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AFGolden League commences June 1st
Jeremy Wariner, LaShawn Merritt, Lolo Jones, and Bershawn Jackson will
be among the U.S. athletes competing this Sunday at the first meeting of
the 2008 AF Golden League, the DKB-ISATF meeting in Berlin, Germany. To
claim a portion of the $1 Million AF Golden League Jackpot, the biggest
yearly payout in international athletics, an athlete must win at all six
meetings of the AF Golden League.
Jeremy Wariner, 2004 Olympic 400 meter and two-time World 400m gold
medalist, is looking to repeat his performances from the 2006 series,
were he claimed $249,999 of the jackpot. Warner enters the meeting
ranked #1 in the world for four straight years, has the third fastest
time in history of 43.45 seconds, and a nine-race winning streak. To
maintain his streak Wariner must arrive in Berlin at the top of his
game, as he will face stiff competition in U.S. athletes LaShawn Merritt
and Angelo Taylor.
2007 World Outdoor 400m silver medalist, LaShawn Merritt looks to dip
under the 44 second barrier for the second time in his career, becoming
the ninth man to do so after running 43.96 in Osaka, Japan. The 22 year
old had his best start yet, clocking 44.34 seconds in Martinique earlier
this May. Merritt has also shown his top end speed in the 200 meter
dash, posting a personal best of 19.98.
Also set to compete in the 400m is Angelo Taylor, with a personal best
of 44.05 seconds. While Taylor competes in both the 400m and 400 meter
hurdles, he has focused his attention on the dash. The 2004 Olympic
400mH gold medalist will look to become the 10th sprinter to dash into
the sub-44 club.
With the combination of Wariner, Merritt, and Taylor, the men's 400
meter dash is set to be one of the fiercest events on the day.
Showcasing in the men's 400 meter hurdles, with a personal best of 47.30
seconds, will be 2005 World Outdoor champion Bershawn Jackson. Track and
Field News has ranked Jackson in the world's top ten men's 400mH runners
every year since 2003. Jackson battled injuries throughout 2007, but has
made a strong comeback this year, posting times of 48.32 and 48.94, at
the Kansas Relays and at the adidas Track Classis respectively.
Other U.S. athletes that pose as threats in the 400mH are James Carter
and Kenneth Ferguson. Carter was fourth at the World Outdoor
Championships in 2007, with a personal best of 47.43 seconds and has
placed fourth at the Olympic Games twice. Ferguson's 2007 season was
strong, posting a fourth at the USA Outdoor Championships and a #7 world
ranking by Track and Field News. He enters the meeting with a personal
best of 48.15 seconds, achieved at the 2007 adidas Track Classic. Taylor
is slatted to compete in the 400 meter hurdles as well.
Included in the women's 100 meter hurdles is 2008 World Indoor 60 meter
hurdle champion Lolo Jones. Jones enters the AF Golden League with a
personal best of 12.56 seconds set in 2006 and a season's best time of
12.65. Jones will battle head to head against Sweden's Susanna Kallur,
the World Indoor record holder in the 60mH.
Also vying for a share of the jackpot is men's 110 meter hurdler David
Oliver. Oliver recently ran a personal best and the fastest time this
year in the 100mH, crossing the finish line in 12.95 seconds at the Doha
Super Gran Prix in Qatar. Oliver's time was just .07 seconds off the
world record held by Liu Xiang of China.
Brian Johnson rounds out the U.S. athletes slated for the meeting as of
Friday afternoon. The 2006 USA Outdoor men's long jump champion enters
with a promising outdoor season, with a season's best jump of 8.30
meters set in Martinique earlier this month.
For complete information about the 2008 AF Golden League, visit
IAAF.org.
For detailed information about the DKB-ISATF meeting, visit
ISTAF.de.
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