Burns, Breagy to compete against the best at Reebok Boston Indoor Games
North Kingstown All-Staters Brandon Burns and Siobhan Breagy will be competing against the region's best at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games next weekend.
Barbara Huebner provides more details about the event, slated for Jan. 27 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College:
Kim Smith, Marie Davenport and Mary Cullen will be among the lineup of world-class athletes in the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday, Jan. 27, organizers announced today. The three women, all former stars for Providence College, will face Olympic gold medalist Meseret Defar at 3000 meters.
Top Rhode Island prep stars Brandon Burns (North Kingstown) and Siobhan Breagy (Exeter) are also slated to compete. They will face some of the top milers in the country in the Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Invitational Mile.
In addition, Norm Bouthillier (Coventry), a member of the Whirlaway Racing Team, is in the field for the Masters Mile.
Since the Reebok Boston Indoor Games began in 1996, a total of 90 Olympic and World Championship medalists have competed in the event, which has also played host to four World Records and eight American Records. In addition, last year’s event featured the deepest men’s indoor mile field ever assembled, shattering the previous mark (eight) with 11 athletes breaking the 4-minute barrier.
Also among the world’s best athletes on tap this year are reigning Olympic gold medalists Joanna Hayes and Shawn Crawford, as well as three athletes ranked #1 in the world for 2006: Australian pole vaulter Steven Hooker, Ethiopian star Tirunesh Dibaba and American shot putter Reese Hoffa. American miler Alan Webb will also be one of the star attractions.
Two years ago, Dibaba broke the indoor World Record for 5000 meters at this event.
The 12th-annual Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the first stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, 1350 Tremont St., beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 27. Tickets are still available on-line at www.BostonIndoorGames.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.