BOSTON, Massachusetts, 30 January 2004 — Distance legend Haile Gebrselassie will try to reclaim the world indoor 3,000 meters record tomorrow as the USA Track and Field’s Golden Spike Tour kicks off with the Boston Indoor Games.
Gebrselassie, who has two Olympic gold medals in the 10,000m and nine World Championship titles at various distances, is trying to take back the 3,000m world indoor record, which Daniel Komen broke in 1998 with a time of 7:24.90.
The Ethiopian is one of several athletes hoping for some early-season fireworks in this Olympic year. Gebrselassie’ female compatriots Derartu Tulu, Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar have set their sights on the women’s 5000m world record (14:47.25), which was set by Gabriela Szabo in 1998.
American Gail Devers, a two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist and seven-time world champion, says she wants to improve her own indoor American record (7.74sec) in the women’s 60m hurdles.
Olympic bronze medalist Melissa Morrison and 2001 world indoor and outdoor champion Anjanette Kirkland are also entered in the 60m hurdles. David Krummenacker, the defending 800m World Indoor Champion, wants to break his own 1000m American record (2:17.86) in the men’s 1,000m, which he set at this meet in 2002.
Stacy Dragila, the 2000 Olympic women’s pole vault gold medalist, will be shooting to improve her American record.
The men’s 60m field includes the outdoor world championships 200m gold medalists John Capel and silver medalist Darvis Patton, as well as 2001 world indoor champion Shawn Crawford and Olympic relay gold medalist Jon Drummond. The ninth edition of the Boston Indoor Games will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.
The 2004 Indoor Golden Spike Tour then continues on Feb. 6 at the Millrose Games at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and on Feb. 14 with the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
