Germany's Sebastian Bayer flies out to the second best indoor long jump of all time (© Getty Images)
The 48th Ostrava Golden Spike, an Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting, which takes place on 17 June have secured further top names.
In the men’s Long Jump, local hero and Olympic finalist Roman Novotny (8.21m PB, 2008) will fight for top honours with Germany’s indoor sensation Sebastian Bayer. The german took the European indoor crown this winter in Turin with a continental record of 8.71m, the second longest jump indoors of all-time. Bayer is due to open his summer season in Bad Langensalza this weekend.
Also in the field are two Olympic medallists from Beijing, South African Khotso Mokoena who jumped 8.33m last weekend, and Cuban Ibrahin Camejo who has a personal best of 8.46m. Current leading European Salim Sdiri will be also there (823 in Hengelo on Monday). The meet record 835 by Cuban Ivan Pedroso from 1998 will be under threat.
Another meet record under attack is the women’s 5000m. Kenyans Vivian Cheruiyot and Lineth Masai will go after the mark of Ethiopian Meseret Defar who clocked 14:30.18 here in 2007. Masai confirmed her excellent shape by beating Ethiopia’s Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba last weekend in New York.
Against these two Kenyans is another top Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu who has her 5000m PB from the 2007 Ostrava race when she was third in 14:33.83.
Alfons Juck for the IAAF
