DN
Galan prepares to jump to 90th anniversary
14 July 2002 – Stockholm – Considering the prodigious crop of world class
jumpers that Sweden has produced in recent years it comes as no surprise that
the infield will be the main focus of attention during the DN Galan in
Stockholm’s 1912 Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night, a meeting which will coincide
with the anniversary of the foundation of the IAAF in the Swedish capital ninety years ago.
Sweden’s world indoor champion Kajsa Bergqvist who spectacularly jumped 2.04 in the Lausanne Grand Prix earlier this month, will be the darling of the crowd in a women’s high jump which includes South Africa’s world champion Hestrie Cloete and Russia’s Marina Kuptsova the sensation of the indoor season, who took the continental title with 2.03m. Five jumpers have personal bests of 2 metres or more, while in the men’s event eight jumpers have surpassed 2.30.
USA’s world and Olympic pole vault champion Stacy Dragila, who is also the world record holder, will face Russia’s world indoor record holder Svetlana Feofanova who took the silver behind Dragila in Edmonton and Poland’s Monika Pyrek the world bronze medallist. Seven jumpers have cleared 4.60 or more and the list also includes Germany’s Yvonne Buschbaum, Australia’s Tatyana Grigorieva and the Americans Mary Sauer and Kellie Suttle.
As usual the inclusion of a powerful men’s javelin line up will ensure that the top end of the infield next to the 100m finish will be a crowded affair. The stadium is so configured that the pole vault and javelin runways cross each other at right angles.
Crossing the path of the pole vaulters on Tuesday will be world record holder and three time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny, who lines up against world leader Sergey Makarov who threw 92.61 in Sheffield at the end of June.
The Swedish crowd will also be cheering on local favourites, world triple jump silver medallist Christian Olsson and the men’s high jumping duo Stefan Holm and Staffan Strand, the world and European champions respectively.
The track will of course not be forgotten, with a very interesting men’s steeplechase - the leading item on a quality programme - in which Morocco’s world record holder Brahim Boulami takes on his compatriot Ali Ezzine the world silver medalist, and an expected charge from a list of top Kenyans including former world record holder Wilson Boit Kipketer.
