Yokhama, Japan - The 2007 Super-Meet will be held tomorrow, Sunday 30 September, and five Osaka World Championship gold medallists expected to compete in Yokhama’s annual meeting: Tyson Gay (USA) at 100m and 200m, Kerron Clement (USA) at 400m Hurdles, Donald Thomas (BAH) at High Jump, Ivan Tikhon (BLR) at Hammer Throw, and Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) at women’s Long Jump. 

The biggest names in the upcoming super-meet are three sprint aces, Jamaica’s Asfa Powell, the World 100m record holder, USA’s Tyson Gay, the triple World sprint champion, and Sanya Richards, who snared a half share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot recently.

Gay to dash 100, Powell at 200, Richards over 400

At 100m, Gay will face the Netherlands Antilles’ Churandy Martina, fifth in the World Championships at both 100m and 200m, USA’s J.J. Johnson (who will also race the 200m) and Japan’s Nobuharu Asahara. Over 200m, Powell will take-on Canada’s Tyler Christopher, sixth at 400m in the World Championships, and Japan’s Shinji Takahira. 

Sanya Richards, the 2006 World Athlete of the Year, was fifth at the 200m in Osaka, but will be running 400m, the distance at which she is the season’s world leader.  Richards anchored home the gold medal winning US 4x400m relay team in Osaka, and will be facing Christine Amertil, who was seventh in the 2004 Olympic Games.  The best Japanese in the women’s one lap are Asami Tanno, national 400m record holder and Satomi Kubokura, national 400mH record holder. 

Clement takes on home talent

The men’s 400m Hurdles is one of the popular events in Japan because the Japanese have historically excelled at this event.  Dai Tamesue, the two-times World Championships medal winner won’t be running in Yokohama, but Kenji Narisako who missed the Osaka final by mere 1/100 second will be there.  He will have a chance to compete against Kerron Clement, the reigning World champion and Marek Plawgo, the Osaka bronze medalist.  In addition, 2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson, who failed to make the final in Osaka, will also race in Yokohama. 

Osaka Hammer podium vs Murofushi

All three World championships medallists are expected to compete in the men’s Hammer Throw - Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, Croatia’s Primoz Kozmus and Libor Charfreitag of the Slovak Republic. Koji Murofushi, the reigning Olympic champion, who could not quite fulfil the local fans’ expectation at the World Championships in Osaka, is of course the local star. 

Thomas vs Thornblad

Donald Thomas, the reigning World champion, will be the highlight of the men’s High Jump.  Sweden’s Linus Thornblad, the European Indoor Championships’ silver medalist, who has blossomed late this summer winning last night in Shanghai with his season’s best of 2.31m will be the World champion’s main challenger. Japan’s Naoyuki Daigo, the 2006 Asian Games bronze medallist, Hikaru Tsuchiya, the 2003 World Youth Championships bronze medalist, are also competing in Yokohama. 

The Long Jump should be the most exciting event in the women’s side, as two of the Russian medal trio from Osaka, World gold medalist, Tatyana Lebedeva, and the bronze medalist, Tatyana Kotova will be competing in Yokohama.  The best Japanese in the field is Kumiko Ikeda, national record holder and the 2006 Asian Games champion who failed to make the final in Osaka and will be motivated to redress her season’s record.

In the men’s 110m Hurdles, Ukraine’s Serhiy Demydyuk, who was sixth in the World Championships at 110mH, will face Japan’s Osaka semi-finalists, Masato Naito and Tasuku Tanonaka.

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

List of top athletes entered

MEN

100m
Tyson Gay   (USA) 
Churandy Martina (AHO)
J. J. Johnson (USA)
Shigeyuki Kojima
Naoki Tsukahara
Nobuharu Asahara 

200m
J.J. Johnson   (USA)
Tyler Christopher (CAN)
Asafa Powell   (JAM)
Shinji Takahira 

400m
Marcin Marciniszyn   (POL)
Mitsuhiro Sato 
Yoshihiro Horigome

110mH
Serhiy Demydyuk (UKR) 
Masato Naito 
Tasuku Tanonaka 

400mH
Kerron Clement   (USA)
Bershawn Jackson   (USA)
Marek Plawgo  (POL)
Kenji Narisako

HJ
Donald Thomas   (BAH)
Linus Thornblad (SWE)
Naoyuki Daigo
Hikaru Tsuchiya 

PV
Jeff Hartwig  (USA)
Daichi Sawano 
Hiroki Sasase 

HT
Ivan Tikhon   (BLR)
Libor Charfreitag  (SVK)
Primoz Kozmus (SLO) 
Koji Murofushi

WOMEN

200m
Cydonie Mothersill (CAY)
Shericka Williams (JAM)
Asami Tanno
Sakie Nobuoka 

400m
Sanya Richards  (USA)
Christine Amertil (BAH)
Asami Tanno
Satomi Kubokura

1500m
Olga Komyagina   (RUS)
Tiffany McWilliams   (USA)
Nanae Kuwashiro 

100mH
Sally McLellan  (AUS)
Danielle Carruthers  (USA)
Kumiko Ikeda
Mami Ishino 

PV
Vicky Parnov  (AUS)
Takayo Kondo 
Mami Nakano
Ikuko Nishikori

LJ
Tatyana Lebedeva  (RUS)
Tatiana Kotova  (RUS)
Kumiko Ikeda
Yukari Nakahara
Saeko Okayama
Sachiko Masumi