2004 Home Depot Center Invitational
"See Athens Before It Happens!"

Among The Featured Events...
The Women's Long Jump!
 
23-1 3/4 in 2003!      TALE OF THE TAPE     23-11 3/4 in 1998!

**Women's Long Jump Clash features Eunice Barber vs. Marion Jones!**
-- HOME DEPOT TRACK & FIELD INVITATIONAL PRESS RELEASE --
"How Close Will the Barber Shave?"
Marion Jones to face off against World Champion Eunice Barber
at The Home Depot Track & Field Invitational on May 22

LOS ANGELES (May 13) – Sure Marion Jones is great. Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters, and the 200 meters. And the 4x400-meter relay. But not the long jump. And Eunice Barber intends to keep it that way.

Best known as a heptathlete and the silver medalist for France in that event at the 2003 World Championships, Barber thrilled a home-country crowd with a stunning final-jump victory in the World Championships long jump in Paris last August.

Standing second and trailing Russia’s favored Tatyana Kotova entering the final round, Barber enjoyed a thunderous roar as she steamed down the runway for the final jump of the competition and came down nearly 10 inches better than anyone else at 22-11 1/4, good for the gold medal. The wild approval of the Parisian crowd confirmed her triumph: “This is a dream come true for me and it will stay in my heart forever,” she told reporters afterward.

Barber, born in Sierra Leone, confirmed her place at the top of the world long jump rankings with a lifetime best and national record 23-1 3/4 to win the IAAF Grand Prix Final a few weeks later, and is a favorite for the medal stand in Athens in both the long jump and the heptathlon.

She will concede nothing against Jones, who is long jumping again for the first time in four years at The Home Depot Track & Field Invitational at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Saturday, May 22.

“This is the ultimate showdown,” enthused meet director Rich Perelman. “Here is mighty Marion, who wants to win the long jump in Athens, having to face the current World Champion. We will get a good idea of which one is best suited for the victory platform on May 22.”

To narrow the focus and keep the rhythm of the competition flowing, only three jumpers will compete: Jones, Barber and U.S. champion Grace Upshaw, ranked no. 5 in the world for 2003 with a best of 22-1 and a wind-aided 22-11 1/4.

Jones has had some success in the long jump this season, winning her only two competitions: an indoor meet in Birmingham, England in February (22-1 3/4) and last week in Kingston, Jamaica (22-1 ½). But she is well off her best of 23-11 3/4 from 1998; in fact, she hasn’t surpassed 23 feet since the 2000 season (23-0½).

She may have to on May 22, or risk getting shaved by the World Champion, the Barber from Sierra Leone!

It’s all part of the meet’s theme of "See Athens Before It Happens" with 21 events in all and $140,000 in prize money. More than 40 Olympians from a dozen nations are expected to compete on The Home Depot Center’s lightning-fast Mondo Super-X track. Rich Perelman is the Meet Director with Bruce Tenen serving as Elite Athlete Coordinator.

Tickets for The Home Depot Track & Field Invitational are priced at $40.00 (VIP), $25.00 (home straight) and $17.00 (back straight) are available through Ticketmaster's Charge-By-Phone network at (213) 480-3232, at all Ticketmaster retail ticket center locations including Wherehouse Records, Robinson's-May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at The Home Depot Center's box office and the box office at TEAM LA at Universal CityWalk. Group sales ticketing and discount ticket information is available at 1-866-LA-Group (1-866-524-7687) or on-line at www.homedepotinvitational.com. The Home Depot Invitational will be broadcast live on NBC television from 1-3 p.m. Pacific time.

The Home Depot Track & Field Invitational is presented and produced by AEG, one of the world’s leading presenters of sports and entertainment programs. AEG owns or operates facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, HealthSouth Training Center, Kodak Theatre and NOKIA Live at Grand Prairie. The organization owns the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Redding Royals (ECHL) and Manchester Monarchs (AHL), the Los Angeles Galaxy and four other MLS franchises and four hockey franchises operated in Europe. AEG LIVE is the world's second largest concert promoter.

The Home Depot Center is Southern California's new home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately-financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features a 13,000-seat stadium for tennis, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 20,000-capacity facility for track & field, the ADT Event Center, a 3,500-seat indoor velodrome (opening summer 2004) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports.

Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation. The "complex," which is also the home of the nationally recognized Athletes Performance Training Center for elite and professional athletes has additionally be designated "official" training sites for USA Cycling, United States Track & Field, the U.S. Tennis Association and the Association of Volleyball Professionals.

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For additional information and media credentials, please contact

Jan Fambro at (310) 826-2962 or [email protected].

Jan Fambro
Media Relations & Operations
The Home Depot Track & Field Invitational
May 22, 2004
(310) 826-2962
(310) 826-0472 fax
[email protected]