Thu, Jan 03, 2008
BOSTON (Jan. 3) – Defending champion Craig Mottram of Australia, New Zealand’s Nick Willis, Ethiopia’s Tariku Bekele and American phenom Galen Rupp lead a top international field for the men’s 3000-meter run at the 2008 Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Jan. 26, organizers announced today. Tickets for the 13th annual Olympic-style event are on sale now at the event website, www.BostonIndoorGames.com, or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.
Mottram, the 2005 World Championship bronze medalist at 5000 meters and winner of the 3000-meter race here last year, will be challenged by Willis, 2006 Commonwealth Games 1500-meter gold medalist; Bekele, 2006 World Junior Champion at 5000 meters and younger brother of Kenenisa Bekele; and Rupp, 10,000-meter runner-up at the 2007 US championships. Also in the field are Ethiopia’s Markos Geneti, 2004 World Indoor Championship bronze medalist at 3000 meters; and Americans Ed Moran, 5000-meter gold medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games; and Rod Koborsi, 2007 runner-up at the US 5K road championships.
They join the previously announced Carolina Kluft, who as 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the heptathlon owns the title of World’s Greatest Female Athlete, and Meseret Defar, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and World Champion at 5000 meters who was named World Athlete of the Year in the sport.
Since the Reebok Boston Indoor Games began in 1996, more than 90 Olympic and World Championship medalists have competed in the event, which has also played host to five World Records and nine American Records. Sponsored by Reebok International Ltd., with its world headquarters in Canton, Mass., the event is owned and produced by Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., an athlete-representation and events firm based in Boston.
The Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, 1350 Tremont St. Information and tickets are  available on-line at www.BostonIndoorGames.com or by phone at 1-877-TIX-TRAC.
