Second Eugene Mile victory for Asbel Kiprop (© Kirby Lee)
In what's shaping up to be the hottest event on the
ticket, Asbel Kiprop will square off against David Rudisha in the 800m
at the Sydney Track Classic on Saturday (19).
Kiprop, the Olympic 1500m champion, only on occasion lines up for the
800m but his record in the event is not something to ignore. In 2009,
Kiprop set a personal best of 1:43.17 in Doha where he was narrowly
defeated by two-lap ace Abubaker Kaki of Sudan. Last year, at the
Samsung Diamond League opener, again in Doha, Kiprop clocked a fast
1:43.45 finishing second to Rudisha.
Rudisha’s 800m resume speaks for itself. He broke the World record twice
last year to see it currently stand at 1:41.01, and was named the World
Athlete of the Year. The Kenyan made a triumphant return to the
Australian Athletics Tour 10 days ago at the Melbourne Track Classic,
the kick off of the 2011 IAAF World Challenge series, winning in
1:43.88.
With a major championship title still eluding the Australian all-comers
record holder (1:43.15), his quest in 2011 is clear – win at the IAAF
World Championships in Daegu or be left disappointed.
“Having the World record and not the world title, it just doesn’t sound good,” Rudisha said.
Kiprop
too is looking this season to make up after disappointment at the 2009
World Championships in Berlin, where he finished fourth in the 1500m and
like Rudisha, failed to advance from the semi-finals.
The Australian flag will be flown by national champion Lachlan Renshaw.
Bursting into the top ten on the Australian All-Time list at the IAAF
Melbourne Track Classic, Renshaw made the final at the Commonwealth
Games last October before being forced to withdraw due to injury. His
new personal best of 1:45.66 is a mere 0.26 seconds shy of the IAAF
world championships qualifier and that is what he will be chasing once
the gun sounds on Saturday night.
A five-stop national tour, the 2011 Australian Athletics Tour boasts
four divisions (sprints/hurdles, distance, throws, jumps) with male and
female athletes in different events pitted against each other in the
race for the largest prize purse in Australian athletics history.
The Sydney Track Classic is the last leg of the tour before the Tour
Final in Perth, with domestic athletes on the hunt for strong point
scores lining up alongside a bounty of international talent that
includes America’s number one discus thrower Becky Briesch, triple
Olympic gold medallist Angelo Taylor and US sprinting sensations Mikele
‘Miki’ Barber and Monica Hargrove.
Athletics Australia for the IAAF