Track and field stars are hoping the first world championships on U.S. soil will shine the light on their sport in a country where athletics is dwarfed by football, basketball and baseball.
The irony for many American athletes is that they are generally far better known in Europe, where many spend large chunks of their season traveling on a circuit that takes in some of the most iconic track stadiums in front of some of the sport's most avid fans.
But there is hope that the July 15 to 23 world championships in Eugene, Oregon, the birthplace of U.S. sporting goods giant Nike, will shift the spotlight.