http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUid=USATF_2005_01_26_13_16_00
Felix, Colander headline women’s 60 at Millrose Games
NEW YORK - When the gun goes off for the women’s 60-meter dash at the 2005 Millrose Games, fans at Madison Square Garden will be treated to watching two of the most exciting American sprinters today.
Allyson Felix, the 19-year-old Olympic silver medalist and world junior record holder at 200 meters, returns to the Millrose Games - part of USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series - on February 4 to headline the women’s dash. She will be joined in the spotlight by 2004 Olympic Trials 100m champion and Olympic finalist LaTasha Colander. It’s Colander’s experience and explosive speed taking on Felix’s youth and closing speed.
The second event of USA Track & Field’s 2005 Indoor Visa Championship Series, the 2005 Millrose Games will be televised on NBC from 2-3:30 p.m., Eastern Time on Saturday, February 5.
Teen wunderkind returns to Big Apple
Felix made her New York debut as a professional in 2004, when she ran against the likes of Olympic gold medalists and world champions at the Millrose Games. Now one of the world’s top sprinters in her own right, Felix will again drop down from her 200-meter specialty distance to the 60 meters for Millrose.
The preternaturally gifted teen first caught America’s eye when she won the 2003 USA Indoor 200m crown as a 17-year-old high school senior. Later that year, Felix went on to break Marion Jones’ American junior record in the 200 on two occasions and defeated an elite international field at Mexico City. Garnering national media attention along the way, she also found time to win her fifth California state high school title for Los Angeles Baptist High School.
Becoming a professional after high school, Felix adjusted to the pro circuit in 2004, rounding into form at the perfect time. She easily won the Olympic Trials and went on to win the silver medal in Athens, despite being the youngest member of Team USA. It was in Athens that she officially broke the world junior record with her silver-medal run of 22.18 seconds.
Colander brings winning ways to Millrose
No stranger to international competition, LaTasha Colander is a two-time Olympian, but until 2004 she was unknown in the world of the short sprints.
Colander won the Olympic Trials 400 meters in 2000, adding an Olympic gold medal as the anchor leg of Team USA’s 4x400m relay. But she was the surprise of the 2004 Olympic Trials when she dominated the field in the women’s 100-meter dash, running 10.97 seconds and taking the sprinting world by storm. A 2004 Olympic finalist in the 100 meters, the 28-year-old Colander finished 2004 world ranked in both the 100 and 200 meters by Track & Field News.
Tickets on Sale
Visa, proud sponsor of USATF. USATF welcomes you to purchase 2005 Millrose Games tickets with your Visa card. Tickets may be purchased by visiting the Madison Square Garden Box Office or calling (212) 465-6741; Calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171, (201) 507-8900 or (203) 624-0033; or by visiting the Armory Track & Field Fan Club Box office at 216 Fort Washington Ave (between 168th & 169th street) or calling (212) 923-1803 x12.
USATF members may purchase their tickets at a discount off the box office price. Members of USATF should access the discount code via the USATF Members-Only webpage at www.usatf.org/membership, then phone Ticketmaster to purchase their tickets.
Ticket prices range from $15 to $90. Prices in excess of $15 include a $4.50 facility surcharge. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to a Ticketmaster Service Charge
Surf to the new Visa Championship Series Web site
USA Track & Field on Wednesday unveiled a dynamic new Web site for the Visa Championship series. Found at www.usatf.org/visa, the site provides previews of all meets in the Visa Championship Series, athlete photos and bios, and dynamic viewing that conveys the excitement of the Visa Championships Series. The site sports the series tagline, “Because Nobody Wants To Wait Until Beijing.”
About the Visa Championship Series
The Visa Championship Series features over $1.5 million in prize and promotional dollars, including a $50,000 jackpot and prize package going to the Visa Champions. Visa Champions will be the top male and female performers of the Visa Championship Series. Visa Championship Series events include the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the Millrose Games on Feb. 4, the Powered by Tyson Invitational Feb. 11, and the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 25-27.
For more information on the 2005 Millrose Games and USATF’s Indoor Visa Championship Series, visit www.usatf.org/visa