Reigning World Indoor 60 metres champion Justin Gatlin will step up his Olympic Games preparation with a 200 metres at the Tom Jones Memorial Meet here in Florida on Saturday.
Gatlin, who is yet to decide on whether he will race in both sprint events at the U.S. trials, has enjoyed a very productive 2012 season so far and is looking forward to taking on the likes of Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Walter Dix, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell and the rest of the world’s top sprinters this term.
On Saturday he races against Dutch Antilles’ Churandy Martina in the half-lap.
Also racing over the 200m are Florida collegiate stars Jeff Demps and Tony McQuay and they will match up with Christian Taylor, Calvin Smith and Will Claye in their heat.
American sprinter Justin Gatlin/PHOTOS/ Randy Miyazaki
Meanwhile reigning Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica headlines the women’s field and she will open her 2012 outdoor campaign against a very solid field.
Also included in the heat are American Shalonda Solomon, Jamaicans Aleen Bailey and Sheri Ann Brooks and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste.
Quarter-mile specialist Novlene Williams-Mills of Jamaica has also stepped down in distance to join the attractive 200m field.
Elsewhere, Americans David Oliver, Joel Brown, David Payne, Dwight Thomas of Jamaica, Andy Turner of Great Britain and Ryan Braithwaite lead a very strong looking men’s 110m hurdles.
In the men’s 100m dash, Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade, who has a year best of 10.09 seconds this season – goes up against fellow country man Dexter Lee, Demps and Trinidad and Tobago’s Rondel Sorrillo.
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