Nigeria's Olusoji Fasuba en route to winning world indoor 60m gold in 6.51. (© Getty Images)
Moscow, RussiaIt’s a tradition: the European IAAF Indoor Permit season will be launched in Moscow with Sunday’s (1 Feb) 18th Russian Winter meeting.
There are 12 events in the programme, with the men's High Jump as one of the main attractions. Ivan Ukhov and Andrei Tereshin, currently 1-2 on the world list, will meet in the sector. There are also some very important foreign guests – Linus Thornblad from Sweden, Kiriakos Ioannu from Cyprus and the Italian Filippo Kampioli.
2008 Olympic silver medallist Yevgeniy Lukyanenko leads the field in the Pole vault and will be challenged by the Renaud Lavillenie of France, rising star Rafael Holzdeppe from Germany, the experienced Frenchman Roman Mesnil and Ukraine’s Yuriy Mazurik.
The tireless Beijing Olympic Games winner in the 3000m Steeplechase Gulnara Galkina–Samitova will contest the 1000m. The men’s 1000m will feature 2004 Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who’ll face Belal Ali Mansour of Bahrain and Kenyans Haron Keitany and Abraham Chepkirwok.
Another Olympic champion, Heptaphlon winner Nataliya Dobrynska of Ukraine, will contest the Long Jump with the European champion Ludmila Kolchanova and Oksana Udmurtova. In men’s event the Italy’s Andrew Howe will face rivals Chris Tomlinson of Great Britain, Pole Marzin Starzak and Brazilain Roderio Bispo.
In the men’s 60m, World indoor champion Olu Fasuba returns to action. He’ll face home favourite Andrey Yepishin and American Greg Norman. The women’s short dash will feature World record holder Irina Privalova, still going strong at 39.
While several key Russian athletes have decided to sit on the sidelines during the indoor season to focus specifically on next summer’s World Championships in Berlin, many decided against skipping the indoor action.
“I consider the Russian Winter to be one of the most important tournaments and its always a pleasure for me to take part,” said Olympic 400m Relay gold medallist Yuliya Gushchina. “Now the program includes the 300m distance and I'll try to improve at least my personal best.”
“And I'll improved my personal best for sure,” joked another Olympic relay winner, Yuliya Chermoshanskaya. “For that'll be the first time in my career that I'll start at 300m. I like the Russian Winter for its vividness and high emotional level set by the crowded tribunes. In two hours the audience is able to see all of our athletic deeds.”
Other well-known runners – Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Tatyana Firova, Olesya Zykina and Tatyana Veshkurova – will also take part.
An interesting surprise will be awaiting the spectators and the jumpers in this particular event. A proposal by double 2008 Olympic silver medallist Tatyana Lebedeva, now A vice president of the national athletics federation, was endorsed, whereas besides the usual winner, another award will be presented to the jumper with the longest total distance of their two best attempts.
Long Jump World record holder Mike Powell, an honoured guest of the meeting, will award the prizes and will invite young jumpers to his master class.
Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF
