NEW YORK, NY - The crown jewel of the indoor track and field circuit, the 99th Millrose Games, will have more luster than ever when the curtain goes up on the competition Friday, February 3 at Madison Square Garden.

The classic Wanamaker Mile will return to its traditional place as the final event of the evening, providing a stirring conclusion to the meet. The Visa men's shot put once again will take center stage on the infield, with the world's top four throwers in the ring, while the adidas women's 60 meters could be the closest and most exciting event of the night.

The second stop of the Visa Championship Series, the 99th Millrose Games will be broadcast from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 5 on ESPN2.

The Visa Championship Series is a prestigious series of nationally televised USA Track & Field (USATF) competitions featuring the very best track & field athletes from Team USA, the World's #1 Track Team. It features over $1.5 million in prize and promotional dollars, including a $50,000 jackpot and prize package going to the Indoor Visa Champions. Visa Champions will be the top male and female performers of the Visa Championship Series. Perhaps most important, it gives American athletes the opportunity to compete against the world's best, on home soil and in front of U.S. fans.

Sprinter Lisa Barber and thrower Reese Hoffa will wear gold bibs on their jerseys at the 99th Millrose Games, as they enter the meet atop the women's and men's Visa Championship Series standings, respectively.

Wanamake a guess who'll win?

The Wanamaker Mile, Millrose's signature event, is stronger than ever. The world's greatest distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, faces Wanamaker champion and record holder Bernard Lagat of the United States. Bekele holds the outdoor world record at 5,000 and 10,000 meters, has won eight World Cross Country titles and is the Olympic 10,000-meter gold medalist. And he's only 23.

Lagat, 31, is the Millrose, Madison Square Garden, and American record holder in the indoor mile. While competing for Kenya, he was a two-time Olympic medalist, and is one of the world's finest middle- distance runners. A new father, Lagat will race for the first time in 2006.

The two aces will face a strong field that includes Olympic bronze medalist Rui Silva of Portugal, two-time Millrose champion Laban Rotich of Kenya and Richard Kiplagat of Iona College.

Give it a shot

The Visa men's shot put in 2005 was a competitive highlight of the Millrose Games, and the 99th edition of the meet should prove to be no different. Reese Hoffa, the 2004 World Indoor silver medalist, is the defending Millrose champion and is coming off a win last week at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, where his world-leading throw of 21.07m/69-1.5 put him in the lead for the Visa Championship. Reigning World Outdoor champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson, three-time World Outdoor gold medalist John Godina and 2004 World Indoor champ Christian Cantwell look to rebound from their showings in Boston as any one of the four men could win.

Dashing Distaff

The adidas women's 60-meter dash features one of the strongest Millrose fields in history. World Outdoor 100m gold medalist and Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams lands at Madison Square Garden in search of her first win. But she was upset last week by U.S. outdoor 100m champion Lisa Barber, a native of Montclair, N.J., who enters the meet atop of Visa Championship Series point standings. Neither woman can overlook Olympic 200m gold medalist Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, 2004 NCAA 60m champion Muna Lee, 2005 Visa Champion Angela Daigle-Bowen, two-time World Indoor silver medalist Angela Williams, or 2000 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas, who trains with Lauryn Williams.

Gail force in 60m hurdles

Gail Devers has won two Olympic gold medals, three World Outdoor championships and five Millrose crowns. After taking 2005 off from competition, the 39-year-old Devers has chosen to make her competitive return at Millrose, where her three hurdles titles, two 60m dash titles and meet records in both events make her an all-time Millrose great. Her competition will include Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes, the 2004 Jesse Owens Award winner, top Americans Jenny Adams and Nichole Denby, 2003 World Outdoor championships finalist Vonette Dixon of Jamaica, and Andrea Bliss of Jamaica.

MEN'S EVENTS

Hot Hershey's men's 60

Defending Millrose winner Leonard Scott was the fastest American in 2005. He'll face plenty of other fast Americans Friday night, including 2004 Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford, two-time Olympic 110m hurdles silver medalist and 2006 Reebok Boston winner Terrence Trammell, 2004 NCAA 100m champion Tyson Gay, Jason Smoots, and Aziz Zakari of Ghana.

Trammell, again ...

Terrence Trammell will try to win the 60m hurdles in addition to competing in the dash, a feat that no one has accomplished in the history of the Millrose Games. The 2001 Millrose 60m hurdles champion, Trammell barely missed the double in 2003 when he won the 60m dash but was second in the hurdles. The hurdles field in 2006 includes 2005 U.S. outdoor runner-up Dominique Arnold, 2005 USA indoor champion Joel Brown, Arend Watkins and Antwon Hicks.

500 mad meters

The men's 500 meters is another signature event of Millrose, where speed combines with tactics and even a bit of pushing and shoving. World Outdoor 400m hurdles gold medalist Bershawn Jackson is the U.S. indoor 400m champion and should be a favorite, but 20-year-old LaShawn Merritt, a World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist, will give him a good run. Top Jamaican Michael Blackwood and American Leonard Byrd also compete.

Top Americans in 800 meters

2003 World Indoor champion David Krummenacker showed he is rounding back into form last week in Boston, where he won the 1,000 meters. He was the 2002 and '03 Millrose champion. His competition includes U.S. outdoor champ Khadevis Robinson, Olympian Derrick Peterson, defending Millrose winner Berhanu Alemu, Timothy Dunne of NYAC and Paul Moser.

Pole position

The men's pole vault is always a fan favorite at Millrose, and the very best Americans will take to the runway. 2004 Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack, silver medalist Toby Stevenson, 2000 Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong, American and Millrose record holder Jeff Hartwig, and 2005's #1 world-ranked Brad Walker, the World Outdoor silver medalist, and defending Millrose champion Derek Miles all will compete.

WOMEN'S EVENTS

Moni, Moni!

Two of America's finest quarter-milers compete at Millrose, with Olympic Trials champion and Olympic fourth-place finisher Monique Hennagan taking on her Olympic relay gold-medal teammate, former NCAA champion Monique Henderson, in a battle of the Moniques. Crystal Cox also owns Olympic relay gold and is in the field, along with Tiffany Williams.

The family way

Hazel Clark goes for her fourth Millrose victory in the women's 800 meters. Should she succeed, it would be the 12th win in this event for the Clark family - sister Joetta won the 800 seven times, and sister-in- law Jearl Miles Clark won once. Her competition includes 2004 U.S. indoor champ Jen Toomey, two-time NCAA champion Alice Schmidt, 2004 NCAA champion Nicole Cook; Olympian Kameisha Bennett and Olympic Trials finals Francis Santin.

More mile fun

The women's mile at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games saw Americans running very fast times, and Millrose should provide more of the same. U.S. outdoor champion Treniere Clement (4:29.93) and Tiffany McWilliams (4:30.03) were second and third, respectively, in Boston, and look very fit. World Indoor silver medalist Carmen Douma-Hussar is the defending Millrose champion and is coming off a win at Boston. The field also includes Jenelle Deatherage, Courtney Babcock of Canada, Mestawot Tadesse of Ethiopia, Mardrea Hyman of Jamaica and Lindsey Gallo, the fastest American woman of 2005 in the outdoor 1,500 meters.

Dawn of a new era?

USA indoor champion Jenn Stuczynski makes her first Millrose appearance in the women's vault, giving most fans their first chance to see the woman who may be the future of the women's vault. Training for the event for only two years, Stuczynski already has cleared 4.68m/15- 4.25 this season. It is one of three 15-plus vaults for her this season, accomplished in successive weeks. Only Stacy Dragila has gone higher among Americans indoors. Stuczynski has made no secret of her desire to break Stacy Dragila's American record of 4.81/15-9.25 this indoor season. At Millrose she faces many of America's finest, including 2004 Olympian Jillian Schwartz, fellow 15-foot vaulters Mary Sauer and Tracy O'Hara, and Olympic Trials fifth-place finisher April Steiner.

Jumping Around

World Outdoor silver medalist Chaunte Howard and three-time Olympian Amy Acuff had a tremendous competition in the women's high jump at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Howard won out with an indoor personal-best jump of 1.95m/6-4.75. No woman is more closely identified with this event at Millrose than Acuff,, who has impressed with her athleticism as well as her fashion sense. The field also includes two- time U.S. indoor champion Gwen Wentland and Nicole Forrester of Canada.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster by phone (212-307-7171); via Internet at www.ticketmaster.com; at a Ticketmaster outlet near you; or by visiting the Madison Square Garden ticket office. Information can be found at www.Millrose-Games.com.

For more information on the 99th Millrose Games, visit www.millrose-games.com .