It's Kip vs Mekkonen at the Garden to highlight 2011 Millrose Games...

NEW YORK - Returning for its 104th edition, the 2011 Millrose Games will give one of its greatest stars his biggest challenge, as Washington State University hall of famer Bernard "Kip" Lagat (left/photo by Paul Merca) opens his 2011 campaign in the "Big Apple".

The 104th Millrose Games will be contested Friday, January 28, 2011 at Madison Square Garden. The first event of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series, the Millrose Games will be televised live from 8-10 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN2.

In 2010, American middle-distance ace Bernard Lagat had to beat Asbel Kiprop, the Olympic gold medalist in order to win his record eighth Wanamaker Mile, surpassing Eamonn Coghlan as the "Chairman of the Boards" at Millrose.

Here is video of last year's race, courtesy of letsrun.com.



If he wants to win his ninth title in 2011, Lagat will need to turn back perhaps the world's best indoor miler, Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia. At age 36, Lagat owns six American records, two indoor and two outdoor world championship titles and two Olympic medals. A star of the future, Mekonnen is just 23 years old but already has a pair of World Indoor gold medals on his resume from 2008 and 2010, and he won the 2009 World Outdoor silver medal to Lagat's bronze.

NOTE:  USA Track & Field contributed to this report.