David Oliver runs 12.89 in Paris (© Errol Anderson)
It was a wise decision to make Tyson Gay the sole poster boy of the tenth Samsung Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
Gay’s heralded 200m clash with Walter Dix was set to be one of the highlights of the Herculis 2010 at the Stade Louis II on Thursday (22) but it’s Gay alone whose image adorns the meeting banners hung around the principality.
It’s just as well, for Dix pulled out of the much-anticipated duel today for what meeting director Jean-Pierre Schoebel described as “financial reasons”.
Clearly, that’s a blow, not only to the organisers but to Gay too, who was hoping the bout with Dix would spur him to lower his season’s best of 19.76 set when finishing 0.04s behind his US rival in Eugene.
“I want to beat the best and right now Dix is on top in the 200,” he said. “It would’ve been more interesting with him in the race but it doesn’t really change anything. I’m still going to try and race in the same way.”
The meeting may have lost one of it’s star names but with David Oliver pursuing the 110m Hurdles World record and a newly refurbished track, the organisers are confident Thursday’s action will provide a fitting flourish to the Diamond League series before it takes a two-week break for the European and African championships.
-- -- --
>> Click here for LIVE Event Reports during the competition <<
>> Click here for more on the Diamond League race and prize money structure <<
>> Click here for broadcast information <<
>> Click here for Startlists <<
>> Click here for LIVE Results <<
(round by round)
>> Click here for Results <<
(at conclusion of each discipline + available in txt format)
-- -- --
