http://www.iaaf.org/GP04/news/Kind=2/newsId=24639.html
Jones and Collins sign-up for London Super Grand Prix
Tuesday 23 March 2004
London, UK - Olympic 100m and 200m champion Marion Jones and men’s World 100m champion Kim Collins have signed up for the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on 30 July 2004.
Jones and Collins will race in London at the IAAF Super Grand Prix status meeting just three weeks before the athletics programme begins in Athens, where both will start among the favourites for gold.
Jones, who won at this meeting three times between 2000 and 2002, said: “The Norwich Union London Grand Prix will be the perfect place in which to fine-tune my form going into the Olympic Games.”
“The organisers always assemble a world-class field at Crystal Palace and I’ll be looking to gain an advantage over my rivals by winning the 100m so close to Athens.”
“I’ve been pleased with my performances on the track following the birth of our baby but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Collins meanwhile hopes to use the London date to establish his position as the world’s leading male sprinter ahead of the Olympics.
The St Kitts and Nevis athlete was a surprise winner of last year’s World title in Paris, but with many of the established American sprinters struggling for form, he will fancy his chances of repeating that success in Athens.
“I surprised everyone when I won in Paris but this year everyone will be expecting me to do well because I’m World champion. I will try to keep my focus and approach each race as I have in the past and hopefully the medals will keep coming.”
The presence of the two leading lights of world sprinting is sure to increase demand for tickets for the meeting which was a 17,500 sell-out well in advance of last year’s date. And organisers are confident of adding further big names to the line-up in the coming weeks.