July 3, 2003

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Several athletes with USC and South Carolina ties will be competing on the international stage this summer in the 2003 IAAF Golden League and all of those meets will be shown on national television in the United States.

The IAAF Golden League presented by Finish Line will feature five shows on ESPN2 and one on ESPN, beginning Sunday, July 6 with the famed Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway (ESPN2, 5pm Eastern). Nearly all top U.S. athletes will be competing in Europe this summer alongside international superstars. That list of world class athletes includes some of the best from South Carolina as well.

“We want to encourage everyone to watch the world class athletes that the state of South Carolina has produced,” said South Carolina Head Coach Curtis Frye. “The University of South Carolina and the state of South Carolina has produced some of the best athletes in the world. The more people that watch the IAAF Golden League, the more exposure the state and the university can get. It helps the television ratings when Gamecock fans can tune in and see past and present Carolina athletes. The more exposure track gets, the bigger base for track we continue to build in South Carolina.”

Gamecock volunteer coaches Allen Johnson and Melissa Morrison are expected to compete in the sprints and hurdles while former Gamecock athlete and a 22-time All-American Demetria Washington will also be competing in the famed international competition. Johnson is currently ranked second in the world in the 110m hurdles while Morrison is ranked sixth in the world in the 100m hurdles. Washington is ranked 30th in the world in the 400m dash.

Athletes with USC ties won’t be the only ones competing on national television, but also athletes that have ties to the state of South Carolina. Tim Montgomery, a graduate of Gaffney High School, currently holds the world record in the 100m dash (9.78) and is the top ranked athlete in the world in that event. Shawn Crawford, born in Van Wyck, S.C. and currently residing in Anderson, S.C., is ranked 10th in the 200m dash and 24th in the 100m dash.

The most elite of the IAAF’s international invitational meets, the Golden League offers a share of a $1 million jackpot of gold, to be split among any athletes winning their individual events in all six Golden League meets in Oslo, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Zurich and Brussels.

IAAF Golden League presented by Finish Line follows on the heels of the successful USATF Golden Spike Tour, which aired 12 telecasts of track and field in 2003, including shows on NBC, ESPN and ESPN2. The domestic track and field TV schedule culminated with an outstanding weekend of track and field in which NBC aired the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships presented by Verizon, and CBS aired the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships, where South Carolina’s women’s track and field team finished third and the men’s team placed 10th, together attracting more than six million TV viewers in a single afternoon on June 21.

Broadcast Schedule, 2003 IAAF Golden League presented by Finish Line
All times Eastern; check local listings

Time Date    Network Meet5 pm    July 6  ESPN2   Bislett Games (Oslo)3:30pm  July 13 ESPN2   Gaz de France (Paris)1 pm    July 19 ESPN    Golden Gala (Rome)1 am    Aug 17  ESPN2   ISTAF 2003 (Berlin)2pm Aug 23  ESPN2   Welklasse Zurich (Zurich)1pm Sept 14 ESPN2   Memorial Van Damme (Brussels)