Blanka Vlasic wins the high jump in Berlin (© Getty Images)
All five $1 Million ÅF Golden League Jackpot contenders fight on at the ‘28th Golden Gala Kinder+Sport’, the third fixture of the six meet ÅF Golden League 2008, in Rome’s Olympic stadium on Friday 11 July.
Less than a week after the US Olympic Trials and a week before the Russian qualification meet for Beijing, Rome would seem on paper to be in an unenviable place on this summer’s calendar. Yet despite these Olympic demands the reputation of Italy’s most important annual meeting has drawn together an impressive line-up of the world’s elite.
Wariner, Merritt, Clement, Richards, Felix… have made the long hop over the Atlantic, and, while some in the Russians have automatic places in their Olympic line-up and so will miss their trials in Kazan next weekend, the names of Isinbayeva, Slesarenko, Chicherova, Feofanova, Polnova, Makarov…bless the card in Rome.
$1 Million – two meets down, four to go
Of the five athletes still contesting the ÅF Golden League Jackpot, Meeting Director Luigi D’Onofro, while diplomatically not specifying names, believes only three will survive Friday night.
What constitutes survival? Winning!
It is as straightforward as that in the ÅF Golden League. If you win at all six meets in the series you take home at least a share of $1 Million. With Berlin and Oslo already worked out, Rome tomorrow is followed by Paris (18 July), Zürich (29 Aug) and Brussels (5 Sep).
Five remain in the hunt for $1 Million in Rome - ÅF Golden League
The low-down on the contenders
Of the two remaining male candidates, Bershawn Jackson, who won the US Olympic Trials for the 400m Hurdles on 29 June in 48.17, seems to have the best chance of extending his streak. The 2005 World champion faced reigning global title holder Kerron Clement in the trials and came out the victor, and it would be a shock if he now faltered in Rome. Notably, reigning Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic begins his season’s hurdling campaign in this race.
Hussein Al-Sabee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has undoubtedly been the surprise of this year’s series with his 8.21m and 8.19m victories respectively in Berlin and Oslo. World champion Irving Saladino returns to competition in Rome after being sidelined for the last month by injury, and if the Panamanian can draw close to his own world season lead (8.73m) then the Saudi’s million dollar fortunes (season’s best of 8.31 in Riyadh on 16 April) will be buried in the sand of Rome’s landing pit.
Spanish 100m Hurdler Josephine Onyia is the female equivalent of Al-Sabee in terms of being the surprise of the three remaining Jackpot contenders in the women’s half of the draw but is not as vulnerable in her event. A 12.50sec national record in Berlin still sees her as the third fastest of the year and Americans Lolo Jones and Damu Cherry who are quicker in 2008 have yet to make the journey to Europe after the Trials.
Also counting in the Spaniard’s favour is the decision of Sweden’s World Indoor 60m record holder Susanna Kallur to opt out of both the Rome and Paris meets of the series.
Jamaicans Brigitte Foster-Hylton (12.50) and Delloreen Ennis-London (12.54) are the main opposition.
If it is unexpected that Onyia remains in the Jackpot hunt after two meets, nothing has been as astounding over the entire season as the meteoric rise of the 18-year-old 800m runner, Pamela Jelimo of Kenya. A 1:58 run to take the African crown at the start of May was followed by a 1:55 victory in Hengelo three weeks later. After those performances no one questioned Jelimo’s credentials as a realistic stakeholder for the $1 Million prize from the outset in Berlin.
Jelimo’s 1:54.99 Area senior and World Junior record in the German capital reconfirmed expectations and another 1:55.41 performance in Oslo - both runs sensationally destroyed the opposition of World champion Janeth Jepkosgei - solidified her quickly acquired status as currently the best two lap runner in the world.
There is nothing unexpected about Croatian Blanka Vlasic’s dominance of the women’s High Jump. The statistic that she has had 36 attempts in 12 meets at a would be new World record height of 2.10m, says just as much about the consistency of the 24-year-old in the last two seasons as does her string of 31 straight competition victories.
Twice clearing 2.06m this summer, it would be a disappointment if Vlasic’s one centimetre PB was not upgraded in a stadium and at a meet which Vlasic says makes her feel very relaxed.
Expect a now trade mark victory dance from the Croat on Friday.
Isinbayeva opens
The only other women’s field event on Friday is the Pole Vault, and with World, Olympic and European champion Yelena Isinbayeva on the runway for the first time this outdoor season it is sure to be a highlight.
Yet the Russian World record holder can never rest easy when compatriot and former World record holder Svetlana Feofanova (4.88m PB), South American Area record holder Fabiano Murer (4.80m PB), and the Poles, Anna Rogowska (4.83m PB) and Monica Pyrek (4.82m PB) are in the line-up.
Isinbayeva and Vlasic deny the pressure of Beijing expectations - ÅF Golden League, Rome
"They fly through the air with the greatest of ease" - ÅF Golden League
Wariner and Merritt…too close to call
The dual between the Osaka gold and silver 400m medallists is the most awaited encounter in Rome, especially considering Merritt’s two victories this season over Wariner, who is the third fastest 400m runner in history. The first came in the opening ÅF Golden League meeting in Berlin, the second just last week at the US Olympic Trials.
Each is talking up a good race, each is respectfully polite in their diagnosis of the other’s potential. Thankfully their relationship on the track is not so mild mannered. If Vlasic’s samba on the mat is a cert tomorrow so is a fast lung busting battle down the home straight from these two men. This Beijing dress rehearsal is too close to call.
Their U.S. trials showdown behind them, Wariner, Merritt now looking forward - ÅF Golden League, Rome
Felix and Richards swap rolls
World champion Allyson Felix took the 200m (21.82w) and Golden League Jackpot winner Sanya Richards (49.89) the 400m at the US Trials last week with consummate ease. Now safely in the US team for Beijing in these their favourite disciplines, they have swapped distances in Rome.
Richards “wants to work on her speed” ahead of the Games though her Trials performance saw her break through 50 seconds for the first time this year.
Besides Felix and Richards the only other woman to have done that in 2008 is Botswana’s find Amantle Montsho, who ran the same time at altitude when winning the African 400m title in May. Her presence along with Mary Wineberg, second to Richards at the Trials, and that of Jamaica’s Shericka Williams will give Felix, who wants some practise ahead of a possible Beijing 4x400m relay call-up, plenty of opposition.
Richards at the 200m has in form Jamaican duo of Kerron Stewart (21.99) and Sherone Simpson (22.11), the second and third fastest in the world this summer, to push herself to all the speed work she desires!
Powell returns to Europe
A chest injury has so far denied the European circuit this season the presence of former 100m World record holder Asafa Powell.
Powell has raced in just two meets since recovery from the injury, one race as a guest in the Trinidad and Tobago champs (9.96, 21 Jun) and then three runs in the Jamaican Trials (9.90, 27 Jun; 10.30, 28 Jun; 9.97, 28 Jun), so his third outing since injury hit in the spring is highly awaited.
World silver medallist Derrick Atkins, the Oslo winner, and Jamaica’s Nesta Carter, the Berlin victor, will line-up. In fact the Rome entry is as usual so strong that semi-finals have to be staged.
Robles reflects on World record limelight, while Powell pleased with partial move into the shadows - ÅF Golden League, Rome
Robles should have a clear run
While Powell has lost a World record this season Dayron Robles has acquired one (12.87)**. The Cuban 110m Hurdler was bettered at the first ÅF Golden League meeting in Berlin but his conquer David Oliver, the US champion (12.95) doesn’t run here. David Payne who was third in the US Trials and eighth placer Anward Moore do start, as does 2005 World champion Ladji Doucouré of France who is still searching for his top racing condition.
Nordic duo to Javelin duel again
Back in the infield, we can expect another cagey duel between the Olympic and World Javelin Throw champions, respectively Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen and Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki.
‘Cagey’ well that might not be by design but after a couple of years of 90m throws raining from the skies, this summer there have been none and we can guess its because there is only one season’s goal for either man, Beijing. The Norwegian hasn’t thrown since 22 June when he won the European League One division in Leiria, Portugal, while the Finn was defeated last weekend in Kuortane, Finland by Russia’s 2003 World champion Sergey Makarov, who also starts in Rome.
Hot 5000s
The heat of a summer’s evening in Rome is likely to prevent any serious attempt by Oslo winner Tirunesh Dibaba to improve on the women’s World 5000m record** she set on that evening (14:11.15 – 6 June) though her sister Ejegayehu Dibaba, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, who accompanied her some of the way in Bislett is in the field.
Dibaba took five and half seconds off compatriot Meseret Defar’s global mark in the cool air of an ideal distance running night in Oslo, and even for the prodigiously talented two time World champion at both 5000m and 10,000m a further improvement of that mark in the 30°C plus temperatures that the Italian capital is presently experiencing is not likely to occur.
The men’s 5000m in Rome, albeit without the World record holder Kenenisa Bekele and the World champion Bernard Lagat, should be a great dust up between most of the present hierarchy of that distance composed as ever by Ethiopian and Kenyan aspirants.
World Indoor 3000m champion Tariku Bekele and World and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Sileshi Sihine of Ethiopia are the only men in the field to have gone sub-13 minutes this year, while former World champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya will be also be in the vanguard.
Elsewhere…
Poland’s World championships bronze medallist Anna Jesien runs in the women’s 400m Hurdles having beaten the now injured World champion Jana Rawlinson last week in Poland.
At 800m, South Africa’s Olympic silver medallist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, whose 1:43.61 in Jerez on 24 June makes him the third fastest in the world this year, takes on among others Kenyan World champion Alfred Yego and European titleholder Bram Som of the Netherlands.
The men’s 3000m Steeplechase boasts the hard core of Kenyan talent topped by the reigning World and Olympic gold medallists respectively Brimin Kipruto and Ezekiel Kemboi. Europe’s champion Jukka Keskisalo of Finland continues his return from a hamstring injury and operation last year, while Ethiopian national record holder Nahom Mesfin is another to watch.
Mehdi Baala of France, the double European champion will be looking for a further improvement to his season best after his encouraging 3:34.30 in Lille on 27 June, while World bronze medallist Shadrack Korir and Daniel Kipchirchir Komen, the only men in the race under 3:32 this year, head the Kenyan charge.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
** NOTE. World record subject to usual ratification procedures
