Kenenisa Bekele at the IAAF Press Conference (© Getty Images)
Resting near the borders with Poland and Slovakia, the Czech city of Ostrava is an eastern European crossroads, a setting suited perfectly for a meeting in which many athletes’ roads will cross for the first time this season at tomorrow's IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting (8 June).
Indeed, with numerous notable seasonal debuts, the road to Athens begins in earnest on Tuesday as the athletics world converges at the Golden Spike Super Grand Prix. With a one million euro budget and a prize pot of more than 400,000 euros, not a single event is bereft of talent and depth, producing the finest assembly of talent thus far this season.
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A 10,000m World record?
One star not making his first international start of the year is Ethiopian sensation Kenenisa Bekele. The 22-year-old shook off the early season rust with a stunning 12:37.35 5000m World Record in Hengelo a week ago. In Ostrava, the triple-double World Cross Country champion is expected to make a run at the 10,000m World Record of 26:22.75 set in 1998 by his mentor and friend Haile Gebrselassie. A US$ 50,000 bonus is on the table should he manage the feat.
Judging from his largely solo effort in Hengelo, finding pacemakers to pull Bekele to a record assault isn’t the easiest of chores. Two have thus far been assigned the task: experienced rabbit Martin Keino will push the initial 3000m, with Ethiopian Alemu Dagne taking the next two kilometers, aiming to reach the half in 13:10. The rest will lie on Bekele’s shoulders.
Wildcards in the field include the rapidly improving Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea, who finished second last month in the BUPA Great Manchester 10-K road race; 2001 World Champion Charles Kamathi of Kenya; and Qatari Abdullah Ahmad Hassan (formerly Albert Chepkurui), who has churned out sub 27-minute efforts in each of the previous two seasons. Kenyan Moses Mosop, who last year ran the fastest-ever 10,000m by an 18-year-old (27:13.66), comes to Ostrava off of a PB 13:09.68 from Hengelo.
But Bekele won’t be the only distance star on hand in Vitkovice Stadium.
Shaheen to duel again with Kemboi
Last year, Stephen Cherono stole the Ostrava spotlight with his 12;48.81 win in the 5000m, beating Hicham El Guerrouj with the fastest performance of the year, while becoming the third fastest ever over to cover the distance.
This year he returns as Saif Saaeed Shaheen, the World Champion in the steeplechase. In his first of just a handful of major appearances in the event, Shaheen will face Ezekiel Kemboi, whom he battled in a thrilling duel to claim gold in Paris.
Former world record holder Wilson Boit Kipketer (7:59.08 – 1997) and Abraham Cherono, Shaheen’s brother, will also be on the start line. John Langat and John Kosgei have been assigned pacing duty, tentatively aiming for the season’s first sub-eight minute race.
Quality 1500m
With four athletes with sub-3:30 bests, the men’s 1500 features the finest field assembled this season. Bernard Lagat, who raced to 3000m gold in Budapest in March, leads a field that includes former World Junior Champion William Chirchir, World Indoor Champion Paul Korir, Sydney Olympic champion Noah Ngeny, and Paris bronze medallist Ivan Heshko of Ukraine.
Lagat has already produced a sub-3:34 effort this year, William Chirchir won in Belem last month in 3:37.55 while Heshko, who also struck silver in Budapest, won his outdoor opener last week, clocking 3:35.60 in Milano. Algerian Ali Saidi-Sief, Sydney silver medallist at 5000m and the 1500m winner in Seville on Saturday (3:34.72), is also in the field.
World junior record holder Cornelius Chirchir, who lowered the meet record to 3:31.17 last year, returns to make his first outing of the season. 21-year-old American Alan Webb, who lowered his PB to 3:33.70 in Hengelo, continues his impressive, if brief European tour after clocking a PB 1:46.53 in Seville’s ‘B’ race on Saturday.
Driss Maazouzi, the 2003 World Indoor champion, is a late addition. Czech Roman Oravec and David Lelei of Kenya will set the pace; Czech Olympic hope Michel Sneberger is hoping to be pulled to the Olympic 'A' standard of 3:36.20.
Bolt makes first start since record run
One of the most anticipated appearances is that of 17-year-old Usain Bolt, who will make his first start since his astonishing 19.93 200m World Junior Record in April’s Carifta Games, the first sub-20 second clocking since 2002.
But the lanky Jamaican’s first major international test will be a fierce one. Training partners Shawn Crawford and Justin Gatlin, with wind-aided 9.86 and 9.91 performances in the short dash to their credit this season, arrive in Ostrava in strong early-season form.
In his most recent outing, Crawford handily won Saturday’s 200 in Seville in 20.23 while Gatlin, the 2003 World indoor Champion at 60 meters, is widely perceived as stronger over the half-lap. Bahamian Dominic Demeritte and Swede Johan Wissman, who raced to gold and silver in Budapest, are in the field as well, along with sprint legend Frankie Fredericks, still the second fastest ever over 200m.
Organizers expect a strong assault on the Czech all-comers record of 20.16, set by Italy's former world record holder Pietro Mennea at the 1978 European Championships. Czech sprinter Jiri Vojtik, who recently ran to national bests in the 150 and 300m sprints, is aiming for Frantisek Brecka's 20.61 national record set 20 years ago.
Johnson heads highly competitive sprint Hurdles
Multiple World champion Allen Johnson, who sped to a 13.08 last month in Mexico City, headlines the high hurdles field, which boasts four of the year ’s six fastest: Johnson, compatriots Larry Wade and Terrence Trammell, and Budapest bronze medallist Maurice Wignall of Jamaica. With seven wins in his eight races this spring, Wade has displayed strong early season consistency. Trammell, silver medallist in Sydney, has clocked 13.20 already this season while Wignall sped to a near-PB 13.30 in Osaka.
Sanchez opens his season over the barriers
Two-time defending 400m World Champion Felix Sanchez will begin his hurdles campaign in Ostrava as well. Undefeated in the event since July 2001, Sanchez will face a solid field that includes Paris silver medallist Joey Woody of the U.S., Jamaicans Danny McFarlane and Kemel Thompson, reigning Olympic champion Angelo Taylor, and current world leader Okkert Cilliers (48.02) of South Africa. Local favorites Jiri Muzik and Stepan Tesarik fill out the field.
Zelezny throws on home turf
Czech legend Jan Zelezny, arguably the finest javelin thrower ever, headlines the evening’s lone men’s field event. The 37-year-old three-time Olympic champion and World record holder is looking to rebound from a fourth place finish in the sandstorm in Doha last month, where he reached 77.46. American Breux Greer (86.83) is third on the world list heading into Ostrava; Latvian Eriks Rags (85.83) is fifth.
WOMEN
Russian World record breakers hit town
The women’s events feature several notable outdoor debuts, including those of newly minted indoor World champions and World record holders Tatyana Lebedeva and Yelena Isinbayeva.
Lebedeva toes runway for first time since indoor triumphs
Lebedeva, the two-time World Outdoor triple jump champion, has high aspirations for 2004, and they’ll begin to take shape in Ostrava, where she’ ll make her first appearance since her double horizontal jump win in Budapest.
The 27-year-old Russian, who spanned a world indoor record 15.36 in Budapest, is aiming to duplicate her World Indoor double in Athens, and wants to qualify in both events for September’s World Athletics Final.
Here, she’ll compete in her specialty, where she’ll face last year’s No. 2, Yamile Aldama, The Cuban-born Aldama, who now competes with a Sudanese passport, extended the meeting record to 15.00m last year. African record holder and 2003 Indoor/Outdoor world silver medallist Francoise Mbango from Cameroon, is also in the field.
Season's opener for Isinbayeva too
In the pole vault, Indoor/outdoor world record holder Isinbayeva makes her first start since her spectacular display at the World Indoor Championships, where she raised the World indoor standard to 4.86, topping her outdoor World record of 4.82. But Isinbayeva, who celebrated her 22nd birthday just a few days ago, will have a fight on her hands. Stacy Dragila, the reigning Olympic champion is the current world leader at 4.70, while Tatyana Polnova returns to defend her meet title in which she too scaled a meet record 4.70.
Jones to take on fellow Sydney medallists in Long Jump
After a two-and-a-half week pause, Marion Jones continues her comeback from maternity leave in the Long Jump, where she’ll compete in a rematch of the 2000 Olympic final. Jones, who jumped to bronze in Sydney, will face Olympic champion Heike Drechsler, 2001 World Champion Fiona May of Italy, and European champion Tatyana Kotova.
Jones leaped to a 6.74 win at the Jamaica International, and reached a wind-aided 7.14 at the Home Depot Invitational. May leaped to a 6.61 win in Milano last week, while Kotova reached 6.52 in Moscow last weekend in her only competition this season. Anju George of India, the bronze medallist in Paris last year, has a 6.66 leap to her credit this season, and is also in the field.
Cloete heads 'two-metres' field
2003 Athlete-of-the-Year Hestrie Cloete leads a field of eight women who have bettered the still formidable two-metres mark. Cloete’s 1.95 seasonal best has already been topped by Inga Babakova (1.99 and 1.98) and Mexico’s Romary Rifka (1.97), while Ukrainian Viktoriya Styopina and Blanka Vlasic of Croatia jumped 1.98 or better indoors this year.
1500m - meet record in danger?
Briton Kelly Holmes, who is still toying with the idea of an Olympic middle distance double, will test her fitness in the 1500, taking on Canada's Carmen Douma-Hussar, the surprise World Indoor bronze medallist. Seven runners in the field have run 4:06 or faster. The meet record in the event, 4:06.6, set by distance great Grete Waitz in 1977, may finally fall.
Mutola also has meet best in her sights
In the 800, Maria Mutola has her sights set on the meet record of 1:57.76 set by Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak last year. “Million-dollar” Mutola is already the early season world leader with her 1:58.49 win in Hengelo, while locals eagerly anticipate 1999 World Champion Ludmila Formanova’s appearance, her first major race after undergoing surgery last year.
Felicien takes on Jamaican challenge
In Seville on Saturday, Delloreen Ennis-London showed just how competitive the women’s 100m hurdles will be this summer. The Jamaican surprised reigning World indoor and outdoor champion Perdita Felicien with a 12.68 win to the Canadian’s 12.73. Both are on the start list in Ostrava.
Felicien has clocked 12.60 already this season and will be eager to make amends. Sydney bronze medallist Melissa Morrison has gotten off to a fast start as well, clocking 12.63 to win in Fort-de-France. The field also includes World indoor bronze medallist Linda Ferga-Khodadin of France and Felicien's former teammate at the University of Illinois, Swede Suzanna Kallur.
Pechonkina to star over the barriers
Over the full lap barrier race, world record holder Yuliya Pechonkina of Russia will set her season in motion. Two-time European champion Ionela Tirlea or Romania, doubling back from the flat, will race as well. Paris silver medallist Sandra Glover is among the starters, as is 1996 Olympic silver medallist and 1995 World Champion Kim Batten, still the US record holder at 52.61. Batten returned to competition this year after a three-year layoff.
Three of all-time top ten to race steeple
The women's steeplechase will feature Justyna Bak of Poland and Russian Lyubov Ivanova, the third and fourth fastest-ever in the event, along with former World record holder Cristina Casandra of Romania. Ugandan Dorcus Inzikuru will set the pace. Three of the ten fastest-ever women's steeplechase performances have been run in Ostrava.
Edwards headlines 100m field
Elsewhere, Americans Torri Edwards, Chryste Gaines and Inger Miller lead the 100m field, while Bahamians Tonique Williams, the Budapest bronze medallist and Christine Amertil, bronze medallist indoors in 2003, are aiming to give the 400 an Island flare. Tirlea ran 51.25 to win last weekend ’s European Champions Club Cup race in Moscow, and hopes to rain on the Islander’s parade.
Sell-out crowd
A sellout crowd of more than 20,000 is expected, while the forecast calls for occasional rain with early evening temperatures ranging from 12-15 degrees. The meeting will be broadcast live by Czech Television and Eurosport.
