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| Andreas Thorkildsen (left) and Alison Felix have confirmed their availability for the Doha meet |
No Usain Bolt, no Asafa Powell and no Tyson Gay but the IAAF Diamond League still promises to be exciting as Teddy Tamgho, Andreas Thorkildsen, Andrey Silnov, Walter Dix, Allyson Felix and Lolo Jones have confirmed their availability for the event to be held here on May 6.
Top Jamaican sprinters have failed to make it for the event as they have their national selection trials during the same time, revealed QAAF President and Chairman of the Samsung Diamond League Doha 2011, Abdulla Ahmed al-Zaini.
“We tried our best to rope in the best athletes for the event but unfortunately, we can’t have them here as they have the important trials back home. We can’t blame them for missing the event for that. They couldn’t have missed that,” said al-Zaini after announcing the list of confirmed players at a press briefing here yesterday.
Tamgho, the 22-year-old French star in Triple Jump, started the 2010 season from Doha World Indoor Championships and rewrote the world indoor record thrice last season. He is currently the hottest name right now in the world of track & field and will be keen to become the first athlete, after 13 years, to break the 18m barrier in triple jump.
Twice Olympic Champion in Javelin Throw Andreas Thorkildsen from Norway has ‘hit the decks’ four straight times in Doha, from 2006 till 2009. The current European, World and Olympic Champion holds the meeting record with a 90.13 throw back in 1996, when he beat the legendary Jan Zelezny.
Three times World Champion in 200m Allyson Felix from the USA has an astonishing achievement of the three in a row World titles (2005, 2007, 2009) in individual events. Felix has also won three more gold medals at the World Championships plus one Olympic Games gold medal as a member of the USA relay team in both 4X100m and 4X400m.
She is the only athlete of the 2010 Diamond League who won the 200m and 400m titles and will start the season with the goal to defend these titles.
The highlight of the Doha 2011 Diamond League is likely to be the men’s High Jump. The 2008 Olympic Champion, Andrey Silnov from Russia is the leading name. However Qatar is hoping to surprise the world with the 2010 World Junior Champion and 2010 Asian Games Champion, Mutaz Essa Barshim, who is one of the most talented athletes in the world and clearly has the potential to be an Olympic and World Champion in the near future.
Barshim, along with his compatriot and 2010 World Continental Cup winner, Rashid Ahmed al-Mannai, are two of the big local hopes for great performances.
“It will be a great learning experience for us as we will be competing with some of the best athletes. We have been training in Poland and are keen to put up a good show,” said a confident Barshim.
The hosts are also fielding more fast rising youngsters in track events. The charismatic Femi Ogunode, who made the golden double in sprint events (200/400) in the 2010 Asian Games and the fast improving 800m runner Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla, the 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist are the athletes to watch out for.
The first string of athletics superstars is completed by two times World Indoor Champion in 60m Hurdles Lolo Jones and Olympic Bronze medallist in 100m and 200m Walter Dix - both from USA.