Posted: June 28, 2005

Athletics: TDK Golden League 2005 – Women’s 400M Hurdles And 100M

Monte-Carlo – Coming straight from her 53.35 personal best win at the USATF Championships this weekend, Lashinda Demus, 22, could present perhaps the stiffest opponent for Australia’s reigning World champion Jana Pittman over 400m Hurdles this Friday 1 July at the opening of the TDK Golden League 2005.

In assessing who might be in contention for the $1 million Jackpot across the 12 TDK Golden League disciplines, we examine two more events, the women’s 100m and 400m Hurdles, using the provisional start list of the Meeting Gaz de France, Paris St Denis on 1 July, as our guide.

Pittman, 22, who is currently the number one athlete in the IAAF World Ranking for the women’s 400m Hurdles, ran her third fastest time ever (53.44) on 14 June, which was overtaken in the season’s world list by Demus’ winning run last weekend in Carson, Los Angeles.

But the in-form American is by no means the only human barrier which faces Pittman in Paris, as while Olympic champion Fani Halkia (GRE) is reported to be injured, the Australian still must hurdle past the other three women who beat her in Athens last year – silver and bronze medallists, Ionela Tirlea-Manolache (ROM) and Tatyana Tereshchuk (UKR), and fourth placer Sheena Johnson (USA). Pittman having suffered a knee injury earlier in the Olympic summer was ‘only’ fifth in Athens. Sandra Glover the World silver medallist behind the Australian in 2003 is also in the line-up on Friday. All the above are in the IAAF World Ranked top-10 for the event.

By comparison the women’s 100m dash is a very open affair in Paris. Home favourite Christine Arron is sure to work on the loyalties of 70,000 spectators in the Stade de France in order to rebuff the hopes of the Americans, Olympic silver medallist Lauryn Williams, 2004 American champion LaTasha Colander, and Angela Williams. Then there are challenges from Ukraine’s former World champion Zhanna Block, inform Chandra Sturrup (BAH), Belgium’s European indoor gold medallist Kim Gevaert, and South Africa’s Geraldine Pillay.

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.