INDIANAPOLIS - Led by 2006 World Athletics Final champions Sanya Richards, LaShinda Demus, Tyson Gay (photo) and Reese Hoffa, Team USA will take on the best athletes the rest of the world has to offer this week at the 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics. The two-day event, held every four years, will be held September 16-17 at Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.

A points-based format of team competition, the World Cup will pit Team USA against continental squads from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Greece, Russia, Poland's women and France's men also will field teams. At stake are world bragging rights and significant prize money, with $30,000 going to the winner of each individual event and relays. One athlete from each team competes in each event in a finals-only format. Team points are awarded ranging from nine points for a first-place finish down to one point.

After securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive men's World Cup victory in Madrid's La Comunidad Stadium in 2002, Africa will be looking for a fifth trophy in Athens. The American men have won the World Cup three times, in 1979, '85, '89. Their runner-up finish in 2002 was their best showing since '89, when the meet was held in Barcelona.

The American women won the World Cup in 1998, in Johannesburg. Their next-highest finish is fourth, which they have achieved five times (1977, '79, '81, '92 and 2002). While competing as East Germany, German women posted four World Cup victories from 1979-89. Russia returns as the defending women's champion.

Leading the U.S. contingent on the women's side will be Sanya Richards. Top-ranked in the 400 and undefeated in that event in 2006, Richards also will contest both the 400 and the 200 meters in Athens. The 2005 World Outdoor Championships silver medalist in the 400, Richards owns the four fastest times in the world this year, led by her 49.05 June 28 in London. She won her specialty last weekend and the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, where she also placed second in the 200. Richards is the third-fastest woman in the 200 in 2006, thanks to her time of 22.17 in Stuttgart.

Also top-ranked in the world in her event and a 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist, 2006 Visa Champion LaShinda Demus is coming off a victory in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Final. Her time of 53.02, run at Olympic Stadium in Athens on July 3, is the 2006 world leader. She will look to crack the 53-second barrier this weekend.

The Team USA men's roster features a potent lineup as well. Tyson Gay, top-ranked globally in the 200 meters, will compete in the 100 in Athens. Gay won the 200m in a personal-best 19.68 and was second in the 100 at the World Athletics Final. His personal and season best in the 100 is 9.84, run in Zurich this year.

Gay's former University of Arkansas teammate, Wallace Spearmon, will run the 200 in Athens. The 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist was second in the deuce at the World Athletics Final behind Gay, but Spearmon is the 2006 USA outdoor champion.

Reigning World Indoor and World Athletics final shot put champion Reese Hoffa leads the way in the field events for Team USA. The #1 world-ranked Hoffa posted a personal-best throw of 22.11/72-6.5 to win the 2006 World Indoor gold medal in Moscow and has a best throw outdoors this year of 21.96/72-0.75 from the 2006 USA Outdoor Championships, where he placed second. 2005 World Outdoor and 2006 World Indoor triple jump gold medalist Walter Davis also will compete in his specialty, where his winning mark of 17.71m/58-1.25 at the AT&T 2006 USA Outdoor Championships is the 2006 world leader.

For more information on Team USA at the World Cup, including Team USA staff, updated rosters and prize money listings, visit the World Cup page at http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/IAAFWorldCup

For more information on the 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, visit www.iaaf.org

Team USA Roster, 2006 IAAF World Cup in Athletics
As of 9/11/2006 (note: subject to changes)

Men
100m: Tyson Gay (Fayetteville, Ark.)
200m: Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville, Ark.)
400m: LaShawn Merritt (Portsmouth, Va.)
800m: Khadevis Robinson (Santa Monica, Calif.)
1,500m: Gabe Jennings (Mendocino, Calif.)
3,000m: Adam Goucher (Portland, Ore.)
5,000m: Matt Tegenkamp (Madison, Wisc.)
3,000m steeplechase: Steve Slattery (Boulder, Colo.)
110m hurdles: Ryan Wilson (Los Angeles, Calif.)
400m hurdles: Kerron Clement (Gainesville, Fla.)
High jump: Tora Harris (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Pole Vault: Russ Buller (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Long Jump: Brian Johnson (Baton Rouge, La.)
Triple Jump: Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.)
Shot Put: Reese Hoffa (Athens, Ga.)
Discus: Ian Waltz (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Hammer Throw: A.G. Kruger (Ashland, Ohio)
Javelin: Rob Minnitti (Seattle, Wash.)
Relay pools: TBA

Women
100m: Marion Jones (Wake Forest, N.C.)**
200m: Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas)
400m: Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas)
1,500m: Treniere Clement (Knoxville, Tenn.)
3,000m: Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.)
5,000m: Lauren Fleshman (Canyon Country, Calif.)
3,000m steeplechase: Lisa Galaviz (Gilbert, Ariz.)
100m hurdles: Ginnie Powell (Los Angeles, Calif.)
40m hurdles: LaShinda Demus (Columbia, S.C.)
High Jump: Amy Acuff (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Pole Vault: Jenn Stuczynski (Churchville, N.Y.)
Long Jump: Rose Richmond (Bloomington, Ind.)
Triple Jump: Shani Marks (Brooklyn Park, Minn.)
Shot Put: Jillian Camarena (Provo, Utah)
Discus: Aretha Thurmond (Seattle, Wash.)
Hammer Throw: Erin Gilreath (Williston, Fla.)
Javelin: Kim Kreiner (Fresno, Calif.)
Relay pools: TBA

** NOTE: As of Monday, September 11, Marion Jones had not confirmed her participation in the World Cup. She and all other athletes must declare their intentions by Friday, Sept. 15.