Compeed Golden Gala, Diamond League, Rome May 26

The organising committee of the Compeed Golden Gala, the third leg of the Diamond League series held in Rome on May 26, have announced the timetable and starting-lists today, so please check them out:

Newsletter
http://www.diamondleague.com/en/News/NewsArticles/Compeed-Golden-Gala-Start-List-and-Timetable-announced/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Starting Lists
http://www.diamondleague.com/PageFiles/12518/Startlist_17.05.2011.pdf

There is going to be not only plenty but also high British interest involved in Rome next week as World & European triple jump champion Phillips Idowu, European & Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene and World 1500m bronze medallist Lisa Dobriskey make their eagerly anticipated season debuts on the stage of the Olympic Stadium, heading a large contingent of athletes from the Great Albion.

The British athletes on show are as follows:

Men
200m Christian Malcolm, Leon Baptiste
400m Martyn Rooney
800m Mike Rimmer
400mh Dai Greene, Rhys Williams
TJ Phillips Idowu

Women
1500m Lisa Dobriskey, Hannah England
100mh Tiffany Offili-Porter
3000mSC Hattie Dean
LJ Shara Proctor

Alright, some really tasty line-ups there! Men's 400 looks to be of really high quality, looks like Rooney has his work cut out. I'm interested to see how Baptiste goes after his commonwealth title, the 200 field doesn't look the strongest either (Crawford aside) so he has a great chance to impress.

Keen to see if Rimmer can continue to impress, some strong names in the 800. Dai Greene goes up against Van Zyl, Taylor, Dutch, Culson and Clement, I think that's five of last year's top 6 athletes competing in the same race! No Tamgho in the TJ, but Idowu will be up against familiar rival Evora of Portugal (as well as Olsson and Opreah).

Also interested to see how Hattie Dean gets on in the women's SC after her promising performance in the Europeans last year where she finished fourth (I think). And of course we shall see if Tiffany Offili-Porter can continue to impress, and bring her times down...

David Rudisha, the world 800m record holder, is still dogged by a persisting ankle injury and faces a race against time to be fit for the Diamond League meeting in Rome next week:

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2011-05-20/content_2678430.html

World's top track and field athlete of 2010 David Rudisha (KEN) has eventually withdrawn from the Diamond League meeting in Rome as he could not shake off a persisting ankle injury that has affected his early season so far.

From a British point of view, Hannah England has scratched from the women's 1500m leaving Berlin silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey as the sole British representative in the race.

Latest provisional lists:
http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/06/00/75/60075_PDF_English.pdf

A more-muscled Usain Bolt admits to being nervous ahead of his premiere over 100m in Rome on Thursday having not raced since his defeat to Tyson Gay in Stockholm last July:

http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/More-muscular-Bolt-nervous-ahead-of-season-debut-1392965.php

PS In earnest, unless Asafa Powell can cash in on his good early form and some potential rustiness or lack of sharpness of Bolt, I can't see any other winner.
As I cannot see Christophe Lemaitre as a factor in a race where he could well end up towards the middle or back of the pack.

Perri Shakes-Drayton is also Rome-bound as I've picked up on the Twitter and should be contesting the flat 400m by my reckoning since there isn't a lap hurdles race on the programme.

As a matter of fact, Perri has confirmed that she is running the 400m flat in Rome.

Perri Shakes-Drayton now appears, although she has unfortunately drawn the inside lane, in the 400m line-up as the final starting lists have just come out for the Diamond League in Rome tomorrow:

http://www.diamondleague-rome.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/

So the time has come and I can feel the anticipation, tension and buzz building up sharply around as the hours are ticking away towards the third leg of the Diamond League series in Rome tonight, marking the start of what I would dub as a four-day 'spring final exams' for the British team stretching across to Sunday.

No less than a dozen British internationals will be turning up in the arena of the Olympic stadium in Rome seeking to establish early markers and gain a solid early foothold in the reckoning as regards either medals or top eight places in Daegu in a little over than three months.

World and European triple jump champion Phillips Idowu, World 1500m silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey and European and Commowealth 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene will inevitably carry the main burden of expectation tonight but there will also be the likes of Martyn Rooney, Mike Rimmer and Tiffany Offili-Porter who could emerge as high prospects in their events as the season unfolds.

The number itself, twelve, is the largest I can recall of Brits competing in a top-flight meeting beyond the British shores for years and comes to underline the ongoing turnaround of fortunes in the sport. These next four days are very important and will hopefully lay sound foundations for a season that has got all the makings of turning the best in many a year, more so as everything that goes on from now on will hold double the bearing and weight on procedures to Daegu.

Good luck to them all!

Great to see so many Brits involved. Not quite sure why the promoters have gone for so many but I'm not complaining.

Of course many athletes will have turned previous invitations down but I can't help but think this is down to the athletes agents and the promoters. Something like if you want my top stars you have to take these. Can't otherwise understand earlier events where the fiels were almost exclusively american or kenyan.

Teassoc - firstly the athletes have to be asked before they can turn it down so we have no idea who has turned down previous meetings and who was plainly not been asked.

Secondly athletes have their own "plan". It may not involve too much competition early season. We've seen Christine O. going most of the season hardly competing prior to Champs concentrating on a plan. Also last week Blanka Vasic said she is still tired from intense training - but still turned up.

Australians already started earlier e.g Mitchell Watt in fine form - a couple of 8.44s already. Pity no Mens Long Jump tonight. Shara Proctor in the Womens. She is up against a very good field with a number of 6.90/7m jumpers

Phillips Idowu is sounding out views around over how much he's going to jump later on on Twitter as he keeps his countdown till the triple jump gets underway going! He's apparently going to have black hair tonight, meaning serious business but not firing on all cylinders yet as I've come to work out his hair-dyeing code - hope I'm not wrong there!

Personally, I feel he is going to have hopped, stepped and jumped to the top of the world lists tonight and maybe by a big margin. He's on fire in training and brimming with confidence right now.

Phillips goes last but one in the jumping order as Italians have reserved that last place for their own boy Fabrizio Donato, who has impressed indoors over the last few seasons but failed to deliver outdoors.

The Brit's main rivals should be Olympic champion Nelson Evora (POR), in his first classy competition since 2009 and an unknown quantity, great former Olympic and World champion Christian Olsson (SWE), not the force of old but always reliable and consistent, Cuban Alexis Copello and European runner-up Marian Oprea (ROM). Former Brit Tosin Oke is also on the field.

Lisa Dobriskey goes straight into the deep end from the outset of her campaign as she is facing a very tough field in the women's 1500m that involves the likes of Olympic champion Nancy Lagat, World champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BRN) and Ethiopians Gelete Burka and Mimi Belete while Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN) is also involved.

Coached by husband and former 800m Olympian Ricky Soos, Lisa has been enjoying her best and smoothest build-up to a season for a long while and will be hoping for a top three finish in a fast time. This is going to be a fast-paced affair, with a stretched along field, and her turn of speed could tell at the end.

Dai Greene has already gone on record that he has identified tonight's race as the place where he has to lay down his marker as a potential contender for the world title, meaning claiming the spoils in this tussle.

Therefore I guess his cause could have hardly been helped more as he's got a superb lane draw in four with his main rival, South African LJ van Zyl, right in his sights on the very next lane outside him.

Dai held him off superbly down the home stretch to claim the Commonwealth title in Delhi so knows very well what he's got to do to emulate that tonight. Not that it's going to be easy on his rival current form though.

As a matter of fact, with World champion Kerron Clement, Olympic champion Angelo Taylor and fellow American Johnny Dutch all spreading out into the outer lanes, the European champion can control the race and time his efforts better than anyone else in the race.

European runner-up Rhys Williams is in lane two, just inside Xavier Culson, and will be looking for a good time and hopefully pick up a scalp or two on the way. He has shown some promising signs including a big PB over 200m so far this term.

Martyn Rooney, on the other hand, goes out in lane eight with only Greg Nixon (USA) in his sights so he will have to make sure he doesn't drift well behind the field before he comes into the home straight. He narrowly missed out on a big PB of 20.87 secs over 200m in the States so looks on the verge of a breakthrough this season.

Big names in the races are last year's world No 2 Jermaine Gonzales (JAM), Berlin bronze medallist Renny Quow (TRI), Christopher Brown (BAH) and European champion Kevin Borlee (BEL) but none among them have run particularly fast so far and I've got a sneaky feeling that Martyn could sneak a big result there.

Late call-up Perri Shakes-Drayton has to tackle a tough inside lane in a high-calibre race but I'm still confident she could draw a PB - she's in very good early form.

As for the top places, I reckon that Allyson Felix is going to better a shaky Sanya Richards-Ross over the distance to wrap up a double of wins tonight, possibly shattering the world leading mark over the 200m.

Mike Rimmer will be looking to move into the 1:44s and get a second top three place on the trot over 800m in the series that will set him up nicely to set his sights on more for the rest of the season.

No David Rudisha or Abubaker Kaki again tonight but there will be the likes of Boaz Lalang, Alfred Yego Kirwa, Mbulaeni Mulautzi (RSA) and David Mutua (KEN).

Let's also see whether Tiffany Offili-Porter gets her hands on the UK record over the 100m hurdles following her 12.88 secs in the streets of Manchester two weekends ago.

She's out in lane eight, with Americans Danielle Carruthers, Lolo Jones, Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells occupying the centrlal lanes but she will still have Christina Vukicevic (NOR) on her outside to ensure she's got someone to immediate race against down the straight.

Last, Christian Malcolm and Leon Baptiste go in eight and three respectively in a race that both could entertain hopes of a top three finishing. Shawn Crawford is the big name but always a (very) late starter in recent seasons, where this race could be tailor-made for home favourite Andrew Howe who has recently run 45.70 secs over 400m.

Shara Proctor will be eyeing another top three placing on the circuit accompanied by a hopefully A standard for Daegu in the long jump.

isabre, why are you so negative regarding christophe lemaitre? it really stands out.

I'm not negative towards Lemaitre, Iamian, I just think it's a race between the two top Jamaicans by far while there are other sprinters in the field that deserve at least as much, or even more, mention as him in the report in question.

i think you are! you were last year too! agree though he shouldn't be top billing, it makes him look bad when he 'only' runs 10.0.....

well done dai greene, he'll have the british record and will be ahead of van zyl by the end of the season. real gold medal prospect, i think.

Meantime, great season opener by Dai Greene who nails a fabulous second in 48.24 secs, a European-leading mark, behind the man in form at the moment LJ van Zyl, who runs 47.91 secs to grab the win.

That has definitely to be the fastest ever opening run by a Brit in the history in the event suggesting that Kriss Akabussi's UK record of 47.82 secs is shaking.

SB of 49.94 secs for Rhys Williams towards the back of the race.

Where can I watch the action on TV.
BBC is showing a tennis match between
two shill woman on red button,
it's driving me crazy.
Don't think it's on freeview

not on freeview, bbc website showing

Try this although I don't get any sound at the moment:
http://veetle.com/index.php/widget#512963F2AF5E7EADA447754096E8A3BB/true/16:9

Shara Proctor was fourth at 6.62m in the women's long jump well behind Britney Reese's 6.94m for top spot.

Hattie Dean must have run a 9:38ish in the steeplechase earlier on, good early stuff!

lsabre wrote:Late call-up Perri Shakes-Drayton has to tackle a tough inside lane in a high-calibre race but I'm still confident she could draw a PB - she's in very good early form.

As for the top places, I reckon that Allyson Felix is going to better a shaky Sanya Richards-Ross over the distance to wrap up a double of wins tonight, possibly shattering the world leading mark over the 200m.

Think I got that spot-on! Perri sneaks a PB of 51.47 secs despite running on the inside lane and Allyson totally dominates the race in a world-leading 49.81 secs. Superb racing!

are you patting yourself on the back re howe as well isabre? say nothing about your brit forecast though!

Tiffany Offili-Porter hit the seventh hurdle (I think) hard and lost momentum there, still got 12.91 secs in the 100mh. There's a lot more to come there.

Phillips 17.25 in his opening attempt and totally missed the take-off board. Good start!

i love how you put a positive spin on a last placing!

where is your lucky tshirt michael rimmer?

The rolling replay showed it even more clearly. I've got no doubt that Tiffany will be running very fast when the season picks up.

Christian was not spectacular but got fifth (20.95), but Leon looked very sluggish today - don't know if that had got to do with a slight setback that forced him out of Loughborough on Sunday.

Phillips 17.59m in the third, goes top of the world!

Isobre
Belated thanks for the TV link !

You're very welcome, TootingMick!

A little heavy-legged Lisa Dobriskey finished 10th in a fast women's 1500m earlier on but her 4:06.34, a B standard for Daegu, is easily her fastest ever season opener over the distance.

Mike Rimmer was very disappointing in the men's 800m though. Tactically right but his legs totally went round the last 200m...

9.89 bolt i forecast 9.95 powell 10.1 lemaitre my forecast

don't you mean tactically wrong isabre?

Up to 200m out, he was doing everything right but from there on he faded really bad - don't know if he got a knock a little into the curve like it showed a little, which may have affected him badly.

nah, he messed it up, very poor run.

you'll be disappointed in lemaitre isabre.

No, I'm not disappointed in Lemaitre who got an excellent third but I'm hugely disappointed, once again, by Asafa Powell who LITERALLY handed the race to Usain Bolt at the end. The man, as I've recently pointed out again, never runs through the line. He's never going to beat either Bolt or Gay with this attitude.

Bolt, on the other hand, struggled to apply himself in the race up to 50-60m into the race and had to dig deep to snatch it in the end. His time, 9.91 secs, was exactly around what I was waiting to see from him tonight (low to mid 9.9s).

From the big three-four on the world stage, Tyson Gay is definitely the one that looks in the best shape at the moment.

agreed re gay

lemaitre was excellent. hugely improved on last time he raced these guys.

As I've said, Iamian, it was a disappointing run from Mike Rimmer but up to 200 out he was running well. From there on, I don't exactly know what happened to him but he did slow down rather than change gear round the curve and tightened up.

When you're already in low 1:45 form, you don't falter like that around the same pace. You either run out of strength for some reason (a virus, eg) or come to a halt because someone inadvertedly slowed you down. But, anyway, he's down to run in Hengelo on Sunday so we're going both to get some answers ;-)

nah, got it all wrong, he'll admit as much i'm sure, second 200m ruined him. he is much better than that. looking for much better in hengelo.

Getting back to Phillips, he easily dominated the triple jump with that world-leading 17.59 (-0.6m/sec) in the third round. He went out to 17.29 in the fourth and fouled both his last two efforts.

Martyn Rooney ran a very good first 300m but faded a lot down the home straight into a 46.12 secs final time. Really thought he had it coming off the bend but it wasn't to be...

see there we disagree again - how can it be a very good first 300m? if he'd ran a very good first 300m he wouldn't have faded so badly. just like rimmer didn't really run a great first 600m.

idowu looks springy, light and eager. attitude spot on. maybe if he'd had this head on 10 years ago he'd have got closer to fulfilling his 19m promise! one of my favourites now. i think this will be a vintage year for TJ.

To me, Rooney's first 300m was very good and he committed well all round the track, I just got the impression he needs a race or two more in his legs to take what he's got onto the track.

Phillips didn't look particularly pleased with his jumping which speaks volumes about the level of his expectations for this season, but said he will do with the win and a world-leading mark.

As concerns Rimmer, I've got to admit that I missed the first lap and caught up with the race right after the bell. What did he do in the second 200, anything crazy? I thought it was a typical Diamond League race as far as there...