Bolt to compete at Penn Relays

Usain Bolt, the holder of world records in the 100 and 200 meters and the most recognizable name in track and field, will compete at the Penn Relays as part of the USA vs. the World event April 24, USA Track and Field announced Thursday.

Bolt, of Jamaica, is scheduled to compete in the men's 4x100 relay. He established world records in the 100 (9.58 seconds) and the 200 (19.19) at last summer's World Outdoor Championships in Berlin.

Bolt won three gold medals in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, setting world records of 9.69 in the 100 and 19.30 in the 200 and being part of a world-record time of 37.10 in the 4x100. He is the only man in history to hold Olympic and world titles in the 100 and 200 at the same time.

"We are thrilled that Usain Bolt will be running at the Penn Relays," carnival director Dave Johnson said in a statement released by Penn. "He ran here four years in a row as a teenager, and this will be his first time back since he became the sport's biggest star."

The announcement of Bolt's participation in the 116th annual carnival is sure to draw one of the largest crowds ever, perhaps more than 50,000, to Franklin Field for the Penn Relays.

"There is no crowd in the country that will appreciate Bolt's abilities more than the one in Franklin Field," Johnson said. "And there is nowhere in the country where he could run in front of as many people."

The USA vs. the World event is entering its 11th year of competition this year at the Penn Relays. It consists of six relays - three each for men and women - and has featured such U.S. runners as Michael Johnson, Maurice Greene, Tyson Gay, Sanya Richards, Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter.

The USA vs. the World races will be shown on tape by ESPN2 from 8 to 10 p.m. April 24.