Defar's debut tops another stellar line-up in Stuttgart - Preview

4 February 2010 – Stuttgart, Germany - It wouldn’t be a normal Sparkassen-Cup Meeting without some kind of world record attempt, and although the two protagonists from last year’s riveting women’s 3000m will again be on the track Saturday (6) night in Stuttgart, they will be running in separate events.

The Sparkassen-Cup is the third of nine IAAF Indoor Permit Meetings in 2010.

Last winter, Meseret Defar of Ethiopia and Russia’s Anna Alminova waged an unexpected battle in the race in which Defar was attempting to lower her own record of 8:23.72, set on the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle track in 2007. In that contest, Defar was on record pace after two kilometres just before Alminova moved into contention and turned the race into a tactical struggle. The Ethiopian’s final time of 8:26.99 - still the third best of all-time - was more than three seconds off the world record.

This year, Alminova will instead be contesting the 1500m, in which she is the reigning European indoor champion. But that doesn’t mean Defar will only be running against the clock in the 3000. Kenya’s Silvia Kibet, the Berlin silver medallist in the 5000m from last summer, has slipped in as a late entry and could derail Defar’s plans again as did the Russian last year. On the other hand, strong runs from both could produce the Sparkassen sparks for which this fixture is noted, with its history of seven world records in middle- and long-distance events. Stay tuned.

Among those accompanying Defar and Kibet in their fifteen laps will be European 5000 finalist Sabrina Mockenhaupt of Germany and a former European indoor bronze medallist, Silvia Weissteiner of Italy.

The Women’s 3000m is just one of the highly anticipated moments in this 24th edition of the Sparkassen-Cup, an event which continues to enjoy the longest continued single sponsorship of any indoor athletics event in the world.

Alminova, in moving to the 1500m, will find herself stacked up against the top finisher from Berlin last summer, Maryam Jamal of Bahrain, plus the reigning World indoor champ in the event, Geleta Burka of Ethiopia.

Jones-Ferrette bringing strong momentum

For fast indoor female sprinting during this indoor season, one only needs to think “Jones”. Laverne Jones-Ferrette of the US Virgin Islands brings her world-leading 7.09 (from Karlsruhe last Sunday and Dusseldorf on Wednesday) to the women’s 60m, where she will tangle with Carmelita Jeter of the US, the Berlin bronze winner and, after a stunning 10.64 to end the season last September, the second-fastest 100m competitor of all-time. The reigning World indoor champion, Angela Williams of the US, plus a former World indoor champion, Bahamian Chandra Sturrup, add further lustre to the field.

The other part of the “Jones” stamp on sprinting is carried by hurdler Lolo Jones of the US, who also departed from Karlsruhe with a 7.90 world-leading performance in the women’s 60m Hurdles, a mark she lowered in Dusseldorf to 7.85. Beijing bronze and Berlin silver winner Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Canada, plus Jamaica’s Lacina Golding-Clarke - a finalist at the last five World Indoor Championships - are both in the field, as are three-time outdoor World Championships finalist Vonette Dixon of Jamaica, Valencia bronze medallist Anay Tejeda of Cuba, and Germany’s top exponent of hurdling, Carolin Nytra.

Robles vs Oliver and Svoboda

Current Olympic gold and bronze winners, Cuba’s Dayron Robles and David Oliver of the US, lead the list in the men’s 60m Hurdles. Robles will arrive after a solid 7.50 debut in Dusseldorf. Lining up with them will be European indoor bronze medallist Petr Svoboda of the Czech Republic, Berlin finalist Dwight Thomas of Jamaica, and Athens fourth placer Maurice Wignall, also of Jamaica.

Although nearing the end of his 39th year, American Allen Johnson is showing no apparent signs of retirement. The seven-time World champion (indoors and outdoors) ran an excellent early-season 7.58 last weekend and is a late addition to the hurdle field.

The Men’s 60m features three sprinters from the West Indies who have dipped under the ten-second barrier in outdoor competition.

Jamaicans Lerone Clark and Helsinki world championships silver medallist Michael Frater will joust with double Beijing sprint finalist Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles.

Former European indoor silver winner Craig Pickering of Great Britain will also challenge, as will last year’s surprise Sparkassen winner Christian Blum of Germany. The home-country sprinter posted his current PB of 6.56 in a go-for-broke lean at the finish which left him flat on the floor and with injuries necessitating an abrupt end to a short but promising indoor season last year.

French invasion into German Pole Vault territory?

There are few countries which can rival Germany in the depth of pole vaulting, both on the men’s and women’s sides, a fact which obliges a German meeting organizer to include both in the timetable. Ironically, the two male competitors most highly decorated from last season hail from neighouring France, as Romain Mesnil and Renaud Lavillenie, the Berlin silver and bronze winners, respectively, lead an impressive list.

The host nation adds a substantial cachet with the last two European indoor bronze medalists, Alexander Straub and Björn Otto, plus former European indoor champions Tim Lobinger and Danny Ecker, as well as Beijing finalist Raphael Holzdeppe.

The women’s event features the surprise World champion from Berlin, Poland’s Anna Rogowska, in her season opener. Two medallists from the last European indoor championships - Germans Silke Spiegelburg and Anna Battke - will see action, as will Valencia bronze winner Fabiana Murer of Brazil and Beijing finalist Caroline Hingst of Germany.

Though not projected as a world record attempt, the Men’s 3000m still has a formidable cast, led by reigning World indoor champion Tariku Beleke of Ethiopia, and his countryman, the bronze winner in Valencia, Abreham Cherkos. Beijing 5000m bronze medallist Edwin Soi of Kenya, who finished fourth in Valencia, will see an indoor track for the first time this year. His countryman, Sammy Mutahi, will see an indoor track for the first time in his life!

Mekkonen and Kaki headline middle distance fields

Deresse Mekkonen of Ethiopia returns to defend his Sparkassen title in the men’s 1500m, accompanied by Valencia bronze winner Juan Carlos Higuero of Spain, European indoor bronze medallist Yoann Kowal of France, and his compatriot, Berlin steeplechase bronze winner Bouabdellah Tahri. There will be two further runners of note to watch - William Biwott of Kenya, who set a World junior record in the mile last year in Oslo, and World youth finalist, 17-year-old Mohamad Al-Garni of Qatar – who both made their indoor debuts in Dusseldorf.

World indoor 800m champion Abubaker Kaki heads the list in that event, along with Berlin finalist Jackson Kivuna of Kenya and new Czech indoor national record holder Jakub Holuša.

The Men’s Long Jump features two-time World outdoor champion Dwight Phillips of the US, who will make his season debut in that event after sprint outings in Karlsruhe and Dusseldorf. Among those Phillips will contend with are the former World indoor bronze winner Salim Sdiri of France, and Osaka finalist Christian Reif of Germany.

Ed Gordon for the IAAF