Van Zyl, Meselech Melkamu and Anita Wlodarczyk ready to dominate at the Daegu World Championships
With the World Athletics Championships a couple of months away, spectators around the world have started predicting about the performance of their favourite athletes in the big event. Though here is no calculated formula through which one can assess the
expected performance of a particular athlete in a competition, however, their past efforts sometimes provide clearer hints as to what level of performance they would be displaying.
With the event closing in, three formidable athletes, Van Zyl, Meselech Melkamu and Anita Wlodarczyk, are surely predicted to perform well at the much awaited Athletics World Championships in Daegu.
Van Zyl, the 25-year-old athlete, has been dominating the track right from the beginning of this year. He also happens to be the 2005 World Champion and the Olympic finalist in 400m Hurdles race in 2008. The young athlete kicked-off the season and marked
a 47.66 seconds run in South Africa in February. He then came back to hit the 400m run last weekend, where, at an altitude in Germiston, he clocked an impressive 44.86 seconds. Both performances have lifted him as a leading performer in the early phase of
2011.
After 2006, when he finished second and after 2007, when he managed to bag the title, this is the third time when Van Zyl is making an appearance in Ostrava. Now, the athlete is all set to take on Dai Greene, the European champion from Great Britain and
to meet or surpass the record of 48.10 seconds, set by Felix Sanchez.
Van Zyl, who plans to kick-off the summer season with his participation at the opening of 2011 Samsung Diamond League meeting, to be held on May 6 in Doha, says that he likes running in Ostrava. He added that it not only offers a vibrant atmosphere in the
stadium, but the track is also rather fast.
Speaking in context of his training and preparations for the forthcoming season, he said, “Training has been going very well this winter. I have improved both my PBs for the 400m Hurdles and 400m during the South African athletics season. Therefore, I am
hoping to continue with this form towards the rest of the outdoor season, and specifically the World Championships in Daegu.”
Another splendid athlete spectators at Ostrava will be looking forward to watch is Ethiopian runner, Melkamu, who is the world silver medal winner in 10,000m distance and also holds the African record for the event. The 25-year-old athlete will be competing
at Ostrava’s municipal stadium for the seventh time. Since 2004, when she started appearing at the venue, she only missed the event in 2005. So far, the proud Ethiopian has managed to bag two victories (in 5000m and 10000m) in the event.
For Hammer Throw fans, Wlodarczyk will be present to grab the attention of spectators. In order to lift the title in the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge in the women’s event, Wlodarczyk, who holds the world record for a distance of 77.96m, will be competing
against Betty Heidler, the world silver medallist and European champion from Germany.
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