Blanka Vlašic wins the high jump with a 2.03m clearance (© Getty Images)
The premier Czech one day fixture, the Golden Spike of Ostrava on 12 June 2008, an IAAF Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour, has confirmed the participation of first wave of top athletes.
Two World champions from Osaka, Croatian High Jumper Blanka Vlasic, a winner here in the past, and Czech Javelin star Barbora Spotakova are already secured to participate.
Two other World champions announced are from the recent World Indoors in Valencia where Vlasic also took gold. Russian Yevgeniy Lukyanenko will compete in Pole Vault, in a competition staged for the first time at the Ostrava meet since 2002 (in the past year’s women vaulters had got the chance), while the men’s 800m will see a World junior record attempt by Sudan’s Valencia winner Abubaker Kaki.
This indoor season's fastest hurdler Dayron Robles of Cuba has confirmed his presence in the 110m Hurdles, and in all events top Czech athletes will get the chance to try for the Olympic qualification standards.
Vice-mayor of the city Zdenek Trejbal also confirmed at a press conference today that a huge rebuilding programme for the stadium is planned to start in summer 2009. A new modern arena will accommodate athletics and football with a 30,000 capacity. In 2010 Golden Spike would be forced to be staged in another city, but in 2011 the meet will return into the new facility. Also the staging of European U23 Championships in that year (2011) should be in no danger.
Alfons Juck for the IAAF
