Yohan Blake (l) upsets Usain Bolt in the 100m at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston (© AFP / Getty Images)
Lausanne, SwitzerlandMore fantastic news for the Athletissima sprint events! Following confirmation of the attendance of Usain Bolt at the Samsung Diamond League meeting, organisers can now also announce that Yohan Blake will be in Lausanne on 23 August.
The same as Bolt, Blake will decide between running the 100m or the 200m after the London Games.
The 23-year-old Jamaican has been undefeated in both events so far. The reigning 100m World champion beat his compatriot twice in Kingston at the Olympic trials. He also holds the world leading performances of the year in 9.75 (personal best) and 19.80. This season, he has already run under 10 seconds six times in the 100m and under -20 seconds three times in the 200m. In the 200m, his personal best, which he ran in Brussels last year, is just 7 hundreds of a second outside the World record. He will be in Lausanne for the second time. When he ran in Lausanne in 2010, he finished second behind Bolt.
The men’s 1500m will also be one of the highlights of Athletissima, with the three best Kenyans in the race: the World and Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop, the silver medallist Silas Kiplagat and Nixon Kiplimo Chebseba. All three athletes are also strong gold medal contenders at the Olympics. It is the first time that Athletissima will gather so many fast runners. With the American Matthew Centrowitz, bronze medallist at the last World championships, this race will for sure be one of the highlights of the 37th Athletissima edition. The stadium record of 3:29.51 (2001) could be in danger.
Organisers for the IAAF
The same as Bolt, Blake will decide between running the 100m or the 200m after the London Games.
The 23-year-old Jamaican has been undefeated in both events so far. The reigning 100m World champion beat his compatriot twice in Kingston at the Olympic trials. He also holds the world leading performances of the year in 9.75 (personal best) and 19.80. This season, he has already run under 10 seconds six times in the 100m and under -20 seconds three times in the 200m. In the 200m, his personal best, which he ran in Brussels last year, is just 7 hundreds of a second outside the World record. He will be in Lausanne for the second time. When he ran in Lausanne in 2010, he finished second behind Bolt.
The men’s 1500m will also be one of the highlights of Athletissima, with the three best Kenyans in the race: the World and Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop, the silver medallist Silas Kiplagat and Nixon Kiplimo Chebseba. All three athletes are also strong gold medal contenders at the Olympics. It is the first time that Athletissima will gather so many fast runners. With the American Matthew Centrowitz, bronze medallist at the last World championships, this race will for sure be one of the highlights of the 37th Athletissima edition. The stadium record of 3:29.51 (2001) could be in danger.
Organisers for the IAAF
