Koji Murofushi in action at Grand Prix Final (© Getty Images Allsport)
The IAAF World Cup in Athletics may principally be a team contest but that doesn’t preclude us focusing on some of the top individual performers that each of the nine teams will bring to the competition in Madrid.
Here are some of the principal players to look out for at the 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, Friday 20 – Saturday 21 September 2002:
Africa- Namibia’s Frank Fredericks, who stormed back from two years of injury to take the men’s 200m title at the Commonwealth Games this summer, is a talent matched on the women’s side of the African team by Maria Mutola of Mozambique who is going for her fourth World Cup title at 800m.
Americas- Olympic 110m Hurdles champion Anier Garcia leads the blue and white vested team from the Americas, which is made up of athletes from Canada, Central & South America and the Caribbean. Mexico’s Ana Guevara (400m), the winner of a quarter share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot, is the leading name among the women.
Asia- Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe, the Olympic 200m bronze medalist, is the pre-eminent female athlete from the world’s largest continent, and in Madrid she will attempt a sprint double. Japan’s Koji Murofushi, who won the Hammer at the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Paris last weekend and then flew to a meeting in Yokohama on Monday, makes a quick return to Europe to lead the Asian men in Madrid.
Europe- Sweden provides two of the principal names in the European line up in Madrid. European champion Christian Olsson will continue his triple jump duel with Britain's World record holder Jonathan Edwards, who he unexpectedly beat into third place in Munich. Kajsa Bergqvist is the leading name in European Women's athletics this year, having made 2 metre clearances a matter of routine. The Swede leads the world with 2.05 this summer.
Oceania - Jana Pittman, the 2000 World junior champion and now Commonwealth gold medallist over 400m hurdles, is the rising star of Oceania’s women’s athletics. The equally fast improving distance runner Craig Mottram, who has run an Area record at 3000m of 7:37.30 this summer, heads the men’s line up.
Great Britain - European 100m champion Dwain Chambers who equalled the continental record of 9.87 behind Tim Montgomery’s 9.78 World Record in Paris last Saturday is the British men’s star. With no British women’s team represented in Madrid, the other principal name to watch out for is Steve Backley, who is intent on winning his fourth World Cup title in the Javelin.
Germany- 400m runner Ingo Schultz took Germany’s only gold medal on home soil at the continental championships in Munich in August. This time the tall lanky German who has a best of 44.97 this summer, must face the might of the USA’s Alvin Harrison (44.48) and Jamaica’s Michael Blackwood (44.64). With the withdrawal due to injury of Grit Breuer and Heike Drechsler, the German women’s team is now most likely to depend on reliable scorers such as Steffi Nerius in the Javelin and Astrid Kumbernuss in the Shot.
Russia- is qualified only for the women’s competition in Madrid. European 400m champion Olesya Zykina and Tatyana Tomashova (3000m) who was a close second to Romania’s Gabriela Szabo (who will also be in Madrid competing for Europe) in the Grand Prix Final, are the track stars to watch. In the field, all eyes will be on Svetlana Feofanova, Russia’s pole vaulting ace, who is both outdoor and indoor European champion, and leads the 2002 world standings with 4.78.
USA- The winners of the women’s World Cup team title last time out in 1998 but at the same year a dismal fifth in the men’s match, both USA teams in Madrid have much pride to defend and also a lot to recover. Marion Jones heads the line up as her companion, the new 100 metre World Record holder Tim Montgomery will not compete individually, but away from this speedy couple, don’t forget world stars such as sprint hurdlers, Allen Johnson and Gail Devers.
Spain- The Host country but with a lot more than a stadium to offer! Munich distance stars such as European 1500m silver medallist Reyes Estevez, 5000m champion Alberto Garcia, and steeplechase third finisher Luis Miguel Martin, head their men’s squad. The women have the 100m flat and hurdles talent of Glory Alozie, the European champion over the latter, and Marta Dominguez who was the 5000m winner in Munich.
