http://www.iaaf.org/GP03/news/Kind=2/newsId=22167.html
Hot field for DN Galan 100 metres
Thursday 31 July 2003
Stockholm, Sweden - The women’s 100 metres at DN Galan, 5 August, shapes up to be an interesting rehearsal for the World Championships in Paris three weeks from now.
Five of the world’s fastest ladies will be at the Stockholm Stadium and six of the participants have run faster than eleven seconds, with Zhanna Block, Ukraine, Debbie Ferguson, Bahamas, Chryste Gaines and Torri Edwards, USA, Christine Arron, France and legendary Merlene Ottey, Slovenia.
“It’s a very impressive field of runners who have won 36 Olympic and World Championship medals,” says meeting director Rajne Söderberg.
Most of these have been won by Merlene Ottey who turned 43 on 10 May.
Ottey, who previously competed for Jamaica, is now living in Sarajevo and representing Slovenia.
“It’s a great honour to once again present Merlene to the Stadium audience. She has been here four times and is very popular and still very competitive.”
The greatness of Merlene can be described in numbers such as six Olympic and World Championship gold medals (one individual and relays), nine silver and twelve bronze medals. She has run 66 sub-11 races and the average of her ten fastest races is 10.80!
Zhanna Block, won the 100 metres at DN Galan last year in 10.91 – only one hundredth of a second off Irina Privalova’s Stadium record from 1994.
Christine Arron, France has the European record, (10.73) and appears to be a strong contender for the World Championships on her home turf.
Arron, who was the European Champion 1998 and anchored the gold winning French team in the 4x100 metre relay, took last year off and became mother to Ethan a year ago. This year the 29-year-old has 11.07 and is seventh on the world list.
Debbie Ferguson, Bahamas has the season’s third fastest time with 10.97 and American Chryste Gaines is the fourth fastest with 11.02.
Other interesting names are Torri Edwards, USA who has run a personal best 11.05 and is the sixth fastest and Natasha Mayers, St. Vincent & the Grenadines who is tenth this summer with 11.09.
Keijo Limatainen for the IAAF