Yargelis Savigne in Turin (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
The CAA Grand Prix Meeting of Algiers takes place on Thursday 21 June. No less than 150 athletes representing 43 nations are expected to compete on the track of the athletics stadium in the 'Mohamed Boudiaf Olympic City' in Algiers which will also host the 9th All Africa Games (15 - 19 July) and the 2nd Afro-Asian Games (28 July - 3 August).
The Algers CAA GP is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
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Slovenia’s Primoz Kozmus the world season hammer leader - 82.30m - will be facing Italian Marco Lingua (PB 77.66m) and Kuwaiti Mohamed Ali Al-Zankawi, the 2002 World Junior silver medallist, who set a national record of 77.07m back in March.
The competition will be also hard in the Long Jump with six athletes with PBs of more than 8 metres - Arnaud Casquette of Mauritius (8.13m), Algerian Issam Nima (8.17m NR), Senegalese Ndiss Kaba Badji (8.20m), Yahya Berrabah of Morocco (8.30m), Saudi Ahmed Fayaz Al-Dosari (8.12m), and Gable Garenamotse of Botswana (8.27m).
In the High Jump, there will be a duel between Algeria’s Hammad Abderrahmane, the three-time African champion and 2000 Olympic bronze medallist, and Botswana’s Kabelo Kgosiemang, the reigning African champion.
In the middle distances Mohcine Chehibi (PB 1:44.16) heads the 800m, while the 1500m boasts Algerian Tarek Boukensa, so far the fourth quickest in the world this year 3:32.35 when fourth in Doha on 11 May.
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In the Triple Jump, Cuban Yargelis Savigne, the World silver medallist who has jumped a 14.99m PB this year which currently tops the world season list is the star attraction. She will be challenged by the Italian champion Simona La Mantia (14.69 PB). Algeria’s Baya Rahouli, seventh in the last World Champs, is currently out of competition after an ankle operation.
Morocco’s Seltana Ait Hammou and Algeria's Nahida Touhami who recently took third place in Arab Championships in Amman, Jordan, and Colombian's Rosibel Garcia are standouts in the 800m.
At 5000m the Algerian champion Aït Salem Souad, the multiple former champion over 10,000m from the African Champs, Mediterranean Games and Pan-Arab Games, will take on Kenyans Helah Kiprop, Gladys Chemweno, Alice Timbilili and Peninah Chepchumba.
Tahar Righi for the IAAF
