ATHENS, July 1, 2006 - American Justin Gatlin will attempt to become the third man to set a 100 metres record at the Athens Super Grand Prix here on Monday.
Athens has twice been the home of world record times over that distance and joint 100 metres world record holder Gatlin has a chance to make it number three.
Gatlin will headline a number of top athletes who will participate in the Athens meet to be held at the stadium which hosted the Olympics two years ago.
The 24-year-old sprinter will be out to better his 9.77 seconds performance he achieved earlier this year in Doha, Qatar which equaled the world mark set last year in the Athens meet by Jamaican Asafa Powell.
In 1999 in the same Athens meeting, American Maurice Greene broke the world record in the event with a 9.79 seconds clocking.
Gatlin will be returning to the same track where he won the Olympic gold metal. He has run six times this year under 10 seconds.
Apart from Gatlin, also participating in the race here Monday will be 22-year-old Nigerian Olusoji Fasuba who has closed 9.85 seconds this year and former Nigerian and recently Portuguese Francis Obikwelu, who is the European champion of the event and has a personal best of 9.86 seconds.
In the women’s 100 metres sprint, American Lauryn Williams, who has a personal record of 10.88 seconds, will be in Athens with tough competition coming from Zhanna Block of Ukraine, who was world champion of the event in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada.
Other top athletes scheduled to perform here Monday are Olympic, world champion and world record holder of the women’s javelin throw (71,70 m. last year) Osleidys Menendez of Cuba, Olympic.
World champion in the men’s discus Virgilius Alekna of Lithuania, Olympic and world champion in the men’s long jump American Dwight Phillips and world champion and world record holder (7:53.63) in the men’s 3000 meters steeplechase Saef Saheen from Qatar.
The program (GMT):
15:45 Women’s javelin throw
16:00 Opening ceremony
16:05 Women’s triple jump
16:10 Women’s 100 m. hurdles
16:15 Women’s high jump
16:20 Men’s pole vault
16:25 Men’s 100 m. (1st semi-final)
16:35 Men’s 100 m. (2nd semi-final)
16:50 Women’s 400 m. hurdles
17:05 Men’s 400 m. hurdles
17:15 Women’s 800 m.
17:20 Men’s discus throw
17:25 Women’s 100 m.
17:30 Men’s long jump
17:35 Men’s 100 m. final
17:45 Men’s 800 m.
17:55 Women’s 1500 m.
18:05 Men’s 1500 m.
18:15 Women’s 3000 m. steeplechase
18:30 Men’s 3000 m. steeplechase