Gabby Thomas, Brooke Andersen, Mondo Duplantis, Kenny Bednarek, and Jake Wightman among stars set to attend*
Indianapolis, Indiana - April 27, 2023 — USA Track & Field is pleased to unveil slated events and attending athletes for the first-ever USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix presented by Nike. Serving as the first stateside stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour - Gold, the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix is the sixth in the series and will provide valuable World Athletics Rankings points across 26 events. The iconic UCLA Drake Stadium will be the backdrop for top-tier performances across the men’s and women’s 100, 200, and 400, the women’s 100 hurdles, men’s 400 hurdles, men’s pole vault, and men’s and women’s fields of the shot put and javelin. The USATF LA Grand Prix, delivered in partnership with Internet Brands, kicks off on Friday, May 26 with an evening on the oval at the USATF Distance Classic – an event which yielded dozens of World Championships standards in 2022. The men’s and women’s 800, 1500, steeplechase, and 5000 will be contested alongside the women’s pole vault and men’s and women’s hammer and discus. USATF CEO Max Siegel said, “We at USATF are thrilled to return to Los Angeles in such a major way with the LA Olympics on the horizon. With the partnership of Nike, the Internet Brands/WebMD Impact Fund, and others, we have a special opportunity to harness the excitement of the upcoming Games with a global, stateside event.” The USATF LA Grand Prix will bring together exciting athlete matchups between record holders and international medalists that will bring top performances. Early key matchups include: 100m hurdles: Keni Harrison, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, and Tobi Amusan U.S. short hurdles star Keni Harrison is set to take on Puerto Rico’s defending Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Nigeria’s defending world champion and world record holder, Tobi Amusan in a 100m hurdles matchup of the ages. Harrison, who trains in LA under esteemed coach Bobby Kersee, is the second-fastest of all time in the event and took silver at the Tokyo Olympics. Her American record of 12.20 has been bettered only once, when Amusan clocked a 12.12 in the semifinals of Oregon22 before going on to win gold with a wind-aided 12.06. Looking to build on her breakthrough year, Amusan will be challenged by a redemption-hungry Camacho-Quinn - who took home bronze behind Amusan in Oregon. Shot put: Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, and Josh Awotunde After sweeping the men’s shot put podium in Oregon, a strong American trio headlines the field in Los Angeles. World champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Ryan Crouser will be joined by Oregon22 silver medalist and reigning Diamond League Champion Joe Kovacs, and world bronze medalist and rising star Josh Awotunde. Crouser enters the 2023 season with a personal best and world record mark of 23.37m/76-8.25. Two-time world champion Kovacs owns the second-best outdoor mark of all time and is one of only four putters to eclipse 23m with his 23.23m/76-2.75 personal best. The pair is joined by No. 11 on the U.S. all-time list in Awotunde, who enters the season with a personal best of 22.29m/73-1.75. In addition to the on-track activities, a RunJumpThrow event, in partnership with LA Sports and Ready Set Gold, will be hosted at Dignity Health Sports Park on Friday, May 25. Kids of Los Angeles will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn the basics of track and field and get excited about physical activity alongside Olympians. To cap off the excitement on the track, Saturday’s events will feature a music and food-filled fan festival adjacent to the stadium. The Legends Jam, headlined by Judith Hill, will cap off the weekend by honoring and celebrating track and field legends with a party under the stars. The USATF Distance Classic will be webcast on USATF.TV+ and the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix will be live on NBC and Peacock from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. ET. Tickets for the world-class, global event can be purchased here. For more information, please visit the USATF event website. *Athlete roster subject to change
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running, and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org. Media Enquiries: Communications@usatf.org.