Yelena Isinbayeva celebrates setting a new World Indoor record in Birmingham (© Getty Images)
Birmingham, UKThe 2005 World Athletes of the Year, and current Overall IAAF World Rankings leaders will appear in the same stadium for the first time this year on Saturday (18) when Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) and Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) headline the Norwich Union Indoor Grand Prix - IAAF indoor permit meeting - at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena.
World Indoor record to advance again?
For Isinbayeva it’s a return to the meeting where she set her fifth World Indoor record, 4.88m, on the same date last year. That was merely a prelude to a season of record breaking for the Russian that culminated in the first ever five-metre clearance, also achieved in the UK, and then her first outdoor World Championship gold medal in Helsinki, Finland, and a further centimetre improvement.
Despite switching coaches in the autumn, 2006 appears to be a case of “new season, new coach, same result” as Isinbayeva is already on the record breaking path. After setting her eighth World Indoor record in Donetsk, Ukraine, last weekend – the 19th senior World record overall of her career - the only surprise on Saturday will be if she doesn’t add another centimetre to the 4.91 vault she produced in the Ukraine.
That will bring the millionaire 23-year-old another US$30,000 in prize money. Her longtime Russian rival Svetlana Feofanova will be among those lining up to challenge.
Bekele aiming for Geb’s World best
Bekele’s memories of this meeting are somewhat less happy. The Ethiopian made a gallant attempt at Haile Gebrselassie’s World Indoor Two-Mile best last year, only to be defeated by a combination of his own grief over the recent death of his fiancée, and the sharper finishing speed of his compatriot Markos Geneti.
Despite his defeat to Bernard Lagat over a Mile in New York a couple of weeks ago, Bekele is in better mental and physical form than at this stage last year and will be confident of eclipsing Gebrselassie’s 8:04.69 mark. Bekele will be paced by his younger brother, Tariku, while Geneti should again provide the main challenge as Kenenisa looks to bury the memories of a year ago.
A supporting cast packed with stars
Elsewhere, the meeting as ever is packed with international and domestic stars. The women’s sprints will feature two Olympic champions – Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell in the 200m, and Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas in the 400m - both of whom will be looking to sharpen up for the Commonwealth Games.
French favourite Christine Arron makes only her second ever appearance on a British track in the women’s 60 metres. The World Championship medallist will face former World 100m and 60m champion Zhanna Block of the Ukraine and USA’s Torri Edwards, making her first outing since the end of a doping suspension.
Dibaba sisters aim at 3000 World record
Ethiopia’s Dibaba sisters, Tirunesh and Ejagayou, will push each other towards the women’s 3000m World record, with Tirunesh the obvious favourite, while the in-form Jamaican, Lacena Golding-Clarke, is the woman to beat in the 60m Hurdles. Glory Alozie and the British pair of Sarah Claxton and Kelly Sotherton are among her main rivals.
Sotherton will also resume battle with her compatriot Jade Johnson in the Long Jump. “Battle” could be the appropriate word here for the two are anything but friends and reportedly had a stand-up row at the UK indoor trials in Sheffield last weekend.
Gardener, Spearmon, Stringfellow…
There will also be a couple of domestic tussles in the men’s sprints, not least the men’s 60 metres, where the IAAF’s Most Promising Athlete of 2005, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Harry A-A to his tongue-tied friends), will be hoping to grab a spot on Britain’s World Indoor Championships team.
While Britain’s world leader Jason Gardener and USA’s John Capel will be favourites for the victory, if Aikines-Aryeetey can finish ahead of all other Brits apart from Gardener and Tim Abeyie, who’s already selected for Moscow, the double World Youth Champion will be off to his first senior championships - quite an achievement for the 17 year-old.
The 400m will see the return of former World Indoor Champion Daniel Caines to his home-town track – his first appearance in Birmingham for three years. During that injury-ravished period Caines has been overtaken in British 400m running by Tim Benjamin and Robert Tobin. Tobin is in the line-up on Saturday and after running Europe’s fastest time of the year, 45.90, last weekend, he’ll be expected to beat the home-town boy.
Wallace Spearmon will be a clear favourite in the 200 metres. Fresh from his World Indoor 300m best in Fayetteville last weekend, the American will no doubt have the NIA’s stadium record in his sights.
Spearmon’s fellow-American Savante Stringfellow heads the competitors in the men’s Long Jump, with Ghana’s world season leader Ignisious Gaisah providing stiff competition. For Britain, Nathan Morgan will be seeking the elusive world indoor qualifying mark of 8.10m. He has 8.05 to his name so far this year.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
