Wednesday, 03 June 2009
Olympic champions Robles, Hooker and Saladino confirmed for Lausanne – IAAF World Athletics Tour
Irving Saladino sails to victory again in Hengelo (organisers)
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Lausanne, Switzerland - Olympic champions Dayron Robles, Steve Hooker and Irving Saladino have joined the cast for the 34th edition of Athletissima on 7 July.
Athletissima is a Super Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2009.
The trio join triple World record holder Usain Bolt, who has already confirmed his entry in the 200m.
Along with the Jamaican, Robles will be one of the main attraction of the evening. The Cuban 110m Hurdles Olympic champion and World record holder will be gunning to take his revenge. Indeed, at the meeting last year he hit a hurdle because he was running too fast and lost his balance. That race was won by American David Oliver, the Beijing bronze medallist. This year Robles will be back, striving for the victory and trying to clock a sub-13 second time. In 2008, he produced seven sub-13 performances, including the four fastest of the season. If he wins in Lausanne this year, it will be his first victory at Athletissima.
Hooker, who also won a gold medal in Beijing, will also be gunning for his first win at Athletissima. The Olympic champion in Beijing with 5.96m, the Australian cleared six metres for the first and only time of his career outdoors last year at the beginning of the season. This year, he has already cleared 5.95m in Sydney, which is the world’s best performance this year so far. He was on a tear indoors, with three successive meetings at six metres or better, while threatening Sergey Bubka’s long-standing World record.
The fourth Olympic champion to confirm his entry, Saladino is also the defending World champion in the Long Jump. The Panamanian holds the seventh best performance in history, with his 8.73m leap in Hengelo a year ago. On Monday, he won in the Dutch city again with an 8.56m leap. He has already won in Lausanne, clearing 8.36m in 2007.
Also in the line-up is reigning World 1500 and 5000m World champion Bernard Lagat of the USA. The two-time Olympic 1500m medallist is no stranger to Lausanne, winning in 2002, finishing second in 2003 and third in 2006, all at 1500m. At 35, he’s shown little sign of slowing down. This spring, he won the 1500m in Carson in 3:36.38 and most recently, finished second in the 5000m in New York on Saturday, clocking 13:03.06. In Lausanne, he’s opted for the 800m against some of the world’s best.
Pierre-André Pasche for the IAAF
Athletissima is a Super Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2009.
The trio join triple World record holder Usain Bolt, who has already confirmed his entry in the 200m.
Along with the Jamaican, Robles will be one of the main attraction of the evening. The Cuban 110m Hurdles Olympic champion and World record holder will be gunning to take his revenge. Indeed, at the meeting last year he hit a hurdle because he was running too fast and lost his balance. That race was won by American David Oliver, the Beijing bronze medallist. This year Robles will be back, striving for the victory and trying to clock a sub-13 second time. In 2008, he produced seven sub-13 performances, including the four fastest of the season. If he wins in Lausanne this year, it will be his first victory at Athletissima.
Hooker, who also won a gold medal in Beijing, will also be gunning for his first win at Athletissima. The Olympic champion in Beijing with 5.96m, the Australian cleared six metres for the first and only time of his career outdoors last year at the beginning of the season. This year, he has already cleared 5.95m in Sydney, which is the world’s best performance this year so far. He was on a tear indoors, with three successive meetings at six metres or better, while threatening Sergey Bubka’s long-standing World record.
The fourth Olympic champion to confirm his entry, Saladino is also the defending World champion in the Long Jump. The Panamanian holds the seventh best performance in history, with his 8.73m leap in Hengelo a year ago. On Monday, he won in the Dutch city again with an 8.56m leap. He has already won in Lausanne, clearing 8.36m in 2007.
Also in the line-up is reigning World 1500 and 5000m World champion Bernard Lagat of the USA. The two-time Olympic 1500m medallist is no stranger to Lausanne, winning in 2002, finishing second in 2003 and third in 2006, all at 1500m. At 35, he’s shown little sign of slowing down. This spring, he won the 1500m in Carson in 3:36.38 and most recently, finished second in the 5000m in New York on Saturday, clocking 13:03.06. In Lausanne, he’s opted for the 800m against some of the world’s best.
Pierre-André Pasche for the IAAF