Reese, Lagat, Gatlin named to US team

Reigning world long jump champ Brittney Reese heads the list of athletes named to the US team that will compete in next month's IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships.

Reese is the reigning indoor long jump champ and also won gold in the long jump at the 2011 World Outdoor Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea. She has a world best mark in the long jump this year.

She and two-time world indoor 3,000 metre gold medallist Bernard Lagat are two of the 51 athletes named the USA team on Tuesday for the indoor games which takes place in Istanbul, Turkey.

Lagat was born in Kenya and won a silver and bronze Olympic medals for his native country before switching to US citizenship. He captured two golds for the Americans in the 1,500m and 5,000m at the 2007 world outdoor championships in Osaka, Japan.

In Turkey, the US will try to improve on the 17 medals it won at the last indoor championships which are held every two years. The US team features three athletes, Reese, Christian Taylor (triple jump), and Jesse Williams (high jump), who will be trying to add indoor gold medals to the gold they captured at last year's Daegu outdoor championships.

Lagat, Reese, Tianna Madison (60m), Sanya Richards-Ross (400m), Kristi Castlin (60m hurdles), Trell Kimmons (60m), Will Claye (triple jump and long jump) and Reese Hoffa (shot put) all have world-leading marks this year. The US team also includes former Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin who is attempting a comeback after serving a four-year doping ban.

Sprinter Gatlin failed a drug test after a relay race in 2006. Gatlin originally agreed to an eight-year ban, avoiding a lifetime ban in exchange for his cooperation with authorities. It was later reduced to four years. AFP

The USA team headed to next month's World Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul, Turkey:

Men:

60m: Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin
400m: Gil Roberts, Calvin Smith
800m: Michael Rutt, Tevan Everett
1,500m: Matthew Centrowitz, Galen Rupp
3,000m: Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong
60m hurdles: Aries Merritt, Kevin Craddock
Long jump: William Claye
Triple jump: Claye, Christian Taylor
High jump: Jesse Williams
Pole vault: Brad Walker, Scott Roth
Shot put: Reese Hoffa, Ryan Whiting
Heptathlon: Ashton Eaton

4x400m: Roberts, Smith, Frankie Wright, Manteo Mitchell, Quentin Iglehart-Summers, Jamaal Torrence

Women:

60m: Tianna Madison, Barbara Pierre
400m: Sanya Richards-Ross, Natasha Hastings
800m: Erica Moore, Phoebe Wright
1,500m: Brenda Martinez, Sara Vaughn
3,000m: Jackie Areson, Sara Hall
60m hurdles: Kristi Castlin, Vanneisha Ivy
Long jump: Janay DeLoach, Brittney Reese
Triple jump: Amanda Smock
High jump: Chaunte Lowe, Inika Mcpherson
Pole vault: Jenn Suhr, Mary Saxer
Shot put: Jillian Camarena-Williams, Michelle Carter

4x400m: Richards-Ross, Hastings, Leslie Cole, Jernail Hayes, Shelise Williams, Jessica Cousins