Focus on Borzakovskiy in Madrid – IAAF World Challenge - PREVIEW

Madrid, SpainRussia’s 2004 Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy’s performance should provide the main highlight at the ‘Meeting de Madrid 2011’, which is part of the IAAF World Challenge, on Saturday (9) at the Moratalaz Municipal Sports Centre. In addition, star-studded line-ups have been assembled in the men’s 100m and women’s 1500m as part of the 15-event programme.

Borzakovskiy to confirm top form

After being severely hampered through injury last year, the now 30-year-old Borzakovskiy seems to be on the right path again as the Athens Olympic champion grabbed a fine win  in Zhukovskiy last Sunday with a 1:43.99 time to his credit. On paper, his toughest rival might be Tyler Mulder (1:44.83) of the U.S., who just missed a berth for the World Championships in Daegu by placing fourth at the US trials in late June.

Home boys should also play a major role thanks to the presence of the reigning European indoor 1500m champion Manuel Olmedo, who will also compete tonight at the Saumsung Diamond League fixture in Paris at his specialist event, Kevin López, the current European indoor bronze medallist and his training mate Luis Alberto Marco, the 2009 European indoor silver medallist. The latter two’s goal is to reach the ‘A’ qualifying standard for Daegu which is 1:45.40.

Cuba’s Yeimer López, a 1:43.07 specialist should be eager to improve largely on his SB of 1:46.87 while France’s Jeff Lastennet (1:45.56) and Morocco’s Mohcine El Amine (1:45.84) complete a quality field.

Gatlin vs Chambers in 100m

The men’s 100m should provide another peak of the evening thanks to the triumvirate composed of Justin Gatlin and Travis Padgett of the U.S. plus Britain’s Dwain Chambers. The 29-year-old Gatlin is fresh from a runner-up spot at the US trials held in Eugene a fortnight ago when the former Olympic and World champion recorded a season’s best of 9.95 while Padgett, holder of a 9.99 season’s best set in Florida back in May didn’t start in Eugene’s final.  Tomorrow’s will be Gatlin’s second stop on his European tour after a runner-up place in Reims last Tuesday timed at 10.08.

As for Chambers, the 33-year-old Briton is still looking for his first sub-10.00 performance this campaign but the reigning World and European 60m champion has raced consistently so far with no less than five sub 10.10 clockings topped by his 10.01 time managed in Sao Paulo on 22 May.

Other notable entrants are Morocco’s Aziz Ouhadi (SB of 10.10), Turkey’s current European Junior 200m champion Ramil Guliev (10.16),  Rae Edwards of the US (10.13) and Jamaica Kimmari Roach (10.14).

The men’s 400m promises to be a wide open event. No fewer than eight athletes have dipped under the 45-second barrier but none of them have been able to do it this season. Heading the cast are the American pair of Calvin Smith Jr - the son of the former (1983) World 100m record holder - and David Neville; while Smith advanced to the final at the US trials to finish 7th after an SB of 45.26 in the semis, the reigning Olympic 4x400m champion Neville (SB of 45.24) could not make the final on that occasion.

The main threats for the American guys should come from Belgium’s European title holder Kevin Borlée, who is fresh from a season’s best of 45.37 set in Lausanne last week, Bahama’s Ramon Miller (45.34), Trinidad’s Reny Quow (45.34) and Cuba’s William Collazo (45.50).

The 110m Hurdles witnesses a partial rematch of the US trials as three of the finalists take part in the guise of Jason Richardson, Jeff Porter and Ty Akins. Worth mentioning was Richardson’s performance as the 25-year-old finished third in 13.15 to earn a spot for the Worlds just ahead of Terrence Trammell, the reigning World silver medallist. Porter (SB of 13.26) and Akins (13.31) will also be accompanied by his fellow American Joel Brown (13.20), who narrowly  failed to make the final in Eugene.

Fernandez and Rodriquez star in the women’s 1500m

The undisputed standout event on the women’s section is the 1500m largely due to the presence of the two home stars in the guise of the European champion Nuria Fernández  and the World indoor silver medallist Natalia Rodríguez. The former holds an SB of 4:06.66 set in Eugene in early June two weeks before placing fifth at the European Team Championships in Stockholm in 4:07.82. Despite turning 35 next month, Fernández has still shown fine speed when winning an 800m contest in 2:01.47 two weeks ago in Zaragoza.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez has yet to make her debut at the distance although she proved to be in reasonable shape by placing third at the European Team Championships over 3000m in 8:55.09.

However, the favourite for Saturday’s event should be Morocco’s Siham Hilali, the fastest among the entrants with a 4:01.33 time under her belt for third in Hengelo. Hilali has not raced for the last four weeks, a 4:06.70 clocking in Brazzaville being her last appearance.

Not to be discounted for the win are Ukraine’e Olympic bronze medallist Nataliya Tobias (SB of 4:05.53), Jenny Simpson (4:05.66) of the U.S. fresh from securing a berth for Deagu thanks to her second place in Eugene and Russia’s Yekaterina Martynova, who set a career best of 4:04.64 to win in Sollentuna barely five days before her last victory in Zhukovskiy (4:10.76).

Elsewhere...

A large group of quality west Africans will gather in the longest distance scheduled - the men’s 3000m – headed by Qatar’s James Kwalia (a 7:28.28 athlete for the distance), the Kenyan pair of Yusuf Biwott and Joseph Kiplimo plus Uganda’s Geoffrey Kusuro. The European response will be headed by Portugal’s former Olympic and World 1500m bronze medallist Rui Silva and Spain’s Sergio Sánchez, the current World indoor 3000m silver medallist.

On the infield, Russia’s Evgeniy Lukyanenko belongs to the selected group of pole vaulters who have exceeded the 6.00m barrier although the Olympic silver medallist is still rounding into form this season – he didn’t compete at all in 2010 - having surpassed 5.60 so far while his fellow Russian Aleksey Kovalchuk vaulted a massive PB of 5.72 in June. Also in the mix for the win might be  Jeremy Scott (SB of 5.62) of the U.S. and Cuba’s Lazaro Borges (5.70).

Local stars will gather in the Discus Throw in the guise of Mario Pestano (65.69m) and Frank Casañas (66.62m) both bettered this season by Estonia’s Märt Israel with a 66.98m PB throw back in May.

In other women’s events the favourites are Jamaica’s Schillonie Calvert (100m), and America’s Maggie Vessey (800m), the recent second placed at the US trials while two interesting showdowns will take place in the High Jump between Bulgaria’s Venelina Veneva and local heroine World and European indoor silver medallist Ruth Beitia and in the Javelin, with Latvia’s reigning European U-23 champion Madara Palameika  (SB of 63.46m)and Spain’s former (2006) European bronze medallist Mercedes Chilla (63.77m) in contention.

Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF