ZURICH, Switzerland — Five days after the close of the world championships, silver medallist Perdita Felicien and other track and field stars return to action Friday at the Weltklasse Golden League meet.
Felicien, from Pickering, Ont., captured silver in the 100-metre hurdles on her 27th birthday in Osaka, announcing her return to the world track stage after her devastating crash at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
She'll face another stacked field at the rebuilt Letzigrund stadium, including world gold medallist Michelle Perry of the U.S., and bronze medallist Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica, along with Angela Whyte of Edmonton, who finished eighth in Osaka.
Diane Cummins of Victoria, who struggled in the heat and humidity in Osaka and didn't make the 800-metre final, will also race in Zurich.
While Felicien has opted to continue racing, Canada's other medallist at the world championships, Gary Reed, has decided to call it quits on his season to rest up for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Reed won silver in the 800 metres, Canada's first medal ever in that event at the world championships.
"I have decided that the rest is the most important thing," Reed told The Canadian Press in an e-mail. "I don't want to over-extend myself before an Olympic year."
Adam Kunkel of Paisley, Ont., who was a medal favourite in Osaka but pulled up in the 400-metre hurdles final with a hamstring cramp, is also finished for the season.
Tyler Christopher of Edmonton, who was sixth in the 400 metres at the world championships, has his sights set on qualifying for the World Athletics Final, Sept. 22-23 in Stuttgart, Germany. The Chilliwack, B.C., native isn't racing in Zurich, but will race Sunday at an IAAF Grand Prix meet in Rieti, Italy, and then the Golden League meet on Sept. 16 in Berlin, Germany.
Triple gold medallist Tyson Gay and fellow American multi-winner Bernard Lagat also headline Friday's Weltklasse lineup.
Zurich organizers say the new track at the Letzigrund stadium should be quick, but weather forecasts are calling for cool temperatures Friday evening, which could slow sprinters down.
"I haven't practised on the new track yet, but I heard it's dead fast," said Gay, who swept the 100 and 200 metres and won gold in the 4x100 relay in Osaka. "Anything under 10 seconds will satisfy me when I take into account how I feel after my tough program at the world championships. I still feel a little sore, slightly tired."
Gay ran a personal best 9.84 seconds in the 100 last year in Zurich, a time which he equalled on June 22 in Indianapolis. In the Osaka final, Gay clocked 9.85 seconds to beat Jamaican world record-holder Asafa Powell, who finished third behind Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas.
Powell is skipping the Zurich meet but Atkins is running.
Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who won gold in Osaka, will resume her chase for a share of the US$1 million Golden League jackpot.
Perry and American 400-metre runner Sanya Richards, who failed to qualify for that event in Osaka, are the other athletes still in the race for the jackpot. The money is split among athletes who win their selected event in all six Golden League meets.
Isinbayeva could try to break her own world record of 5.01 metres, which she failed to do in three attempts at Osaka.
Lagat — the first man to sweep the 1,500 and 5,000 at a single world championships and the fist American 1,500 world champion in 99 years — will run the 3,000 in Zurich. The Kenyan-born Lagat was granted U.S. citizenship in 2004.
Other world champions competing in Zurich include high jumper Blanka Vlasic of Croatia, U.S. pole vaulter Brad Walker, Portugal's triple jumper Nelson Evora, women's 800 runner Janeth Kipkosgei of Kenya and javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki of Finland.
After Zurich, the Golden League season concludes with meets in Brussels and Berlin. If no athlete finishes the series with wins in all six meets, those with five victories are awarded their share of half the original prize — US$500,000.
