Posted: June 1, 2005

Athletics: TDK Golden League 2005 – One Calendar Month To Go!

Monte-Carlo – There is now exactly a calendar month until the first track races, jumps and throws of the new TDK Golden League season. The Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis meeting takes place on 1 July 2005, with the world’s best athletes in 12 different disciplines commencing their quest to win the One Million Dollars prize offered by the TDK Golden League Jackpot.

In 2005, the task remains the same - ‘six wins from six meetings’ - but this summer the TDK Golden League calendar is more compact with the climax in Berlin on 4 September. The six meetings straddle the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland, 6 -14 August, with Paris, Rome and Oslo before, and Zurich, Brussels and Berlin following the climax of events in the Finnish capital.

The TDK Golden League 2005 will be officially launched at an IAAF Press Conference at 12 noon on Sunday 19 June at the Hotel Astoria in Florence, Italy, prior to the final afternoon of competition at the Spar European Cup.

Some of the expected high-spots of this season of the TDK Golden League will be focused on as themes on that occasion. In particular, it should be an outstanding summer of sprint hurdling with Liu Xiang, Allen Johnson, and Ladji Doucouré assured of fighting out for honours in the 110m Hurdles.

What about the prospect of Jana Pittman versus Fani Halkia this season in the women’s 400m Hurdles, or Tatyana Lededeva skipping powerfully down the runway in the women’s Triple Jump?

Then of course there is the great Kenenisa Bekele who starts in Paris but has yet to decide his complete season schedule.

After a winter of such outstanding contests in the men’s High Jump, perhaps we can also hope for another taste of the magic which inspired 15 men to clear 2.30m or more indoors topped by Stefan Holm’s 2.40m win in Madrid. The Swede is already a declared TDK Golden League starter.

TDK Golden League 2005

2005 Dates

Paris - Friday, 1 July
Rome - Friday, 8 July
Oslo - Friday, 29 July
Zurich - Friday, 19 August
Brussels - Friday, 26 August
Berlin - Sunday, 4 September

2005 Events

There will be seven events for men and five for women:

Men - 100m, 800m, 1500m or Mile, 3000m or 5000m, 110m Hurdles, High Jump, Javelin Throw.
Women - 100m, 800m, 3000m or 5000m, 400m Hurdles, Triple Jump.