Big star lineup for European Athletics Premium Meeting in Bydgoszcz – – NEWS –

Vlasic, Kanter, Borzakovskiy, Idowu, Gevaert – these are just some of the big name European's set to star at the European Athletics Premium Meeting in Bydgoszcz (POL) tomorrow night.

Around 20,000 spectators are expected to attend the eighth edition of this top-end meeting and the first ever outing of Bydgoszcz Stadium's brand new blue track and increased spectator capacity (23,000).

Croatia's World High Jump Champion Blanka Vlasic will be sure to please the crowds as she bounces over the Bydgoszcz bar before competing in Madrid at the weekend, then tackling her next Golden League outing in Rome.

Estonia's Discus World Champion Gerd Kanter will be the main highlight of the men's throwing events, while Russia's Olympic 800m Champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy is expected to dominate in the 2-lap race.

Last weekend's Athlete of the SPAR European Cup Phillips Idowu (GBR) who, like Vlasic is so far unbeaten this year, will face competition from World number four Slovak record holder Dmitrij Valukevic.

In the men's 200m, it is another British European Cup winner, Tyrone Edgar, who will start as race favourite.

Belgium's European Sprints Champion Kim Gevaert will share the women's 200m field with recently improved British sprinter Emily Freeman (22.72), World 400m Champion Christine Ohuruogu made a late withdrawal from the race, so will not face another challenge to her 200m time until the British Olympic Trials on the 12th July.

The home star hurdling duo of Anna Jesien and Marek Plawgo will both compete for the home supporters; however both World bronze medallists will face stiff international competition, Jesien from Australian World Champion Jana Rawlinson, and Plawgo from South African trio Alwyn Myburgh, Peter De Villiers and Ockert Cilliers.

The women's 800m will also be a strong event for the host nation, with European Cup 1,500m winner Sylwia Ejdys joining fellow Middle Distance runners Anna Rostkowska and Ewelina Setowska-Dryk in a bid to attack the two minute Olympic standard, however the key competitors are expected to be Britain's Marilyn Okoro and Svetlana Usovich of Belarus.

Finally the men's Pole Vault competition will definitely be one to watch as Russian World Indoor Champion Yevgeniy Lukyanenko meets Australians Steve Hooker and Paul Burgess and German favourite Tim Lobinger.

European Athletics (EAA)