A dominant group of hurdlers and mulit-eventers will look to improve their world-leading marks this week at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis.

The Championships are the final stop of USATF's 2006 Visa Championships Series, and take place June 21-25 at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium on the campus of IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis. It is the selection meet for the IAAF World Cup of Athletics, which will take place later that summer. The 2006 USA Outdoor Junior Championships take place concurrently with the Outdoor Championships, as the selection meet for the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing, China.

The 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships will be televised live on ESPN2 from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, and from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. All times are Eastern.

Champions clash in 400 meter hurdles

In the Nike men's 400m hurdles, 2005 World Outdoor 400 meter hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson will go to head-to-head with 2005 Visa Champion Kerron Clement. Jackson, ranked #1 in the world by Track and Field News in 2005, has only lost one race in the past year and that was to Clement at the 2005 USA Championships where he was the runner-up. On top of his title at the 2005 USA Championships, Clement was the 2005 NCAA 400m hurdles champion and the winner of the 2005 Outdoor Visa Championship Series.

In the women's 400 meter hurdles, 2004 Olympian and 2005 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist Lashinda Demus looks to defend her title against stiff competition from veteran Sandra Glover, the 2005 World bronze medalist and four-time U.S. Outdoor champion.

Sprint hurdlers compete for the title

Three-time Olympian Allen Johnson will face two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrance Trammell in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Among Johnson's triumphs is a gold medal from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, four gold medals from World Championships and seven gold medals from USA Championships. Trammell is a two-time World Indoor 60-meter hurdle champion and the 2006 60-meter bronze medalist.

The Hershey women's 100m hurdles will see the two fastest women in the world from 2005 and 2006. Reining world and U.S. outdoor 100 meter hurdles champion Michelle Perry led the world with a blazing 12.43 seconds last year. This year, Virginia "Ginnie" Powell ran a world- leading 12.48 seconds when she won the title at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California breaking her own collegiate record in the process.

Multi-Event matchups

2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2005 World Outdoor champion Bryan Clay will compete against 2005 NCAA champion Trey Hardee in the decathlon. Clay won the U.S. title in '04 and '05 and is looking for the three-peat and the record books are always in danger. He is leading the world with a score of 8,766 points from his win last month in Gotzis. Hardee holds the NCAA decathlon record of 8,465 points which he set in April at the Texas Relays. His score also ranks second in the world this season.

On the women's side, 2005 Outdoor U.S. heptathlon champion Hyleas Fountain is the favorite. Fountain is the 2005 U.S. indoor pentathlon champion and the 2003 NCAA heptathlon champion.

For more information on the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships and USATF's Visa Championship Series, visit www.usatf.org.