Spanish kisses for the crowd - marta Dominguez en route to her second European 5000m title (© Getty Images)
Madrid, SpainWith less than 30 days to the 2009 Madrid International Athletics Meeting (4 July), the first principal names have been named for the Grand Prix status meeting which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour have been announced.
The best Spanish athletes of last year Juan Carlos Higuero and Marta Domínguez will lead a powerful Spanish army at this meeting.
Higuero, fifth over 1500m in the Beijing Olympic Games and bronze medallist at the 2008 World Indoor Championships will run 800m looking for speed for his favourite event, the 1500 metres.
“Thinking about the whole season it’s important to run a fast 800 metres before competing in the 1500 metres. I consider that the two laps’ event is the king of middle distance running in Madrid and my goal is to run under 1:46 there in order to gain confidence for the 1500 metres,” said Higuero who has an 800m personal best of 1:45.87, achieved two years ago in Madrid.
The two lap opposition will be provided by Ugandan Abraham Chepkirwok, who in 2008 won in Moratalaz with a magnificent performance of 1:43.72, a national record, and Moroccan Mohcine Chehibi (1:44.16 PB). On the Spanish side, European Indoor 800m silver medallist Luis Alberto Marco, who this year has performed 1:48.36, and Arturo Casado, will also line-up.
Marta Domínguez, the best Spanish female athlete in history, will run the 1500 metres looking for a good performance to give her confidence for the 3000m Steeplechase. She has a personal best of 4:06.08 in the 1500m achieved in 2000 in Barcelona.
Domínguez will face strong rivals like her compatriot Natalia Rodríguez, Spanish record holder with 3:59.51 who this winter was silver medallist in the European Indoor Championships. Among the foreign entrants there will be Moroccan Bouchra Chaabi (PB 4:03.62), and Britain’s Stephanie Twell, the current World Junior champion at this distance who in Warsaw yesterday sped to an identical PB of 4:03.62.
Ignacio Mansilla for the IAAF
