Previews23 Jul 2008


World champions aplenty over two days in London - UPDATED PREVIEW - IAAF World Athletics Tour

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Allyson Felix runs away with 200m title - US Olympic Trials (© Getty Images)

If Niels de Vos, UK Athletics chief executive, is to be believed the Aviva London Super Grand Prix - IAAF World Athletics Tour this weekend will be the “strongest athletics meeting, other than the Olympics themselves, this summer”.

While the organisers of the US Olympic Trials may have a wry smile at that, not to mention a few Golden League directors, the line-up for the Crystal Palace meeting is certainly impressive.

Such claims have been prompted by the decision to expand the UK’s premier athletics event over two days for the time in 23 years. It’s an experiment, the organisers admit, but the new format does allow them to stage 40-odd events, attract a larger chunk of the world’s top talent and, they hope, sell double the number of tickets. Up to 34,000 in total are expected on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

In 1985, it was an eagerly awaited re-match between two of world athletics’ biggest stars that topped the bill. Back then it was Zola Budd and Mary Decker who brought the crowds to south London as the two distance runners met for the first time since their infamous clash at the Los Angeles Olympic Games the previous year.

Gay cancels show-down as a pre-Beijing precaution

This year’s main attraction was meant to be the highly anticipated head-to-head between sprinters Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, their first face-off since the World Championships final last August, and their only meeting before the Olympic Games in Beijing.

But Gay has failed to recover from the hamstring tear he suffered at the US Trials and will not compete. “I held out hope to run London, but progress has been steady and with the first round of the Olympic 100m just three weeks away, I don’t want to risk doing anything to set things back,” said the world champion. “I apologize to the London fans.”

According to meeting director Ian Stewart: “Tyson gave himself absolutely every chance to be fit for the Aviva London Grand Prix – and I know he was absolutely desperate to run here.

“But at the end of the day the meeting has come just a fraction too soon for him and I understand the reasons why he has had to pull out.

“Let’s not forget we still have probably the best meeting on the circuit to look forward to this weekend, with 36 world champions, the nine fastest women over 100m this year, and virtually the entire British Olympic team.

“And let’s also not forget we still have the two fastest men in history in action in the shape of Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt. It’s going to be a great couple of days’ athletics.”

Not that Bolt will be seeking revenge over Powell for his defeat in Stockholm – he goes in the 200m here. Powell, fully recovered from his groin scare in Rome, and boosted by his Stockholm triumph, will no doubt be full of confidence.

In Gay’s absence his main challenge should come from Shaun Crawford or Michael Frater, while Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure and a raft of Britons led by Craig Pickering and Tyrone Edgar will hope to be in the frame

While Bolt turns attention to 200

No doubt Bolt will be watching with interest too. After running 19.67 at the Rome Golden League meeting last Friday, he has promised “something special” in London. “There is always good support for the Jamaican athletes when we run in London,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

He will have to wait a bit, though, for the men’s 200m – where he’ll face Americans Wallace Spearmon and Rodney Martin – is not until Saturday.

While Gay versus Powell is the climax of Friday evening’s schedule, there will be many other highlights on what promises to be a warm night, not least the return of Yelena Isinbayeva to the venue where she first breached five metres back in 2005. Now in record-breaking form again, it would be fitting if the Russian pole vaulter set off to China with her 23rd world mark in the bag.

It would also be another useful reply to the rising threat from USA’s Jennifer Stuczynski who - back injury permitting - will be in field along with Isinbayeva’s fellow Russians, Tatyana Polnova and Svetlana Feofanova, and Poland’s Anna Rogowska.

Friday’s bill also includes the first of two appearances by World champion Allyson Felix, who takes on fellow Americans Muna Lee, Carmelita Jeter and Bianca Knight in the women’s 200m, while the women’s 400m features a clash between the World gold and silver medallists, Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders.

Idowu leads British hopes

The British pair are likely to be the top domestic draw on the track, while Phillips Idowu will be the homegrown star of the field. The world number one is full of confidence and hinting at huge jumps at this meeting, an attitude that will hardly have been dented by news of Christian Olsson’s unfortunate demise.

Andrew Baddeley is another Brit full of beans at the moment. He will aim to add victory in the Emsley Carr Mile to his Dream Mile triumph in Oslo earlier this summer.

Staged continuously since 1953, the race has been won by the likes of Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Said Aouita and Hicham El Guerrouj in their time. For Baddeley to add his name to the list, however, he’ll have to overcome the World champion Bernard Lagat and Australia’s Craig Mottram.

Dayron Robles will be looking to continue his scintillating form in the 110m Hurdles where David Oliver will be the main threat, while Reese Hoffa will be out to reproduce his brilliant shot put victory here last year against the ever-present challenge of Adam Nelson and Christian Cantwell.

Another World champion, Donald Thomas, leads a top quality field in the men’s High Jump, while Kelly Sotherton seeks a pre-Games confidence boost in a special multi-eventers’ competition, the ‘four-event challenge’. She’ll contest the long jump and 100m hurdles on Friday, with the Shot Put and 200m to come on Saturday.

Felix returns on day two!

The second day is similarly packed with Olympic hopefuls, although not Jeremy Wariner, who’s heading home for final Beijing preparations, and Kenenisa Bekele, who was originally slated for an assault on the stadium’s 5000m record.

In their absence, Bolt will shoot for top billing on the track, alongside an intriguing 100m duel between Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell-Brown in a high class field that includes former World champions Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards, Commonwealth 200m champion Sherone Simpson, European champion Kim Gevaert, UK champion Jeanette Kwakye and new UK record holder Montell Douglas.

Germany’s Steffi Nerius and Christina Obergfoll will take on Britain’s Goldie Sayers in the Javelin Throw, and Lolo Jones will face Joanna Hayes and Brigitte Foster-Hylton in the 100m Hurdles.

Elsewhere on the track, Wariner’s absence leaves Britain’s Martyn Rooney to take on Darold Williamson in the 400m, Kerron Clement is favourite in the 400m Hurdles, and Lashinda Demus races Melaine Walker in the women’s event.

The men’s Pole Vault features many of the world’s leaders, including six-metre men Brad Walker, Steve Hooker and Yevgeniy Lukyanenko, while the long jump is a largely British affair involving Chris Tomlinson, Greg Rutherford and Nathan Morgan with Leevan Sands chief among the overseas challengers.

Another British trio go in the women’s 800m as Jenny Meadows, Marilyn Okoro and Jemma Simpson seek bragging rights as top Briton ahead of their flights to Beijing.

The concluding men’s relay could also be interesting as two teams from USA take on two from Britain and one from Jamaica.

Matthew Brown for the IAAF

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