Event Preview: Bislett Welcomes the World’s Fastest Man

87 years has come and gone since then until the 2011 Samsung Diamond League meeting. 69 World records have been achieved in Oslo, and the famous “Strawberry Party”, which was established by Arne Haukvik in the mid-sixties, is nowadays an un-renounceable part of days to remember.

June 9th, 2011 will also be a day to remember because the World’s fastest man is in town. “Lightning Bolt” will start in Oslo for the first time in his career, and he will run the 200m against competitors and time. His world record is at 19.19 (Berlin, 2009), the meet record is 19.82, held by Namibia’s Frank Fredericks since July 5th, 1996.

“I spent half my budget to get Usain Bolt”, meet director Steinar Hoen said, “but he deserves it. It wasn’t the fact that our sponsors paid more this year, but we got more of them." 16 companies support the meet, first of all ExxonMobil.
Now all Bolt has to do is to win. Most probably, he will, even if it rains. “I had some nice performances in bad weather conditions”, Bolt said. It would be even better if he remained under the 20-second barrier, if he could break the Bislett Stadium record, or even his own World record. But most likely, not all of this will happen.

The sold-out stadium (15.000 spectators) as to wait until 9:47 pm before Bolt will appear for the last competition of the 2011 Bislett Games edition. However, arriving late will be a mistake. From 5:15 pm onwards, World class Track and Field is guaranteed in Oslo.

The Samsung Diamond League competitions will start at 5:30 pm with the Men’s Discus Throw. In the overall, Robert Harting (GER), Gerd Kanter (EST) and Virgilijus Alekna (LTU) are in the lead. The two Olympic Champions but not Harting will compete in Oslo, with Kanter and meet record holder Alekna (70.51m in 2007) coming directly from the meet in Eugene.
At 6:15 pm, the Women’s Triple Jump starts. Ucraine’s Olha Saladukha and Cuba’s Yargelis Savigne are leading in the race for the diamond. Both World Champion Savigne (season best 14.95) and Saladukha (season best 14.98m) will try to out-jump the other in Oslo.

The Pole Vault Women will start at 6:20 pm, and also in this competition, two athletes are leading overall: Anna Rogowska (POL) and Silke Spiegelburg (GER). World Champion Rogowska, who won at the Eugene Prefontaine Classic with 4.68m, will be at the Bislett Games, the German will not.

In the Shot Put Women’s SDL ranking, Lijiao Gong from China, Nadezhda Ostapchuk (BLR) and Jillian Camarena-Williams are in the lead. In Oslo, all three will fight for first place from 6:45 pm onwards. Ostapchuk won with 20.59m in Eugene; Camarena-Williams was runner-up there with 19.76m, while Gong’s PB of the season is 19.84m. Will the meet record of Nunu Abashdize (UKR) finally fall? She achieved 20.24m in 1985.

The Men’s High Jump will start at 7:55 pm. Currently, Jesse Williams (USA) is in the overall lead, and he will jump at Bislett, as will his first chaser Raul Spank from Germany. Spank won with the height of 2.32m in Eugene, while Williams was third there with the identical height.

The 400 m hurdles Women are scheduled for 8.05 pm. Lashinda Demus (USA) and Kaliese Spencer (JAM) lead in the SDL race but aren’t present at the Bislett stadium.

Greg Rutherford from Great Britain and Mitchell Watt from Australia are in the Long Jump Men SDL lead. Rutherford will show up at 8:06 pm, Watt not.

Six minutes later, at 8.12 pm, the Women’s 400m race will take place. Allyson Felix is currently number one in the overall, followed by Amantle Montsho (BOT). The African won in 50.59 in Eugene and will start in Oslo. The US American Felix is giving forfeit.

Kenya is the powerhouse when we talk about Men’s 3000m steeplechase. Ezekiel Kemboi, Brimin Kiprop Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele Koech lead the Diamond race. Olympic and World Champion Kipruto (season best 8:02.28) and Koech (season best 8:02.42), who was second in Eugene will start in Oslo (8:20 pm).

Since 2005, the Men’s Javelin Throw has been a quest for two. In 2005, 2007 and 2009 Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki won. In 2006, 2008 and 2010, home town hero Andreas Thorkildsen secured first place. This year, it can only be Pitkämäki. He’s leading the SDL race, and he doesn’t have Thorkildsen as a big opponent. The Norwegian won’t start due to injury. The Javeling Throw will start at 8:21 pm.

Carmelita Jeter (USA) is leading in the Women’s 100m overall, but neither she nor her nearest rival Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM) are competing in Oslo. Anyway, the action will start at 8:35 pm.

With less than one hour to go before the start of Usain Bolt, the 110m hurdles men take place at 8.55 pm. Xiang Liu (CHN) and David Oliver (USA) are both in the SDL lead, but both will skip the event in Norway.

9.05 pm, and one of the women who has grabbed much of the attention will be at the starting line. In the Women’s 800m, Caster Semenya from South Africa will try to run once more under 1:59, as she did in Eugene (1:58.88) finishing third. In the SDL lead are Jennifer Meadows (GBR) and Kenia Sinclair (JAM); and while Sinclair does not compete in Oslo, Meadows could give the reigning World Champion a hard time on her way to victory.

At the Women’s 5000m (9.10 pm), Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (KEN) is the one to beat. The African leads in the overall and has run 14:31.92 this year.

The Men’s ExxonMobil Dream Mile (9.30 pm) is a real dream for middle distance fans. Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba and Haron Keitany (both from Kenya) lead in the overall ranking, their compatriots Asbel Kiprop and Silar Kiplagat are in the next spots. And all of them are in Oslo! Keitany won in 3:49.09 in front of Silas Kiplagat and Asbel Kiprop in Eugene. What will the result be at the Bislett stadium?

And then, finally, it is 9.47 pm! The World’s fastest man will show up for his first 200m race this year. The three times Olympic Gold medallist and three times World Championships Gold medallist Usain Bolt does not have to face Walter Dix (USA), leader in the SDL standing, but second placed Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR), who was second in 20.26 in Eugene will be there. His personal best stays at 19.89, just 7/10 seconds

It will be the night of Usain Bolt. If it rains or not, the man from the Caribbean may provide the lightning.
But it won’t be only the night of Usain Bolt. First of all, it will be a night of great Track and Field sport.
Therefore, stay tuned!