BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 15, 2016) - Olympic gold medalists Matthew Centrowitz, Ekaterini Stefanídi and Jenn Suhr are confirmed to return to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced today.
Tickets are now on sale for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, and is the only U.S. stop on the IAAF World Indoor Tour. The series of five international events begins in Boston and awards overall winners $20,000 and a guaranteed spot at next year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Centrowitz, 27, is coming off what is arguably the best season ever for an American miler. In March, Centrowitz became the first American man to ever win gold over 1500 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, OR. Last summer, after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials, Centrowitz became the first American in 108 years to win the Olympic gold medal in the 1500 meters. His season’s best for the mile, 3:50.63, is the fastest in the world for 2016.
"I’m looking forward to returning to Boston as the reigning Olympic and World Indoor Champion," said Centrowitz. "I couldn’t think of a better meet to kickoff my 2017 season. The Reggie Lewis Center always has a knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd for the middle and long distance races."
Two more US middle distance medalists, Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn, will feature in the women’s distance medley relay. Simpson and Coburn made history this summer, with both taking the bronze medals at 1500m and the 3000m Steeplechase, respectively, making them the first American women to ever win Olympic medals in either event. Joining them in the relay will be their Olympic teammate Brenda Martinez. Martinez anchored Team New Balance home to the current distance medley world record of 10:42.57, set at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in 2015.
Suhr, 34, and Stefanídi, 26, the last two Olympic Champions, promise to make the women’s pole vault one of the highlights of this year’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Suhr, the Olympic Champion in London, is a 17-time US Champion and owns the world indoor record in the pole vault. In March, she won her first gold medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, OR, and has competed in Boston nine out of the last ten years. Stefanídi began her 2016 season with a new Greek national record in the pole vault and took the bronze medal in Portland before going on to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Now in its 22nd year, the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix has played host to eight World Records and 14 American Records and will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit NewBalance.Newsmarket.com.
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
