Phillips Idowu of Great Britain & Northern Ireland in the men's Triple Jump final (© Getty Images)
Stockholm, SwedenThe 2010 edition of the GE Galan – IAAF Indoor Permit – meeting takes place in Stockholm’s famous Globe arena on 10 February. The meeting has been playing to packed audiences since 1990, and after the announcement late last week of a great hurdling duel between Dayron Robles and David Oliver, today organisers have made further announcements of top name signings.
Sweden’s former World and Olympic champion Christian Olsson whose return to the meeting was also announced last weekend - see Related Content - will face Britain’s World champion and Olympic silver medallist Philips Idowu in what should be a epic duel on the Triple Jump runway. And the third, fourth and fifth placed athletes behind Idowu from Berlin last summer Alexis Copello (CUB), Leevan Sands (BAH) and David Girat (CUB) add extra spice.
Double World High Jump champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia will amongst others also have a strong challenge from another home crowd favourite in the guise of multiple major championship finalist Emma Green, whose greatest day was her bronze medal performance at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.
Antonietta Di Martino, the 2007 World silver medallist and fourth in Berlin last summer, and USA's Chaunte Howard the 2005 World silver medallist are listed too for this quality High Jump.
Recently confirmed by the IOC as Olympic men’s 1500m champion, Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop steps down in distance to the 800m in Stockholm and will be confronted by the 800m silver medallist from Beijing, Sudan’s Ahmed Ismail Ismail. Also in the field will be Sudanese compatriot Abubaker Kaki, the World Indoor champion.
And the entire podium of the three decathletes who medalled at the World Championships in Berlin last summer will also be present in Stockholm. Trey Hardee (USA) faces Leonel Suárez (CUB) and Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS), with some local interest being added by the appearance of Sweden's Nicklas Wiberg, who was 7th at the World Championships, in what will be a special triathlon competition.
USA's Dexter Faulk, a 13.13 sec man who took second place in last summer's World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki is added to the men's 60m Hurdles line-up.
Lorenzo Nesi (organisers) for the IAAF
