the #2 all-time performance of 20.14 in the 200m. Another addition to the start list was Tremayne Acy, a junior from DeSoto, Texas who has the #6 wind-aided time in the nation this year for 100m (10.26) as well as the #9 legal mark (10.41), and is a member of the 2012 Texas 5A State Champion 4x100-meter relay team.  
 

BOYS’ DREAM 100 FIELD 

Tremayne Acy: DeSoto, Texas; #9 U.S. 100m (10.41), 100m PB 10.26 

Trae Armstrong: Glendale, Ariz.; 8-time Div. 1 State Champion 100m, 200m, 400m 

Raymond Bozmans: Fort Collins, Colo.; #4 U.S. 100m (10.27), 2012 State Champion 100m, 200m, 400m 

Marvin Bracy: Orlando, Fla.; #3 U.S. 100m (10.25), #1 U.S. under all conditions 100m (10.06)

Abraham Hall: South Grand Prairie, Texas; co-#1 U.S. 100m (10.19), #2 U.S. 200m (20.58) 

Tyreek Hill: Douglas, Ga.; co-#1 U.S. 100m (10.19), #1 U.S. 200m (20.14, #2 all-time) 

Jazeel Murphy: St. Catherine, Jamaica; 2-time U20 CARIFTA Champion 100m 

Khalfani Muhammad: Sherman Oaks, Calif.; 2012 Mt SAC Champion 100m, 200m
Levonte Whitfield: Orlando, Fla.; #5 U.S. 100m (10.35); co-#1 U.S. 60m indoors

The girl's Dream 100 will also be a highlight as the fastest female high school sprinters in the country toe the line together.  Tristie Johnson, ranked #1 in all conditions with a time of 11.28 will compete against other all-star athletes like Morolake Akinosun, the AAU Junior Olympics Champion in the 100m and 200m, and Ariana Washington, the #3 seed in the 100m with a time of 11.45. 

GIRLS’ DREAM 100 
Morolake Akinosun: Naperville, Ill.; #2 U.S. 100m (11.41), AAU Junior Olympics Champion 100m, 200m 
Aaliyah Brown: Frankfort, Ill.; #4 U.S. 100m (11.48), 2-time State Champion 
Kali Davis-White: Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.; #6 U.S. 100m (11.56); state runner-up 100m, 200m 
Destinee Gause: Reynoldsburg, Ohio; 2012 National Indoor Champion 200m 
Tristie Johnson: Jacksonville, Fla.; #1 U.S. 100m all conditions (11.28) 
Jennifer Madu: Plano, Texas; 2011 IAAF Youth Champion 100m 
Shayla Sanders: Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.; #1 U.S. 100m (11.33) and 200m (23.25), State Champion 100m, 200m 
Tianna Valentine: St. Louis, Mo: State Champion 100m; Kansas Relays Champion 
Ariana Washington: Long Beach, Calif.; #3 U.S. 100m (11.45), #2 U.S. 200m (23.52)

 

The girl’s Dream mile features the fastest high school milers around, which includes 2010 Dream Mile Champion Maddie Meyers of Seattle, Washington who is scheduled to return to Icahn Stadium to compete in the event for her third consecutive year.  Meyers is currently ranked #4 in the U.S at 3000 meters and posts a personal best of 4:41 in the 1600m.  She will have some stiff competition however, with 2012 California State Meet Champion Nikki Hiltz of Aptos, CA who is fresh off of her 4:42 victory as well as returning 2011 Dream Mile Champion Cami Chapus.  
 

GIRLS’ DREAM MILE FIELD

Allie Cash: Shawnee Mission, Kan.; Kansas Relays Champion 800m, 1600m; #5 U.S. 1600 

Cami Chapus: Los Angeles, Calif.; 5th, 2011 World Youth Champs; #3 U.S. 1500m, 1600m 

Alexa Efraimson: Camus, Wash.; #4 U.S. 1600m; is a freshman 

Erin Finn: West Bloomfield, Mich.; U.S. HS Record-holder 5000m indoors 

Wesley Frazier: Raleigh, N.C.; 2011 National HS Champion in Mile 5000m 

Nikki Hiltz: Aptos, Calif.; 4th, 2011 U.S. Junior Nationals 1500m 

Maddie Meyers: Seattle, Wash.; #4 U.S. 3000m, 2010 Dream Mile Champion 

Amy-Eloise Neale: Snohomish, Wash.; 6-time State Champion 

Alexis Panisse: Bayside, N.Y.; U.S. top 5 in 800m, 1600m and 2K Steeplechase 

Angel Piccirillo: Homer Center, Pa.; #1 in U.S. 1600m; #2 in Mile; 7-time State Champion 

Haley Pierce: Wilmington, Del.; # 2 in U.S. 1600m; 15-time State Champion 

Paige Rice: Portland, Ore.; #5 U.S. 1500m; Cross Country State Champion 

Lily Williams: Tallahassee, Fla.; #3 in U.S. Mile; 800m, 1600m, 3200m State Champion

 

The boy’s Dream Mile is continuing its mission to have a high school miler break four minutes and this year follows the tradition with Edward Cheserek of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, NJ.  The junior who holds the Indoor 5k high school record with a time of 13:57, is seeking to break the four minute barrier this Saturday against an impressive field of competitors such as Brad Nye, the Kaysville, Utah native who is currently ranked #1 in the U.S for the mile and Ahmed Bile, a 7-time Virginia 3A State Champion that holds a time of 4:08 in the 1600m.  
 

BOYS’ DREAM MILE FIELD

Ahmed Bile: Annandale, Va.; 7-time Virginia 3A State Champion; #10 U.S. 1600m (4:08.29) 

Jacob Burcham: Ona, W.V.; #4 U.S. in Mile; 7th, 2011 World Youth Championships 1500m 

Edward Cheserek: Newark, N.J.; 2011 U.S. HS XC Champion; HS National Record 5000m indoors 

Marcus Dickson: Buckley, Wash.; #3 U.S. 1600m, #2 U.S. in Mile; State Champion 800m,1600m 

Craig Engels: Pfafftown, N.C.; #4 U.S. 1500m, #3 in Mile; 2012 Penn Relays Mile Champion 

Blake Haney: Bakersfield, Calif.; #7 U.S. 3200m, adidas Meet of Champions winner 

Brannon Kidder: Lancaster, Ohio; 4-time State Champion, #7 U.S. 1600m 

Josh Lampron: Mansfield, Mass.; #1 U.S. 1500m (3:45.74), #5 U.S. in Mile 

Ben Malone: Hillsdale, N.J.; #2 U.S. 1500m; National Indoor Champion 800m 

Bernie Montoya: Yuma, Ariz.; #1 U.S. 3000m; 7-time State Champion 

Craig Nowak: Cypress, Texas; #3 U.S. 3000m, #4 U.S. 1600m; State Champion 1600m, 3200m 

Brad Nye: Kaysville, Utah; #1 U.S. in Mile; 2012 U.S. Indoor Mile Champion 

Izaic Yorks: Lakewood, Wash.; #1 U.S. 1600.; State Champion 800m, 1600m 

Futsum Zeinassellasie: Indianapolis, Ind.; #1 U.S. 3200m; #2 3000m; National XC Runner of Year