GERMAN ROAD RACES e.V.

15 March 2010 – Monte-Carlo - The IAAF World Indoor Championships closed in spectacular fashion with a World record in Doha, Qatar yesterday (14), and in just under nine weeks time, to be precise on Friday 14 May the elite of the athletics world will again assemble in Doha to compete in the opening meeting of the IAAF Diamond League.

From the sport’s most important indoor championships, to the start of its top level outdoor one-day competition series, Doha is at the centre of the Athletics world in 2010.

Croatia’s World outdoor and indoor women’s High Jump champion Blanka Vlasic, with yet another 2m clearance to retain her title in Doha, was one of two IAAF Diamond League Ambassadors to win gold at the weekend, and will start her IAAF Diamond League season in Doha.

Steven Hooker of Australia, the other Ambassador to be a winner at the World Indoor Championships, took his victory with a stunning 6.01m championship record and now has the distinction of holding the World indoor and outdoor titles and the Olympic crown in the Pole Vault. Given the way that the 32 event disciplines of the IAAF Diamond League are distributed across the 14 meetings, the men’s Pole Vault commences in Shanghai, China on 23 May.

There is perhaps even more desire for the another Ambassador, Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva, the reigning Olympic champion and World record holder in the women’s Pole Vault, to succeed in the IAAF Diamond League after her below par performance yesterday in Doha. Another Ambassador, World and Olympic distance running champion Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) will also have something to prove outdoors this summer after injury sidelined his indoor ambitions.

The remaining five IAAF Diamond League Ambassadors who played no part in the indoor season - the sprint triumvirate Usain Bolt (JAM), Tyson Gay (USA), Asafa Powell, who were one-two-three in Berlin last summer, USA’s 400m World champion Sanya Richards, and World and Olympic Javelin Throw champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway - will also be eager to excel on the highest individual athletics platform in 2010, an outdoor season which is without a World Championship or Olympic climax.

Chris Turner for the IAAF Diamond League Full article at iaaf.org

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