Athletics: Global champions Alfred, Tsegay and Walsh ready to roll in Zagreb
Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred will make her 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold debut when she lines up for the 200m at the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on Saturday (24).
The St Lucian sprinter has already made a strong start to her year, coming within 0.02 of her PB when clocking 21.88 in Gainesville last month. She’ll start as the overwhelming favourite in Zagreb – and could even take aim at the meeting record of 22.04 – when she lines up against the likes of Spain’s Jael Bestue.
World 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay will be contesting her first outdoor 1500m of the year. The Ethiopian’s last race over the distance was at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing two months ago, where she won gold in 3:54.86. This weekend in Zagreb she’ll take on compatriot Birke Haylom, among others.
Another gold medallist from Nanjing, Tom Walsh, will be in action in Zagreb. The three-time world indoor champion from New Zealand will compete in the Ivan Ivancic Memorial, the shot put competition held in the city centre two days prior to the main meeting.
He’ll face world silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri, world indoor silver medallist Roger Steen and Olympic fourth-place finisher Payton Otterdahl.
On Friday (23) there’s another city centre competition on the eve of the Hanzekovic Memorial, this one featuring the women’s high jump where Jamaican record-holder Lamara Distin takes on European silver medallist Angelina Topic.
The focus of the home crowd will be fixed on multiple world and Olympic champion Sandra Elkasevic in the women’s discus. The Croatian is targeting her 12th victory at this competition and faces a field that includes 2015 world champion Denia Caballero of Cuba.
In the men’s hammer, meanwhile, five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek faces Olympic bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan and world leader Yann Chaussinand, while 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh leads the men’s discus line-up.
Another Croatian throws star, Sara Kolak, will be in action in the women’s javelin. The 2016 Olympic champion will clash with New Zealand’s Tori Moorby.
Jamaican athletes will be to the fore in the horizontal jumps. 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle goes in the men’s long jump, while Olympic silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts leads the women’s triple jump field.
On the track, there’ll be a competitive men’s 110m hurdles showdown between 2016 Olympic champion Omar McLeod and in-form US duo Jamal Britt and Dylan Beard. The women’s sprint hurdles, meanwhile, looks set to be a head-to-head between USA’s Alaysha Johnson and Denisha Cartwright of The Bahamas.
The men’s 100m line-up includes three men with sub-10-second PBs – USA’s Elijah Hall, South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza and German record-holder Owen Ansah.
Fresh from some stunning performances at the World Relays, Spain’s Paula Sevilla makes her long-awaited outdoor 400m debut against a field that includes Italy’s Alice Mangione, Ireland’s Sharlene Mawdsley and Puerto Rico’s Gabby Scott.
In the longer events, Ethiopia’s multiple world U20 record-holder Biniam Mehary takes on world 1500m bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas over 5000m.
European indoor champion Samuel Chapple lines up against Algeria’s Slimane Moula, Kenya’s Noah Kibet and Britain’s Justin Davies in the men’s 800m, while the women’s two-lap event includes Slovenai’s Anita Horvat and Australia’s Catriona Bisset.
