Reigning Olympic Champ Commits To Millrose

Millrose Games meet director Ray Flynn announced today that 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner LaShawn Merritt will compete in the 500m at the 105th Millrose Games on Feb. 11 at The Armory.

"I am really looking forward to racing the 500m at the historic Millrose Games in the Armory and my attempt to break the World Indoor Record," said Merritt, who captured the 400m silver medal this year at the World Outdoor Championships in South Korea.

Merritt, 25 of Portsmouth, Va., won the Gold in the 400m (43.75) and 4x400 (2:55.56) in Beijing, China. Flynn also announced the Millrose Games will pay a World Record bonus of $25,000 in the 500m. It will be Merritt's Armory debut.

"If anyone can break it, it's LaShawn," Flynn said. "This will be another spectacular race at The Armory."

No one has ever broken one minute in the indoor 500. Ken Lowery has held the World Record at 1:00.17 since 1987 while Mark Everett set the Millrose Games mark in 1:01.19 back in 1994.

The country's top men's and women's track & field athletes along with the finest college and high school student-athletes will showcase their talents in the Millrose Games at the Armory New Balance Track & Field Center.

Merritt joins an impressive lineup of track & field athletes to participate in the upcoming Millrose Games.

Last week eight-time Wanamaker Mile champion Bernard Lagat announced his decision to enter the Millrose Games, this time running to reclaim his American Record in the 5,000m.

Contender for the Olympic Gold medal and current Outdoor High Jump World Champion Jesse Williams and Olympic Gold Medal challenger and reigning Indoor and Outdoor Long Jump World Champion Brittney Reese join 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Allyson Felix and World Champion/2008 USA Olympian Jennifer Simpson as confirmed athletes in the nation's premier indoor track & field event. Felix will compete in the Women's 60m event and Simpson will participate in the Millrose Games' first New York Road Runners' Wanamaker Metric Mile for Women. Click here for the full order of events.

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