The Adidas Track Classic is an American track and field athletics meeting which has taken place annually in Carson, California

Carson, California

Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....

 since 2005. The meeting forms part of the USA Track & Field Visa Championship Series

Visa Championship Series

The Visa Championship Series is an annual series of athletics meets organised by the USA Track & Field.-Indoor:-Outdoor:-External links:* from USATF...

 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

Adidas

Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

 until 2005 and was forced to close that year due to lack of funding.

Top athletes from the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) 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

The Home Depot Center

The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot. The $150 million complex was...

, 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

Maurice Greene (athlete)

Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...

 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

Allen Johnson

Allen Kenneth Johnson is a retired hurdling athlete and won Olympic Gold in the 110 metre high hurdles at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia....

 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

Tyson Gay

Tyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...

 won both the 100

100 metres

The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

 and 200 meters races, while Megan Metcalfe

Megan Metcalfe

Megan Elizabeth Metcalfe is a Canadian long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres. Metcalfe attended West Virginia University, where she won the 2005 NCAA outdoor title in the 5000m. She was born in Edmonton...

 and Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

n Ali Abdosh

Ali Abdosh

Ali Abdosh is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres.He won the bronze medal at the 2008 African Championships, finished sixth at the 2009 World Championships and twelfth at the 2009 World Athletics Final.His personal best times are 12:56.53 minutes in the 5000...

 set world leading times in the 3000

3000 metres

The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...

 and 5000 meters respectively. Shannon Rowbury

Shannon Rowbury

Shannon Rowbury is an American middle distance runner under contract with Nike currently residing in San Francisco, California. Rowbury competed for the United States in the women's 1500 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China...

 won the 1500 meters with the fastest time by an American woman in five years and Jeremy Wariner

Jeremy Wariner

Jeremy Mathew Wariner is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals...

 set the 400 meters meeting record.

In the 2009 edition Anna Willard

Anna Willard

Anna Pierce is an American middle distance runner.-Personal:Pierce grew up on a farm in Greenwood, Maine. She took up running as a high school student at Telstar High School in Bethel, Maine. She competed as an undergraduate for Brown University and as a graduate student for the University of...

 ran the fastest 3000 meters steeplechase to have been run in the United States and Hazel Clark

Hazel Clark

Hazel Mae "Peachy" Clark-Riley , née Hazel Mae Clark, is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 meters middle distance race. Clark was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She has won six national titles and two USA Olympic trials during her...

 set a new track record in the 800 metres

800 metres

The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...

. LaShawn Merritt

LaShawn Merritt

LaShawn Merritt is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 meters. He is the reigning Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.75 seconds makes him the fifth fastest of all time...

, Jenn Stuczynski, Aheza Kiros

Aheza Kiros

Aheza Kiros is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres.She finished fourth at the 2006 African Championships and seventeenth at the 2007 World Championships. Running at the 2009 Adidas Track Classic, she beat Ejegayehu Dibaba in the 5000 metres in her first career...

 and Kerron Clement

Kerron Clement

Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles...

 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

Angelo Taylor

Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....

 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.

Event	Record	Name	Nation	Date	Ref
100 m 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...	9.94	Maurice Greene Maurice Greene (athlete) Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...		2003
200 m 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...	19.91	Wallace Spearmon Wallace Spearmon Wallace Spearmon, Jr., is a sprint athlete, who specializes in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics...		2007
400 m 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...	44.42	Jeremy Wariner Jeremy Wariner Jeremy Mathew Wariner is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals...		18 May 2008
800 m 800 metres The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...	1:45.23	Khadevis Robinson Khadevis Robinson Khadevis Robinson is an American middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. His personal best time is 1:43.68 minutes, achieved in August 2006 in Rieti. A four-time US champion both outdoors and indoors, he has competed at six consecutive editions of the World Championships in...		2006
1500 m 1500 metres The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...	3:32.34	Rashid Ramzi Rashid Ramzi Rashid Ramzi is a Moroccan-Bahraini track and field athlete competing internationally for Bahrain in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. Ramzi was investigated by the IAAF after the 2008 Summer Games and was stripped of his gold medal for doping.Ramzi was born in Asfi, Morocco...		2006
3000 m 3000 metres The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...	7:38.11	Markos Geneti Markos Geneti Markos Geneti is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who previously competed in track running, but now is a road specialist....		2005
2 miles Two miles The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in...	8:19.61	Markos Geneti Markos Geneti Markos Geneti is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who previously competed in track running, but now is a road specialist....		2006
5000 m 5000 metres The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...	13:08.64	Ali Abdosh Ali Abdosh Ali Abdosh is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres.He won the bronze medal at the 2008 African Championships, finished sixth at the 2009 World Championships and twelfth at the 2009 World Athletics Final.His personal best times are 12:56.53 minutes in the 5000...		18 May 2008
110 m hurdles 110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...	13.17	Terrence Trammell Terrence Trammell Terrence R. Trammell is a track and field athlete who won the silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles at both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, as well as three silver medals at the World Championships.The 1997 Track & Field News Male High School Athlete of the Year attended the University of...		2007
400 m hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...	47.62	Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...		2005
3000 m steeplechase Steeplechase (athletics) The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...	8:25.16	Anthony Famiglietti Anthony Famiglietti Anthony Famiglietti is an American track and field athlete who competes professionally for Reckless Running. He was formerly sponsored by Adidas. He has competed for the U.S...		2005
Pole vault Pole vault Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...	5.60 m	Toby Stevenson Toby Stevenson Toby "Crash" Stevenson is an Olympic class pole vaulter from the United States. He is known for being the only pole vaulter in the international elite to wear a helmet during jumps.-Biography:...		2004
Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...	8.39 m	Hussein Taher Al-Sabee		2003
Triple jump Triple jump The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...	17.09 m	Kenta Bell Kenta Bell Kenta Bell is an American track and field athlete who competes mainly in the triple jump. He won this event at the 2001 Universiade and the 2003 national championship...		2005
Shot put Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....	22.35 m	Christian Cantwell Christian Cantwell Christian Cantwell is a World Champion American shot putter. As of 2008 he is 6' 5" tall and weighs 300 or 335 lbs ....		2004
Discus throw Discus throw The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...	65.09 m	Jarred Rome Jarred Rome Jarred Rome is an American discus thrower. His personal best throw is 68.76 metres, achieved in 7, August 2011 in Chula Vista...		18 May 2008
Javelin throw Javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...	90.71 m	Breaux Greer Breaux Greer Breaux Greer is a male American javelin thrower. He is an eight time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin with a throw of 91.29 meters, achieved on June 21, 2007 during the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis...		2007

Women's events

Event	Record	Name	Nation	Date	Ref
100 m 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...	10.90	Torri Edwards Torri Edwards Torri Edwards is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold...		2007
200 m 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...	22.14	Allyson Felix Allyson Felix Allyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances...		2005
400 m 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...	49.62	Ana Guevara Ana Guevara Ana Gabriela Guevara Espinoza is a now-retired Mexican track and field athlete, specialized in the 400 meters. Her career began in 1996 carrying out diverse tours, participating in her first international competences...		2003
800 m 800 metres The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...	2:01.40	Hazel Clark Hazel Clark Hazel Mae "Peachy" Clark-Riley , née Hazel Mae Clark, is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 meters middle distance race. Clark was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She has won six national titles and two USA Olympic trials during her...		16 May 2009
1500 m 1500 metres The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...	4:01.61	Shannon Rowbury Shannon Rowbury Shannon Rowbury is an American middle distance runner under contract with Nike currently residing in San Francisco, California. Rowbury competed for the United States in the women's 1500 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China...		18 May 2008
3000 m 3000 metres The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...	8:37.69	Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...		2007
2 miles Two miles The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in...	9:10.47	Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...		2007
100 m hurldes 100 metres hurdles The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...	12.58	Ginnie Powell		2007
400 m hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...	55.57	Tanisha Mills		2005
3000 m steeplechase Steeplechase (athletics) The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...	9:26.85	Anna Willard Anna Willard Anna Pierce is an American middle distance runner.-Personal:Pierce grew up on a farm in Greenwood, Maine. She took up running as a high school student at Telstar High School in Bethel, Maine. She competed as an undergraduate for Brown University and as a graduate student for the University of...		16 May 2009
Pole vault Pole vault Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...	4.90 m	Jennifer Stuczynski Jennifer Stuczynski Jennifer "Jenn" Suhr is the number one ranked American pole vaulter since 2006. She has won a total of 9 US National Championships. She holds the American women's pole vault record both indoors and outdoors. In 2008 she won the U.S. Olympic trials setting an American Record of and won a silver...		18 May 2008
Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...	6.68 m	Grace Upshaw Grace Upshaw Grace Upshaw is an American long jumper.Her personal best jump is , achieved in July 2008 in Eugene, with which she qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-Achievements:-References:...		18 May 2008
Triple jump Triple jump The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...	13.82 m	Yvette Lewis Yvette Lewis Yvette Lewis is an American track and field athlete who competes in the 100 meter hurdles and the triple jump. Her best time in the hurdles is 12.76 seconds while her best triple jump is 13.84 meters...		16 May 2009
High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....	1.98 m	Tisha Waller Tisha Waller Tisha Felice Waller, is an American athlete competing in the high jump, who participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics...		2004
		Chaunte Howard Chaunte Howard Chaunté Lowe is an American athlete, who competes in the high jump and participated in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. She is the American record holder in the high jump with a height of 2.05 m.-Early career:...		18 May 2008
Discus throw Discus throw The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...	64.71 m	Aretha Hill		2003