IAAF World Athletics Tour logo (© c)
MonteCarloThe 2008 IAAF World Athletics Tour recommences tomorrow (Thu 21 Feb) in Melbourne, Australia, when the Melbourne Athletics Grand Prix takes place in the city’s Olympic Park.
The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix (28 Sep 2007), which began the current edition of the World Athletics Tour that will conclude at the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany (13/14 Sept 2008), seems now a distant memory, but results from there in China, in Melbourne tomorrow, and at the other 23 meetings which make up the Tour gain athletes qualifying points for the Final.**
The World Athletics Tour is made up of two levels. The ÅF Golden League (6 meets) and IAAF Super Grand Prix (5) as the top rung, with the IAAF Grand Prix meets (14) making up the other category. The Melbourne meeting which this year is celebrating its 21st anniversary is the premier event of the Australian season and is of Grand Prix status.
Last year’s edition in Melbourne was memorably highlighted by a superb 5000m victory by Australia’s Craig Mottram, the 2005 World Championship bronze medallist. The two-time World Cup 3000m winner will also be a key home star this year too, and will be joined by a top international cast that includes USA’s World and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner, and injury permitting Jamaica’s World 100m record holder, Asafa Powell.
Click here for full meeting preview
IAAF
**There are also a number of designated Area Permit Meetings at which qualifying points can be scored.