Steve Mullings, 9.80 in Eugene (© Kirby Lee)
10 June 2011New York, USA - Tyson Gay's 100 metres clash with training partner Steve Mullings who has been an early season revelation will be the standout head-to-head at the adidas Grand Prix on Saturday (11), the sixth stop on the 2011 Samsung Diamond League global international track and field tour.
The world's two fastest men this year, with Gay on his seasonal debut making his quickest ever start to a summer's campaign with a stunning 9.79 seconds victory in Clermont, Florida, last Saturday, and Mulling's just 0.01sec slower with a stunning victory at Eugene's Prefontaine Classic the same day, could rewrite the New York meet record.
That belongs to Usain Bolt who prior to his 2008 Olympic 100m and 200m victories ran a blistering 9.72 in Icahn Stadium, the first of his three World records, to blow away the challenge of Gay despite himself finishing in a superfast 9.85.
It is a formidable target for both Gay and Mullings to set their sights on but in a loaded field including Trinidad's Olympic silver medallist and defending champion Richard Thompson (9.89w) and another seven sub-10 contestants, it could be on the cards.
There will be no room for complacency for the two favourites with Mullings’ fellow Jamaican's Nesta Carter, who along with Gay was the fastest man in the world last year at 9.78, and the newly emerging Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Jamaica's Nickel Ashmeade who both posted personal bests of 9.93 and 9.96 at the Clermont meet.
Gay, who only ran in the heats in Clermont, said on Thursday: "Basically I just wanted to see where I was at, so me and my training partners used it as a prep step."
Dismissing speculation he could challenge Bolt's USA All-Comers' record, the 28-year-old former World champion added: "I didn't even know what the meet record was, I'm not thinking about no record, I'm not thinking about no times."
The US record holder still suffering with a niggle in his right hip and with a long hard summer ahead of him, insisted: I want to think about being more patient and trying having more confidence in my start."
But if conditions are good and the forecast rain steers clear of Randall's Island there could at least be another world leader from whoever wins and the possibility of the race producing more than the six placed sprinters who got under 10sec in Eugene last Saturday.
Mullings, with four sub-10 marks to his itinerary and now the world's sixth fastest performer of all time, didn't expect to produce his blistering showpiece at Hayward Field but is now hungry for more success.
"It was great," he said of the victory. "I've been training really hard this year. I expected to get in the 80s, but I didn't expect to go 9.8. It was a great feeling."
Now in an arena where a huge number of Jamaican fans will be coming to cheer him along he will have the perfect opportunity to raise more eyebrows even possibly those of Bolt, before the IAAF World Championships get underway in August.
World champions Idowu and Tamgho face off in Triple jump
Another eagerly awaited clash will be in the Triple Jump between Great Britain's World outdoor champion Phillips Idowu and the World Indoor gold medallist Teddy Tamgho from France.
Tamgho, just five days before they face up for the first time this season, raised the stakes in their highly competitive Anglo-French rivalry when posting a world leading mark for the year of 17.67m on home soil in Montreuil.
That performance bettered the 17.57m which his British rival cleared at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Rome on 26 May and will add even more spice to their normally robust clashes.
Tamgho, the 2010 Diamond Race Trophy winner in the event, will return to a venue holding happy memories for him having cleared 17.98m last June which remained the best global jump achieved last year when Idowu finished third.
But Idowu has the ability to rise to the occasion when they meet such as in last summer's European Championships where he defeated Tamgho, as did former Olympic champion Christian Olsson who edged him into third.
Olsson, last year's runner up behind Tamgho in New York, is also returning and although the Swede is not quite the polished performer he was a decade ago, he is still quite capable of causing an upset.
Also at stake is the overall leadership in the Diamond Race, Tamgho having won the opening fixture in Doha while Idowu came up trumps with his then world leader in Rome.
Lavillenie and Jones also return to defend titles
Apart from Thompson and Tamgho both Renaud Lavillenie and Lolo Jones will return to the Big Apple to defend the titles they claimed with solid performances one year ago.
Lavillenie, winner of the European indoor Pole Vault title in March with an absolute French record of 6.03m is now settling down to the defence of his Diamond Race overall title after a stumbling start.
He managed only fourth place at the opening event in Doha but then bounced back to set a world lead of 5.82m in Rome. Last Tuesday he added another centimetre with his victory in Montreuil.
Malte Mohre, the German winner in Doha and runner up in Rome, will be searching for what would be another shock victory while former World champion Brad Walker will lead the host nation challenge.
Jones hasn't been quite as dominant as in previous years during her start to the outdoor 100m Hurdles campaign and the two-time World indoor 60m Hurdles title holder had a nightmare in Rome.
Looking good to score her first important win of the season she demolished the seventh barrier and now will be looking to score her first win in the series.
World champion Brigitte Hylton-Foster and Delloreen Ennis head a strong Jamaican challenge but Kellie Wells, the world leader with her 12.58 clocking in Doha, has the current form to win on home soil.
World Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis sharpens up her hurdles skills and the multi-eventer will be aiming to score over fellow Briton and American born Tiffany Ofili-Porter who at the end of May set a new UK record of 12.76.
Vlasic to make USA debut, Reese targeting host nation sweep
World champion Blanka Vlasic starts her first ever High Jump competition in the USA and although unsure whether the time change from Europe will affect her is confident of a victory.
The Croatian, who raised her world lead to 1.97m in Rabat, Morocco, last Sunday, will not commit herself to clearing two-metres which was almost part and parcel of all her outings last summer.
Emma Green Tregaro, Sweden's European silver medallist behind her last summer, looks her main rival while Levern Spencer second in Rome is also competing.
Brittney Reese, another world gold medallist, may have made only three valid leaps in the Rome Long Jump but was in unstoppable form in the Italian capital as she peppered and passed the seve-metre barrier with those not allowed.
In the end the 24-year-old had to be content with a season's best of 6.94m when fighting a close battle with fellow American Funmi Jimoh. It should continue again and with defending champion Brianna Glenn in the line up a host nation clean sweep is on the cards.
Felix looking to bounce back but strong Jamaican interest in 200m field
Allyson Felix lost the most competitive and fastest 200m race of 2010 in New York (21.98) when in a nail-biting finish she was narrowly beaten across the line by Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown.
The Jamaican may not be around on this occasion but her fellow countrywomen Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Olympic and World 100m title holder, and Sherone Simpson, joint second on that occasion, will prove more than able opponents.
Carmelita Jeter will also present a threat after her amazing Eugene 100m win in 10.70 but Felix will be determined to pick up the threads after finishing fourth in the Rome 200m albeit just 45 minutes after winning the 400m.
Bianca Knight who holds the world junior best and triumphed there will be thirsting for another success.
Sinclair steps up to 1500
Another Jamaican, Kenia Sinclair, who took a high profile victory in the Eugene 800m, steps up in distance to 1500m and obviously will be hoping for a slow race so she can use her finishing speed.
But with Gelete Burka, who scalped world leader Maryam Jamal at the Oregon meet on a high at the moment, and another top notch Ethiopian Kalkidan Gezahegne in the field that looks unlikely.
Anna Pierce and Shannon Rowbury lead the home challenge and one of them could snatch third.
Van Zyl and Chemos looking to extend Diamond League winning streaks
L.J Van Zyl, still continuing the momentum after breaking the South African 400m Hurdles record with a time of 47.66, will be looking for a third successive Diamond League success after his victories in Doha and Rome.
The three-time African champion is now talking about a sub-47 clocking being in his itinerary although winning the World Championships gold medal in Daegu is the major target.
The 25-year-old again faces European champion Dai Greene of Great Britain the runner up in Rome although he may feel more wary of Olympic bronze medallist and 2010 Diamond Race winner Bershawn Jackson who will be eager to improve on his second place on the Icahn track last June.
Kenya's Milcah Chemos, despite only taking up the 3000m Steeplechase just over two years ago, is now a seasoned hand at the event and should add to her Doha and Rome successes where at the latter venue she set a world lead of 9:12.89.
Sofia Assefa, who set an Ethiopian record of 9:15.04 in the Italian capital behind her, competes but more importantly so too does World record holder Gulnara Samitova-Galkina for the first time since finishing fourth, a place behind Chemos, at the 2009 World Championships.
Wariner intends getting back to winning ways after Eugene defeat
Former Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner, his preparations for summer put on hold by an early season injury, admitted he was a little disappointed to have lost to 400m Hurdles specialst Angelo Taylor in Eugene.
Now he is determined after the setback and the defence of his Diamond Race title to make amends and apart from a win hasn't ruled out attacking Grenada's Rondell Bartholomew's world lead of 44.65.
"I feel good, better than last week,” said Wariner. "My legs are fresh and I hope I can go under 44. I still think that I can get back down in the low 43s and execute better than I have in the last few years."
Belgium's European champion Kevin Borlee will continue his education at Samsung Diamond League level while "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius last in the "Pre" is delighted he has been given another opportunity to race on the circuit.
Can Mulaudzi thwart Kaki in 800?
Reigning World 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi has a great opportunity to lay down a firm marker before defending his title in Daegu when clashing with Abubaker Kaki.
The 21-year-old Sudanese ace ran away from the field in Eugene producing a very easy looking world lead of 1:43.68, a long way clear of Rome winner Khadevis Robinson who beat Mulaudzi on that occasion.
It would be a surprise if Kaki was denied victory but Mulaudzi, getting used to being away from South Africa, will be hoping to defend his New York title.
Meanwhile the 5000m is wide open with 15 Africans listed to compete but not Rome winner Imane Merga who made an exhausting 10,000m debut behind Mo Farah in Eugene. Another Ethiopia verus Kenya battle with 10 sub 13-second runners taking part is on the cards.
But don't rule out former World title holder Bernard Lagat who insists by the time World Championships come around he will be in shape to run under 12:50. He may need that if he is thwart his former compatriots on Saturday and score a home win.
Sandra Perkovic who has dominated the discus this year and last weekend improved her Croatian record and world lead to 69.99m - the longest throw in the world for 12 years - will be a non starter. That leaves a great opportunity for reigning Olympic champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton to hit a winner for the host nation.
The same applies in the women’s Javelin Throw where multi-medalled Christina Obergfoll of Germany, who threw a season's best to win in Eugene of 65.48m, will see USA record holder Kara Patterson and South Africa's Sunette Viljoen as her main opponents.
David Martin for the IAAF
