The Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo is a track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 competition held yearly in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

 at the Francisco Montaner Stadium

Francisco Montaner Stadium

The Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...

. The event started in 2007, after the successful hosting of the 2006 Ibero-American Championships

Ibero-American Championships

The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa...

.

Competitions

Athletes of international renown, such as Jehue Gordon, Danny McFarlane

Danny McFarlane

Danny McFarlane, OD is a Jamaican hurdler, who has won numerous international medals in individual and relay contests...

 and Félix Sánchez

Felix Sanchez

Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...

 compete in the event. The event is one of three competitions in the IAAF-NACAC circuit where competitors accumulate points in the IAAF rankings system. The other two events are the Adidas Track Classic

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...

 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....

, and the Jamaica Invitational in Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

.

The 2009 Grand Prix

The 2009 Ponce Grand Prix was considered to have initiated “the greatest feat in Puerto Rican sports history”, as new records were established, and a local hero surfaced, Javier Culson

Javier Culson

Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...

, competing in the 400 metres 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...

. He was later crowned Athlete of the Year in Puerto Rico. Culson went on to the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 in Berlin, where he earned second place in the competition with a time of 48.09s. He became the first Puerto Rican ever to win Silver Medal in the Big Games. “Those glory moments in 2009 had their beginnings at the 2009 Ponce Grand Prix,” it has been said.

Men

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	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...	10.05 (0.0 m/s)	Nickel Ashmeade Nickel Ashmeade Nickel Ashmeade is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 meters.Ashmeade first enjoyed success in the sprints as a junior athlete: at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships he beat compatriot Dexter Lee to the 100 m title, was runner-up to Ramone...		14 May 2011
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...	20.21 (+1.2 m/s)	Brendan Christian Brendan Christian Brendan Kyle Akeem Christian is a sprinter from Antigua and Barbuda who specializes in the 200 metres. Born in Antigua, he is the son of Donald Christian who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal as a cyclist. His personal best 100 metres time is 10.11 seconds, achieved in May 2004 in...	Antigua and Barbuda	17 May 2008
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...	45.01	Ato Stephens		17 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...	1:46.46	Mark Wieczorek		14 May 2011
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...	3:36.64	Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono		19 May 2007
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...	13.12 (0.0 m/s)	David Oliver		8 May 2010
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...	47.72	Javier Culson Javier Culson Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...		8 May 2010
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...	5.00 m	Alexander Castillo		14 May 2011
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...	8.27 m (+0.9 m/s)	Brian Johnson		17 May 2008
4x100 m relay	38.83	Brian Mariano Brian Mariano Brian Mariano is a Curaçaoan sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres and starts for the Netherlands, formerly for Netherlands Antilles until October 1, 2010. He finished fourth-fastest in the men's 60 metres heats at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, but was disqualified... Geronimo Goele Prince Kwidana Churandy Martina Churandy Martina Churandy Martina is a sprinter from Curaçao, currently representing the Netherlands. His personal best time over 100 metres is 9.93 seconds, a national record, achieved in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games final...		17 May 2008
4x400 m relay	3:04.93	Yoel Tapia Arismendy Peguero Arismendy Peguero Arismendy Peguero Thicket is a sprinter from the Dominican Republic who specializes in the 400 metres. He was born in La Romana.... P. Mejia Félix Sánchez Felix Sanchez Félix Sánchez —nicknamed Super Felix, the Invincible and the Dictator— is a track and field athlete from New York City, United States who competes for The Dominican Republic...		19 May 2007

Women

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	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...	11.09 (+0.2 m/s)	Marshevet Myers		14 May 2011
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...	22.73 (-0.2 m/s)	Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States...		14 May 2011
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...	50.97	Natasha Hastings Natasha Hastings Natasha Monique Hastings is an American sprint athlete of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent.Hastings began her track career at a very early age and made a first place win at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 400 metres in the Youth Girls division. She attended A...		14 May 2011
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...	1:59.82	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...		17 May 2008
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...	4:15.72	Marina Muncan		14 May 2011
100 m hurdles 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...	12.71 (+1.0 m/s)	Kellie Wells Kellie Wells (athlete) Kellie Wells is a American track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles.-Achievements:-References:...		17 May 2008
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...	55.02	Ajoke Odumosu		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...	3.75 m	Andrea Zambrana		8 May 2010
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...	6.77 m (+1.8 m/s)	Funmi Jimoh		8 May 2010
4x100 m relay	43.58	USA Team A Kelli Wells Moushami Robinson Tianna Madison Tianna Madison Tianna Madison, born on August 30, 1985, in Elyria, Ohio, is a female track and field athlete from the United States of America who competes the long jump and the 100 meter dash... Gloria Asumnu		8 May 2010