Rutger Smith acknowledges his Discus Throw PB - 66.60m in qualifying (© Getty Images)
The organisers of the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games (FBK Games) which will be held on Saturday 24 May in Hengelo, a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, have assembled probably some of the best ever fields in the history of this Grand Prix status meeting which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.
One of the highlights of the meet was to be Bram Som, Holland’s European outdoor 800m champion, racing against World 800m titleholder Alfred Kirwa Yego and his Kenyan compatriot Wilfred Bungei, the former World Indoor champion.
However, on medical advice Som has recently had to withdraw from the meet owing to a slight injury as he understandably he does not want to endanger his chances for the Olympic Games.
However, there will still be plenty of top class locals on show for the fans to cheer.
Dutchman Rutger Smith, who has proved to be in very good shape during the last few weeks (SP 20.47m and DT 66.85m on 10 May) has entered the Shot Put as well as Discus Throw, with the latter throwing event set to be one of the highlights of the meeting.
The 26-year-old Dutchman who took World silver in the Shot and World bronze in the Discus in 2005 and 2007 respectively, will need to be in top shape as in both events he’ll meet very tough opponents.
In the Discus Throw, current World champion Gert Kanter of Estonia, and reigning double Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania, as well as Aleksander Tammert of Estonia, the Olympic and European bronze medallist, will be his principal opponents, while in the Shot Put, 2008 World Indoor champion Christian Cantwell will stand in Smith’s path to victory.
On the track, Dutch sprint hurdlers Gregory Sedoc and Marcel van de Westen, the gold and silver 60m medallists at the 2007 European Indoor Championships will give the crowd more to cheer about as this duo take on American veteran Allen Johnson, the former Olympic and four-time World champion, over the 110m Hurdles.
And while stretching the ‘local’ tag a little in the men’s 200m, Churanday Martina of the Netherlands’ Antilles will race USA’s Rodney Martin and Marlon Devonish of Britain.
Wim Van Hemert and Chris Turner for the IAAF
A full meeting preview will be published next week
