Some of the world’s best athletes will get their last chance to get a feel of the Daegu Stadium ahead of August’s world championships when the IAAF World Challenge series heads to South Korea today.
Carmelita Jeter will line up against fellow Americans Lashaunte Moore and Marshevet Myers in the women’s 100 metres as one of the main events of the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships.
It’s a big year for the 31-year-old Jeter, who ran the fastest time in the world this year to win the 100 last week at the Jamaica International Invitational. Jeter won bronze at the last two world championships and is looking for a first gold in Korea.
Jeter will have happy memories of Asia after becoming the second fastest woman ever with a time of 10.64 seconds at the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix.
Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Walter Dix will be looking to get early win at South Korea in the men’s 100.
The 200 women’s event is also a strong one, with three-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver-medallist Allyson Felix of the United States starting her season at Daedu against the likes of Russian sprinter Alesandra Fedoriva.
Olympic 110 hurdles silver medallist David Payne faces a challenge to beat fellow American and world No. 1 David Oliver, who is on a 17-race winning run. In the women’s 100 hurdles, Olympic champion Dawn Harper of the United States is among the favourites.
There could be a Beijing Olympics podium reunion in the men’s 400 hurdles as gold medallist Angelo Taylor of the United States takes on compatriot and 2005 World Champion Bershawn Jackson, who took bronze in 2008.
Attention will turn away from the United States and Europe for the middle distance races where the men’s 800 sees Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain taking on Kenya’s Boaz Lalang. Yusuf is the World Champion in the 1500 and collected a bronze in 2009 over two laps, while Lalang won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Away from the track, Beijing triple jump bronze medalist Leevan Sands of the Bahamas takes on Cuba’s Alexis Copello, the 2009 World bronze medallist and world No. 2 this season.
In the men’s javelin, 2009 world bronze medallist Yukifumi Murakami of Japan throws against Ainars Kovals of Latvia, who took the silver medal in Beijing and starts his season in Daegu.
German record-holder Silke Spiegelburg is the one to watch in the women’s pole vault, while 2004 Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko of Russia is competing in the women’s high jump.