David Payne in the 2008 Olympic semi-finals. He went on to take the silver. (© Getty Images)
San Juan, Puerto RicoWith five sub10sec men and 2008 World Indoor 60m champion Angela Williams in the line-up, sprinters are ready for a showdown at the 3rd Ponce Grand Prix, to be held on Saturday (16) at the Paquito Montaner Stadium in Ponce, southern Puerto Rico.
The Ponce Grand Prix is also one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 12-13 September in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Meeting director Victor Lopez has announced a list of 18 former and current Olympic and World championships medallists, who will take part across 17 events.
There are especially high expectations on 2008 Olympic 110m silver medallist David Payne, who is expected to defend his 2008 win while making his season’s debut.
First sub-10sec 100m in Puerto Rico a prospect?
Facing five men who have broken the 10-second barrier, Antigua and Barbuda’s Brendan Christian should find it difficult to renew his 2008 double sprint victory (10.11 and 20.21). He will take on 2003 World 100m champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts & Nevis, the Netherlands Antilles’ Churandy Martina, who finished fourth at 100m in the Beijing Olympics, and Britain’s 2009 European Indoor champion Dwain Chambers.
Two USA sub-10 men, Coby Miller and Mark Jelks will also be in the dash battle. With such a deep field, spectators could be delighted with the first sub-10 second performance on Puerto Rican soil.
In the 200m, Christian will find Chambers and Miller, as well as Canada’s 2006 world junior silver medallist Brian Barnett. Christian has started his season on a high note, with a fast 19.98sec in the longer distance just over the allowed legal wind. He also ran a wind aided 10.02 for the 100m.
The women’s sprints feature some of the top women from last year, including defending champions Williams and Ebonie Floyd-Broadnax (200m). Other top names are Bahamas’ multiple Olympic and world medallist Chandra Sturrup, Laverne Jones-Ferrette of the US Virgin Islands and USA’s 2005 World Long Jump champion Tianna Madison, who will also do her specialist field event.
Payne's meet record to go?
David Payne, who as well as his Olympic medal took bronze at the 2007 World championships is ready to start his season in the 110m Hurdles and break his meet record of 13.49, set in 2008. Payne, 26, has a personal best of 13.02 sec from when taking is World champs third place. Last year he ran his season's best of 13.17 when securing silver in Bronze behind Dayron Robles.
Local fans bet on Javier Culson to take the 400m Hurdles. Fresh from his national record and victory at the Kingston GP two weeks earlier, the 24-year old Ponce born will find a strong challenge from defending champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Danny McFarlane and two other 49-second men: Reuben McCoy of the USA and Jonathon Williams of Belize.
Five other athletes will defend their 2008 titles: Liberia’ Kia Davis and Trinidad and Tobago’s Ato Stephens (400m), USA’s Brian Johnson and Jamaica’s Chelsea Hammond (Long Jump) and Kelli Wells of the US in the 100m Hurdles.
Top long jumping in prospect
Both Long Jump events should produce interesting competitions.
In the men’s field, Johnson will be joined by his countrymen Miguel Pate (2003 World Indoor bronze), 2008 Olympian Trevell Quinley (8.36), as well as Jamaica’s 1996 Olympic silver and three-time World silver medalist James Beckford and Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre (8.29).
The women’s event should witness the longest jump ever on Puerto Rican soil. Hammond will find USA’s 2005 World champion Tianna Madison and Funmi Jimoh, who leapt 6.96m 10 days ago in Doha and other four women over 6.60m.
General info
Athletes from 20 countries from the Americas, Africa and Australia will contest 17 events.
Men and women will take part in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, the sprint and the 400m hurdles, the Long Jump. Men will also run both 4x100m and 4x400m relays and women only the former.
Local athletes will also contest the relays and the men’s Pole Vault.
Following the successful organization of the Iberoamerican Championships in 2006, Ponce has staged its annual Grand Prix, a NACAC Area Permit meeting, and hopes to join the IAAF Diamond League, starting in 2010.
The Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Direct TV to 21 million households in the Americas, with a team that includes former world champion and Olympic medalist Ato Boldon.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
