World record holder, Tobi Amusan will take to the tracks on Tuesday in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the 64th edition of the Golden Spike meet scheduled to take place in Ostrava, Czechia.
The 28-year-old, who produced a standout display at the latest instalment of the Diamond League held in Paris last Friday, when she clocked a season’s best time of 12.24s to finish second in the women’s 100m hurdles, has been confirmed by organisers.
Amusan will compete alongside American Alaysha Johnson, Italy’s Elena Carraro, Sarah Lavin of Ireland, Anna Toth of Hungary and Viktoria Forster of Slovakia.
The Nigerian is clearly the favourite among other competitors but she will be looking to improve her timing and performance, following her 12.24s mark set in Paris which marks only her second-fastest ever, behind her world record mark of 12.12s set in 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
Elsewhere, Olympic and three-time world champion in the men’s 110m hurdles Grant Holloway, will go up against fellow American Dylan Beard who won at the Continental Tour Gold meetings in Turku and Zagreb, while Brazil’s Matheus Lima is among the lead entries for the men’s 400m hurdles.
Dutch queen Femke Bol who has had an impressive start to her 400m hurdles campaign, will make her 400m season debut when she takes on world and Olympic medallists Natalia Bukowiecka and Salwa Eid Naser. The women’s 100m event will see African veteran Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith take on Cambrea Sturgis, Zoe Hobbs and Amy Hunt for supremacy.
Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will be involved in the javelin event at the Golden Spike meet. This will be Neeraj’s fifth competition of the season, as the Indian star builds up momentum towards defending his title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September.
Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout comes into the event in Czechia looking to build up his reputation as one of athletics’ brightest prospects. The 17-year-old, who clocked 20.04s in the men’s 200m last December to break the long-standing Oceanian record, will compete against Cuba’s Reynier Mena, who won the Diamond League races in Oslo and Stockholm.
The men’s 400m features Jonas Phijffers and Christopher Morales-Williams, while the 800m pits Australian record-holder Peter Bol against Samuel Chapple. South Africa’s world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso will be the centre of attraction in the women’s 800m event.
Credit: punchng.com
