Powell For Paris

Powell and Isinbayeva sign for Paris – IAAF Golden League
Wednesday 7 June 2006
Paris, France – Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint Denis, the second leg of the six meeting IAAF Golden League, has announced that Asafa Powell, the joint fastest man in the world, and Yelena Isinbayeva, the outright highest women’s pole vaulter in history, will be two of its central attractions in the Stade de France on Saturday 8 July 2006.

The Paris Saint Denis meeting is looking to achieve a full house of spectators, and after last year’s record attendance of 70,253 is confident that it will meet its aim with a world class start list of stars.

joint World 100m record holder Asafa Powell wins in Oslo
(Getty Images)

To attract the public three of the top performers from Friday’s opening IAAF Golden League meeting in Oslo (2 June) will be on show in the French national stadium for the Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint Denis. Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, the co-holder of the World record for the men’s 100m who sped to two sub-10 second clockings in the famous Bislett stadium (9.96 and 9.98), World and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner (USA), and Norway’s Olympic Javelin gold medallist Andreas Thorkildsen, who became the sixth longest thrower of all-time last Friday with his Norwegian record of 91.59m, are confirmed for 8 July.

However, the outdoor season’s debut of 2004 and 2005 World Athlete of the Year Yelena Isinbayeva is perhaps the greatest prize to be announced by the Paris Saint Denis meeting organisers. The World and Olympic champion and the World record holder for the women’s Pole Vault is one of the most sought after figures on the athletics circuit. Her scaling of the 5m barrier last July in London, which she improved to 5.01m when winning the World title in Helsinki the following month, gave the Russian a permanent place in history.

Also announced in the women’s division of the meeting is the presence of Olympic 100m champion Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus and double World 1500m champion Tatiana Tomashova of Russia.

Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva - Pole Vault World champion
(Getty Images)

Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint Denis