Dayron Robles competing in Tangier (© Stéphane Reix)
The 25th edition of the European Athletics Outdoor Premium Meeting “Vardinoyiannia” is scheduled for Monday 20 July. The meeting is held in Rethymno and this year hosts around 200 athletes from 38 countries, some reigning Olympic champions.
The Vardinoyiannia is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 12-13 September in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Robles seeks improvement to world lead
The reigning Olympic Champion and World record holder in the 110m Hurdles Dayron Robles seeks to improve his season’s best of 13.04sec he set in Ostrava on June, the best so far in the world for this season. Barbados’ Ryan Brathwaite who impressed in Luzern where he broke the national record with 13.23, American Jason Richardson (13.29 this year) and Jamaica’s Richard Phillips (13.42) are the main opponents for the Cuban star in this race.
Four Olympics finalists will run in the women’s 100m Hurdles race. Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, silver medallist in the Olympics and fastest hurdler this year with 12.52, takes on reigning World Indoor champion American Lolo Jones (12.87 this season), and USA’s Damu Cherry and Jamaica’s Delloreen Ennis-London. Jamaica’s Lacina Golding-Clarke and the winner of the Mediterranean Games Turkish Yanit Nevin also start.
Taylor and Demus in 400m Hurdles
Another reigning Olympic champion, American Angelo Taylor enters the 400m Hurdles with the best season’s performance among the participants. Taylor who was third in the US championships with 48.30, competes with the new national record holder of Puerto Rico Javier Culson (48.48) and his compatriot Justin Gamon.
2001 and 2003 World champion Felix Sanchez improved his season’s best to 48.78 in the Athens Grand Prix, Greece’s European champion Periklis Iakovakis, experienced Jamaican Danny MacFarlane and American Laron Bennett add interest.
USA’s 2005 World Championships silver medallist Lashida Demus currently tops the women’s world 400m Hurdles list with the 53.78sec which brought her the US title Two more Americans, Tiffany Williams and Christine Spence, as well as Jamaican Nikiesa Willson are the main opponents for Demus.
Savigne vs Mbango in the triple jump
The women’s Triple Jump brings double Olympic champion Cameroon’s Francoise Mbango into conflict with world season leader Cuba’s Yargelis Savigne (15.00m), the World champion. Also entered is Cuban compatriot Mabel Gay who is third season’s performer with 14.62m, Jamaica’s 2005 World champion Trecia Smith (14.43m), Italy’s Magdelin Martinez and Slovenia’s Marija Sestak.
Spotakova vs Obergfoll
Czech Olympic and World Champion Barbora Spotakova has a season’s best of 68.23m, second in the world list behind Germany’s Christina Obergfoll Olympic bronze and two-time World silver medallist, and their meeting here is at the centre of this women’s Javelin Throw competition.
Three more entrants have thrown more than 60m this year: Romania’s Maria Negoita and Monica Soian and Greece’s Savva Lyka.
Kanter takes on Alekna; Pars goes in the Hammer
In the Discus Throw Gert Kanter, the reigning World and Olympic champion who heads the world season’s list with 71.64m, is the favourite but the entry list also includes a legend of the event: Lithuania’s Virgiljius Alekna, twice Olympic and Champion and World champion. Alekna has thrown 67.62m this year which stands him currently in 5th position on the 2009 world list.
Hungarian Zoltan Kovago who is the 4th thrower of the season with 67.64m, 2006 Estonia’s Aleksander Tammert (65.17m this year) and American Ian Waltz (64.47m) are also throwing.
Hungarian Kristian Pars who tops the Hammer Throw list this year is the chief entrant of that throw. Pars threw 81.43m at the beginning of the season and will face 2000 Olympic champion Poland’s Simon Ziolkowski, Slovak Libor Charfritag and Russia’s Aleksey Zagornyi, the fourth best performer of the year with 80.10m.
In the men’s 100m, Jamaican Richard Thompson (10.01 this year) is the fastest entrant, and races Americans Marc Jelks and Ivory Williams, Ghana’s Asiz Zakari and British Tyrone Edgar.
Jelks is also going to compete in the 200m, having already broken his career’s best in Athens Grand Prix with 20.28, among his main opponents will be his compatriot Rodney Martin.
American Torri Edwards, the 2003 World champion, is the main name in the women’s 100m, while American Stephanie Durst enters the 200m race where she runs among others her compatriot Carmelita Jeter who has managed a 22.59sec and the Bahamas’ Debbie Ferguson who tops the entry list with 22.56.
In the men’s Long Jump the names to watch are Americans Brian Johnson, Matt Turner and Miguel Pate and Australia’s Mitchell Watt, while in the women’s Pole Vault Yuliya Golubchikova, American’s Stacy Dragila and Jillian Schwartz are the main players.
Michalis Nikitaridis for the IAAF
