GERMAN MEETINGS: ISTAF BERLIN 2015 to include German medallists and six world champions from Peking – but no Robert Harting

The 74th Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) in Berlin’s Olympic stadium this Sunday is expected to feature at least six world champions and seven of the eight German medallists from the World Athletics Championships in Peking.

Anita Wlodarczyk (hammer), Piotr Malachowski (discus, Poland), Shawnacy Barber (pole vault, Canada) and Maryna Arzamasova (800 metres, Belarus) have joined German titleholders Christina Schwanitz (shot put) and Katharina Molitor (javelin) in confirming their attendance.

All will be up against world-class fields as they go about defending their achievements in China.

On Wednesday Olympic discus champion Robert Harting cancelled his planned comeback at the ISTAF. A year after rupturing cruciate and collateral ligaments in his left knee the Berliner is still beset by problems of joint instability.

Robert Harting: „That means there’s still a chance I’ll injure myself, and I don’t want to risk that with the Olympic Games coming up next year. My trainer Torsten Schmidt and I have also altered my training schedule. I’ll be at the ISTAF on Sunday, watching the discus competition with a heavy heart. But I’m already looking forward to the duel between world champ and Olympic champ at the ISTAF next year!”

Source: ISTAF BERLIN