Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred lead star-studded Olympic champions and medallists set for Tom Jones Invitational

Paris Olympic stars Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred will lead star-studded list of champions and medallists set to compete at the Tom Jones Invitational on April 19th.

Officially kicking off his outdoor season, Lyles will compete in an unfamiliar event - the 400m, which he last raced in 2016. He has a personal best time of 47.04s and a split time of 45.68s on Team USA's 4x400m relay at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.

This time, the Olympic 100m champion will face a strong field in NCAA champion Christopher Morales Williams, two-time world championship 200m medalist Erriyon Knighton, who ran 45.37s on April 5th, among other strong contenders.

Meanwhile, Olympic 100m queen Alfred will race in the 200m against a stacked list of sprinters that include training partner and Irish star Rhasidat Adeleke, Nigeria's sensation Favour Ofili, Jamaica's quarter-mile specialists Nickisha Pryce and Stacy-Ann Williams, British duo of Daryll Neita and Amy Hunt, among others.

In the women's 100m event, training partners Tee Tee Terry and Kayla White, 2024 NCAA star sprinter Mckenzie Long, Liberia's Thelma Davies, and other top runners will race for a famous victory.

While the men's category will have Christian Coleman and Courtney Lindsey go head-to-head for the first time this season. Other top contenders in the field are Nigerian star sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike, Liberia's Olympic finalist Joseph Fahnbulleh, and Canada's Aaron Brown.

The women's 100mH will have the spotlight on Olympic champion Masai Russel, world leader Tia Jones, Paris finalist Grace Stark, and Bahamian rising star Charisma Taylor lead charge in the event.

Other top track stars registered for the meet are Olympic 110m champion Grant Holloway, Steven Gardiner in the 200m, and other notable names.