Bernard Lagat among headliners for Saturday's adidas Grand Prix in New York...
The adidas Grand Prix is part of the season-long Samsung Diamond League tour.
Lagst, who finished second in the 5000 meter run at the 2009 IAAF World Track & Field Championships, and is fresh off a victory in the two-mile run at the Nike Prefontaine Classic last week, will contest the 5000 in a field that includes Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia, and three men who have broken 13 minutes this season--Isiah Koech of Kenya, who enters the meet with the second fastest time in the world this season at 12:54.59, Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia, who ran 12:55.89 in Rome a few weeks ago, and Edwin Soi, who ran 12:59.15 in Hengelo.
Lagat announced at the Prefontaine Classic that he will only contest the 5000 at the USA championships in Eugene in two weeks.
2007 world champion Brad Walker of Mountlake Terrace continues his comeback in the men's pole vault, as the Washington alum goes against Frenchmen Romain Mesnil and Renaud Lavillenie and veteran Derek Miles.
American record holder Kara Patterson from Vancouver looks to bounce back from a disappointing sixth place finish in the javelin at last week's Prefontaine Classic.
Three time US Olympian Aretha Thurmond from Federal Way competes in the women's discus against a field that includes Olympic champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton, and long-time rival Suzy Powell-Roos.
In the women's 1500 meters, Tacoma's Brie Felnagle, a former University of North Carolina All-American, will run against a field that includes world championship bronze medalist Shannon Rowbury of San Francisco, former Texas Tech star Sally Kipyego, American steeple record holder Jenny Barringer, and Canadian Malindi Elmore.
A national men's 1500 field has been assembled for this meet, designed to help domestic runners attain the USA outdoor championship meet standards, and Auburn Riverside HS grad Jordan McNamara is among the contestants in the field.
In the high school girls' Dream Mile, incoming University of Washington freshman Eleanor Fulton goes against defending adidas Dream Mile champion Maddie Meyers of Seattle's Northwest School, and Amy-Eloise Neal, a sophomore at Glacier Peak HS, who set a state meet record of 10:12.33 in the 3200m at the Washington state meet a few weeks ago.
The adidas Grand Prix will be televised live Saturday from 3-5 pm eastern time on NBC Sports.
The start lists for the adidas Grand Prix are available here.
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