Tyson Gay powers to the 200m win in London (© Getty Images)
A trio of top class American sprinters heads the all-star line-up for Friday’s (3 Aug) Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace with Tyson Gay’s appearance inevitably being touted as another crack at the World 100m record.
The London meeting is a Super Grand Prix status event as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007.
“I’m going after the World record every time I run,” confirmed Gay at his press conference this week.
It was Gay’s windy 9.76 in New York earlier this summer that set the tongues wagging, followed by his scintillating sprint double at the US championships, although you do get the feeling he is already a little sick of the question.
“I’m not really thinking about it,” he added, when pressed on the record quest. “I just think everybody wants it. I run my own race and then hopefully run a fast race.”
Osaka on their minds
Gay ran a fast race at London Grand Prix last year –19.84 for 200m – and is the overwhelming favourite for the 100m in a field that includes Portugal’s European champion Francis Obikwelu, plus a phalanx of Americans and Britons, many of the latter chasing the final berth on Britain’s World Championship team.
Indeed, with only three weeks to go before the championships begin in Osaka it’s the far east rather than London’s deep south that is occupying many athletes’ minds. Even Gay’s.
The American knows that the real test of his world number one status will come when he meets Asafa Powell in Japan. “I was kind of shocked that he isn’t running in London,” said Gay of the Jamaican World record holder’s absence from Friday night’s line-up. “But I think it’s better to meet him in Osaka. It will be exciting. I want to be ready and focused for that.”
He will need at least a little focus on Friday too, however, for Britain’s double sprint champion Marlon Devonish, who ran him close on a cold, wet night in Sheffield three weeks ago, will be hard on his heels again.
Alongside them Craig Pickering will be looking to continue his rise up the senior world class rankings while fellow-Britons Mark Lewis-Francis and Jason Gardener go head-to-head in the hunt for Osaka selection.
Wariner on the sub-44 trail again
It’s a similar story in the 400m where World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner continues his Osaka tune-up in a race that’s become a case of now or never for Tim Benjamin, the former British number one who missed the national trials last weekend.
Benjamin beat Wariner in this meeting two years ago but has been blighted by injury since finishing fifth in that summer’s World Championships in Helsinki. Wariner returned to London last year to win in 43.99 and will no doubt be delighted if he can produce his first sub-44 clocking of this season as he takes on fellow Americans Darold Williamson and LaShawn Merritt, plus Britain’s new champion Andrew Steele.
Richards goes back to 400
Like Gay and Wariner, Sanya Richards will be favourite for victory on a track where she enjoyed success last year. Richards victory at last year’s London Grand Prix in 49.05 was one of 13 straight triumphs that propelled her to the World Athlete of the Year award for 2006.
Three weeks ago Richards chased World champion Allyson Felix home in a soggy 200m in Sheffield and tomorrow they meet again over one lap, with Jamaica’s Novlene Williams and fellow American DeeDee Trotter for company.
Again there will be a British challenge, as the European indoor champion Nicola Sanders faces her sternest test yet outdoors. For the 25-year-old it will be the latest stage of a return to full form as she sharpens up for Osaka after an injury-hit season.
With a comfortable victory at the UK championships last weekend, and Richards tipping her for a medal in Japan, she should come into this race with her confidence high.
Campbell leads a list of 200m talent
Felix and Richards may have made a smart decision to avoid the 200m in London for that race will also be packed with talent, including Jamaica’s Olympic champion Veronica Campbell, Belgium’s European champion Kim Geveart and the former World 100m champion Torri Edwards, World and Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft will also be on the start line as she continues her preparations for the World Championships.
Isinbayeva faces her main challengers
Yelena Isinbayeva, another World and Olympic gold medallist, returns to the stadium where she has set three World records for another pop at making it 21 overall, 12 outdoors. It was here in 2005 where a peerless Isinbayeva first breached the 5.00m barrier, and after leaping back to the top of the world lists with 4.91m in Paris a month ago, she will be full of the usual smiling self-esteem.
The event may well be more competitive than two years ago, however, with the next three best in the world this year, US champion Jenn Stuczynski, and Russians Svetlana Feofanova and Tatyana Polnova, in the field.
Shot’s top-5
Top of the men’s field events will the Shot Put, featuring five of the world’s top 10 – Americans Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and Dan Taylor, Dutchman Rutger Smith and Germany’s Ralf Bartels – against British champion Carl Myerscough.
Britain’s Phillips Idowu tests his troublesome back again in the Triple Jump against the in-form American Aarik Wilson, and British record holder Chris Tomlinson faces another American Brian Johnson in the Long Jump.
Mottram looks for a boost at Two Miles
The pick of the men’s distance events looks like being the men’s two miles in which Craig Mottram will aim to repeat his storming victory over the distance in June when he ran 8:03.50, the third fastest ever. It is also a chance for the Australian to re-boost his confidence after the drubbing he received at the heels of Kenenisa Bekele over 3000m in Sheffield.
Ireland’s Alistair Cragg and Kenya’s Boniface Songok will provide the main opposition, along with Britain’s great distance hope Mo Farah, the European 5000m silver medallist.
In the men’s 1500m, a race missing the injured Alan Webb, Bernard Lagat is looking for revenge over Andrew Baddeley after being out-sprinted by the British champion in the Sheffield rain.
The women’s distance events are largely domestic affairs, with European bronze medallist Becky Lyne seeking form and a world championships place in the 800m against the new British champion Jemma Simpson and the two women who followed her home in Manchester, Marylin Okoro and Jenny Meadows.
And in the 3000m, Jo Pavey leads a field full of Brits, including steeplechasers Hattie Dean and Helen Clitheroe, with USA’s Shalane Flanagan and American marathon record holder Deena Kastor providing the overseas interest.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
