Ivan Tikhon unleashes his 81.11 throw to take European gold in Gothenburg (© Bongarts)
Prague, Czech RepublicThe 14th Josef Odlozil Memorial meeting today at Prague´s Juliska Stadium should see a great hammer throwing battle.
The Josef Odlozil Memorial is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
Most of the competitors from the superb event in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Sunday (10) - click here for meeting report - headed by world leader Slovenian Primoz Kozmus (82.30) will also compete in Prague. Giving him another keen competition no doubt will be Krisztian Pars from Hungary (81.40), Slovak Libor Charfreitag (80.87) and from Belarus Vadim Devyatovskiy (80.45).
But the latest addition to the line-up is surely still the best. The presence of World and European champion Ivan Tikhon from Belarus who has a season‘s best of 81.18m and who threw 81.01m in Minsk on Sunday, will about guarantee this is the best competition of the meeting by far, and that the world season lead will be improved.
Notably, at the 2003 meeting in Prague Japan's Koji Murofushi, the future 2004 Olympic champion, achieved an Asian record of 84.86m in Prague, which is still fifth best perfomer ever, and so the tradition of top hammer throwing at the meeting is a sound one.
Czech heroes on show
Other highlights in Prague include the Czech Republic’s European Javelin silver medallist Barbora Spotakova who after her win in Eugene on Sunday will be making another attack on her national record 66.21.
Good marks are expected also from both home pole vaulters Katerina Badurova and Pavla Rybova, while there will be another tough local battle in the men's High Jump. Czech heroes Tomas Janku, Svatoslav Ton and Jaroslav Baba will fight against the prodigiously talented Russian Ivan Ukhov (2.39m this winter) and Andrey Sokolovskiy from Ukraine (already 2.30m this season).
The most popular and versatile Czech star on show will be Decathlon ace Roman Sebrle who will test his shape before his next decathlon in one week in Kladno at 110m Hurdles, Long Jump and in Shot Put.
Fast sprints too
In the men’s sprints, some fast times can be expected from Jamaican sprinter Clement Campbell (this year already 10.14) in his duel in the 100m with Znamensky meet winner and European bronze medallist Matic Osovnikar of Slovenia. Australian champion Joshua Ross is also in the field.
Campbell and Osovnikar are also scheduled to compete at 200m along with the very fast Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe (this year 20.29). Also, do not to forget Belem Grand Prix meet winner Ricardo Williams (JAM, 20.35). The Prague meet records of 10.10 and 20.84 will surely be under threat.
US sprinter Stephanie Durst is the favourite for the women’s 200m and after her great 22.51 in Bydgoszcz on Sunday she can easily break the meet record in Prague which currently stands at 22.85 seconds.
Marking the memorial
As Josef Odlozil himself was a miler and a 1500m medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 this distance will also the centre of the night with Belgian Joeri Jansen, Kenyans Timothy Kiptanui and Wesley Cheruyiot, and Morrocan Abdelkader Hachlaf heading up the field.
There is also a great line-up in the women‘s 800m with European Indoor champion Oksana Zbrozhek, Slovenian Brigita Langerholc and the British trio of Susan Scott, Jemma Simpson and Jennifer Meadows. Also in the field is Russian Svetlana Klyuka who has already broken 2 minutes this year.
The men‘s 400m Hurdles has Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kemel Thompson (JAM) and World medallist Dai Tamesue (JPN) as the main names, while Russian Natalya Ivanova, the winner of Znamensky Memorial with sub 55 second run, is the favourite for women‘s 400m Hurdles.
There should also be interesting battles in plenty of other events: in the men’s Pole Vault where German Tim Lobinger will meet the European leader and Bulgarian record holder Spas Bukhalov (this year 5.82m); the Shot Put start list includes the top Germans Peter Sack (21.00m las Sunday) and European champion Ralf Bartels; in the 3000m Steeplechase, Ethiopian champion Roba Gari (8:15.05, currently the second best time of the year) will probably attack the long standing national record of 8:13.57 held by Eshetu Tura (Moscow Olympic Games 1980), while Bydgoszcz winner Collins Kosgei from Kenya (new PB 8:17.39) is another name to watch.
By an IAAF Correspondent
