Yohan Blake and Angelo Taylor set to contest at the Aviva London Grand Prix – Samsung Diamond League
With the Aviva London Grand Prix – the twelfth leg of the Samsung Diamond League Series, approaching on Friday, August 5, Yohan Blake, the Jamaican sprinter along with American 400m hurdler, Angelo Taylor, have consented to join the star-studded field that
is supposed to contest on the track at the Crystal Palace in London.
Blake, the 21-year-old sprinter happens to be a bronze medal winner at the World Junior championships. The young sprinter also holds the national junior record in a 100m run. For clocking a finish of 9.89 seconds, he is regarded as Jamaica’s fourth fastest
runner (top three positions claimed by Nesta Carter, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell).
The fastest finish clocked by the young sprinter ever is 9.80 seconds, marked on the Kingston track in May, however, for the wind being over 2.2m/s – well over the legal limit, the finish was not acknowledged formally. The emerging star is presently being
trained under the guidance of veteran coach, Glen Mills. He is also a training partner of athletes like Daniel Bailey and Usain Bolt.
Taylor, the other veteran to appear on the Aviva London Grand Prix field, is a 400m hurdle specialist. The major achievements the 32-year-old athlete boasts of are comprised of are a 400m hurdling gold medal at the Sydney Olympics and Beijing Olympics, a
4x400m relay gold medal at Beijing Olympics, Osaka World Championships and a gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2009 Berlin World Championships.
However, despite of the given strength the duo possess, in presence of over 40 Olympic and world medal winners, their appearance will only add up to the thrill of spectators.
Expectedly, in London, Taylor will appear in a 400m competition while Martyn Rooney, the local hero, is expected to challenge him for the title along with Kirani James, the world junior champion. On the second day of the event, he will return to his specialised
discipline, the 400m hurdling showdown.
On the other hand, the emerging star from Jamaica will face Asafa Powell, the fastest man of the current year in a 100m sprinting competition. Other stars expected to join them on the course are Mark Lewis-Francis, the prominent competitor from the Aviva
Great Britain along with Marlon Devonish, Craig Pickering and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.
The Samsung Diamond League series, which is the 2nd edition of the Diamond League event, has been extending a springboard to potential athletes to emerge in their potential fields. Kicking-off in Doha this summer, it will conclude in the mid of
September in Brussels, Belgium. By that time, it is expected that the event will not only polish the sporting skills of young athletes like Blake, but will also add up to the learning of veterans like Taylor.
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