Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman in action in Zagreb (© Organisers)
Multiple Olympic rematches and an attack on the men’s world 1000m record indicate that the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold season should end on a high at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb.
Three days of action in the Croatian capital kicks off with the long jump events on Friday (6) before the men’s shot put on Saturday (7) and the main in-stadium programme on Sunday (8).
The Olympic champions star in four of the throws events in Zagreb and among the rematches is the shot put, in which five of the top six from the Paris Games are entered in a contest at the Zagreb Fountains, while two-time Olympic gold medallist Valarie Allman will renew her rivalry with home favourite and Olympic bronze medallist Sandra Elkasevic in the women’s discus. Roje Stona goes in the men's discus, and Ethan Katzberg in the men's hammer.
On the track at the city’s Sports Park Mladost on Sunday, Canada’s world 800m champion Marco Arop will take a step up to target the world 1000m record. The 25-year-old currently sits fourth on the world all-time list for his specialism, having run a North American 800m record of 1:41.20 to secure Olympic silver in Paris. Now he aims to improve his 1000m PB of 2:14.35 set in Monaco in 2022, to challenge the world record of 2:11.96 set by Kenya’s Noah Ngeny in Rieti in 1999.
Marco Arop in Silesia (© Matthew Quine / Diamond League AG)
“After some great 800m races, I will be running 1000m at the meeting in Zagreb, and I want to break the world record in the event,” he told organisers. “After that, I am heading to Brussels to break the 800m world record as well. The record is definitely going down.”
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, he added: "This will be my second world record attempt of the year, the first was an indoor 1000m. I know I'm in great shape. I wasn’t expecting the crazy fast times in Lausanne and Silesia, so I’m really excited to take advantage of this fitness."
Arop has dipped under 1:42 for 800m three times this season, including 1:41.72 in Lausanne and 1:41.86 in Silesia, and he ran 2:14.74 for 1000m indoors in February, putting him at No.2 all time indoors. Joining him in action will be Olympic 1500m finalist Stefan Nillessen.
USA’s Cooper Teare, Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli and Kenya’s Daniel Munguti feature in the field for the men’s 2000m, while Kenya’s world fourth-place finisher Leonard Bett races the 3000m steeplechase against Olympic finalists Ahmed Jaziri of Tunisia and Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouft.
Australia’s Linden Hall, who has run 3:56.40 this season, lines up in the women’s 1500m alongside Ethiopia's Axumawit Embaye and Habitam Alemu, plus Britain's Katie Snowden and Italy’s Sintayehu Vissa. In the women’s 800m, Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin races Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir and USA’s Sage Hurta-Klecker.
Titans at the fountains
World record-holder Ryan Crouser heads the shot put clash on the eve of the main meeting, for the Ivan Ivancic Memorial held at the Zagreb Fountains.
USA’s Crouser claimed a third consecutive Olympic gold in Paris and he is joined in Zagreb by bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica. In fact, five of the top six from Paris are all entered, as the two medallists are joined by Payton Otterdahl, Leonardo Fabbri and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi. Crouser returns on the hunt for a sixth shot put victory in Zagreb, where he set the meeting record of 22.84m in 2021. Since winning that unprecedented third consecutive Olympic men’s shot put title despite a series of injury struggles this year, he has won at the Diamond League meetings in Rome and Zurich, and finished second in Silesia.
"I feel good," said Crouser. "I was very happy with the last meet (Zurich). I was actually surprised a little bit, given the conditions, to throw 22.66m in rainy conditions, plus another 22.50m and a 22.30m. Coming off of Rome, as well, I’ve been very consistent. Any time I get consistent, I know that a big throw is possible, so it has me excited.
"It has been a bit of a different season for me – missing the first half with injury, I feel like I am in a better place than I normally would be because I’m more engaged and it still feels like it’s early in the season, although it is late. For me, I’m more engaged, and I’m happy with where I’m at physically."
Ryan Crouser in action in Zagreb (© Organisers)
Another throws highlight is the women’s discus, which will see Olympic gold and bronze medallists Allman of USA and Elkasevic of Croatia compete again, against their fellow Olympic finalists Vanessa Kamga and Daisy Osakue.
"The dearest meeting of the season is always the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial and this is why I had a break after the Olympics and I prepared for this competition," said Elkasevic, making her 17th appearance at the meeting since her first in 2006. "I feel great and as you could see, three days ago I threw a season’s best. It will be a great competition."
She is on the hunt for her 12th Boris Hanzekovic Memorial win, but will face a strong challenge from Allman.
"Zagreb really is a competition that showcases our event," said Allman. "I know that if I come to this meeting, I need to be in great form."
The Olympic champion is also in action in the men’s event, as Jamaica’s Stona – who is coached by shot put star Crouser – faces bronze medallist Matthew Denny and 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh, who finished fourth in Paris but won at the Rome Diamond League a week ago ahead of Stona, with Denny finishing fourth.
The men’s hammer returns to the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial for the first time in 11 years. Canada’s Katzberg threw 84.12m to add the Olympic title to the world gold he claimed in Budapest last year and become, at the age of 22, the youngest men’s world and Olympic hammer champion. The meeting record stands at 81.77m, set by 2008 Olympic champion Primoz Kozmus.
Katzberg will compete against Ukraine’s Olympic bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan and Poland’s five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek.
"This is my first time having competitions after a major games or championships, so it’s a bit of a new experience but I think my coach and I handled it well," said Katzberg. "I am getting my energy back now, finally, and I’m feeling good.
"The meet record is definitely something I’ll strive for, to try to end the season on a good note."
Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane van Dyk of South Africa heads the women’s javelin entries, along with Croatia’s fourth-place finisher in Paris, Sara Kolak, who won the 2016 Olympic title. Two Olympic medallists feature in the men’s pole vault, as silver medallist and two-time world champion Sam Kendricks renews his rivalry with bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis.
USA’s double Olympic bronze medallist Jasmine Moore tops the women’s long jump field and she’s joined by Shanieka Ricketts, who got triple jump silver ahead of Moore in Paris, as well as the recently crowned world U20 heptathlon champion Jana Koscak. Home stars Filip Pravdica and world U20 winner Roko Farkas will be among those fighting for the title in the men’s event during the street competition.
Sprint showdowns
After securing Olympic 100m hurdles silver in front of a home crowd in Paris, Cyrena Samba-Mayela goes on the hunt for victory as she forms part of a field that also features Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, who won in Rome and Silesia, and USA's Kendra Harrison.
Ackera Nugent wins the 100m hurdles in Rome (© Matthew Quine)
The 110m hurdles Boris Hanzekovic memorial race includes Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts, who respectively ran PBs of 12.93 and 12.96 at the US Olympic trials, plus Jamaica's Tokyo Olympic champion Hansle Parchment.
Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye of The Gambia goes in the women’s 100m against Jamaica's Shashalee Forbes and USA's Jenna Prandini, while the men’s 100m includes USA’s Courtney Lindsey, Brandon Hicklin and Kyree King, plus Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.
The men’s 200m features three men who have dipped under 20 seconds this season – USA’s Olympic fourth-place finisher Erriyon Knighton, Lindsey and King – plus Liberia’s Olympic finalist Joseph Fahnbulleh, the 2022 winner in Zagreb. Like King and Lindsey, Fahnbulleh is doubling up and also runs the 100m.
Two athletes who have gone sub-50 seconds this season clash in the women’s 400m, as two-time world bronze medallist Sada Williams of Barbados races Norway’s Henriette Jaeger, plus USA's world 400m hurdles silver medallist Shamier Little and Jamaica's Stacey Ann Williams.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
