News17 May 2006


O’Rourke faces Jamaican challenge in Ostrava

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Derval O'Rourke of Ireland in action on her way to gold in the 60m Hurdles final (© Getty Images)

Ireland’s World Indoor 60m Hurdles champion Derval O´Rourke will not have it easy at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday, 30 May, which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.

In the 100m Hurdles race, the surprise of the Moscow World Indoors will face among others Jamaica’s World silver medallist from last year in Helsinki, Delloreen Ennis-London from Jamaica will compete. Her best is 12.51 and she already has achieved sub-12.70 on 14 occasions. After her recent win in Doha, that gives the hope that the meet record of 12.65 could be under threat.

The women’s 400m Hurdles field has also been boosted by the addition of the 11th performer of all-time Sheena Johnson who has a best of 52.95 seconds. Her best placing is the 4th at Olympic Games in Athens. With Lashinda Demus and Sandra Glover, already announced for the race, it will be like a rehearsal for the US Champs on 30 May.

Women’s 100m race has added Olympic 200m bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson from the Bahamas. Her best of 10.91 confirms that she could provide a good run for the favourites Melissa Barber and Allyson Felix of the USA.

Runners from different generations have been recently confirmed for women’s 3000m race. The 2000 Olympic 1500m champion Nouria Merah-Benida from Algeria (35 years) will face the 18-year-old World junior cross country champion Pauline Korikwiang from Kenya. They replace Bouchra Ghezielle from France who has withdrawn due to injury.

Men’s 400m Hurdles race has a new and very high quality addition. 20-year-old Louis Van Zyl from South Africa, the winner of Commonwealth Games in March with personal best of 48.05 will have high quality opponents led by Athens silver medallist Danny McFarlane from Jamaica. But the main star of this event is yet to be announced.

Fields for women’s Hammer were added by second best performer of all-time Volha Tsander from Belarus. Her national record 76.66 is beaten only by the World record (77.06m).

The organisers have also invited stars from the past to celebrate the 45th jubilee of the meeting – from local ones like Jarmila Kratochvilova, Tana Kocembova, Sarka Kasparkova, Dana Zatopkova, Gejza Valent and Robert Zmelik, and foreign legends Sergey Bubka, Merlene Ottey and Irena Szewinska.

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