News25 Apr 2008


Powell, Vlasic, Wariner, Felix…Doha offers an array of stars – IAAF World Athletics Tour

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Blanka Vlašic wins the high jump with a 2.03m clearance (© Getty Images)

The Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix 2008 which is one of the 25 meetings of the IAAF World Athletics Tour has announced a group of global big hitters for Friday 9 May.

The Doha meeting which takes place at the Qatar Sports Club is the first IAAF Super Grand Prix status meeting of the year, and its high level has in turn attracted a top-notch entry.

Leading the first declared starters are the two athletes who secured the accolade at last year’s World Athletics Gala of having produced the men’s and women’s Best Performance of 2007 - 100m World record holder  Asafa Powell of Jamaica and World indoor and outdoor High Jump champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia.

Powell will not be the only star of the sprints in Doha with USA’s World and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner and women’s World 200m champion Allyson Felix on parade. Wariner goes in the 200m, while Felix will have an exhausting evening taking on both the 100m and the 400m!

Another American flyer in Qatar will be sprint hurdler Lolo Jones, the World Indoor champion at 60m Hurdles, while two of her fellow Valencia gold medallists Tariku Bekele (ETH) and Abubaker Kaki (SUD) will run their championship winning distances, respectively 3000m and 800m.

Competing over the 400m Hurdles is Greek Periklis Iakovakis, who is the European champion and 2003 World bronze medallist.

Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s Javelin Throw will commence the build-up to his title defence in Doha.

Chris Turner for the IAAF

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