Usain Bolt of Jamaica going for gold in the Men's 200m Final of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 9, 2012 (© Getty Images)
One month ago, the Athlessima Meeting Director Jacky Delapierre, had promised an exceptional line-up for Athletissima 2012. With just 10 days to go, he is keeping his promise. "Nine Olympic champions have confirmed their participation in the 37th edition of Athletissima, and there are more to come," he said.
The sprint races for the 11th stop of the Samsung Diamond League series on 23 August, both men and women, will be superb, especially the 100m. Indeed, seven of the eight London 2012 finalists will be in Lausanne on 23 August: Usain Bolt (9.63), Yohan Blake (9.75), Justin Gatlin (9.79), Tyson Gay (9.80), Ryan Bailey (9.88), Churandy Martina (9.94) and Richard Thompson (9.98). Only Asafa Powell, who was injured in the final, will be missing. Not a worry for Delapierre: "I am not concerned. There are many very good sprinters out there who are waiting for me to give them a lane. For sure some of them will be disappointed."
All of them will run the 100m except for Bolt, who'll prefer the 200m, which he says, is "his race" because it combines "art and technique". He also loves the Pontaise Stadium curve, and of which he is also the stadium record holder since 2008 at 19.63. There is no doubt that the spectators seated in this sector of the stadium will be delighted. "There is still some paperwork to do, but both races will be fantastic," Delapierre said.
The women’s 100m will be just as amazing as the one of the men’s, as it will feature all three London 2012 medalists: the Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, silver medalist Carmelita Jeter, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the bronze medalist.
Other events will also be of very high quality. In the 400m for instance, the winner Kirani James of Granada will face the runner-up Luquelin Santos of the Dominican Republic.
In the field events, the world’s finest athletes will also gather in Lausanne, with the following Olympic champions already confirmed: Ivan Ukhov in the High Jump, Renaud Lavillenie in the Pole Vault, Brittney Reese in the Long Jump, Olga Rypakova in the Triple Jump and Barbora Spotakova in the Javelin Throw.
Organisers for the IAAF
The sprint races for the 11th stop of the Samsung Diamond League series on 23 August, both men and women, will be superb, especially the 100m. Indeed, seven of the eight London 2012 finalists will be in Lausanne on 23 August: Usain Bolt (9.63), Yohan Blake (9.75), Justin Gatlin (9.79), Tyson Gay (9.80), Ryan Bailey (9.88), Churandy Martina (9.94) and Richard Thompson (9.98). Only Asafa Powell, who was injured in the final, will be missing. Not a worry for Delapierre: "I am not concerned. There are many very good sprinters out there who are waiting for me to give them a lane. For sure some of them will be disappointed."
All of them will run the 100m except for Bolt, who'll prefer the 200m, which he says, is "his race" because it combines "art and technique". He also loves the Pontaise Stadium curve, and of which he is also the stadium record holder since 2008 at 19.63. There is no doubt that the spectators seated in this sector of the stadium will be delighted. "There is still some paperwork to do, but both races will be fantastic," Delapierre said.
The women’s 100m will be just as amazing as the one of the men’s, as it will feature all three London 2012 medalists: the Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, silver medalist Carmelita Jeter, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the bronze medalist.
Other events will also be of very high quality. In the 400m for instance, the winner Kirani James of Granada will face the runner-up Luquelin Santos of the Dominican Republic.
In the field events, the world’s finest athletes will also gather in Lausanne, with the following Olympic champions already confirmed: Ivan Ukhov in the High Jump, Renaud Lavillenie in the Pole Vault, Brittney Reese in the Long Jump, Olga Rypakova in the Triple Jump and Barbora Spotakova in the Javelin Throw.
Organisers for the IAAF
