The lucrative IAAF Golden League kicks off Friday night at the Bislett Games in Oslo and Australia will be represented by big guns Craig Mottram, Sarah Jamieson and Donna MacFarlane in a line up which is headlined by world 100m record holder Asafa Powell and world pole vault record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.
The lucrative IAAF Golden League kicks off Friday night at the Bislett Games in Oslo and Australia will be represented by big guns Craig Mottram, Sarah Jamieson and Donna MacFarlane in a line up which is headlined by world 100m record holder Asafa Powell and world pole vault record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.
Still on a high after cruising to a two-mile victory in Australian record time at the Prefontaine Classic last weekend, Craig Mottram will have an opportunity to seek revenge on Augustine Choge, the Kenyan who out-sprinted Buster in the final stretch of the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
The talented start list in the Dream Mile also includes countryman Daniel Komen, who ran the fastest ever mile on US soil last weekend at the Prefontaine Classic in 3.48.28, 2006 World Cup and World Athletics Final 1500m winner Alex Kipchirchir and Isaac Songok who is primarily known for his outstanding work over longer distances.
Sarah Jamieson, the world number five over 1500m on the IAAF World Rankings, arrived in Europe at the start of June will commence her world championships campaign. Jamieson will have two athletes firmly in her sights when she toes the line in the 1500m – Bahrain’s Maryam Jamal who was one of only five athletes to have broken the magical 4-minute barrier last year and Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey.
When Jamieson produced the Australian record of 4:00.93 in Stockholm last year, the 32-year-old was defeated by Jamal, the former Ethiopian. At the Commonwealth Games, Dobriskey collected the 1500m gold ahead of Jamieson.
Tassie’s super mum Donna MacFarlane, who holds the ninth fastest time in the world this year for the 3000m steeplechase (9.34.21) will also line up on the Bislett Stadium track.
After finishing second over 800m at the Stavanger Games in Norway on Wednesday night in her first hit out of her European campaign, eleven-time national champion Tamsyn Lewis will drop back to the 400m at the Bislett Games on Friday night.
The 28-year old faces a tough assignment against 2006 World Cup and World Athletics Final winner Sanya Richards and British rising star Nicola Sanders who recently claimed the European indoor title. Jamaican Novlene Williams and 2001 World champion Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal will also be in the mix.
A $US1 million jackpot is up for grabs in the 2007 edition of the IAAF Golden League and successful claimants must win their event at all six meetings - Oslo, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin.
However, should no athlete manage to attain six wins and claim the jackpot, then anyone with five will share half the original prize purse , $US500,000 ($595,000).
All winners must compete at the IAAF World Athletics Final to be eligible for their share of the jackpot.
In other weekend action… After finishing third in Arles two weeks ago, Commonwealth Games heptathlon silver medallist Kylie Wheeler will contend the next edition of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge in Ratingen, Germany over the weekend.
Across the Atlantic, Benita Johnson will be in action in Illinois at the Steamboat Classic and Andrew Letherby will line up in Minnesota at the Grandma's marathon.
Athletics Australia