Osleidys Menendez of Cuba wins gold in the women's javelin (© Getty Images)
Almost ten months after her win at the Olympic Games of Athens, Osleidys Menendez returns to the Olympic stadium of Athens in order to participate in Athens Super Grand Prix "Tsiklitiria OPAP" 2005, which will take place on 14 June and is organised by Panellinios A.C.
The Cuban Javelin Throw champion has connected her name with Greece. In 2001 in Rethymno she broke the World record with 71.54m. Three years later in the Olympic Games of Athens, Menendez won the gold medal in the ultimate competition with 71.53m just one centimetre off her own World record.
The women’s Javelin Throw at the Athens Super Grand Prix "Tsiklitiria" will resemble the final of the Olympic Games in Athens. In addition to Menendez Germany’s Steffi Nerius, who won the bronze medal last August and Sonja Bisset of Cuba will also be present.
Nerius currently holds the year’s World best performance with 65.49m. Bisset has a personal best of 66.54m and will be accompanied by another Cuban Nora Aida Bisset, whose personal best is 63.32m. All were present in the big final of the Olympic Games.
Discus stars
In the women’s Discus Throw the spotlight will be on Russia’s Natalia Sadova (PB 70.02m), who won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens. 33-year-old Sadova has won medals in all the important meetings of classical athletics.
Bellarus’ Irina Yatchenko (PB 69.14), who won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games and was World champion in 2003 in Paris, Vera Pospisilova (PB 67.71) of Czech Republic, who was 4th in the Olympic Games, Romania’s Nikoleta Grasu (PB 68.80) who took 6th place last August and Bellarus’ Elina Zvereva (PB 71.58), as well as Frank Dietsch (pb. 69.51) of Germany complete the quality field.
