News28 May 2015


Triple jump thrills assured in Eugene – IAAF Diamond League

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Caterine Ibarguen at the 2013 IAAF Diamond League in Eugene (© Kirby Lee)

They were 1-2-3 on the podium at the 2013 IAAF World Championships and this particular trio are ready to take off at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, the third of this summer’s IAAF Diamond League meetings, on Saturday (30).

The top name is Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen, who is the world champion and has a hugely impressive 23-meeting winning streak, her last defeat coming when she had to settle for the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.

Ukraine’s Olga Saladukha preceded Ibarguen as world champion in 2011 and the same year won the Prefontaine Classic with a meeting record of 14.98m in a season that also saw her win the Diamond Race.

The Olympic bronze medallist was also third at the 2013 World Championships but she bounced back to win her third consecutive European title last year in Zurich.

Russia’s Yekaterina Koneva won gold last year at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. Her other plaudits include winning the European indoor title in March and taking silver at the 2013 World Championships and last summer’s European Championships.

Like Koneva, Chinese Olympian Li Yanmei will be competing in the USA for the first time. At 25, she is the youngest in the field and won the 2008 Asian junior title.

Keila Costa of Brazil is a three-time Olympian and is an accomlished long jumper, having won a bronze medal in that discipline at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Yosiri Urrutia is a four-time Columbian long jump champion and another convert to the triple jump. Her best of 14.58m is second only to her compatriot Ibarguen in Colombia.

Amanda Smock has won a US title, indoors and/or outdoors, every year since 2011 for a combined total of seven victories. She will be leading the domestic hopes in her first appearance at the Prefontaine Classic.

Organisers for the IAAF

IAAF

2015 IAAF Diamond League calendar
Doha, QAT – 15 May
Shanghai, CHN – 17 May
Eugene, USA – 30 May
Rome, ITA – 4 June
Birmingham, GBR – 7 June
Oslo, NOR – 11 June
New York, USA – 13 June
Paris, FRA – 4 July
Lausanne, SUI – 9 July
Monaco, MON – 17 July
London, GBR – 24-25 July
Stockholm, SWE – 30 July
Zurich, SUI – 3 September
Brussels, BEL – 11 September

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