Kansas Relays meet director Tim Weaver had the dream: two world-class sprinters, fist-bumping their boxing gloves before going at it one-on-one.
It’s precisely what he’s comparing the Relays’ main event to this year. Sprinters Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin will anchor their teams at the invitational 4×100-meter relay April 22, and to promote it, KU produced posters resembling a heavyweight title fight featuring the two.
Is it a stretch? Weaver doesn’t think so.
“It was the idea of matchups,” Weaver said. “We’ve sought to put out the best champion-champion-champion action and have these folks really telling a story with their rivalries.”
Greene, 31, was an Olympic champion at the 2000 Sydney Games and the former world-record holder in the 100. Gatlin, 24, might be the best sprinter in the world now, grabbing gold at the 2004 Athens Games and clocking 9.88 seconds in the 100-meter dash to win the World Outdoor title in 2005.
Together, Greene and Gatlin will headline the second edition of the Gold Zone, which features marquee names in track and field competing in a three-hour window at Memorial Stadium.
KU only released a few names Wednesday – male sprinters like Greene, Gatlin, John Capel, Leonard Scott and Mark Jelks, and females like Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Rachelle Smith.
More names will be announced periodically in the days leading up to the Relays, which start April 20.
Once again, Greene could emerge as the fan favorite. A Kansas City, Kan., native, Greene has been at the Kansas Relays since competing at Schlagle High. He ran the open 100 last year at the inaugural Gold Zone and placed third behind Capel and Jelks.
“You have to tweak and modify your schedule as it comes,” Weaver said. “But it’s good to know that Lawrence, Kan., has a place in Maurice’s heart.”
Last year’s Gold Zone, which featured Greene and Marion Jones, was considered a success and drew 24,619 fans. KU ponied up more money to make it world-class, and such a commitment is once again present.
“Our administration has made a huge decision to make this a successful event,” KU track coach Stanley Redwine said. “They stepped up last year, and this is just a continuation of the support we’re getting from them.”
Still, Weaver had “pages and pages” of things he wasn’t satisfied with from the 2005 Relays, mostly surrounding presentation and fan-friendliness.
Weaver now vows, with the meet still three weeks away, to make the Gold Zone a must-see for local sports aficionados – and a must-go for the best athletes in the world.
“Lawrence is getting a great reputation as a very athlete-friendly place to come,” Weaver said. “The reception they’re going to get in the stadium is going to mean a lot.”
