Usain Bolt stretches away from the rest of the field to win the Olympic 200m title in 19.30 (© Getty Images)
Twelve individual event gold medallists from the Beijing Olympics, headed of course by Jamaica’s Olympic 100m and 200m champion and World record holder Usian Bolt will compete on Tuesday (2 Sep) at Athletissima 2008, which is a Super Grand Prix as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.
In all, 36 medallists and over 60 Olympic finalists will take part in the meeting.
Bolt’s 19.30sec World record* in Beijing sets the stage for the 200m in Lausanne, where two years ago Xavier Carter set the Pontaise stadium record of 19.63 with Bolt in third (19.88). Bolt's two individual Beijing golds actually make the number of individual Olympic titles represented in Lausanne a lucky 13.
The 100m has attracted five from the Beijing final with silver medallist Richard Thompson of the Trinidad and Tobago taking on former World record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica.
Aside Bolt, the other individual men’s Olympic champions on show in Lausanne will be LaShawn Merritt (400m), Wilfred Bungei (800m), Dayron Robles (110m H), Angelo Taylor (400m H), and Andrey Silnov (High Jump).
Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Olympic 100m champion, heads up a women’s dash in which seven from the Beijing final will run.
Nancy Lagat (1500m), Dawn Harper (100m H), Melanie Walker (400m H), Maurren Higa Maggi (LJ) and Barbora Spotakova (JT) will be the other individual women’s event champions from Beijing on show in Lausanne.
Athletissima Press Office
*World record subject to usual ratification procedures
