Courtesy: USATF

Some of the most renowned U.S. champions will compete head-to-head against each other and America's top young talent March 1 and 2 at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, held at the Armory Track & Field Center on 168th Street in Washington Heights. Gail Devers, Adam Nelson, Allen Johnson, Chryste Gaines, Regina Jacobs (pictured), Shawn Crawford and Lawrence Johnson are just a few of the Olympic- and World Championships medalists in the field.

The Indoor Championships are the final event of USA Track & Field's 2002 Indoor Golden Spike Tour. The meet will be broadcast nationally from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Sunday, March 3 on ESPN.

Experience and youth both are on display in the men's and women's sprints. Entered in the men's 60m are past champions Tim Harden (1995 and '99 U.S. champion, 2001 World Indoor Champion) and Jon Drummond (1993, '00). For either man to earn another title they will have to face the two hottest young sprinters of the Golden Spike Tour, J.J. Johnson and Shawn Crawford. The 2001 World Indoor 200m gold medalist, Crawford has the fastest qualifying time at 6.49 seconds, but Johnson showed great form in winning the adidas Midwest Track Classic February 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The women's 60m also promises excitement with U.S. indoor co- record holder Gail Devers (1993, '97 and '99 champion) facing defending champion Chryste Gaines, the 2001 World Indoor bronze medalist, and Angela Williams, the World Indoor silver medalist and a senior at the University of Southern California. World Outdoor Championships 200m bronze medalist Kelli White has the fastest qualifier with a time of 7.14 seconds.

Anything could happen in the men's 60m hurdles. Larry Wade has two 2002 Golden Spike Tour wins on his resume, but 3-time World Championships gold medalist and 1996 Olympic champion Allen Johnson will try to win his first U.S. indoor title since 1995.

In the men's 200m, Coby Miller makes his return to the Championship level after breaking his leg in a crash just past the finish line when he won the 2001 U.S. Indoor title in this event. Crawford is also entered, and Miller may double in the 60m as well.

The distance races should provide close finishes. Having set world-best marks at 2 miles (9:23.38) and 3 miles (14:44.11) this season, Regina Jacobs is a heavy favorite to win her third U.S. title in the mile, but other races should be hotly contested. The women's 3,000m includes '97 champion Amy Rudolph against 2002 U.S. 4k cross country runner-up Carrie Tollefson and 2001 U.S. mile champion Collette Liss.

Defending champion Trinity Gray has a blazing time of 1:46.12 to his credit in the men's 800m, but '99 champ Khadevis Robinson and American 1,000m record holder David Krummenacker are unlikely to go down easily. Tim Broe broke the American record in the 3,000m at the adidas Boston Indoor Games in January (7:39.23) and is favored to successfully defend his U.S. title.

Entering the meet with the longest winning streak in the track events is Tim Seaman, who goes for his fifth consecutive title in the men's 5,000m race walk.

The field events promise to match the drama on the track. In the men's vault, defending U.S. and world indoor champion and Olympic silver medalist Lawrence Johnson, who broke the American record at this meet in 2001, is recovering from a sprained ankle and will face a strong field. Tye Harvey has the top qualifying mark at 5.81m/19-0.75 and looks to improve on his runner-up U.S. finish last year; Tim Mack is the 2001 Goodwill Games gold medalist.

The best chance to see a world-best mark might be the women's weight throw, where the top thrower in history, six-time defending U.S. champion Dawn Ellerbe, contends with Anna Norgren Mahon, who came within 4 centimeters of Ellerbe's world best from 2000 when she threw 23.56m/77-3.75 at the Verizon Millrose Games.

The men's and women's high jumps fields include established veterans, with four-time U.S. indoor champion Tisha Waller coming back from a year off. Amy Acuff will defend her title. In the men's high jump, 2001 Nathan Leeper returns to defend against the top U.S. jumper this season, Charles Clinger, as well as the 1999 U.S. indoor champion, Henry Patterson.

Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson is the 2001 U.S. Indoor shot put champion and competes in an event in which the U.S. dominates the world. Two-time indoor champ Andy Bloom (1999, 2000) will attempt to unseat Nelson, as will '94 champion Kevin Toth among a deep field.

For full entry lists for the 2002 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, visit the USATF Web site, www.usatf.org