Maria Mutola wins her 14th straight 800m in Eugene (© Kirby Lee/Image of Sport)
A men’s Shot Put lineup to grace a World or Olympic final awaits spectators at tomorrow evening's GE Money Grand Prix, the Finnish stop on this year’s IAAF World Athletics Tour, which takes place in Helsinki’s 1952 Olympic stadium. Maria Mutola (800m), Trecia Smith (TJ) and Koiji Murofushi (HT) will be some of the top names from other events on show on Wednesday (26).
And for those of you who were in the Finnish capital last ‘summer’ for the World Championships, and experienced the seemingly apocalyptic weather conditions which prevailed for five of the nine days of the competition, the forecast tomorrow honestly is for sunshine with temperatures of 79F / 26C in the Finnish capital!
MEN
Cantwell heads line-up
With the exception of World champion Adam Nelson, all the best American shot putters are in Helsinki. Christian Cantwell, the holder of the three best marks in the world this summer, topped by 22.45m, will lead the pack followed by World Indoor Champion Reese Hoffa and Daniel Taylor.
Hoffa set his sights on the 22 metres mark after winning the World Indoor title in Moscow in March, and his PB of 21.96m in Indianapolis gave him a silver medal at the US Championships in June.
Dan Taylor, 24, has made a real breakthrough into the world’s top level this year. He set his PB of 21.59m in New York on 3 June. It is very difficult to reach the US Team at the World Championships or Olympic Games, but Taylor is a very strong candidate to make his debut already by next year’s Osaka World Championships.
In Helsinki last year, the Netherlands’ Rutger Smith and Germany’s Ralf Bartels were respectively the World Championship silver and bronze medallists. Smith improved his PB and Dutch Record to 21.62 on June, while Bartels who is also the European bronze medallist from 2002, has put 21.01m this season. They will lead the European challenge tomorrow.
The Finnish champion from the last weekend, Ville Tiisanoja will not compete in Helsinki, but Mika Vasara and Robert Häggblom will defend Finnish colours.
Murofushi vs Karjalainen vs Ziolkowski
Japan’s Olympic Hammer Throw champion Koji Murofushi produced a solid 80.17m throw as a guest at the Finnish Championships last weekend (Fri 21) in Jyväskylä to beat Finnish record holder Olli-Pekka Karjalainen by a margin of 1.88 metres.
The two men will rejoin in battle in Helsinki, but the favourite to win is probably Poland’s Szymon Ziolkowski, the 2001 World and 2000 Olympic champion who has struck top form again ever since taking the World bronze last summer in this stadium. His 82.31m mark on 15 July is the second best in the world this year. Germany’s duel Karsten Kobs, the 1999 World champion, and Markus Esser are also in the field.
Evilä is flying again
Finland’s World Championship bronze medallist in the Long Jump Tommi Evilä has had a very hard beginning to the year. His indoor season was ruined by a hamstring injury and then a persistent knee injury has held him back this summer. But now, perhaps timed to perfection for the forthcoming European Championships, Evilä is flying again, winning the Finnish title with his season’s best of 8.02m.
Last August in Helsinki Evilä took the World bronze medal behind the silver of Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana, and tomorrow the two meet once more. Gaisah is now the World Indoor champion and has a best of this season of 8.43 in Rome (14 July).
Godfrey Khotso Mokoena set a South African Record of 8.39m in Lapinlahti, Finland (16 July), and will also compete in Helsinki.
Another Finn flying, high rather than long, is Matti Mononen who said in Jyväskylä that he wants to set a new Finnish Pole Vault record in Helsinki. Mononen who has a best of 5.70m this year has Jani Lehtonen’s 5.82m from 1993 in his focus. Mononen will meet a strong squad of high class international vaulters all with better CVs than himself, these include Paul Burgess and Steve Hooker of Australia, Russ Buller of the USA, Alhaji Jeng of Sweden, and Lars Börgeling of Germany.
Mulaudzi the highlight of the men’s track
Olympic 800m silver medallist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa, who set ultimately the third quickest time of the year when winning at this meeting last summer takes on USA’s David Krummenacker, Dutchman Bram Som and Germany’s Rene Herms.
A sub-8:20 field has been assembled in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase including Kenya’s Abraham Cherono, and Jamal Bilal Salem of Qatar (8:11.67 - 2006). Finland’s 2003 World Championships finalist Jukka Keskisalo will be hoping to improve his season’s best of 8:24.24 as a result.
USA’s Darvis Patton and Trindad and Tobago’s Darrel Brown are the standout names in the men’s 100m.
WOMEN
Mutola – 1:56.77 and still a force to be reckoned with!
The greatest female athlete in Helsinki will be Mozambique’s Maria Mutola, who won her 7th World Indoor title over 800m in Moscow in March.
Mutola, 33, has no thoughts about retirement. She ran 1:56.77 in Lausanne on 11 July, losing by only by 0.11 seconds to new Kenyan star Janeth Jepkosgei. But don’t be deceived, Mutola’s time is currently the second quickest outdoors in the world this year. She is in great form.
Mina Ait Hammou of Morocco, Diane Cummings of Canada will guarantee the 800m pace will be quick.
But then don't miss the women's 400m either, as that is sure to be fast too. 2001 World champion Ami Mbacké Thiam of Senegal takes on Jamaica’s multiple global medallist Lorraine Fenton, her compatriot Novlene Williams who ran 49.65 in Rome as fortnight ago, and USA’s Monique Hennagan, who was fourth in the Athens Olympics.
O’Rourke looks for outdoor form against Powell
Ireland’s Derval O’Rourke was a big surprise winner of the World Indoor 60m Hurdles gold in Moscow but Virginia "Ginnie" Powell of the USA is the firm favourite for the win over the 100m Hurdles. Powell ran 12.48 in Sacramento in June and is the third fastest in the world this summer.
There is a 10,000m on the programme too, a rarity these days on any Grand Prix meeting schedule. Looking for fast times are Kenya’s Irene Kwambai, Lucy Wangui and Sylvia Kibet, who will tackle Benita Johnson of Australia, Katie McGregor of the USA, with the pace hopefully under 31 minutes.
Smith back on her lucky runway
Trecia Smith of Jamaica won the World Championship title in Helsinki last year and will be here again. In the women’s Triple Jump she will face Yamile Aldama of Sudan and Russian Elena Oleinikova.
The women’s Javelin Throw will be a very interesting event, too. Finland’s best throwers will meet, a new Czech star Barbora Spotakova (65.89m in Lausanne), Barbara Madejczyk, the Polish record holder (64.08 on 28 June), and Denmark´s Christina Scherwin (National record of 64.06m in Århus 6 July). Scherwin came almost from nowhere into the 4th place spot at the World Championships last year, but is now one of the potential European medallists in Gothenburg. Kim Kreiner of the USA has set five North American records in this summer (62.44m) - why not the 6th one in Helsinki!
Antti-Pekka Sonninen for the IAAF
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