Previews17 May 2010


Bolt’s 100m debut the focus in Daegu – preview - IAAF World Challenge

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Usain Bolt arriving in Daegu (© Colorful Daegu Meeting organisers)

Championships Meeting features strong fields throughout the competition, but of course all eyes are on Usain Bolt, who starts his 100m season in Korea.

The Jamaican triple Olympic and triple World champion should be able to erase American Ivory Williams’ 9.95 seconds world leading time off the books, but the question is just how fast he can go in the first race at this IAAF World Challenge Meeting.

‘A fast time’ promised

When he arrived amid fanfare and a horde of journalists in Daegu on Saturday, Bolt said his appearance at this World Challenge meeting would provide a nice opportunity to get a feel for the track which will host next year’s IAAF World Championships. Bolt promised to “run hard as always,” and promised “a fast time.”

One hurdle the 100 and 200m World record holder might have to beat is the weather. The forecast for Wednesday in Daegu is heavy rain although temperature looks to be nice at 30 C. Although Bolt has done almost everything in this event, the 23-year-old will enter only the 19th 100m final of his career, having run his first race in this distance in Réthimno, Greece in July 2007, less than three years ago. In 2007 the 10.03 clocking in Greece was his only race and in 2008 he started with a 10.03 result in Spanish Town in March. In 2009 in the same venue he clocked a wind aided  (+2.3 m/s) 9.93 also in March, but this time we might see a faster start.

Ready to answer Powell’s Doha message?

Compatriot Asafa Powell, the former World record holder (four times) already started impressively with a win in the Doha Diamond League. With both race being slightly wind aided Powell clocked 9.75 in the heats, equal second best result during rounds in all conditions and 9.81 in the final.  Powell is of course not competing here, but there is still a need for a statement by Bolt following his strong start to the sprint season.

Bolt has already competed a few times this season in several relays and once in both 200m and 400m. A 45.87 season’s best in the 400m was his first individual race of the season in mid-February, but his 19.56 world leading time in 200m into a headwind in Kingston on 1 May was a clear sign of what might come later.

The Jamaican has some competition in Daegu as well. Three other sub 10-second runners will be starting in the stadium which will host next year’s World Championships.  But it’s really not likely any of these runners can handle Bolt’s speed. 23-year-old American Travis Padgett was third in Doha with a windy 9.92 and another Jamaican, Michael Frater, who was fourth in the Qatari capital in 9.94. 60m World Indoor Championships silver medallist Mike Rodgers of USA will also take part – his career best is 9.94 from last season.

Robles marks 2010 debut as well

Other highlights in the meet include the men’s 110m Hurdles where Dayron Robles will commence his outdoor campaign. The 23-year-old Cuban is coming off a strong indoor season having won the 60m Hurdles World indoor title in Doha. The 110m Hurdles reigning Olympic champion and World record holder will face the world’s best in Daegu.

31-year-old Terrence Trammell is yet to win a major title outdoors (has two World Indoor titles), but the American is coming closer having won two Olympic silvers and three World Championships silvers during his career.  The Daegu race is also the first one outdoors for Trammell this year, who lost an almost epic 60m hurdles final in Doha to Robles by a mere 0.02 seconds 7.34 to 7.36. Fast Americans David Oliver and David Payne will be joining the duo in the race with the surprise 2009 World champion from Barbados, Ryan Brathwaite also looking to make an early impression.

Jeter vs Campbell-Brown in the 100m

On the women’s side the best events look to be 100m and 100m hurdles. 30-year-old Carmelita Jeter, the surprise of the late 2009 season with a blazing 10.64 100m personal best in Shanghai in September, will be looking for another good race here. The American, who grabbed the bronze medal from Doha 60m started her season in Kingston in May clocking a promising 10.94 in her first race of the season. But the competition will be fierce as 28-year-old Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown also starts for the second time in this distance in 2010. She was the winner of World indoor 60m title and won her first 100m in Osaka clocking 11.02 a week ago. 38-year-old Bahamian Chandra Sturrup is also competing and will be joined by Americans Gloria Asumnu and Marshevet Myers.

Jones leads strong sprint hurdles cast

In the hurdles Lolo Jones is back on track. The 27-year-old American, who has bounced back nicely after a few disappointing moments during the last couple of years, will continue her season. Jones, who grabbed her second straight World indoor title in Doha clocking a 7.72 American record in the 60m Hurdles, won the first Diamond League meet in Doha in a wind aided 12.63.  It’s a top class hurdles competition with many past medallists from major championships. 2003 World Champion, Canadian Perdita Felicien will compete, she was fourth in Doha in 12.73 with American duo Ginnie Crawford and Dawn Harper also battling for the top podium. Crawford was third in Doha in 12.70w and has a season’s best 12.72 from Kingston and reigning Olympic champion Harper was down in seventh place in Doha with 12.77w, her first outdoor competition of the season.

Women’s Hammer Throw Challenge, round 2

The world’s best women’s hammer throwers have also gathered in Daegu as the Hammer Throw Challenge continues. Lead by Poland’s World champion and World record holder (77.96m) Anita Wlodarczyk, there are plenty of other top throwers competing. Tatyana Lysenko of Russia and Germans Betty Heidler, the silver medallist from Berlin 2009 and Kathrin Klaas will be joined by a few others world’s top names. Heidler is the one to beat this season as she has won all of her three finals in 2010 including in Halle last Saturday where she beat Wlodarczyk.

Elsewhere...


In the other men’s events 400m hurdles American Olympic champion Angelo Taylor will race in the flat 400m race and will be challenged by 400m Olympic bronze medallist from Beijing, David Neville, also from USA. In 800m Berlin World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi comes off a fourth place finish from Doha (1:43.78 season's best) while the men’s Triple Jump has six athletes who all have leaped over 17 metres during career, headed by American Walter Davis and Bahamian Leevan Sands. German Mark Frank and Pole Igor Janik are the top names for the javelin competition. In the 200m Swedish national record holder (20.30) and 400m specialist Johan Wissman starts his 2010 season.

The rest of the women’s events include a high standard Long Jump competition. American Funmi Jimoh has already jumped 6.81m (6.87m windy) this season and will be looking for more here. Another American Akiba McKinney, also with a 6.81m from earlier this season will be joined by Swedish Heptathlon Queen Carolina Klüft, who competes for the first time outdoors this season.

Russians Tatyana Polnova and Yuliya Golubchikova together with Germans Silke Spiegelburg, the winner in the Doha Diamond League, and Carolin Hingst head the Pole Vault and Lidia Chojecka of Poland is the only 1500m runner with a personal best under 4 minutes. 2008 Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo of Kenya is running in her first international meet of the season, but world leading Jamaican Kenia Sinclair (1:58.62 this season) is the favourite for the women’s 800m race. The women’s 200m looks to be a tight competition with Cydonie Mothersill of Cayman Islands and American Bianca Knight showing the best form in the early competitions this season.

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

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