Sergey Makarov of Russia (© Getty Images)
The Znamensky Memorial IAAF Grand Prix II meeting will be held in Tula, tomorrow, Sunday 8 June and is expected to be one of the central events of the summer season in Russia, as athletes will begin their fight for selection for the national World Championships team.
The winners of Znamensky Memorial are first promised a team berth to enter the squad for the European Cup, with a first place at the Cup in turn giving the opportunity to be selected for the World Championships.
The Znamensky Memorial has a US$90,000 prize fund. This money has come mainly from the Russian sports ministry which is now the main sponsor of Russian athletics. For the first time the national team has got all money requested for training camps and competitions in summer season. That is why there is an air of optimism, and coaches are planning the team will win about 20 medals (8 gold) at the World Championships in Paris.
High voltage fighting is expected in women’s High Jump in Tula, where Olympic champion Yelena Yelesina will be opposed by her two great young rivals Marina Kuptsova and Anna Chicherova.
“I am going to jump as high as I need for the victory,” confirmed Kuptsova. “After my 2.02 jump in Hengelo, I’ll try once again to beat the national record. But the big problem is the weather in Tula.”
Kuptsova wants to show that she is the leader of team, but she says that her 3 months training cycle is not finished. She will continue heavy preparation till the end of June before she is properly ready for 3 months of competitions. Her father says that only after the finish of this training spell will she achieve her top form, and that Kuptsova wants to take the event very seriously in IAAF Golden League meetings.
By contrast, her rival Anna Chicherova says that she still has a problem to show her best in competition, and that her jumping still requires a more stable platform.
“I am not afraid to jump against Kuptsova,” said Chicherova. “My rivalry with Marina is a great thing. It motivates us to jump higher and makes the event much more interesting. I like such competitions.”
Everybody is also waiting for outstanding results in the men’s Javelin. Sergey Makarov with his best of the season of 90.11m is ready to produce even more powerful results.
“I have had excellent preparation and want to throw over 90 in Tula, if the weather will be good,” said Sergey. “Then I am going to compete in Germany on 13 June, and in case of success in my first two starts in the Golden League. I am planning to continue to fight for the main prize.”
At the press conference in Moscow the Russian sports minister, the former hockey star Viacheslav Fetisov, confirmed that the Znamensky Memorial is very important for the sports image of Russia, and helps to give Moscow better chances as a candidate for the Olympic Games.
