On Tuesday 11 July 2006, Lausanne will be hosting the very best athletes for its now-famous athletics meeting. Justin Gatlin (USA), one of the fastest men in the world, and Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), Olympic pole vault champion in Athens in 2004, are heading up this 31st edition of Athletissima.
A host of stars!
Athletissima again has an enviable list of participants: 100-metre runners Justin Gatlin, Olympic champion in 2004, and Francis Obikwelu (POR), the winner of the recent Athens meeting. Among the women are rising Jamaican star Sherone Simpson, confronting Marion Jones (USA), the triple Olympic champion making her comeback. Other disciplines and other stars: Xiang Liu (CHN), Olympic 110m hurdles champion in Athens; Maria Mutola (MOZ), Olympic 800m champion in Sydney; Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS), Olympic triple jump champion in Athens, etc.
Entertainment and emotion guaranteed!
The public again have the chance to elect their favourite athlete, thanks to the now-traditional clapometer, and the evening will once again end with a magnificent firework display. And to top it all, the weather forecast for the evening is good, with no rain (which has not always been the case!)
Anecdote
On 8 July 1977, as part of the inauguration of the new track at Lausanne's Pierre de Coubertin stadium, an international athletics meeting was organised. It took place in pouring rain. Won over by the enthusiasm of the crowd, who, in spite of the dreadful weather, cheered them on throughout the evening, the athletes promised to return to Lausanne before the end of the summer to participate in another meeting. This took place in August in front of 10,000 enthusiastic spectators! This was the start of Lausanne's athletics meeting which took the name Athletissima in 1986. Thank goodness for rain!
Credit: IOC
For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1850
