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Ostrava Preview: Defar, Haile, Isinbayeva and more

Posted June 26th, 2007 at 5:00 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Meseret Defar with flag With an impressive slate of Olympic, World and continental champions and a handful of World record assaults, the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007 resumes with a bang on Wednesday at the 46th edition of the Golden Spike in Ostrava.

DEFAR LOOKING FOR FAST OSLO FOLLOW-UP

While organiZers have again lured a strong collection of talent to this eastern Czech city, one of the most keenly observed will Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar. Hot on the heels of her staggering 14:16.63 World record in Oslo 10 days ago, Defar returns to action to try and take that 5000m mark down even further.

After breaking her own mark by almost eight seconds, the 23-year-old Ethiopian said in a quite straightforward fashion in Oslo that there’s no reason not to try again in Ostrava. Besides compatriots Gelete Burka and Meselech Melkamu, organizers have also brought in Russian Olga Komyagina to set the pace, just as she did in that unforgettable run in Oslo.

OSLO MOMENTUM BEHIND ISINBAYEVA AS WELL

Yelena Isinbayeva, the meeting’s poster girl, also arrives in Ostrava with a promising 4.85 season opener behind her. And while the Olympic, World and European champion isn’t promising to raise her 5.01 World record set in 2005, she certainly isn’t dismissing the possibility.

“In every competition I compete in, I want to break my World record. So why not in Ostrava?” the 24-year-old Russian said.

Three others in the field – Germany’s Carolin Hingst (4.61), Australian Kym Howe (4.55) and Russian Tatyana Polnova (4.55) – have sailed 4.55 or better outdoors this year, while Anna Rogowska of Poland, the Olympic bronze medallist, makes her second outing of the season.

GEBRSELASSIE TO CHASE 16-YEAR-OLD WORLD RECORD IN THE HOUR RUN

During his sterling career on the track, Haile Gebrselassie has often capped competitions with a memorable performances. In Ostrava the Ethiopian is aiming to open the track events with a bang as his assault on the World record for the One Hour Run leads off the programme.

This will be Gebrselassie’s second attempt on the record of 21,101m, set by Mexican Arturo Barrios in La Fléche, France, on 30 March 1991. The Ethiopian was well ahead of record pace in Hengelo in 2002, before stepping off the track some 39 minutes into the run, overcome by cramps. Along the way, Gebrselassie can also eclipse the 56:55.6 mark Barrios also set that day for 20,000m.

After his 26:52.81 in the Hengelo 10,000m late last month, Gebrselassie illustrated that he’s still very much at home on the track, despite his forays in recent years onto the roads. Organisers have solicited the assistance of three pacesetters, but with four others in the field, the race will most certainly rewrite the all-time list in this rarely-contested event.

LYSENKO LEADS STRONGEST HAMMER THROW FIELD OF THE YEAR

But even before Gebrselassie begins his 60 minute run, another recently-minted World record holder, Russian Tatyana Lysenko, will help set the tone for the meeting when the Hammer Throw kicks off the meeting today. With the finest fields to be gathered in the event thus far this year, a separate spotlight, and whispers of World record possibilities, is warranted.

Competing at home in Sochi one month ago, the 24-year-old added 81cm to her own mark with a massive 78.61 effort. Today, the European champion and 2005 World Championships bronze medallist will face the crème of her explosive event’s crop which at the moment has depth never before seen. Four of this year’s seven throwers who have reached beyond 75m are in Ostrava: Kamila Skolimowska extended her Polish national record to 76.83 in Doha; Cuban Yipsi Moreno whose 76.36 win in Warsaw last week improved her own Area record; and German Betty Heidler, who has already thrown 75.77. Moreno set the meet record of 74.69 last year, a mark clearly under threat.

“This will be a very strong, very interesting competition,” the soft-spoken Lysenko said.

The men’s competition features a who’s who of the event, led by two-time World champion and reigning European champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus. The world leader at 82.58, the 30-year-old has won five of his seven competitions this year, most recently the European Cup First League meet on Saturday in Milan. The dazzling start list also includes the next four on this year’s world list: Slovenian Primoz Kozmus (82.30), Hungary’s Krisztian Pars (81.40), Libor Charfreitag (80.87) of Slovakia, and Pole Szymon Ziolkowski (80.70).

“This is the strongest competition of the year, so I’ll have no problem with motivation,” Tikhon said, adding with a smile, “I saved some energy from the weekend.”

DEEP MEN’S 5000M FIELD

Another solid field, also the finest thus far this season, has been assembled in the men’s 5000, led by world leader Tariku Bekele (13:04.05). He’ll defend his season-pacing position against Zersenay Tadesse, Eritrea’s reigning World Cross Country and Road Running champion; Kenyan Isaac Songok, who joined the sub 12:50 club in Zurich last summer; Kenyan Micah Kogo, last season’s fastest in the 10,000m; and Australian Craig Mottram, the World Championships bronze medallist in his first northern summer outing of the season over his best and favourite event. In all, nine of the 20 starters have career bests of under 13 minutes.

A fast pace is also expected in the 3000m Steeplechase, with world leader Paul Kipsiele Koech (8:01.05) leading a pack of quick Kenyans. Top Europeans, Gunther Weidlinger and rising Turkish talent Halil Akkas, are hoping to take advantage of the swift tempo. Last year, Koech finished the race a lap early; one can assume that he, and particularly the judges, will be a little more alert.

Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy will be looking to bounce back from his shock defeat in his 2007 opener 16 days ago at the Prefontaine Classic at the hands of rising American star Nick Symmonds. In Ostrava, the 26-year-old Russian is clearly the class of the field after Wilfred Bungei’s withdrawal due to a training injury last week. Hoping for another upset will be rapidly improving Ugandan teenager Abraham Chepkirwok, who dipped under 1:45 for the first time in Oslo nine days ago, Kenyan Ismael Kombich, and another teenager, Kenyan- born Mansour Ali Bilal of Bahrain.

The women’s two-lapper isn’t short on talent. Russia’s reigning European champions, indoor winner Oksana Zbrozhek and outdoor winner Olga Kotlyarova, are expected to battle Olympic bronze medallist Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia for the win here. Six of the 12 starters in the crowded field have already run under 2:01.

COMPELLING MATCH-UPS OVER THE HURDLES

Cuba’s 2006 revelation Dayron Robles tops a solid field in the men’s 110m Hurdles, where he’ll face finishers three, four and five from the notoriously difficult US Championships: David Oliver, David Payne, and Anwar Moore. At 13.12 for Payne and Moore, and Oliver at 13.14, the American trio have each dashed faster than Robles 13.17 season’s best, but already based on the continent for several weeks, the Cuban, just 20, may have the advantage over the Americans who just completed three difficult rounds in Indianapolis over the weekend. Also of interest is European champion Stanislav Olijars’ season’s debut.

The women’s sprint hurdles pits the event’s most recent World champions: Helsinki winner Michelle Perry and Canadian Perdita Felicien, the winner in 2003. Perry, who clocked 12.51 in Eugene before her victory in Oslo, finished second at the US Championships on Sunday, while Felicien has a 12.75 best from Kingston in early May.

There’s a similar scenario over the full-lap on the men’s side, with reigning World champion Bershawn Jackson, last year’s Ostrava winner, going head-to-head with two-time World and reigning Olympic champion Felix Sanchez. The latter hasn’t been near his form since injury hobbled his 2005 season, but is hardly ready to retire from the scene. Jackson, on the other hand, has displayed solid early season form, winning his specialty in Osaka last month in 48.13 and lowering his PB over the flat to 45.06 in the semi-finals at the US Championships before finishing a respectable fifth in the final.

The women’s race features a strong line-up, with World record holder Yulia Pechonkina taking on Americans Sheena Johnson and Sandra Glover, second and fourth at the US Trials over the weekend. Johnson’s 53.29 from Indianapolis is the year’s second fastest, while Pechonkina arrives after her 54.04 win at the European Cup in Munich. Also in the field is European champion Yevgeniya Isakova.

In the men’s 100, Craig Pickering will continue his fight as the British No. 1 after a solid 10.15 PB to win the European Cup on Saturday. Domestic rival Jason Gardener is also in the field, along with Australian Joshua Ross (10.08 PB this year), African record holder Olusoji Fasuba of Nigeria, and Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles, who has dashed 10.09 this spring.

Sweden’s Olympic champion Stefan Holm leads the High Jump field, but will have his hands full with the Russian pair of Yaroslav Rybakov and Andrey Tereshin, who have each cleared 2.34. Three others – American Jesse Williams, Kyriakos Ioannou of Cyprus, and Cuban Victor Moya – has each leaped 2.31 or better this year.

American strongmen Resse Hoffa and Dan Taylor arrive in Ostrava after their 1-2 finish in Indianapolis, promising another entertaining competition. With perennial strongman Christian Cantwell, who finished a disappointing fifth over the weekend also in the mix, and explosive competition is in the making.

Of particular interest for the home fans will be the face-off in the women’s Javelin Throw between Czech record holder Barbora Spotakova (65.20 this season) against Germany’s European champion and Olympic silver medallis Steffi Nerius, who has reached 65.78.

The women’s Long Jump features Czech national record holder Denisa Scerbova taking on World champion Tianna Madison and freshly-minted US Champion Grace Upshaw.

The meet’s pre-programme also includes a discus competition between World champion Franka Dietzsch and European Champion Darya Pishchalnikova. The women’s 100 features Bulgarian Ivet Lalova and the ageless Merlene Ottey.