Ostrava’s hurdles, hammer and javelin fields firm-up – IAAF World Challenge

29 April 2011 – Ostrava, Czech Republic – The fields for the sprint Hurdles, Hammer Throw and Javelin Throw at the 50th Ostrava Golden Spike meeting on 31 May 2011 have firmed-up.

The 110m Hurdles at the IAAF World Challenge meeting for which World record holder Dayron Robles and the Czech Republic’s European Indoor 60m champion Petr Svoboda had already been announced has attracted 2005 World Champion Ladji Doucoure of France along with Poland's Olympic finalist Artur Noga.

Two current Russian world leaders are also confirmed for the meeting.

In the Javelin Throw, the 2003 World champion Sergey Makarov, 38, who has twice won in Ostrava, in 2005, and in 2006 when the current meet director and World record holder Jan Zelezny had his last competition here, has been confirmed. Makarov currently leads the season’s list with 85.33m, and will take on a previously announced stellar field which is led by World and Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.

Latvian youngster Zigismunds Sirmais, who improved the World Junior Javelin record* to 84.47m last month is also confirmed.

Russian Aleksey Zagorniy, who recently achieved 81.54m to currently lead the world in 2011, is the addition into the Hammer Throw where all three medallists from last year’s European championships have already been confirmed, Libor Charfreitag, Nicola Vizzoni, Krisztian Pars.

Elsewhere on the schedule, Poland’s World High Jump bronze medallist Sylwester Bednarek is an valuable addition to the field already headed by Russia’s currently preeminent Ivan Ukhov and the best home jumper Jaroslav Baba. In the men’s 400m, the 2010 World Indoor champion Chris Brown of Bahamas will work on his comeback against Jamaican record holder Jermaine Gonzalez.

Organisers

*pending ratification