Track-and-field stars have descended upon Atlanta, including over 20 world or Olympic medalists, likely the greatest collection of track-and-field talent this city has seen since the 1996 Olympics.
There are sprinters, such as Jamaican gold medalists Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell. There are middle-distance runners, such as American Nick Symmonds and even the reigning Olympic champion in the decathlon, Ashton Eaton, who’s in the 100-meter and 400-meter fields.
They are competing in the third annual American Track League meet at Emory on Saturday. Most have come to Atlanta for a final tune-up as they prepare for the IAAF World Championships in late August.
“Track and field has a very good history here in Atlanta, especially with the Olympics in 1996,” said Paul Doyle, director of the American Track League.
Campbell-Brown and Powell headline the field of sprinters. Campbell-Brown has seven Olympic medals, including three gold, and took home bronze in the 100 meters in the 2012 Olympics. She’s competing in the 100 and 200-meter races Saturday.
Powell is a former world record holder in the 100 meters and was part of the 4x100 meter relay team that won gold in 2008. While both sprinters are in their early 30s they’ve qualified for the world championships, held in Beijing from Aug. 22-30.
“I’ve been having a good season,” said Powell, who’s managed by Doyle. “I’m trying to get in as many races as possible and this one is close to home.”
While Powell and Campbell-Brown have trained in Atlanta before, they’ve never competed here in a professional meet. About 98 percent of professional track and field meets are held outside the U.S., Doyle said. The Diamond League, the premier track and field circuit, is based primarily in Europe with two events in the US.
Doyle wants to change that. He plans to generate interest in US races by offering a unique fan experience. Unlike other pro events, Doyle allows the fans to be right next to the action and offers live music between events.
DeeDee Trotter, a three-time Olympic medalist who grew up in metro Atlanta, competed in the meet last year and enjoyed the unusual set-up.
“I had the complete pleasure of having so many people standing in the infield,” said Trotter, who’s the emcee for the event this year. “It creates this intimacy between the athlete and the fan.”
Doyle, who lives in Georgia, plans to form a league next year with teams in different cities, like Atlanta and Houston, and a draft to allocate talent.
But for now his focus is on Saturday’s event and watching decorated athletes like Campbell-Brown compete.
“As long as I execute well great times will come,” Campbell-Brown said, “because training has been going well.”
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