Jan Zelezny at Golden Spike Ostrava (© Ceska sportovní)
With more than 30 Olympic and 30 World championships medalists expected, the European season begins to reach full throttle at Tuesday’s (30) 45th Golden Spike in Ostrava, Czech Republic, this year's only eastern European stop on the IAAF World Athletics Tour.
Final major Czech appearance for Zelezny
While organizers have again lured a strong collection of talent to this eastern Czech city, the night will most likely belong to, win or lose, Czech Javelin Throw legend Jan Zelezny. The 39-year-old three-time World and Olympic champion and World record holder has announced prior to his campaign that 2006 would be his swan song season. And Ostrava, host to his nation’s only major international competition, will be among the highlights of his farewell tour. He’s already promised to buy a round of beer for his fans, a crowd expected to number near 20,000. A victory will make those pilseners all the more tantalizing for the audience expected to turn out for Zelezny’s final home appearance.
The Javelin field includes Sergey Makarov, a thrower who knows Zelezny well. A two-time Olympic bronze medalist who succeeded Zelezny as World champion in 2003, the 33-year-old Russian is still making waves in the event now largely dominated by younger arms. Last year Makarov again bettered 90 metres and finished third in Helsinki. Briton Nick Nieland will make his first appearance since striking Commonwealth gold in March.
High powered fields in the women’s jumps
The women’s High Jump features a slew of medalists, led by Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko. The 24-year-old Russian, who had an abbreviated season last year, successfully defended her World indoor title on home soil in Moscow in March. There, she defeated Blanka Vlasic, who raised her Croatian national record indoors to 2.05 in February. The young Croat is also in the field, while Swede Emma Green, who took home a surprise bronze medal from Helsinki last summer, will make her second start of the season
Three Czechs will be hoping for a boost from the crowd - Romana Dubnova, Barbora Lalakova and Iva Strakova, who have 1.96, 1.93 and 1.93 bests to their credit.
The women’s Pole Vault will feature an exhibition of Poland’s deep talent in the event – Anna Rogowska and Monika Pyrek, respectively the world indoor and world outdoor silver medallists.
Rogowska, also the reigning Olympic bronze medallist, has cleared 4.83 outdoors to share the No. 3 spot on the all-time World list. Pyrek, who opened her season with a 4.60 over the weekend, has an outdoor best of 4.72 along with a 4.76 clearance to her credit indoors.
The field will also include Czech Pavla Hamackova, who leaped to bronze at last summer’s World Championships, and Russian Tatyana Polnova, who has bettered 4.78.
First European starts for Jackson and Demus
On the track, one of the more eagerly anticipated events will be the 400m Hurdles. In the men’s race, World champion Bershawn Jackson is clearly the man to beat. The year’s fastest after a fine 47.60 early-season performance, the biggest question mark hovering over the Floridia native is how he will bounce back after the long trip from the Pacific Northwest where he beat a high caliber field at the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday (28). Also appearing in Ostrava on the heels of victory is South Africa’s Commonwealth Games champion Louis Van Zyl, the winner in Hengelo yesterday. In Melbourne, the 20-year-old rising star cruised to a personal best 48.05 win.
The women’s contest promises a sterling affair as well. American Lashinda Demus took the silver medal at last year’s World Championships and has stated that her sights are set on Kim Batten’s 52.61 U.S. record set more than a decade ago. The 23-year-old, No. 1 in the IAAF World Rankings, has two wins in as many starts this spring.
The fastest in the field is American Sheena Johnson, who joined the sub-53 second club with her 52.95 victory at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Also just 23, Johnson is looking to rebound to her Olympic year form after an off-year in 2005. American Sandra Glover always remains a threat despite her veteran stature in the event, while Poland’s Anna Jesien continues to improve as well.
The men’s 110m Hurdles looks to be a battle between American Terrence Trammell, the World Indoor champion, Maurice Wignall of Jamaica, the Commonwealth champion. Trammell is off to a fast start this spring, with 13.22 and 13.24 performances to his credit, the former the second fastest of the year thus far. Wignall, the Jamaican record holder at 13.17, sped a 13.26 to win in Melbourne. Others in mix are American Robby Hughes, who won in Xalapa in 13.26, and Latvian ace Stanislav Olijar.
In the women’s sprint hurdles, Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London leads the field. The Jamaican took runner-up honours at the World championships last year, and bronze at this year’s Commonwealth Games. Aurelia Trywianska of Poland, second here last year, could challenge as well, along with Anjanette Kirkland, the 2001 World champion. Injury has sideline surprise World indoor champion Derval O’Rourke of Ireland from her planned debut for the season.
Familiar faces in the Steeplechase
A familiar face in Ostrava is Ezekiel Kemboi, the Olympic champion in the 3000m Steeplechase, who will make his fourth consecutive appearance here. The silver medalist at the past two editions of the World Championships, Kemboi will face compatriot Paul Kipsiele Koech, the Olympic bronze medalist who last year lowered his best to 7:56.37. Given the right conditions, an attack on Wilson Boit Kipketer’s 8:06.14 meet record might be in store.
Since its inception earlier this decade, the women’s steeplechase has become a key attraction here; with World champion Dorcus Inzikuri on the start list, the same holds true this year. The young Ugandan finished second here in her previous two appearances, but this year the African record holder and Commonwealth champion returns as the woman to beat. Leading the challenge will be Poland’s Wioletta Janowska, Australian Vicky Mitchell, and Jamaica’s Korine Hinds.
Bolt, Barber headline the dashes
The men's 200 is this year named in honour of Istvan Gyulai, the recently-deceased IAAF General Secretary, who competed in Ostrava during his career as a competitive sprinter.
Usain Bolt, the World junior record holder and still just 19, tops the field. The Jamaican has already churned out a few notable performances this season with 20.08 and 20.10 wins in Fort-de-France and Kingston. The field also includes Kim Collins of St. Kitts, the 2003 World champion in the 100, and bronze medalist in the longer dash at the 2001 World Championships. Rising Jamaican star Omar Brown is also expected to be in contention. In March the 23-year-old won the Commonwealth title in the half-lap and arrives in Ostrava on the heels of a 20.33 personal best. Bernard Williams, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, will make his third start of the year in his specialty event.
Me’Lisa Barber, the reigning U.S. champion in the 100 who sped to a nifty 7.01 win at the World indoor Championships in March, tops the field in the women’s short dash. The 25-year-old, who began her outdoor season with an 11.06 performance at the adidas Track Classic in Carson last weekend, is eager to make amends this season after injury slowed her momentum in the second half of 2005.
Expected to challenge are Bahamian Debbie Ferguson and American Stephanie Durst, who has already improved to 11.13 this season.
Wold 200m champion Allyson Felix was forced to withdraw from a series of early-season European races due to a bad case of strep throat.
Bungei looking for fast two laps
In the men’s 800, recently minted World indoor champion Wilfred Bungei has promised Ostrava a fast race, something he readily admits he doesn’t do very often. Weather and pace permitting, the 25-year-old Kenyan, who has won both his outdoor outings since his first taste of international gold in Moscow, is hoping to give an honest chase to his meet record of 1:43.24 set in 2003. The field also includes fellow-Kenyan Afred Kirwa, the 2004 World junior champion, Latvian Dmitrijs Milkevics, who finished fourth in Moscow in March, And Pawel Czapiewski of Poland, who is still searching for the form that brought him a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships.
The men’s 3000, which serves as this year’s tribute to Czech legend Emil Zatopek, is headed by Tariku Bekele, the younger brother of World and Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele, will make his first start in Ostrava. Two years ago, the younger Bekele was on the track in spirit, when his brother set a world record in the 10,000 wearing a bib intended for Tariku. This year, he’s out to put his name in the storied history of this memorial race. Adil Kaouch of Morocco, the silver medallist at 1500 meters at last year's World Championships, will be in the field as well. The 27-year-old was third in the short race at April’s World Cross Country Championships. Among the solid Kenyan contingent are Boniface Songok, Shadrack Korir, and Sammy Kipketer.
In the women’s race, Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu is the odds-on favourite, with Kenyan Prisca Jepleting carrying the Kenyan hopes in the east African rivalry, while Polish star Lidia Chojecka will lead the European charge.
The women’s Discus Throw field includes Russian Natalya Sadova, the Olympic champion, and Czech favorite, Vera Cechlova.
Separate spotlight for the Hammer Throw
The meeting begins today with competition in the Hammer Throw. With what may be the finest fields to be gathered in the event this year, a separate spotlight is warranted.
The men’s field includes the top seven finishers from last year’s World championships, along with Koji Murofushi of Japan, who will be making his first international appearance since his Olympic victory in Athens nearly two years ago. Ivan Tikhon and Vadim Devyatovskiy of Belarus, the Helsinki 1-2, and Pole Szymon Ziolkowski, the Helsinki bronze medalist, are all eager to take on the Olympic champion.
The women’s field is headed by Cuban Yipsi Moreno who is ranked No. 1 in the IAAF World Rankings. The 2001 and 2003 World champion and reigning World and Olympic silver medalist, Moreno has a 75.18 personal best to her credit. She will be joined by compatriot Yuniaka Crawford, the recent Olympic bronze medalist.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
