Hurdles hoopla, sprint stars top Pre field

EUGENE, Oregon - Agence France-Presse

Justin Gatlin. AFP Photo

A star-studded men’s 110-meter hurdles lineup and US sprint stars Justin Gatlin and Allyson Felix top a deep talent pool set to compete at the 38th Prefontaine Classic track meet on June 2.

The Diamond League gathering will be staged at the site where the US Olympic Track and Field Trials are set to begin on June 22, with a host of top global stars coming to test the best of the Americans at Hayward Field.

Athens 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China sparks a 110 hurdles showdown with reigning world outdoor champion Jason Richardson, reigning world indoor champion Aries Merritt and American record holder David Oliver.

Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion who served a four-year doping ban and began a comeback in 2010, captured the world indoor 60m crown last March and won the Diamond League 100m opener at Doha in 9.87 seconds.

It was the 30-year-old American’s fastest outdoor opener since he began pro sprinting at age 19.
Gatlin will be tested in the 100 by Walter Dix, the world outdoor 100 and 200 runner-up, and Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Nick Ashmeade.