Posted: May 2, 2006

Athletics: Bergqvist And Arron Sign-Up For IAAF Golden League

One Month To Go!

Monte-Carlo - World High jump champion Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden, and double World sprint bronze medallist Christine Arron, both currently number one in their events in the IAAF World Rankings, are the latest top name signings for the 2006 IAAF Golden League.

The start of the six meeting series is now just a month away with the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, opening the season on Friday 2 June.

In an outdoor season which presents no global individual championships to be contested, the IAAF Golden League, which is the pinnacle of one day international athletics, assumes an even greater significance in 2006.

Bergqvist, who made a remarkable comeback from a career threatening injury in 2004, to win the 2005 World Championships title and be the highest jumper of the 2005 outdoor and 2006 indoor seasons (2.08m Arnstadt, 4 Feb 2006 - World record pending ratification), has again had her injury problems but is confident of being fit for the start of the season.

Arron, the European 100m record holder, was arguably in the overall best shape of her career last year, taking the 100m and 200m bronze medals at the World Championships in Helsinki. The French athlete also won at five of the six Golden League meetings last year, when the winning formula for the $1 million jackpot was to ‘win all six’. If she could reproduce the same result in 2006, with the new jackpot she would now at the very worst share a purse of $500,000, and of course if she managed to go one better and win six times she would take a share of another $500,000.

These two athletes follow World and Olympic champions Jeremy Wariner (USA) and Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), the World Athlete of the Year, in announcing their participation in the six meeting series which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.

For more...IAAF.org.

2006 IAAF Golden League Events:
Men: 100m, 400m, 1500m, 3000/5000m, Long Jump, Javelin Throw
Women: 100m, 400m, 3000/5000m, 100m Hurdles, High Jump

IAAF Golden League - Dates and venues in 2006:

Friday 2 June, OSLO, NOR 
Saturday 8 July, PARIS, FRA 
Friday 14 July, ROME, ITA
Friday 18 August, ZURICH, SUI
Friday 25 August, BRUSSELS, BEL
Sunday 3 September, BERLIN, GER 

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