Maria Mutola at Commonwealth Games (© Allsport)
Monte CarloAs so often in the history of the World Cup, away from the battle for team honours, this unique event also offers the prospect of many great individual performances and confrontations, when the 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics takes place in Madrid’s La Comunidad Stadium, 20-21 September 2002.
For example, in the history of the men’s sprints there were memorable consecutive victories by Britain’s Linford Christie (’89-’92-’94) and Brazil’s Robson da Silva (’85-’89-’92), at 100m and 200m respectively. In Madrid, the highlight should be the four way clash over the shorter sprint, where USA’s Tim Montgomery will face Britain’s European champion Dwain Chambers, African Champion Frankie Fredericks and Commonwealth Champion Kim Collins, in perhaps the most eagerly awaited confrontation of the Cup.
The women sprinters will also host their own party with Marion Jones, who took a sprint double last time in Johannesburg, facing fellow Sydney Olympic Medallists Jamaica’s Tayna Lawrence (bronze in 100m) and Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe (bronze in 200m), and in just the longer sprint, France’s European Champion Muriel Hurtis and the Commonwealth Champion Debbie Ferguson.
Even though, Hicham El Guerrouj did not seek selection for the African team, Jones’ other two Golden League Jackpot winning colleagues, Ana Guevara and Felix Sanchez will compete in Madrid for the Americas.
Past World Cups have seen many dominant performances from such legends as Alberto Juantoreno, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Miruts Yifter, Edwin Moses, Samuel Matete, Joao Carlos de Oliveira, Evelyn Ashford, Marita Koch, Maria Mutola and Heike Drechsler, to name but a few, and some of these legends are still fighting.
Mutola (800m) will compete in Madrid, and along with Britain’s Steve Backley (Javelin) could provide the crowning glory of this year’s World Cup by taking their fourth consecutive World Cup victories. For Backley it would leave him alongside Yifter, Christie and Matete as the most successful male World Cup athlete ever, while victory for Mutola would put her equal second with Ashford and Marlies Gohr, behind Koch’s amazing seven victories in the women’s World Cup competition.
