Athletics
Bolt, Pistorius in action
2011-05-30 14:45
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Prague - World record holder Usain Bolt will take on his Jamaican compatriot and season best holder Steve Mullings in the 100m race topping up the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Bolt, out of the business for nine months since he was beaten by American Tyson Gay in Stockholm last August, made an impressive comeback in Rome last Thursday, covering the distance in a winning 9.91 seconds.
The next step for the world record holder over 100m and 200m and Olympic and world champion in both is now to face the 28-year-old Mullings who clocked this season's lead time of 9.89 in April.
Another rival in the competition in the industrial eastern Czech city of Ostrava will be the 35-year-old Saint Kitts and Nevis sprinter Kim Collins, the world 100m champion from 2003, with a season's best of 10.05.
Cuban Dayron Robles, who set the current 110m hurdles world record at 12.78 in Ostrava in 2008, will again be back in action after equalling this year's best of 13.07 in Hengelo two days ago.
He will face US rivals Terrence Trammell and Jeff Porter, and Frenchman Ladji Doucoure, over the hurdles.
Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic winner, will take on Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Marvin Anderson in the 200m.
South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will race the 400m, while Russian Ivan Ukhov and Czech Jaroslav Baba dominate the high-jump starting list.
Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, the reigning double Olympic 200m champion, tops the women's 100m list, pledging to cover the distance under 11 seconds.
She is facing competition from Bahamas' Debbie Ferguson and US sprinter Lashauntea Moore.
Sanya Richards-Ross, world champion from 2009, will run in the women's 400m.
In the women's javelin, Russia's Maria Abakoumova, who set this season's best of 65.40m in Rome last Thursday, will take on home favourite Barbora Spotakova, the 2008 Olympic gold medallist in the event.
The meet starts with the men's and women's hammer throw competition on Monday, with all eyes on German Betty Heidler, who set the women's world record at 79.42m on May 21.