Rupp Enters USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Live ESPN telecast of 3000m showdown between Rupp and multi-U.S. record holder Bernard Lagat
Posted Thursday, 24 February, 2011
From Ryan Lamppa, Running USAINDIANAPOLIS - (February 23, 2011) - 2008 Olympian Galen Rupp will compete in the men's 3000 meters at the 2011 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships presented by BMW, February 26-27 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.
The third and final event of the USA Track & Field 2011 Indoor Visa Championship Series, the USA Indoor Championships will be televised live on Sunday, February 27, from 4:30 - 6:00pm Eastern Time on ESPN.
The meet will also be webcast at www.usatf.org in partnership with RunnerSpace.com. The free webcast will run from 6:00 - 8:00pm Eastern Time on Saturday and from 11:30 - 6:00pm on Sunday.
The Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with the New Mexico Sports Authority, the University of New Mexico, the City of Albuquerque and USATF New Mexico, are the official hosts for the championships, which were held in Albuquerque in 2010 and will return in 2012.
Rupp vs. Lagat in battle of U.S. record holders
Rupp, 24, who two years ago set a U.S. indoor 5000m record of 13:18.12 at the Tyson Invitational, ran a spirited race last Saturday against Britain's Mo Farah at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix in England to finish second and lop .06 off Bernard Lagat's year-old AR in the event with a 13:11.44. The mark makes Rupp the 13th-fastest all-time performer in the world.
The owner of U.S. Junior Outdoor records at 3000m and 10,000m, Rupp will be in search of his first USA Indoor title in Albuquerque. He'll face a tough foe in Lagat, the 2007 World Outdoor 1500m and 5000m champion, who will be anxious to defend his USA Indoor 3000m title on Saturday.
The winner of a record eight Wanamaker Mile titles at the Millrose Games in New York, Lagat also owns U.S. national indoor records at 1500m, one mile and 3000m, in addition to USA Outdoor records at 1500m, 3000m and 5000m.
For more information on the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships and the 2011 Visa Championship Series, visit: www.visachampionshipseries.com
