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New York - Jamaican sprint stars Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell-Brown will star in Saturday's US Open indoor track meet, a new event replacing the Millrose Games in venerable Madison Square Garden.
Former 100m world record holder Powell will be featured in the opening event of the US indoor campaign in a rare indoor start at 50m against American Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion coming off a doping ban.
Powell, 29, makes his first indoor appearance since 2004. Powell held the 100m world record at 9.77 seconds from 2005 until compatriot and current world record-holder and 2008 Olympic champion Usain Bolt broke it four years ago.
Gatlin, 28, won the 2005 world 100m and 200m titles but his feats were tainted after a four-year ban was imposed following a positive test for testosterone. It was his second doping violation after taking a banned stimulant in 2001.
After failed appeals for the chance to defend his title at Beijing, Gatlin refocused for London and the New York meet starts his Olympic-year campaign.
Jamaica's Nesta Carter and Kimmari Roach, Antigua's Daniel Bailey and American Trell Kimmons complete the men's sprint line-up.
In the women's 50m, reigning world indoor champion Campbell-Brown is favoured over reigning US indoor champion Alexandria Anderson and Bianca Knight, leadoff runner for the US world outdoor champion 4x100m relay.
David Oliver leads a 50m hurdles field that lost world 110m hurdles champion Jason Richardson but added fellow American Terrence Trammell, a two-time world indoor hurdles champion.
American Bernard Lagat will try to win his ninth mile crown in Madison Square Garden but will be challenged by 2010 Commonwealth Games champion and 2011 world outdoor 1 500m runner-up Silas Kiplagat and two-time world indoor runner-up Daniel Komen Kipchirchir, both of Kenya.
World champion Jesse Williams will compete in the men's high jump.
The men's 600 features 2005 world outdoor 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson, who won the event at Madison Square Garden in 2007 and 2010, against Trinidad and Tobago's Renny Quow, the 2009 and 2011 Millrose winner.
The Millrose meet was moved from the arena and will be staged next month but is no longer part of the US Indoor series, which culminates with next month's US indoor championships.
