Michael Tinsley in the mens 400m Hurdles at the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013
Arch rivals Javier Culson and Michael Tinsley will face off again, but this time representing the same team of Americas.
Tinsley leads the score this season 8 to 6, winning over Culson in the two latest IAAF Diamond League stages and taking the victory in the Diamond Race. But the World and Olympic silver medallist hasn’t yet come close to Culson’s 48.03 world lead, set earlier this season at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in New York.
The man to beat is South Africa’s Cornel Fredericks, who has already experienced a taste of victory on the Marrakech track, winning the African title in 48.78 last month. Currently third on the 2014 world list, Fredericks recently set a season’s best of 48.25 at the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich.
European champion Kariem Hussein and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi will also be in contention for a top-three finish. Fresh from a PB of 48.70 in Zurich, Hussein has enjoyed a breakthrough season, posting eight of his nine best career runs.
Michael Cochrane and Kishimoto Takayuki representing team Asia- Pacific are the underdogs in the event, both absent from the world top 30 this season.
Natalia Maryanchik for IAAF
