Fraser-Pryce takes on home hero Asher-Smith in London 100m shootout

Image
AFP London
Last Updated : Jul 19 2019 | 1:55 PM IST

Double Olympic 100 metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will go head to head with British sprint star Dina Asher-Smith at the Anniversary Games in London this weekend.

Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce, 32, is returning to a happy hunting ground, having retained her Olympics 100m title in the London stadium in 2012.

Fraser-Pryce, who is returning to her best form after clocking a joint world-leading time of 10.73sec in Kingston in June, also faces world indoor champion Murielle Ahoure and world 200m champion Dafne Schippers.

British record-holder Asher-Smith, 23, set a season's best time of 10.91sec in finishing second behind Fraser-Pryce at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting earlier this month.

In the women's 200m, the star attraction is Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, who won a 100m and 200m sprint double at the Rio Olympics.

With the US trials for the world championships taking place the following week, no Americans will take part in either the men's or women's 100m at the two-day meeting, which is part of the Diamond League series.

The men's 100m pits former Jamaican world champion Yohan Blake against Canadian star Andre De Grasse, who has struggled with illness and injury since winning three Olympic medals in 2016.

Britain's Zharnel Hughes and South African Akani Simbine, who have both gone under 10 seconds this year, are also in the field along with James Ellington, racing for the first time since August 2016 following a motorbike crash that left him with career-threatening injuries.

Qatar high jumper Mutaz Barshim, Greek Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi and double Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor of the United States will all be competing in London as they prepare to defend their world titles in Doha later this year.

The women's long jump will see Germany's world leader Malaika Mihambo go head-to-head with four-time world champion Brittney Reese of the United States and British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Kenya's Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon leads a women's 1500m field that also includes Britain's Laura Muir, who has the third-fastest time of the year over the distance.

Dutch long-distance runner Sifan Hassan heads up the 5000m after she broke the women's mile record in Monaco last week.

In the men's 5000m, Norway's double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will take on Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet, who is third quickest in the world this year.

Aged just 18, Ingebrigsten set the world alight last year as he won double European gold over 1500m and 5000m.

After London there are Diamond League events in Birmingham, Paris, Zurich and Brussels in the lead-up to the world championships in Doha, which start on September 27.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 19 2019 | 1:55 PM IST

Next Story