The Golden West Invitational:
A Prep Classic
Initially conceived as a post-season Southern California invitational, and then as a western regional meet, the Golden West Invitational debuted in 1960 as the first national prep meet since the early 1930s. After looking for a home at a number of locations in Southern California, the meet came to Sacramento in 1965 where it has provided the highest level of competition for the best prep athletes in the nation for the past 50 years. It is by far the longest-running post-season high school meet; the next longest are two regional meets, the Golden South in Orlando, Florida and the Great Southwest Meet of Champions in Tempe, Arizona. They have both been around for more than 30 years.
Past participants of the Golden West have represented the United States in every Olympic Games since 1964. Over 200 slots on the American Olympic teams have been filled by adidas GWI alums. They have won over 90 medals, 48 of them gold. An additional nine adidas GWI athletes have represented their native countries of France, Ireland, Trinidad & Tobago, Fiji, Jamaica and Cape Verde Islands.
How Does It Work?
The GWI is a meet built on the idea of "go for broke" competition -- no heats, no trials, no team score pressures. It brings together athletes from throughout the country to a common site, where everyone experiences the same weather and the same field conditions, providing each prep athlete with an opportunity to compete at the very highest levels.
Does it Work?
The proof is in the results. Over the years many national records have been set in the GWI. Dozens of state records and uncounted personal bests have been set. View the data below to see the quality of the athletes who have competed in the Golden West Invitational and the level of the competition which they have faced.
