Pearson, Gay headline Paris Diamond League Athletics
Roar Pro With exactly four weeks to go before the Olympic athletics program, Sally Pearson will have a solid hit out tonight in the Paris Diamond League meeting as she tapers in preparation for the London Olympics.
This will be the second run in Europe this season for the world champion after competing in the Oslo leg of the League tour on June 7. Although still jaded from a long flight from Australia, Pearson took the race in a smart time of 12.49.
Challengers in Paris will include the 2003 world outdoor and 2004 world indoor champion Perdita Felician of Canada and British record holder Tiffany Porter.
Felician will be looking to make a statement to her national selectors after to failing to qualify to compete in London. After being disqualified for a false start and running under protest, her appeal for selection was dismissed a few hours later.
Also to miss selection for the Canadian team was 2008 Olympic silver medallist, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.
American born Tiffany Porter, now a naturalised Brit, showed promising early season form when she won the silver medal at the Istanbul World Indoor titles in March. Since then her results have been inconsistent and was easily countered for by Pearson in Oslo.
With the withdrawal of Usain Bolt from the men’s 100 metres due to a hamstring twinge, hometown hero Christophe Lamaitre will take on American Tyson Gay for the honours. Lamaitre will be looking to post a fast time on the quick Paris track after competing in the cold in Helsinki last week at the European Championships.
Pearson and all other Olympic hopefuls will be looking to have incident free races this close to the Games.The hurdles in Paris is scheduled for 5:22am Saturday morning AEST with the men’s 100 metres 24 minutes later.
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July 6th 2012 @ 1:46pm
jameswm said | July 6th 2012 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Jocelyn there’s a guy called David Rudisha running too, thought he might have rated a mention. Our own Lachie Renshaw managed a start in the race as well!
You’ve also got a 5km without Mo Farah, but with reigning champ and WR holder Kenenisa Bekele who is running back into form, and the race include a staggering 11 people (all Ethiopian or Kenyan of course) who have run 12.54 or better. Just incredible depth.
Also Dani Samuels is throwing
July 6th 2012 @ 2:10pm
Jocelyn McLennan said | July 6th 2012 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Agree I am aware of those but was highlighting the Australian angle and the fact tthat not many people would have known that the 2 big Canadian hopes are not going to London. I agree about the quality of the distance runners and I am huge Bekele fan but the sprinting is always king in athletics from a promotional point of view. Usain Bolt is known world wide in any sport. To quote a line from Chariots of Fire ” to be THE fastest not just A fastest”
July 6th 2012 @ 5:45pm
jameswm said | July 6th 2012 @ 5:45pm | Report comment
Nah I don’t buy that. Rudisha is probably the second biggest star in world athletics after Bolt. Bekele is also a massive drawcard. It depends on the locals – the knowledgable ones, like at the Bislett Games, love, and really love the distance runners. Same with the Prefontaine classic.
Interesting about the Canadians though – I didn’t know they weren’t going. Right now no one has put their hand up and said “I will be Sally’s challenger”.
I’ll be fascinated to see if Kenny Bekele can get his kick back. Right now Mo Farah’s looking good, but Kenny at his best is almost unbeatable.
July 9th 2012 @ 5:55pm
Jocelyn McLennan said | July 9th 2012 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
James I think Bekele is the most biomechanically perfect runner I have ever seen. I thought it would take a lot to surpass the cadence, balance and stride action of Said Ouita but he has.
July 6th 2012 @ 4:45pm
k77sujith said | July 6th 2012 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
All this adds to the red-hot excitement leading up to London 2012…should be a cracker! By the way Jocelyn, what’s your take on Caster Semenya? If you have the time, please have a read on one of my posts and let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/07/06/the-revival-of-caster-semenya/
July 7th 2012 @ 5:57pm
benson said | July 7th 2012 @ 5:57pm | Report comment
Sally Pearson = superstar in Paris. Clearly the best hurdler technically, with an iron will. Can Steve Hooker also get his head right quickly? His two-jump world championship with an injury shows he has the capacity to deliver something special in times of adversity but you have to wonder if he’s going to do a Barcelona Bubka and go 1-2-3 out in qualifying as defending champ, 20 years on. And Rudisha: four seconds ahead of the runner up at a diamond league meet! That’s insane. Shame he wasn’t born a bit further south — imagine the commentators trying to keep a straight face with “Rudisha of Zimbabwe” …
July 9th 2012 @ 5:57pm
Jocelyn McLennan said | July 9th 2012 @ 5:57pm | Report comment
Benson yes and she ran a hot race of 12.40…I just hope she cna hold it together in the final..I hope she has someone on her shoulder psuing her in London so that she is forced to concentrate…if she gets a lead of a metre or more there is the danger of switching off mentally like Devers did in Barcelona
July 15th 2012 @ 3:05am
Tom Callaghan said | July 15th 2012 @ 3:05am | Report comment
G’day Joecelyn,
Cripes its been a bad few daysfo Australian sporting icons! Evans pedalling backwards and Sally Pearson defeated by Kellie Wells in London.
I see that Watty only just beat Tomlinson in the long jump in London while Hooker is performing more like a limbo dancer than a pole vaulter!
Just where are Australia’s golds going to come from in London?
July 9th 2012 @ 8:27pm
jameswm said | July 9th 2012 @ 8:27pm | Report comment
12.46, 12.47 and 12.48 in the 5km. Incredible. Not so good for Bekele though.
As good as Sally was, Rudisha was by far the standout. Just obliterated a Diamond League field – 4 seconds over 800.