Tianna Bartoletta at the 2016 IAAF World Challenge meeting in Kawasaki (© Getty Images)
Rio Olympic champions Thomas Rohler of Germany and Tianna Bartoletta of the US are among the first star names confirmed by organisers of Golden Grand Prix 2017 in Kawasaki, Japan, the season's second IAAF World Challenge meeting, on 21 May.
Rohler, 25, was one of the break-out performers in 2016 after joining the javelin's 90-metre club with a 91.28m effort in Turku in late June before taking the Olympic title in Rio with another 90-plus effort of 90.30m.
While this year's meeting will mark Rohler's first appearance in Japan, Bartoletta returns to the track where she made her 2016 debut in both the 100m and long jump. The 31-year-old won both events at the meeting last year, a little over three months before winning the Olympic long jump title and leading off the gold medal-winning US 4x100m quartet in Rio.
The two-time world long jump champion also won both events at Kawasaki's 2015 edition.
Also announced is a 100m showdown between Justin Gatlin of the US, the 2004 Olympic champion and silver medallist in Rio, and Su Bingtian, the Chinese national record holder over the distance at 9.99.
China's Zhang Guowei, the 2015 world championships silver medallist in the high jump, was also announced. The 25-year-old has a 2.38m lifetime best set in 2015. Zhang won in Kawasaki last year jumping 2.33m.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
