BERLIN. ISTAF’s renowned capacity for putting on a fast, action-packed show looks set for another high-quality performance as some of the world’s top athletes get ready to display their talents on the famous blue track of the Olympic stadium. Sprint hurdle aces Tobi Amusan and Grant Holloway, Karsten Warholm over the one lap hurdles, Noah Lyles in the 100, home favourite and Olympic and World long jump champion Malaika Mihambo and Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman offer the prospect of track and field delight.
The ISTAF meeting director Martin Seeber anticipates a special vibe in the stadium on Sunday, as an expected 30,000 fans celebrate an extraordinary year of athletics: “The demand has been huge thanks to the great success of the European Championships. We want to have a wild party of track and field with many outstanding performers and the fans all fired-up. We’re delighted that so many stars of the highest calibre want to compete. Berlin, ISTAF, the Olympic Stadium – that combination is a big draw.”
From an athlete’s perspective, the newly crowned European javelin champion Julian Weber, a home town contender in Berlin, reflected on Sunday’s competition and recent months: “In this very special year of athletics, ISTAF is like a spectacular encore with the greatest hits.”
Men’s Events: Holloway, Warholm, Lyles
Grant Holloway retained his world title in the 110m hurdles in Eugene and the American has shown good form since then. His strongest challenger could well be the experienced Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, the European silver medallist in Munich. Norway’s world record holder Karsten Warholm returns for his third ISTAF appearance. The Olympic champion showed he was back in form after lengthy injury by winning the European 400m hurdles title last month. Turkey’s Yasmani Copello, the European bronze medallist, looks the pick of the other contenders.
Noah Lyles from the USA is one of track and field’s great showmen. He drops down to the 100m in Berlin, having retained his 200m title at the World Championships. He’s no slouch at the shorter sprint either, with a best of 9.86. The international aspect of group training is well proven by the story of how Noah Lyles comes to race at ISTAF: he and the German sprinter Gina Lückenkemper are in coach Lance Braumann’s squad, based at Clermont in Florida. In conversation at the World Championships, Lyles said he’d love to run post-championships in a great meeting with…
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