Adidas Track Classic


The Adidas Track Classic is an American track and field athletics meeting which has taken place annually in Carson, California since 2005. The meeting forms part of the USA Track & Field Visa Championship Series and is also one of the few area meetings where athletes can earn points to qualify for the World Athletics Final. The event has its roots in the Oregon Track Classic, which was sponsored by Adidas until 2005 and was forced to close that year due to lack of funding.
Top athletes from the North America, Central America and Caribbean area compete at the event and a number of national and area records have been set at previous editions. The event is usually held in mid-May at The Home Depot Center, part of the Adidas Performance Institute. Athletes who are part of the Adidas track team often feature prominently and World Champions and Olympic medalists often participate in the event. The competition is broadcast on television in the United States.

Previous editions

After winning the 100 metres at the 2004 edition, Olympic Gold Medalist Maurice Greene walked back to the finish line and took off his shoes as if they were on fire. As part of the planned stunt Allen Johnson rushed onto the track with a real fire extinguisher to put out the shoes, in one of the more famous showboating incidents.
At the 2008 Adidas Track Classic Tyson Gay won both the 100 and 200 meters races, while Megan Metcalfe and Ethiopian Ali Abdosh set world leading times in the 3000 and 5000 meters respectively. Shannon Rowbury won the 1500 meters with the fastest time by an American woman in five years and Jeremy Wariner set the 400 meters meeting record.
In the 2009 edition Anna Willard ran the fastest 3000 meters steeplechase to have been run in the United States and Hazel Clark set a new track record in the 800 metres. LaShawn Merritt, Jenn Stuczynski, Aheza Kiros and Kerron Clement won their events with world-leading times but Clement's 400 meter hurdles world leading time was disqualified due to a misplaced hurdle. Second-placed Angelo Taylor struck out at the meet organisers for their mistake, saying he would never compete again at the event.

Meet records

Men's events

Records are correct as of May 17, 2009.
EventRecordNameNationDateRef
100 m9.94Maurice Greene2003
200 m19.91Wallace Spearmon2007
400 m44.42Jeremy Wariner18 May 2008
800 m1:45.23Khadevis Robinson2006
1500 m3:32.34Rashid Ramzi2006
3000 m7:38.11Markos Geneti2005
2 miles8:19.61Markos Geneti2006
5000 m13:08.64Ali Abdosh18 May 2008
110 m hurdles13.17Terrence Trammell2007-
400 m hurdles47.62Bershawn Jackson2005
3000 m steeplechase8:25.16Anthony Famiglietti2005
Pole vault5.60 mToby Stevenson2004
Long jump8.39 mHussein Taher Al-Sabee2003
Triple jump17.09 mKenta Bell2005
Shot put22.35 mChristian Cantwell2004
Discus throw65.09 mJarred Rome18 May 2008
Javelin throw90.71 mBreaux Greer2007

Women's events

EventRecordNameNationDateRef
100 m10.90Torri Edwards2007
200 m22.14Allyson Felix2005
400 m49.62Ana Guevara2003
800 m2:01.40Hazel Clark16 May 2009
1500 m4:01.61Shannon Rowbury18 May 2008
3000 m8:37.69Meseret Defar2007
2 miles9:10.47Meseret Defar2007
100 m hurldes12.58Ginnie Powell2007
400 m hurdles55.57Tanisha Mills2005
3000 m steeplechase9:26.85Anna Willard16 May 2009
Pole vault4.90 mJennifer Stuczynski18 May 2008
Long jump6.68 mGrace Upshaw18 May 2008
Triple jump13.82 mYvette Lewis16 May 2009
High jump1.98 mTisha Waller2004
High jump1.98 mChaunte Howard18 May 2008
Discus throw64.71 mAretha Hill2003