SHANGHAI (AFP) — World champions Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner, Kenenisa Bekele and Liu Xiang head a strong field of athletes at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix this month.
Others signed up for the September 28 event include pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, hurdles legend Allen Johnson and sprint queen Veronica Campbell, according to the official website.
The fastest man on earth, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, will also compete but has opted to run the 200m and so will miss a showdown with American Gay, who beat him to the 100m world title in Osaka last month.
Gay also won the 200m in Japan but will not run it in Shanghai.
Liu, the Olympic and world 110m hurdles champion, will face veteran Johnson as well as Chinese teammate Shi Dongpeng in a race sure to draw big crowds as the Shanghai native runs on home turf for the first time since Osaka.
American Kerron Clement, who stormed to a surprise gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the world championships, will be compatriot Wariner’s chief threat in the 400m here.
Ethiopia’s Bekele, the 10,000m world champion and world record holder, will run the 1,500m here where he will be up against a host of Kenyans, including Brimin Kipruto and Daniel Kipchirchir Komen.
Isinbayeva, who shared the one million dollar Golden League jackpot with American 400m runner Sanya Richards this month, is up against her Russian teammate Tatiana Polnova, among others.
Campbell’s chief threat in the women’s 100m will be American pair Lauryn Williams and Carmelita Jeter.
Other athletes making an appearance at the Shanghai University Town Stadium include women’s world 400m hurdles champion Jana Rawlinson of Australia and men’s long jump world title holder Irving Saladino from Panama.