Let The Games Begin…

By CLAUDIO MARTINO

The USA Track & Field held a press conference on Thursday at the New York Athletic Club, hosting a meet-and-greet with a handful of this year’s Millrose Game competitors.

The Millrose Games are an annual indoor track and field athletics meet held every first Friday of February at Fort Washington Avenue Armory since 1908. This year’s meet was postponed to Saturday, February 16th due to last weekend’s snowstorm.

The games consist of nine main events:

-60m dash

-Women’s 400m

-Men’s 600m

-Women’s 600m

-Men’s Wanamaker Mile

-Women’s Wanamaker Mile

-Men’s Two-Mile

-60m Hurdles

-Women’s Field Events

A handful of Millrose Games competitors, most of whom are Olympic athletes returning to the competitive scene since the 2012 London Games, participated in the conference.

Matthew Centrowitz Jr., 23, ranked 4th in the 1500m event during the London Olympics. He is the son of two time Olympic distance runner Matthew Centrowitz Sr. Centrowitz will be defending his Wanamaker Mile championship on Saturday.

Nicholas Symmonds, 29, placed 5th in the Men’s 800m in London. He will be participating in the Men’s 600m on Saturday. He expressed his eagerness, stating that he had never run a 600m dash before.

Alysia Montano, 26, placed 5th in the Women’s 800m in London. She is the only New York native of the group. Montano will be participating in the Women’s 600m Dash.

Bernard Lagat, 38, placed 4th in London’s 5000m. He holds a distinct position in the group as an eight-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile. This will be his tenth Millrose game, where he will be participating in the Men’s Two-Mile.

Brittney Reese, 26, is a four-time world champion who most recently took the gold in the London Games long jump. She seeks to break her indoor record this weekend.

Jennifer Suhr, 31, is the number-one ranked American pole vaulter since 2006. Most recently she took the gold at the London Games. She will be participating in the pole vaulting event against Greek vaulter Ekaterini Stefanidi, U.S. Olympian Becky Holliday, and professional vaulting veteran Mary Saxer on Saturday.

Jason Richardson, 26, silver medalist in London’s 110m hurdles. He will be competing in the 60m Hurdles event, starting off his 2013 racing season.

Lauryn Williams, 29, took the gold in the 4x100m relay race. She will be participating in the 60m Dash.

The Millrose Games this year will be featured live, on ESPN and the online site ESPN3.