Going for gold again, and again… at the World Indoor Championships

MonteCarloIn the women’s 800m on 7 March 2004 at the last World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Maria Mutola of Mozambique famously became the most decorated champion in the ten edition history of the championships, the first-ever six-time World Indoor champion.

Mutola, 33, is back to defend her title and to seek a seventh gold next week when the 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships are contested in Moscow, Russia (10 -12 March 2006). With a narrow loss in Gent last weekend (2:00.81), “Million Dollar Mutola” as she was dubbed after winning the 2003 Golden League Jackpot, appears to be getting back into shape after persistent injury.

Yet the former outdoor World and Olympic champion is by no means the only athlete coming to Moscow with multiple gold medal career ambitions. Here are the major names who are entered and will seek three or more World Indoor Championship individual event gold medals in the Russian capital:

Going for gold number seven:
Women’s 800m - Maria Mutola (MOZ)

Going for gold number six:
Men’s Long Jump - Ivan Pedroso (CUB)

Going for gold number four:
Men’s High Jump - Stefan Holm (SWE)

Going for gold number three:
Men’s Heptathlon - Roman Sebrle (CZE)
Women -
400m - Natalya Nazarova (RUS) - also has three relay golds
Long and Triple Jump - Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) - competing only in TJ
Long Jump - Tatyana Kotova (RUS)

Entered in Moscow to defend individual 2004 World Indoor title:

Men
400m - Alleyne Francique (GRN)
800m - Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA)
High Jump - Stefan Holm (SWE)
Pole Vault - Igor Pavlov (RUS)
Shot Put - Christian Cantwell (USA)
Heptathlon - Roman Sebrle (CZE)

Women
400m - Natalya Nazarova (RUS)
800m - Maria Mutola (MOZ)
3000m - Meseret Defar (ETH)
High Jump - Yelena Slesarenko (RUS)
Pole Vault - Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)
Triple Jump - Tatyana Lebdeva (RUS)

NB. Naide Gomes (POR), the 2004 Pentathlon champion, is entered for the Long Jump.

Chris Turner for the IAAF