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ROME -- The IAAF Golden League resumes Friday night at the Stadio Olimpico with the Golden Gala Kinder+Sport meet in the Italian capital, the third stop in the six-meeting series.
The key match-ups:
MEN –
100m:
Asafa Powell returns to action after being sidelined by a recurring groin injury since last month’s Jamaican championships. Rising star Bahamian Derrick Atkins, a distant cousin of Powell’s, will put his four race win streak to the test.
400m:
African record holder Gary Kikaya is back in action after his victory in Lausanne on Tuesday. "I’m really looking forward to a race in good conditions," said Kikaya, who’s won four of his six races this season. Americans Angelo Taylor and LaShawn Merritt, who have run 44.05 and 44.06, are also in the field.
800m:
The spotlight will be on perennial speedster Wilfred Bungei of Kenya, who returns from Injury in his first race since Belgrade on May 29.
1500m:
Daniel Kipchirchir Komen returns to defend his title; last year the Kenyan ran 3:29.02 here, the world’s fastest time in 2006. Oslo Dream Mile winner Adil Kaouch returns to action after skipping the Paris leg of the Golden League.
5000m:
Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine are the ones to watch; Ugandan Boniface Kiprop will be making his 2007 track debut.
110m hurdles:
Cuban Dayron Robles, the winner in Paris, returns as a nominal favorite. Oslo winner Anwar Moore has produced a pair of notable runner-up finishes since.
400m hurdles:
U.S. champion James Carter --the winner in Paris last week-- is the man to watch, and Kerron Clement, who finished just .01 seconds behind him in Lausanne on Tuesday, will be watching. World champion Bershawn Jackson is looking to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Lausanne.
Long Jump:
With the clear world No. 1, Irving Saladino away as he prepares to carry the Panamanian flag at the opening of the Pan-American Games, the spotlight falls on reigning world champion Dwight Phillips and Italian favorite, Andrew Howe.
Triple Jump:
Swede Christian Olsson is the favorite, but world champion Walter Davis is due for a big jump. World leader Jadel Gregorio still has to prove that he can jump well and far outside of his native Brazil.
Javelin:
The event’s big three --Finn Tero Pitkamaki, Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen, and American Breux Greer-- are clearly head and shoulders above the rest. Pitkamaki is still alive in the Jackpot chase, but Thorkildsen is the defending winner here. Greer is the world leader with his 91.29 U.S. recofd.
WOMEN –
100m:
U.S. champion Torri Edwards clearly has the momentum. She’s won five of her six races, including her last four.
400m:
Again, the spotlight is on Sanya Richards, who continues her Golden League Jackpot chase. Again, the American trio that upset her at the U.S. championships --Deedee Trotter, Natasha Hastings and Mary Wineberg-- are in the field.
800m:
Jamaican Kenia Sinclair, the winner in Lausanne two days ago, leads the field that also includes American Hazel Clark and Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei.
5000m:
With the top Ethiopians and Kenyans away, a chance for U.S. record holder Shalane Flanagan to at least borrow the spotlight. In April, Flanagan lowered the U.S. record to 14:44.80.
100m hurdles:
World champion Michelle Perry continues her Jackpot hunt. She narrowly beat Euroean champion Susanna Kallur in Lausanne on Tuesday, and can expect another strong race from the Swede again.
400m hurdles:
With the Russians elsewhere, 2003 world champion Jana Rawlinson looks to be the favorite.
High Jump:
Literally up in the air. The only woman missing from what Italian record holder Antonietta Di Martino described as a "world championships preview" is reigning Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko. World leader Blanka Vlasic (2.04) won in Paris, while European indoor and outdoor champion Tia Hellebaut is still looking or her first two meter jump outdoors.
Pole Vault:
The first eagerly anticipated match-up between event queen Yelena Isinbayeva and newly crowned U.S. record holder Jenn Stuczynski. But the American, who broke Stacy Dragila’s national record with a 4.88 leap last month, said she’s not quite the challenger to the throne she’s being made out to be. "She is such a great athlete and such a great pole vaulter. I have a lot of work to do before I’m going to be a challenger." Isinbayeva, the Olympic, world and European champion, welcomes the challenge. "I always want good rivals. The stronger they are the better for me. And it’s more interesting for spectators."
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