Usain Bolt in the 4x100m at the Gibson Relays in Kingston (© TrackAlerts.com)
The first two top stars have been announced for the Shanghai IAAF Diamond League meeting which takes place on 23 May, and their names do not come much bigger in the sport of Athletics.
For five years the Shanghai meeting has proved to be one of the best fixtures on international one-day track and field circuit, and the first edition of the Shanghai IAAF Diamond League will live up to that reputation with the debut in the city of Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt.
What makes this moment so special is that the World and Olympic 100m and 200m champion and World record holder’s appearance on 23 May will mark Bolt’s first competition in the inaugural 14 meeting series of the IAAF Diamond League.
The track in Shanghai is already proven to be super quick with 9.69 secs and 10.64 secs winning times in last year’s men’s and women’s 100m sprints. So the venue is sure to suit “Lightning Bolt” and inspire the IAAF Diamond League Ambassador to great performances, so ensuring his race over 200m will be one of the highlights of the meeting as fans hope to witness another fast time from the World record breaker (100m 9.58 and 200m 19.19 sec).
The IAAF Diamond League Shanghai will also welcome “Chinese Flying Man” Liu Xiang, the 2004 Olympic and 2007 World champion at 110m Hurdles, who’ll be making his first outdoor competition of 2010, having returned from injury at last year’s Shanghai meeting with a marvellous 13.15 sec performance.
“I am very excited that so many world class athletes will come to China and my hometown Shanghai to participate in the IAAF Diamond League. We will do our best to give outstanding performances for local and global track and field fans,” said Liu Xiang encouraging fans to buy tickets for the event.
From the first edition of the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005 to the fifth edition in 2009, and now to the IAAF Diamond League Shanghai this year, China has risen to the elite level of hosting world class track and field. The IAAF Diamond League will not only present top level competition and world renowned athletic performances to the Chinese fans, but will also inspire a new interest and passion in Athletics, and promote the development of Chinese track and field.
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League will be held in 14 cities around the world in 2010, with Shanghai and Doha the only hosts in Asia. The Shanghai meet will be the second stop of the series this year and will be held at the Shanghai Stadium on 23 May. The IAAF Diamond League is a series of world class track and field meets beginning this year, replacing the previous IAAF Golden League series which had been solely held within Europe annually since 1998.
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