Nick Willis winning the B.A.A. Invitational Mile in Boston in 2014.
— Photo by PhotoRun.net

By Charles Lane

A half dozen of the top athletes in the U.S. will join two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Record-holder Meseret Defar of Ethiopia, 2008 Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand, and 2015 IAAF World Champion Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa at Dilboy Memorial Stadium to compete in the adidas Boost Boston Games, organizers have announced.

The adidas Boost Boston Games, a two-day festival featuring both a fan-friendly track event in Somerville and Boston’s first-ever “street meet,” will debut on June 17-18. Races 400 meters and longer will be held Friday evening, June 17, at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, and will be highlighted by a post-race barbecue and autograph session at which fans can mingle with Olympic stars.

“Somerville is honored and excited to host this prestigious event at Dilboy Stadium,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “This is an incredible opportunity for residents, and our own up-and-coming athletes, to witness some of the best athletes in the world, and we look forward to the possibility of hosting this event for years to come.”

Van Niekerk is the latest international star set to compete at Dilboy. The 2015 World Champion at 400 meters, van Niekerk ran 9.96 in March to become the first athlete in history to run under 10 seconds for 100 meters, under 20 seconds for 200 meters, and under 44 seconds for 400 meters.

U.S. starts just added to the roster for the Somerville session of the event include:

Ajeé Wilson, the reigning 800-meter World Indoor Championships silver medalist;

Morgan Uceny, who was ranked #1 in the world in 2011 at 1500 meters; Ben True, a seven-time national champion and 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships team silver medalist; Robby Andrews, who placed fourth at 1500 meters in the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships; Liz Costello, who finished fourth at 10,000 meters in the 2015 Pan American Games; and Abbey D’Agostino, a seven-time NCAA Champion for Dartmouth University, who competed for the U.S. at the 2015 IAAF World Championships.

Uceny, Costello, and D’Agostino, who grew up in Topsfield, MA, all train in Boston, while True, a native of North Yarmouth, ME, competed for Dartmouth University and still trains near Hanover, NH.

Garrett O’Toole, who in 2014 posted the fastest high school mile (4:01.89) and 1500 meters (3:45.55) in the country while at Middlesex School in Concord, will compete at 1500 meters against, among others, Willis and Andrews. O’Toole, who is the fastest prep miler in Massachusetts and New England history and now competes for Princeton, will be attempting to run 3:38.0 or faster to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer.

Meanwhile, in Saturday’s “street meet,” sprint sensation Tori Bowie has just been added to the lineup. Bowie, whose times of 10.80 and 21.99 for 100 meters and 200 meters, respectively, are the fastest in the world this year, is the 2015 World Championships bronze medalist at 100 meters. She joins, among others, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jenn Suhr in the pole vault and two-time Olympic silver medalist sprinter Yohan Blake.

The street meet, which will put sprints, hurdles, pole vault, and long jump in the spotlight, is set for Saturday afternoon, June 18, and will feature a Mondo track constructed on historic Charles Street between the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common. The street meet will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN).

The adidas Boost Boston Games is produced by Boston-based Global Athletics and Marketing, Inc., an athlete-management and sports marketing firm that from 2005 to 2015 served as organizer of the adidas Grand Prix in NYC and since 1996 has given Boston fans an annual, world-class indoor meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.

More U.S. and international stars and further details on the adidas Boost Boston Games, part of the 2016 USATF Championship Series, will be announced soon on the event website at http://www.adidasboostboston.com; on Facebook at adidasBoostBostonGames; and on Twitter at @adidasBoostBos.