Angela Williams in the 60m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships (© Getty Images)
A slew of World and Olympic champions and medallists are set to gather at next month’s Russian Winter meeting on 7 February in Moscow.
The Russian Winter Meeting, this year celebrating its 19th edition, is the fourth of ten IAAF Indoor Permit meetings in 2010, and just five weeks before the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, 12-14 March.
The most recent face-off announced today will pit American Angela Williams, the reigning World indoor champion, against Yevgeniya Polyakova of Russia, the current European champion indoors, in the 60m. On paper the pair are fairly evenly matched, with Williams bringing a 7.06 career best from her triumphant dash in Moscow to the line, while Polyakova has a 7.09 best, also from 2008.
Briton Joyce Maduaka and American Michelle Lewis are also in the field.
In the men’s 600m, an assault on the Nico Motchebon’s 1:15.12 World best, set in 1999, is on the mind of Ismail Ahmed Ismail, Sudan’s Olympic silver medallist at 800m. The field will also include the ever-dangerous and enigmatic Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who may have his sights set on the 1:16.83 Russian record set way back in 1989. The field can also boast Belal Mansour Ali of Bahrain, a 1500m finalist at both last year’s World Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games.
Isinbayeva, Feofanova, Pyrek and Golubchikova in the Pole Vault
The spotlight will perhaps shine brightest on the women’s Pole Vault runway, as Yelena Isinbayeva already confirmed last autumn that she’ll be competing. The World record holder will face other top Russians including former World champion, indoors and outdoors, Svetlana Feofanova, who is on the comeback from an injury-shortened 2009 season, and Yuliya Golubchikova, the European indoor champion. Two-time World outdoor silver medallist Monika Pyrek of Poland is also on the slate.
Organisers and Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
