 | ||
| who's your money on? |
Kirani James, from Grenada, is the 2011 IAAF World Champion at 400m and the world’s #1 ranked one-lapper by Track & Field News. While primarily known for his outdoor success, James is the 3rdfastest man in history indoors at 400m. Only a 19 year-old, James has found success on both the junior and senior levels. He was the 2009 IAAF World Youth Champion, the 2010 IAAF World Junior Champion and then added an NCAA victory before claiming the Samsung Diamond League title and his World Championship gold medal in 2011. The first IAAF World Champion in history from Grenada, James said, “2011 was a dream season for me but I want to get started on 2012. I hope for bigger and better this year and can’t wait to get started in Boston.”
James will not have an easy time in his Boston debut. Among his challengers will be Miami native Bershawn Jackson, the world’s top 400m hurdler in 2010. Batman, as he is known, has flown around the track at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston before, most recently in 2010 when he won the 400m. While most accustomed to stepping over hurdles, Jackson also has four IAAF World Championship gold medals as a member of the USA 4 x 400m relay team in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and indoors in 2010. In the 400m hurdles, Jackson is the Olympic bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympic Games, the 2005 World Champion, and was the top ranked American in 2011.
The 17th-annual meet, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.