NEW YORK, CMC – Elite Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell-Brown will open their preparation for the London Olympics when they headline the 2012 US Open Track & Field meet in January. The event, scheduled for January 28, will be staged at the Madison Square Garden and is the first of six IAAF Indoor Permit Meeting series. While Powell will be making his NYC indoor track debut, Campbell-Brown will be looking to sustain her winning momentum after her success earlier this year.
USA Track and Field’s interim CEO Mike McNees said the presence of Powell and Campbell-Brown would launch the rivalry with American athletes that is expected in London. “No US city is more international than New York,” McNees said.
“Having Veronica and Asafa at the Garden will help spotlight the international importance of the Olympic year, with the US Open as the first round of the 2012 USA-Jamaica rivalry.”
The year will be an important one for Powell as he goes in search of this first ever gold medal at a major championships. Powell has more sub-10 clockings than any other sprinter on the planet but has repeatedly failed to convert this form into success at a World or Olympic championship. At age 29, however, London will represent perhaps his last chance to break this bogey.
Campbell-Brown, meanwhile, will be looking to enhance her reputation as one of the most consistent sprinters of her generation.
The 29-year-old has picked up 200 metres gold in Athens and Beijing and has also won gold at the last two World Championships in Osaka and Daegu.
The London Olympics are scheduled to be held July 27 to August 12.
