News11 May 2016


Broersen, Thiam and Van Alphen among latest additions to Gotzis fields

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Nadine Broersen in the heptathlon 100m hurdles at the Hypo Meeting in Gotzis (© Getty Images)

Organisers of the Hypo Meeting have added a host of leading European combined events athletes to the list of confirmed names for IAAF Combined Events Challenge meeting in Gotzis on 28-29 May.

Having finished fourth in 2014, third in 2015 and second in 2013, Nadine Broersen will be aiming for her first victory in the Austrian town. The Dutch heptathlete, who won the world indoor title in 2014, has a personal best of 6539 and has exceeded 6500 points in her two most recent Gotzis appearances.

Compatriots Nadine Visser and Anouk Vetter will also be in Gotzis. Visser took bronze medals in both the heptathlon and 100m hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships Oregon 2014, and then went on to improve her heptathlon PB to 6467 in Gotzis last year. Vetter also set a PB in Gotzis last year, finishing one place behind Visser with 6458.

Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam will also be returning to the site of her lifetime best. The European indoor silver medallist set a national record of 6508 when finishing fifth in Gotzis in 2014.

Ukraine’s Hanna Kasyanova will be looking to recapture the kind of form that earned her the world title in 2013. The 33-year-old, who finished second in Gotzis in 2009, has battled injuries in recent seasons, but produced a score of 6277 last year.

Other additions to the heptathlon field include Czech record-holder Eliska Klucinova, two-time world indoor bronze medallist Alina Fodorova, 2007 world youth champion Katerina Cachova, 2013 European indoor silver medallist Yana Maksimava, 2011 European under-23 champion Grit Sadeiko and Swiss Olympian Ellen Sprunger.

Belgium’s 2012 Hypo Meeting winner Hans van Alphen will also be returning to Gotzis. The 34-year-old set a national record of 8519 when he triumphed in Gotzis four years ago and then went on to finish fourth at the Olympics in London. He has battled with injuries since that season, but produced a solid 7876 in Gotzis last year.

World junior champion Jiri Sykora will be making his second Gotzis appearance, as will Belgium’s Niels Pittomvils.

Others set to compete in the decathlon include European under-23 champion Pieter Braun of the Netherlands, 2013 European under-23 bronze medallist Adam Sebastian Helcelet and 2014 Hypo Meeting fourth-place finisher Pelle Rietveld.

Organisers for the IAAF

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