Nancy Lagat takes a surprise gold medal in the women's 1500m (© Getty Images)
Doha, QatarFor the last half dozen years, since its inception, the Qatar Super Grand Prix - IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Doha on Friday evening (8) has signalled an explosive start to the serious summer season. That is not to diminish the several meets which precede it on the calendar, simply to underline the welter of superlative performances, crammed into a couple of hours that we have come to expect in the Gulf state.
Felix and Oliver the 2008 meet standouts return
This year should be no different, with the two sprint standouts - Allyson Felix (400m) and David Oliver (110m Hurdles) - from last year's event, abetted by a galaxy of Olympic, World and Area champions, and record holders across the 18 events, split evenly between men and women.
Their performances here last year earn them top billing, even though they didn't translate that promise into gold in Beijing. But Felix who, in consecutive years in Doha, won both the 100 and the 400 metres (with world class personal bests last year), and Oliver, who crashed the 13sec barrier in 2008, return for an encore on Friday.
Felix will be wary of any Jamaican sprinter, following her twice relegation to Olympic 200 metres silver behind Veronica Campbell-Brown, so even though the American runs only the one lap this time, with Olympic silver medallist, Shericka Williams in the field, three-in-a-row for Felix is far from assured. The more so since Botswana’s Amantle Montsho, the African champion runs too, as does World silver medallist Nicola Sanders of the UK, who demonstrated her strength by winning the 800 metres recently at Mt Sac. But, as I opined last year, when Felix finally concentrates on the 400 metres, she will have found her true event. And another win on Friday would underline that.
In theory, Olympic bronze medallist Oliver has an easier task in the high hurdles but far less time to rectify an error. His principal opposition comes from colleagues, Antwon Hicks, Dexter Faulk and Joel Brown; and Maurice Wignall of Jamaica.
The track has often provided the highlights, but as colleague Bob Ramsak wrote in a taster for Doha a couple of days ago – see previous story in ‘Related Content’ under photograph to the right of this story - three Olympic gold medal field eventers make their outdoor debut against top opponents.
Majewski, Thorkildsen, Maggi
And it's the Big Shots who will ensure the meet gets off to its usual explosive start. Tomasz Majewski's win-loss record against the USA trio of Christian Cantwell, Adam Nelson and Reese Hoffa is far from impressive, but the giant Pole has an Olympic gold which doubtless more than makes up for that. Majewski won the Euro indoor title in March, but Cantwell who got closest to Big Tom in Beijing, winning silver, has already produced the year's outdoor best of 21.53m.
There is another Beijing one-two in the men's Javelin Throw, with Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway likely to chalk up his second in a row in Doha, to go with his successive Olympic golds. Surprise Olympic silver medallist Ainars Kovals of Latvia will do well to stay ahead of better known colleague, Eriks Rags.
Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil is a Doha regular, but comes back this time as Olympic Long Jump champion, with last year's world leader, Naide Gomes of Portugal as most likely challenger.
Vlasic goes for three Doha victories in a row
The elegant Croat, Blanka Vlasic was Athlete of the Meet here two years ago, with her 2.04m clearance in the High Jump, and a personal fan-club (of locals) cheering her every move. She comes back for a potential three-in-a-row after two disasters (in her terms), losing in the Olympic final, then missing out on any sort of medal in the Euro Indoors.
In memory of Skolimowska
On a far more distressing note, this writer (and her erstwhile opponents, if not everyone in athletics) will miss another Olympic champion, one of the youngest ever, Hammer Thrower, Kamila Skolimowska of Poland, who died at the age of 26 earlier this year. Skolimowska won Olympic gold in Sydney, before her eighteenth birthday, and she too would have been on a third consecutive victory here, where she set her best of 76.83m two years ago. Likely winner this year, compatriot Anita Wlodarczyk was Skolimowska's runner-up last year.
Kiprop takes on fellow young talents Rudisha and Kaki
19-year-old Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, the Olympic 1500m silver medallist steps down here, to 800 metres, and can expect a torrid time from colleague and last year's winner, David Rudisha, who might have figured among the Beijing medals, had he not been injured for the national trials. Another mercurial entrant is World Junior and World Indoor champion, Abubaker Kaki Khamis of Sudan.
Mirroring Kiprop, reigning World champ and Olympic bronze medallist at 800m, Alfred Kirwa Yego moves up to 1500m, accompanied by colleagues Alex Kipchirchir and Augustine Choge, who won the 3000m last year and set a World Junior record at the same distance here four years ago. Maybe the Kenyans are responding to a North African 1-2-3 last year, and while winner, Abdelati Iguider of Morocco is missing this time, the pair who followed him home, colleague Mohamed Moustaoui and Algerian Antar Zerguelaine are present.
Langat vs Jepkosgei at 1500m
Yet another Kenyan, Nancy Jebet Langat (Lagat) gets an early season opportunity to dismiss claims that her Olympic 1500 metres victory was a surprise. She takes on Natalya Lishinskaya of Ukraine who won silver behind her in Beijing. And for the second year in a row, another Kenyan, Janeth Jepkosgei tries to prove that she can do as well at 1500 as she has at 800 metres, winning a World title and Olympic silver in her first two years.
Cracking men's 3000m to close
The final event, the men's 3000m is always a cracker, and will be even more so this year, since joining former winner Eliud Kipchoge, who also took Olympic silver, and colleague Edwin Soi, who followed him home in Beijing, is a man who has been sorely missed through 18 months of injury and indisposition. Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar (formerly Stephen Cherono of Kenya) is on a par with Usain Bolt when it comes to entertainment on the track. And the twice World champion and reigning World record holder in the 3000m Steeplechase will be doubly appreciated; by both the Qataris and by the rest of us who like a champion to display a bit (or in his case, a lot) of personality as well. Welcome back!
Pat Butcher for the IAAF
