Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt might be the main drawcard for today’s Diamond League meeting in Monte Carlo, but eyes will also be on Australian Steve Hooker’s season debut in the men’s pole vault.
Reigning double world and Olympic sprint champion Bolt will race the 100m in another test of his form ahead of next month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
The 24-year-old, the 100m world record holder in 9.58 seconds, will face compatriots Nesta Carter and Michael Frater as well as France’s European champion Christophe Lemaitre and Portugal’s Nigerian-born veteran Francis Obikwelu, the world 60m indoor champion.
Hooker, however, will be up against an even stronger field, the current world, Olympic and Commonwealth champion admitting that he was throwing himself “in at the deep end”.
“Monaco will be my absolute first competition since last October,” said the 29-year-old, whose opponents will include the French trio of Renaud Lavillenie, Jerome Clavier and Romain Mesnil, 2003 world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco, of Italy, and 2007 world champion Brad Walker, of the United States.
“It is jumping straight in at the deep end, I guess. But there’s no better place to start than against the best in the world in a competition that’s virtually a world championships final.”
The promised duel in the men’s triple jump between world indoor champion Teddy Tamgho and reigning world outdoor gold medallist Phillips Idowu will not go ahead after the Frenchman’s season was cut short with a fractured ankle.
Idowu will not be able to take his outing at the Louis II stadium easily, however, with in-form Ukrainian Sheryf el-Sheryf in the mix.
The Simferopol-born El-Sheryf, whose father is Syrian, stormed to victory in last week’s European Under-23 championships where Tamgho got injured, jumping a best of 17.72m... only Tamgho, with 17.91m, has managed better this season.
In what promises to be a fine evening of top-class athletics in Monaco, in-form American Morgan Uceny, with Diamond League victories in Lausanne and Birmingham to her name, goes up against Bahrain’s double world champion Maryam Jamal in the women’s 1,500m.
Kenyan trio Eliud Kipchoge, Isaiah Koech and Lucas Rotich will attempt to keep Mo Farah, of Britain, American Bernard Lagat and Australian Craig Mottram at bay in the men’s 5,000m.
And reigning triple world champion Allyson Felix faces American compatriot Carmelita Jeter in the women’s 200m.
Other star turns include world record holder David Rudisha, of Kenya, going in the men’s 800m and Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic appearing in the women’s high jump.