Carmelita Jeter strides clear in the women's 100m to clock 10.64 at the 2009 World Athletics Final (© Getty Images)
Daegu, KoreaThe world of athletics will turn it’s attention to Korea on Friday (25 September) for the 2009 Colorful Daegu Meeting which takes place in the host city of the IAAF World Championships in 2011, and which annually offers a high standard late season competition.
Fast times - Gay vs Powell
There’s a lot to follow in the sprints with both high flying Americans Tyson Gay and Carmelita Jeter running the 100m race here. World Championships silver medallist Gay set a surprising personal best of 9.69 seconds in Shanghai last Sunday (20) and also won the Super-Meet in Kawasaki, Japan on Wednesday (27).
Gay’s time tied the second fastest all-time clocking behind Jamaican Usain Bolt’s 9.58s world record from Berlin. Although the conditions were extremely good in China with a +2.0 m/s following wind, another fast time can be expected in Daegu as well.
On the track where American Wallace Spearmon clocked a super-fast 19.65sec 200m in 2006, Gay again faces Jamaican Asafa Powell. The former World record holder set a 9.82 season’s best in Poland prior to his Asian trip and came close with his 9.85 second place finish in Shanghai too.
A third sub-10 second sprinter in the competition is fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter who also set a PB in Shanghai clocking 9.91.
Jeter set to dazzle again
World Champs bronze medallist Jeter comes to Daegu having set a dazzling 10.64 personal best in Shanghai. The 29-year-old American, who hit her best form a little too late, is now second on the world all-time list behind World record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA). Her 10.64s was the fastest time in 21 years and fourth fastest ever behind Griffith-Joyner’s 10.49 (WR), 10.61 and 10.62 which were all run within two months in 1988 at the US Olympic Trials and Seoul Olympics.
Bahamian Chandra Sturrup, who was seventh in Berlin and has run 10.99 this season and American Allyson Felix, the 200m specialist with a 11.08 season’s best will be the best challengers although Jeter is expected to win with a big margin.
Victory number 6 for Isinbayeva?
The spotlight will also be on Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, who has won all of her five competitions since the Berlin disappointment. The 27-year-old Russian set another World record 5.06m in Zürich at the end of August and also won in Shanghai with a good 4.85m result. Berlin silver medallist Monika Pyrek of Poland is also in the competition, she was third in Shanghai with 4.50m well behind Isinbayeva.
Spearmon back on PB territory
In other events Wallace Spearmon returns to the track where he set his 200 metres 19.65s personal best three years ago in this very meet. The 24-year-old won a bronze medal in Berlin clocking a season’s best 19.85s.
The men’s 800m race is also a very high standard one with several of the world’s top names in the competition. World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa is coming off a 1:42.86 personal best in Rieti and a second place finish in Shanghai. World Championships finalist Bram Som (NED) is also in the race with 1500 World champion Youssef Saad Kamel (BRN) and new Polish name Marcin Lewandowski, who has run a PB 1:43.84 this season.
In the 5000m four Kenyan sub-13 minute runners Joseph Ebuya, Mark Kiptoo, Josphat Bett and Lucas Rotich head the race.
In the 110m Hurdles American legend Allen Johnson is joined by Jamaican Dwight Thomas, who recently set a big personal best 13.16 in Zürich and American Joel Brown, while in the 400m hurdles Félix Sánchez (DOM) and American Michael Tinsley will be the top names.
In the men’s Triple Jump Leevan Sands of the Bahamas, fourth in Berlin, is the number one favourite, while Teemu Wirkkala of Finland tops the list of Javelin participants.
In the rest of the women’s events 33-year-old Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, who was third in Berlin, will run the 200m and Berlin bronze medallist Briton Jennifer Meadows is lined up for the 800m race.
In the 1500m top names are Russian Anna Alminova and Kenyan Nancy Lagat who both made the semifinals in Berlin.
One of the top events for women is the 100m Hurdles where reigning World and Olympic champions will clash. Berlin winner Jamaican Brigitte Foster-Hylton will face American Olympic winner Dawn Harper and fellow American Damu Cherry.
World championships bronze medallist Russian Mariya Abakumova is the best javelin thrower competing in Daegu challenged by Romanian Monica Stoian who placed fourth in Berlin.
Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia, who was second in Berlin will compete in the Long Jump.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
