CARSON, Calif. (May 16) - Xavier Carter will lead a deep 200-meter field at Sunday's adidas Track Classic that includes three of the top five men in the world last year plus the reigning Olympic gold medalist, organizers announced today. They join a lineup that already included two dozen Olympic gold medalists and World Champions.

Also set to compete are four of the top 10 shot putters of 2006 according to Track & Field News, led by Reese Hoffa, ranked #1 in the world. His rivals include Adam Nelson (#6), the reigning World Champion; Christian Cantwell (#2), the 2004 World Indoor Champion; and Dan Taylor (#8), the 2007 US Indoor Champion. Among them, they had 16 of the 20 longest throws in the world indoors this season, and 18 of the best 20 outdoors in 2006.

In the 200m, Carter's blazing 19.63 was the fastest time in the world last year, and makes him the second-fastest man in history, behind only Michael Johnson. He is the 2006 NCAA 100m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay champion. Carter will be challenged by Wallace Spearmon, the 2005 World Championships silver medalist whose 19.65 last season was the second-fastest of the year and third-fastest all time; LaShawn Merritt, the third-fastest man in history at 400-meters indoors and ranked #5 in the world at 200m in 2006; and Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist.

They join a lineup that includes Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist at 400m; Allyson Felix, the 2005 World Champion at 200m; Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, whose two golds and a bronze topped the medal tally for women at the 2004 Olympics; Stacy Dragila, 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault; Tyson Gay, the fastest 100m-200m combo runner in history; Ana Guevara of Mexico, the 2003 World Champion at 400m; and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia, the Olympic gold medalist and World Record-holder at 5000m.

The adidas Track Classic will begin at noon this Sunday, May 20, at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and will be broadcast live on ESPN from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. PDT (4 p.m.-6 p.m. EDT).

Produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., the adidas Track Classic is the second stop of USA Track & Field's Visa Championship Series. Tickets, from $40 (finish line) down to $10, are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS. Visit the event website at www.adidasTrackClassic.com for updates and more information.

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