Lagat, Thurmond & Flood set to run in adidas Grand Prix in New York...

NEW YORK--The Samsung Diamond League circuit continues Saturday with the running of the adidas Grand Prix meet at Icahn Stadium in New York City.

The adidas Grand Prix will be televised live on NBC Sports beginning at 1 pm, pacific time (Channel 5 in Seattle, and 105 on Seattle area Comcast HD).

Washington State University grad and reigning IAAF World Indoor 3000 meter champion Bernard Lagat (left/photo by Paul Merca), fresh off his American record in the 5000 meter run, will run in the men's 1500.

University of Washington graduate and three-time Olympian Aretha Thurmond will compete in the women's discus.

In the Jim Ryun high school dream mile, incoming University of Washington freshman Katie Flood from Des Moines, Iowa, will run in a field that includes many of the country's top prep standouts.

Start lists for the adidas Grand Prix are available here.

Meanwhile, the IAAF is delighted to announce that a tender process for the title sponsorship package of the IAAF Diamond League has been concluded successfully. Samsung, a leader in consumer electronics, has agreed to become the title sponsor of the IAAF Diamond League for the next 2 seasons starting in 2010, with an option to extend for an additional year.

The league will now be rebranded ‘Samsung Diamond League’ to be effectively implemented no later than the Lausanne Diamond League meet early July.

Samsung has acquired the first tier package of rights that includes a considerable number of benefits, such as title denomination, advertising boards, exposure on hurdles, on print material, on the official Diamond League website, first class hospitality package and numerous other promotional benefits.

Already a sponsor of the IAAF World Athletics Series and the Olympic Games (where athletics is the number one sport), Samsung is a key sponsor of athletics world-wide. This agreement also underlines a clear extension of Samsung’s strategic positioning in sport, where athletics plays a leading role thanks to its universality and massive media presence.

Samsung, was founded 70 years ago in Daegu, South Korea, operates in most countries around the world and has a net turnover of over 174 billion USD. The company currently employs 263,000 people world-wide and has its headquarters Seoul, South Korea.

Lamine Diack, IAAF President, said “I am delighted with this deal, particularly because it is with a world famous corporation that is already our partner for the IAAF World Championships series of events and the Olympic Games. Samsung understands athletics and we now have a powerful partner across all our most important properties.”

“We are very proud of our sponsorship of the IAAF, which is always associated with the highest level of athletic achievement and hosts the world’s top athletes. And now as title sponsor of the ‘Samsung Diamond League,’ we have the honor of connecting with loyal and dedicated athletics fans around the world," said Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing at Samsung Electronics.