Event by Event Preview for the Zagreb Meeting Boris Hanzekovic Memorial
Zagreb hosts the Memorial Boris Hanzekovic, the final leg of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold from September 9 to 11.
The Croatian meeting started on Friday (9) with the women’s pole vault and the men’s long jump. These disciplines were held as street events during the Zagreb City Challenge. The programme continued on Saturday (10) with the men’s shot put, which was street event in the city center.
Preview for Sunday's events
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Grant Holloway will make his debut in the Memorial Boris Hanzekovic, the race named after the 110m hurdler, who was killed during the Second World War.
Holloway won his second world outdoor title n Eugene in 13.03 and set his seasonal best of 12.99 in the Monaco Diamond League meeting. The Olympic silver medallist won in Berlin in 13.05 and in the Diamond League final in Zurich in 13.02 claiming the first Diamond Trophy of his career. Holloway will face his compatriot Freddie Crittenden, who won the gold medal at the NACAC Championships in Freeport in 13.00 and finished second to Holloway in Berlin in 13.07 last week.
Grant Holloway: “It has been a great season. It started off in February and I am coming to a great close in September. I am coming off a big Diamond League win. I am excited to be here and looking forward to very fast times tomorrow and getting back out there and having fun”.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper from Jamaica will go head-to-head against Tonea Marshall in the women’s 100 metres hurdles. Tapper recently improved her PB to 12.51 in Brussels. Marshall finished fourth at the US Championships in Eugene in 12.55 and won in Padua last week in 12.93.
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
This year’s Commonwealth Games champion Janieve Russell from Jamaica will face her compatriot Rushell Clayton, who won the world bronze medal in Doha 2019. Clayton won the second Diamond League race of her career in Monaco in 53.33 beating Russell before taking another victory at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto in 53.75. Russell finished second in Monaco in 53.52, Lausanne in 53.92 and third in Zurich in 53.77.
Men’s 400 metres hurdles:
Khallifah Rosser and CJ Allen are the stand-out names in the men’s 400 metres hurdles. Rosser won in Lausanne in 47.68, finished fifth at the World Championships in 47.88, second at the NACAC Championships in
47.59, in Brussels in 47.88 and in Zurich in 47.76.
CJ Allen finished third in the Diamond League final in Zurich in 48.21.
The two US hurdlers will be joined by Frenchman Ludvy Vaillant, who finished fourth at the European Championships in Munich.
Men’s triple jump:
World silver and Olympic bronze medallist Fabrice Zango will take on two-time Olympic champion and four-time world gold medallist Christian Taylor and Alexis Copello from Azerbaijan, European silver medallist in Berlin 2018. Zango recently showed his good form by jumping 17.40m in Brussels and 17.43m in Zurich.
Men’s 100 metres:
Marvin Bracy leads the line-up in the men’s 100 metres. The US sprinter equalled his PB of 9.85 at the US Championships and won the world silver medal in Eugene with 9.88. He finished in the top-three in all of his 100m races this season. He will target Usain Bolt’s meeting record of 9.85 set in 2011.
World Championships finalist Joseph Fahnbulleh, Cuba’s Reynier Mena and double NACAC silver medallist Kyree King will double up in the 100m and 200m. Fahnbulleh won two NCAA titles in the 100m in 10.00 and 200m in 19.83m and placed fourth in the World Championships final in Eugene with 19.84. Mena set the Cuban record with 19.63 in La Chaux de Fonds.
Women’s 400 metres:
The line-up features three athletes, who broke the 50 seconds barrier: Fiordaliza Cofil from Dominican Republic, Sada Williams from Barbados and Candice McLeod. Cofil, who finished sixth in the World Championships final in Eugene, won her first Diamond League race in Brussels in a PB of 49.80 and finished second to her compatriot Marileidy Paulino in Zurich in 49.93. Williams won the world bronze medal in Eugene in a national record of 49.75 and finished third in the Diamond League Final in 49.98. McLeod finished fifth in the Olympic Games in Tokyo with 49.87 and seventh in the World Championships final in 50.78.
Women’s mile:
World under 20 3000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich will run over the mile distance for the first time in her career. Cherotich will face Olympic sixth placer Linden Hall, African 800m champion Netsanet Desta, Josette Norris from the USA, Winnie Nanyondo from Uganda.
Men’s 3000 metres:
This year’s Commonwealth 10000m Daniel Simiu Ebenyo will go head to-head in the 3000m against world under 20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot, Olympic and world 3000 metres steeplechase fourth placer Getnet Wale , Nibret Melak from Ethiopia, who clocked 12:54.22 in the 5000m, and Andreas Almgren, who set the 5000m Swedish record of 13:01.70 in Brussels, former 1500m European champion Filip Ingebrigtsen from Norway, and US Willam Kincaid.
Men’s 2000 metres steeplechase:
Soufiane El Bakkali will target the world all-time best over the non-Olympic distance 2000m steeplechase held by Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi with 5:10.68. El Bakkali won the world gold medal in Eugene and Diamond League title in Zurich in 8:07.67. He leads the world seasonal list with his national record of 7:58. 28 set in Rabat.
Women’s discus throw:
Reigning Olympic champion Valarie Allman from the USA will clash against two-time Olympic gold medallist Sandra Perkovic.
Perkovic won the world silver medal in Eugene with 68.45m beating Allman by 15 cm and went on to win her sixth consecutive European gold medal in Munich with 67.95m. The Croatian thrower will be seeking her 10th win in Zagreb in front of her home fans.
Perkovic leads 12-9 in her head-to -head clashes against Allman. The US thrower won at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin with 70.06m and her second consecutive Diamond League title in Zurich with 67.77m beating Perkovic by almost half metre.
The other top name in the field is Kristin Pudenz, who won two silver medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and at the European Championships in Munich 2022.
Men’s discus throw:
Kristjan Ceh won his first world title in Eugene last July with 71.13m, the silver medal at the European Championships in Munich and the Diamond Trophy in Zurich with 67.10m. The Slovenian thrower won four more Diamond League meetings in Birmingham with a national record of 71.27m, Rabat (69.68m), Rome (70.72m), Stockolm (70.02m) and a Continental Tour Gold competition in Szekesfehrvar with 71-13m.
Ceh will clash against Olympic champion Daniel Stahl, who set the world seasonal best with 71.47m in Upssala and finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene with 67.10m.
The other top names in the field are last year’s Olympic silver medallist Simon Petterson, who won the Swedish title with 70.42m, Lawrence Okoye from Great Britain, European bronze medallist in Munich with 67.14m, and US thrower Sam Matthis, fourth at the Diamond League final with 65.24m.
