2012: First NYC, Then London

When the famed Waterford Crystal New Year's Eve Ball drops on Times Square this weekend, it will usher in a special year for the sport of track & field.

Of course, every Olympic year is a special one for runners, throwers, jumpers, vaulters, sprinters and their fans, but this winter New York City will be the focus of the track world with two high-powered, premier indoor events that will showcase America's (and the world's) best.

Not only is the Millrose Games moving uptown to The Armory, the fastest indoor track in all the land, on Feb. 11, but Madison Square Garden will play host to the new U.S. Open on Jan. 28.

You already know a number of the headliners at the Millrose Games — the likes of Bernard Lagat, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross, LaShawn Merritt, Natasha Hastings, Jesse Williams, Jenny Simpson and Mary Wineberg. Global gold medalists, one and all. And there are many more announcements coming in the weeks ahead.

But the U.S. Open event at MSG has its own share of stars. Lagat and Williams are slated to do double duty in NYC at both the Open and Millrose, but also on the card at the Open will be Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Lolo Jones, Dawn Harper, David Oliver, Jenn Suhr, Christian Cantwell and Adam Nelson.

NYC will clearly be the place to be this winter. If you are interested in tickets to the Millrose Games at The Armory, please click here. If you are interested in attending the U.S. Open at the Garden, please click here.

The road to London clearly runs right through New York City this year.