Previews23 Apr 2004


Greene to star again in Martinique - GPII Preview

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Maurice Greene defeats Tim Montgomery at the Mt SAC Relays (© Getty Images)

Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene is set to be the star attraction again of the Conseil General de la Martinique - IAAF GPII - meeting, in the Stade “Dillon” in Fort de France, Martinique, Saturday 24 April 2004.

Also on show will be a smattering of 2003 World Championships medallists including Quadruple World sprint hurdles champion Allen Johnson, and silver medallists James Beckford (men’s Long Jump) and Sandra Glover (women’s 400m Hurdles).

Greene returns

29 year-old Greene made a splendid opening to the season last weekend at the Mt SAC Relays, getting a spectacular start which propelled him to a world-leading 10.02 into a 1.6m/s head wind.

The former World champion and record holder was also the star of the 2003 Conseil General de la Martinique meeting, where he strode round the bend to take an easy 20.31 (wind +1.6m/s) win in the 200m.

From the provisional start lists available at the time of writing** (see note below), Greene is presently listed as competing in the 100m this year, as is Tim Montgomery, the World record holder who finished third behind him in Mt SAC in 10.27. The other notables are Ghana’s Eric Nkansah, and the Americans Brian Lewis and Greg Saddler.

Johnson and Edwards return as well

The Sydney Olympic champion was joined in Martinique last year by many of his HSI teammates with Allen Johnson and Torri Edwards (both 100m & 200m) also winning in 2003, and competing again tomorrow.

The four time 110m Hurdles World champion Johnson will have fellow Paris finallists Larry Wade and Chris Phillips for opposition.

Double individual Paris sprint medallist Torri Edwards will again go for two events. She will face most threat at 100m from France’s Sylviane Felix, and in the 200m from Bahamas’ Christine Amertil, who was the 400m silver medallist at the 2003 World Indoors, and from France’s European U23 championships silver medallist, Solene Desert. Nigeria’s Mercy Nku, the double All-African Games medallist is like Edwards, registered to run in both races.

Asian Championships and Games silver medallist Hamdan Al-Bishi goes in the 400m flat (45.49 in Mt SAC), and his Saudi compatriot Hadi Al-Somaily in the 400m Hurdles, the event at which he is the reigning Olympic silver medallist.

Some classic women’s hurdling in store

The Jamaicans Delloreen Ennis-London, Dionne Rose-Henley and Vonette Dixon should be in their element in the women’s 100m Hurdles, while the 400m Hurdles brings together some of the top names in the world, World silver medallist Sandra Glover (USA), Paris 6th placer Andrea Blackett (BAR), and Debbie Ann Parris (JAM) the Commonwealth silver medallist.

35 year-old Kim Batten (USA) the former World Hurdles champion and record holder is also done to compete. She has a 57.65 clocking to her credit from Tallahassee, USA, on 20 March to her credit this year.

The Men’s High Jump brings together some of the best American leapers, World Championships 7th placer Jamie Nieto, Charles Clinger and Nathan Leeper, and they will face Canada’s Commonwealth silver medallist, Kwaku Boateng.

The Pole Vault sees France’s 1996 Olympic champion Jean Galfione back on the runway.

The men’s Long Jump has World silver medallist James Beckford of Jamaica as its star, and the women’s event we will look to Paris World Championship 8th placer Grace Upshaw and Dawn Burrell of the USA.

IAAF

** NB. all entry information in this preview is as according to the provisional entry lists (21/04/04), and the line-ups might change once the technical meeting has been held.

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