The first-ever Diamond League event staged in Poland, the meeting at Chorzów’s Silesian Stadium will be packed with stars from the recent World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA, Poland’s onet.pl website has reported.
In all, 49 medalists from Eugene are due to vie for honours, including 19 gold-medal winners, Jakub Chełstowski, the head of Poland's southern Silesian province, told the media.
Fajdek, Duplantis, Jackson
The elite group includes Poland’s hammer throw champion Paweł Fajdek, who will again face off against compatriot Wojciech Nowicki, a silver medalist from Eugene.
Also coming to Chorzów will be Armand Duplantis, Sweden’s genius pole vaulter, who has just set an impressive new world record, onet.pl reported.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson will grace the women’s 200m event, hoping to finally take down Florence Griffith-Joyner’s long-standing world record.
'Worthy of Olympic finals'
Piotr Małachowski, the director of the Chorzów’s Diamond League meeting, said: “It will be an action-packed programme, as never seen before at any athletics event in Poland.”
He added: ”In several events, we are talking of the entire World Championships top three competing. Most of the entry lists are worthy of Olympic finals.”
Poland is set to field a strong team, as well, including the 400m sprinter Justyna Świety-Ersetic, 800m runner Patryk Dobek and shot putter Konrad Bukowiecki, according to officials.
Saturday’s meeting is officially called the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, in honour of Poland’s late Olympic hammer throw champion.
The first events kick off at 1:30 p.m. while the main Diamond League programme starts at 4 p.m., officials said.
(pm/gs)
Source: onet.pl, silesia.diamondleague.com