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Borzakovskiy joins field for Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava

Posted June 1st, 2007 at 9:47 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Olympic Champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy has joined the 800m field at the Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 27, organizers announced today.

It will be the second outing of the year for the 26-year-old Russian who is scheduled to open his season at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., next weekend.

In the eastern Czech city, Borzakovskiy will face Kenya’s perrenial speedster Wilfred Bungei, this year’s world leader at 1:44.14 from the Qatar Super Grand Prix. After his 2007 debut victory in Doha, Bungei was upset at the FBK Games in Hengelo, The Netherlands, last weekend, by the young Ugandan, Albert Chepkirwok.

“There’s all these young boys coming up,” said Bungei, who bounced back with a solid victory at the Artur Takac Memorial in Belgrade on Tuesday. “These are the guys to worry about for sure.”

Chepkirwok, the World junior bronze medallist and still just 18, also took down Holland’s reigning European champion Bram Som in Hengelo to nab the biggest win of his young career. He to will start in Ostrava to seek his third World Athletics tour victory of the season after Hengelo and Dakar.

After his victory in the Serbian capital, Bungei said he’s looking for a sub-1:44 in Ostrava. “That would be really good for June,” he said.

Fast pacesetters may also assist Chepkirwok, who has the rest of this season to chase the world junior record of 1:43.64, set by Kenyan Japheth Kimutai in Zurich nearly a decade ago.