Demus vs Halkia set for Athens

USA’s Lashinda Demus who posted a season's world leading 53.07 seconds, the 13th fastest of all-time, for the women’s 400m Hurdles at the USATF Nationals on Sunday (25), will face Greek heroine Fani Halkia at that distance in the 2004 Olympic stadium on 3 July.

Halkia, on her way back from a 2005 season sidelined by injury, will be returning to the arena for the first time since 25 August 2004 when she won the Olympic gold medal. She will meet her American challenger at the Athens Super Grand Prix “Tsiklitiria – OPAP”, organized by Panellinios, which is one of the legs of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.

Demus showed superb form last weekend. Content to stay even with the field for six hurdles, she made her move in the final at the national championships, and won by 8 metres from Sheena Johnson's 53.90. Demus had also run 53.50 in her semi-final on Saturday (24).

By contrast, Halkia is currently a long way off her best (52.77 - 22 Aug 2004, Olympic semi-final). However, the 27-year-old has made a strong comeback from injury with her current best a 54.66 clocking. Significantly her returning fitness was good enough for her to win the 400m Hurdles and 400m double in the European Cup First League match held in Thessaloniki recently.

Europe’s second quickest of the current season, Vania Stambolova from Bulgaria (54.55), along with USATF nationals runner-up Sheena Johnson (53.90), and another American, Tiffany Ross-Williams (54.49), will also be contenders in Athens.

At the longer distances on 3 July, Russia’s double World 1500m champion Tatyana Tomashova, will star.

The Olympic 1500m silver medallist will face her compatriot Yelena Soboleva, who ran 4:00.47 to win the Russian championships, and earlier this year became World Indoor record holder (3:58.28). The silver and bronze medallists behind Tomashova in last year’s World championships, respectively Russia’s Olga Yegorova, and France’s Bouchra Ghezielle, have also been lined up for the 1500m on 3 July.