Beijing Olympic Games 2008

Some of the planet’s premier runners, along with a contingent of Great Britain’s Olympic team, are set to warm up for the Beijing 2008 Games by competing first at the Aviva London Grand Prix July 25-26.
One of a series of summer competitions being staged by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the London Grand Prix will gather more than three dozen British Olympic team members at the Crystal Palace, according to the official website of UK Athletics.

Phillips Idowu, winner of the triple jump event at the 2008 British Olympic trials with a distance of 17.58 meters, will take part in the Grand Prix triple jump event.

Christine Ohuruogu, the women’s 200-meter race winner at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, will also attend as part of preparations for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. She was quoted on the official website of European Athletics as saying: “Nothing will prepare me better for Beijing than a warm-up at the Aviva London Grand Prix in front of a home crowd.”

Many international track and field stars are set to meet at the Grand Prix, just two weeks before the Olympics kick off in the Chinese capital on August 8. Among the most closely watched competitions in London will be the men’s 100- and 200-meter races. The three fastest men in the world - Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt – are all scheduled to converge on the Grand Prix.

Powell, the former 100-meter event world record holder, will compete against his strongest rival, Tyson Gay. Gay, a triple gold medalist at 2007 World Championships in Osaka, was quoted on the official website of UK Athletics as saying: “London will be very crucial for me – it is one of the biggest meets of the year right now and that is where it is going down between myself and Asafa. He has the title of being the world record holder and I have the title of being the world champion and I think that is really good for the sport.”

The world number one in men’s long-distance running, Kenenisa Bekele, will compete in the 5000-meter race in London. Bekele won the 5000-meter race at the London Grand Prix in 2005, but was defeated by Bernard Lagat in 2006 and was absent in 2007.

The first woman who vaulted over 5.00 meters, Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva, will compete in the pole vault event in London before traveling to Beijing.

An impressive performance for an around –the-world audience is set to be staged in London.

source: beijing2008.cn