Defar, Bromell & Martinez to compete at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix

BOSTON, Mass.- —Trayvon Bromell, Meseret Defar, and Brenda Martinez, three of the world’s best track and field athletes, have been confirmed for the 2016 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced today.

The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, traditionally held on a Saturday, moves this year to a Sunday. Beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, it is the only U.S. event on the new IAAF World Indoor Tour. The series of four international events leads up to the IAAF World Indoor Championships March 17-20 in Portland, OR, the first time the world meet has been held in this country since 1987.

Bromell, 20, last summer became the youngest U.S. athlete in history to win a medal at 100 meters when he tied for a surprise bronze at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. The 2014 NCAA Champion for Baylor University and World Junior Record-holder at 100 meters, Bromell’s personal best of 9.84 already ranks him as the fourth-fastest 100-meter sprinter in U.S. history, and ties him for 10th-fastest ever in the world.

In October, Bromell signed a contract with New Balance, and the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix is expected to be his first major competition as a pro.

Defar, 32, is the 2004 and 2012 Olympic gold medalist at 5000 meters, and has won six World Championships titles thus far in her career. The Ethiopian superstar set a world best for 2 Miles at this event in 2008. The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix will be Defar’’s first track competition since she gave birth to a daughter in 2014.

“Boston really is a second home to me,” said Defar, who will be competing at this meet for the ninth time since 2002. “I am very happy to come back to have my first competition on the track back at a place that has been so good to me since the beginning of my career.”

Martinez, 28, became the first American woman to win an IAAF World Championships medal at 800 meters when she won bronze in 2013. The next year, she helped set American Records in both the 4×800-meter and 4×1500-meter relays, and was ranked #3 in the world at that distance by Track & Field News. The California native followed that up by thrilling fans at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last year by anchoring Team New Balance USA to a World Record in the Distance Medley Relay.

Now in its 21st year, the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix has played host to eight World Records and 13 American Records and will be held on Sunday, Feb. 14, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2014 reported worldwide sales of $3.3 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com.