News24 Apr 2014


World champion Vesely looking for three-peat triumph in Ostrava

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Vitezslav Vesely in the mens Javelin Throw Final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow 2013 (© Getty Images)

Czech Republic’s world javelin champion Vitezslav Vesely will be one of the star attractions at the 53rd Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting on 17 June, organisers of the IAAF World Challenge meeting announced on Thursday (24).

Vesely has won in Ostrava for the past two years, as well as in 2008, and Ostrava is one of his favourite venues as he knows he can rely on huge home-crowd support.

“I am happy to confirm because before my training camp in South Africa I had serious difficulties with my knee. However, the Potchefstroom climate helped and I’m able to throw. It is not ideal, but I think I can achieve similar results as last year,” said Vesely, who won with an outstanding effort of 87.58m in 2013.

Meeting director and Vesely’s coach Jan Zelezny expects his pupil to do well in Ostrava but also thinks that his other throwers, Petr Frydrych and Jakub Vadlejch, are in good shape following their training camp in the southern hemisphere.

They will have another training camp in Alicante, Spain, from this weekend until 11 May.

Also confirmed for Ostrava is Russia’s Olympic high jump champion and world indoor silver medallist Ivan Ukhov. He will face the USA’s Erik Kynard and an improvement on the existing meeting record of 2.32m looks likely.

Evergreen US runner Bernard Lagat will run in the Emil Zatopek Memorial 3000m race.

Already earlier announced for Ostava have been Usain Bolt (event to be confirmed), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, in the 200m, pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and Mohammed Aman, who will take a tilt at the 1000m world record.

Already more than two thirds of the tickets for the 15,000 capacity stadium have been sold.

Organisers for the IAAF

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