11 world champions in Zurich for Golden League round 3.
September 7th 2007 01:47
For the uninitiated the golden league is thus named because, if an athlete triumphs in their chosen event in all 6 meetings they win a share of a $1 million jackpot signified by a solid gold bar.
Still in the running this year are Americans Sanya Richards (400m) and Michelle Perry (100m Hurdles) as well as Yelena Isinbaeva (Pole Vault).
Such is the dominance of Yelena Isinbaeva over her rivals that local betting shops have stopped giving odds on her losing, stating it as a near impossibility!
Compare that to Sanya Richards, the world female athlete of the year in 2006, Olympic champion and comfortably head a shoulders above the rest of the world.
Fast forward to August 2007 and Richards having failed to even make the US team for Osaka in the 400m, finished a poor (by her standards at least) 5th in the final of the 200m.
It won’t get any easier here as she faces the newly crowed world champion Christine Ohuruogu who is yet to lose a race this season and has improved with every run this term.
Add to her Bronze medallist Novlene Williams and 4 other finalists you get a sense of the size of the task facing Richards.
It’s almost a complete rerun of the 100m hurdles final that Michelle Perry has to contend with only Virginia Powell failing to make it to Zurich.
That final had less than 5 hundredths of a second separating the top 4 places and another blanket finish is expected here.
The 200m has been strong contested all season with here being no exception with Wallace Spearmon and Usain Bolt – numbers 2 and 3 last week going up against the 3rd fastest man in history – the 19.63s ‘X man’ Xavier Carter who injured himself at the American championships in June and thus failed to gain selection for Japan.
Also going into this match up are Osaka 4th 6th and 7th placers in the form of Martin Rodney, Marvin Anderson and Christopher Williams respectively.
Tyson Gay runs only in the 100m after his previous weeks exertions and will have Silver medallist Derrick Atkins for company along with Olu Fasuba, Marlon Devonish, Osovnikar Matic and Marc Burns – 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th place finishers in Osaka.
Finally look out for World champions Janet Jepkosgei (women’s 800m), Bernard Legat (men’s 3000m), Blanka Vlasic (women’s high jump) looking to deliver top class performances.
(The above image is taken from Wikipedia under the Commons License)
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