IAAF Grand
Prix goes East
7 May 1999 – Osaka (JPN) – After a moderately paced start in Rio on 25
April, the IAAF Grand Prix circuit is eastward bound, with the second Grand Prix meeting
of the 1999 season taking place in Osaka on Saturday.
Osaka has attracted a strong field, including Olympic champions Deon Hemmings (JAM), 400m hurdles; Allen Johnson (USA) – also world champion for the 110m hurdles; Fernanda Ribeiro (POR), 5000m and Jan Zelezny (CZE), javelin; and world champions –Hanne Haugland (NOR), high jump and Sarka Kasparkova (CZE) in the triple jump.
But of this panoply of stars, one will be expected to shine a little brighter than the
others: Namibian Frankie Fredericks will be the focus of the crowd’s attention, as he
attempts to maintain his unbeaten record of the early season: "I started this season
very well. I ran 19.92 in the 200m in Australia, I ran quite fast in the 100m (9.94 on 20
February) and I’m looking forward to the competition" said Fredericks, who ended
his indoor season with gold in the 200m in Maebashi.
Fredericks is on excellent form for the early season in a demanding year, with the
challenge of the IAAF Golden League and the world championships in Seville, ahead of him.
He will be facing Obadele Thompson (BAR) in Osaka, the only athlete likely to seriously
challenge Fredericks in a field that includes Americans Kevin Little and Tim Montgomery,
and Japan’s star sprinter Koji Ito.
There is a strong US presence in the men’s 110m hurdles, with Allen Johnson facing compatriots Reggie Torian, Mark Crear and Duane Ross,as well as Slovakia’s Igor Kovac, while Kevin Young (USA), Samuel Matete (ZAM) and Morgan Dinsdale (JAM) will be doing battle over the low hurdles.
James Beckford seems likely to dominate the men’s long jump after his convincing win in Rio, but Kareem Streete-Thompson can be expected to challenge the Jamaican if he finds his form.
Osaka will also mark the return to competition of Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny, after a shoulder injury sidelined him for much of the 1998 season: "I started throwing the javelin again in January and have thrown 82 metres. I have thrown 82 metres in practice. It’s the longest so far, but competition is different and I am not feeling my best just yet," said Zelezny.
The major women’s events will be the triple jump, where reigning world champion Sarka Kasparkova, will face the ’97 silver medallist Rodica Mateescu; and the women’s 400m hurdles, where both Kim Batten – the world record holder from the USA makes her season debut against arch rival Deon Hemmings (JAM), the gold medallist in Atlanta 1996.
Results will be available live on the IAAF web site
