Seventeen events counting towards the Diamond League ranking are on this evening’s MEETING AREVA programme. And no fewer than eight reigning Olympic champions have made the journey to what promises to be a hotter than ever Stade de France. Among the most eagerly awaited events are the men’s 100m, which will round off tonight’s programme. Despite the absence of Usain Bolt, suffering from an injury to his left leg, it’s a sterling line-up, with some six athletes having already run sub-ten-second times this season. Among them, Asafa Powell, the former world record holder, Ryan Bailey, Michael Rodgers and Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut. The 110m hurdles promises to be even more exciting than usual with the top four of the Diamond League ranking: David Oliver, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, Aries Merritt and Orlando Ortega. In the jump-off zone, the most eagerly expected event by the French will obviously be the pole-vault competition. In front of a home crowd, Renaud Lavillenie, winner of the last six MEETING AREVAs, will be aiming to make it seven, as well as attempting to clear the 6m mark (or higher!) for the first time in his career at the Stade de France. Greek athlete Filippidis, German Holzdeppe and the Brazilian will be trying to drive him into a corner. In the high jump, Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim (whose best performance is 2.43m) may well have his sights on the legendary world record set by Javier Sotomayor (2.45m in 1993). It’s worth noting that the Stade de France is still awaiting the first world record in its history…
An historic women’s 5,000m?
Among the female contingent, another world record could fall: that of the 5,000m. Indeed, the two Ethiopians Almaz Ayana and Genzebe Dibaba will together attack the record (14’11’’15) set by their compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba (sister to Genzebe), racked up in 2008. The shot-put competition will host a major comeback in the person of Valérie Adams. The New Zealand athlete, double Olympic champion, hasn’t thrown in a competitive environment since September following an operation on her elbow and shoulder. She will have some stiff competition from German Christina Schwanitz, leader of the Diamond League. In the javelin, the four leaders of the discipline (Dorozhon, Lu, Obergföll, Viljoen) will be battling it out, whilst Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova doubtless won’t be letting them have it all their own way. In the triple jump, all eyes will be on the Colombian Caterine Ibarguen, who is way out in front in the Diamond League 2015 ranking. Like the men’s event, the 100m will offer up a very fine line-up, with some six athletes having already run sub-eleven-second times this season. From the Ivory Coast, Murielle Ahouré, leader of the Diamond League, and Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, double world and Olympic champion over the distance, are likely to become embroiled in a fabulous duel. Let the show commence!
