Lashinda Demus of United States celerates with her country's flag after claiming gold in the women's 400 metres hurdles final during day six (© Getty Images)
Ostrava, Czech Republic2011 World 400m Hurdles champion Lashinda Demus will start the season in her event at the 51st Ostrava Golden Spike - IAAF World Challenge on 25 May 2012.
It will be Demus’ second time at the Czech meeting; she won here back in 2006. Demus will face local star and national record holder Zuzana Hejnova.
Interestingly Demus improved her 800m best to 2:07.49 (7th in the race) at the Occidental meet last weekend.
Organisers are hoping the race could bring an improvement to the meet record of Romanian Ionela Tirlea 53.87 from 2003.
Another shot at a meet record will be organised in women 100m Hurdles. Here the mark is very old 12.65sec by Grazyna Rabsztyn of Poland from 1980, which was equalled by Brigitte Foster-Hylton in 2003.
Lolo Jones who is two time winner in the past (2006 and 2008) should start her international season here and will face Kellie Wells who already clocked this year 12.55. In the field also another past winner, from 2010 returning Canadian olympic medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.
A special participant in the men’s Hammer which is part of the 2012 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge and takes place on 24 May will be Hungarian Krisztian Pars who leads the current world lists as only one so far over 80 metres this year. Pars is not only the meet record holder (80.71 in 2009) but also competed in all hammer competitions in Ostrava since 2006 when the organisers started with hammer throwing the day before at the warm-up track. He won in 2009 and 2010, was second in 2011, third in 2008 and fourth in 2006 and 2007.
Organisers for the IAAF
It will be Demus’ second time at the Czech meeting; she won here back in 2006. Demus will face local star and national record holder Zuzana Hejnova.
Interestingly Demus improved her 800m best to 2:07.49 (7th in the race) at the Occidental meet last weekend.
Organisers are hoping the race could bring an improvement to the meet record of Romanian Ionela Tirlea 53.87 from 2003.
Another shot at a meet record will be organised in women 100m Hurdles. Here the mark is very old 12.65sec by Grazyna Rabsztyn of Poland from 1980, which was equalled by Brigitte Foster-Hylton in 2003.
Lolo Jones who is two time winner in the past (2006 and 2008) should start her international season here and will face Kellie Wells who already clocked this year 12.55. In the field also another past winner, from 2010 returning Canadian olympic medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.
A special participant in the men’s Hammer which is part of the 2012 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge and takes place on 24 May will be Hungarian Krisztian Pars who leads the current world lists as only one so far over 80 metres this year. Pars is not only the meet record holder (80.71 in 2009) but also competed in all hammer competitions in Ostrava since 2006 when the organisers started with hammer throwing the day before at the warm-up track. He won in 2009 and 2010, was second in 2011, third in 2008 and fourth in 2006 and 2007.
Organisers for the IAAF
