Pedro Pablo Pichardo jumps to victory in London (© Kirby Lee)
Organisers of the Istvan Gyulai Memorial have announced that two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and double world triple jump silver medallist Pedro Pablo Pichardo are among the latest additions to the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Szekesfehervar on 19 August.
Schippers, who was forced to cut short her 2019 season through injury, will compete in Hungary for the first time in her career and will contest the 200m, the event in which she holds the European record of 21.63.
Pichardo, meanwhile, will renew his rivalry with world and Olympic champion Christian Taylor, whose participation in the triple jump was announced last month. Alexis Copello, the 2009 world bronze medallist, is also in the field.
Lithuania’s 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius will take on world bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger in the men’s discus, while European champion Wojciech Nowicki has been confirmed for the men’s hammer, an event in which he’ll face four-time world champion Pawel Fajdek and fellow world bronze medallist Bence Halasz. Hungary’s 2013 world U18 champion Reka Gyuratz will compete in the women’s hammer.
Elsewhere, world bronze medallist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde takes on 2017 world bronze medallist Balazs Baji in the men’s 110m hurdles, while the women’s long jump field features 2015 world silver medallist Shara Proctor, world finalist Shakeela Saunders, Hungarian champion Anasztazia Nguyen and European U23 silver medallist Petra Farkas.
To help keep in line with the restrictions that are still in place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have reduced the programme to just 13 disciplines, with the 400m the longest running race to ensure separate lanes for all competitors. The international programme includes the men's 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m hurdles, triple jump, discus and hammer, and the women’s 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, long jump and hammer.
