Assault on 4x800m World Record Set in Boston

Symmonds, Andrews lead relay teams at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix; Centrowitz, Rowbury, Uceny, Cantwell among latest US stars added

BOSTON, Mass. (Jan. 23, 2014)—Nick Symmonds, the 2013 IAAF World Championships silver medalist and third-fastest American 800-meter runner in history, will headline an attempt to break the 4x800-meter relay World Record at the 2014 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced today.

Symmonds will lead a Brooks Beast Track Club team that also features Matt Scherer, Mark Wieczorek, and Cas Loxsom. Also going after the record will be a team from the New Jersey-New York Track Club led by Robby Andrews, the 2011 NCAA Champion at 800 meters and 2010 World Junior Championships bronze medalist.

The 4x800-meter World Record of 7:13.94 was set at this meet in 2000 by a Global Athletics & Marketing team of Joey Woody, Karl Paranya, Rich Kenah, and David Krummenacker.

The New Balance Grand Prix, an Olympic-style all-star event, will take place on Feb. 8 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Tickets are on sale at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722.

Seven other top athletes, with 14 Olympic or IAAF World Championships medals among them, have also been added. They are:

• Tomasz Majewski of Poland, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Christian Cantwell, a three-time World Indoor Champion and 2009 World Champion outdoors, will face the previously announced Ryan Whiting in the shot put. Whiting, the 2012 World Indoor Champion, was ranked #1 in the world for 2013.

• Shannon Rowbury, the 2009 World Championships bronze medalist whose sixth- and seventh-place finishes at the last two Olympics are the best ever by a U.S. woman at 1500 meters, will compete in the 2000 meters.

• Matthew Centrowitz, who earned medals in the last two World Championships (silver, 2013; bronze, 2011) at 1500 meters, will run the mile.]

• Morgan Uceny, the three-time U.S. Champion who was ranked #1 in the world at 1500 meters in 2011, is set for the 1000 meters.

• Emma Coburn, a three-time NCAA Champion and a steeplechase finalist in the 2012 Olympics, will run the 2000 meters.

• Octavious Freeman, the rising young American sprint star who, at 21, was a finalist in the 100 meters at last summer’s World Championships and earned a silver medal on the 4x100-meter relay, will compete at 60 meters in her New Balance Indoor Grand Prix debut.

Now in its 19^th year, the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix has played host to six World Records and 10 American Records. The first stop in the 2014 Indoor USATF Championship Series, the meet on Saturday, Feb. 8, will begin at a new, earlier time of 3 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 currently the only major shoe company that manufactures athletic footwear in the U.S. with 25% of our sales in the U.S. produced at five New England facilities. The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Flimby, U.K.  New Balance employs more than 4,000 associates around the globe, and in 2012 reported worldwide sales of $2.39 billion. To learn more about how New Balance Makes Excellent Happen, please visit http://www.newbalance.com.