Zagreb, Croatia – A 100m showdown between Tyson Gay and Nesta Carter, the year’s two fastest men, and Blanka Vlasic’s first homecoming of the week will take centre stage at the 60th edition of the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on Wednesday.
Both Gay, the U.S. record holder, and the rapidly-improving Carter will arrive in the Croatian capital for the final IAAF World Challenge Meeting of the season as the co-world leaders at 9.78. Gay’s performance came at the London Samsung Diamond League fixture on 13 August, which he nearly replicated in Brussels last Friday when he clocked 9.79 to capture the Diamond Race Trophy in the event.
Carter, a member of Jamaica’s gold medal winning 4x100m Relay squad at the 2008 Olympics, has been the season’s biggest surprise in the event after improving his career best in three of his last four appearances over the past 21 days. Entering the season with a 9.91 best set last year, the 24-year-old clocked 9.86 in Nottwil, Switzerland, on 8 August, went a notch faster to 9.85 behind Gay in Brussels, and dashed significantly faster still in Rieti last Sunday where he blazed a 9.78 to suddenly become the fourth fastest man in history.
But Gay, who is still targeting his 9.69 US record, which came late in the season last year, is clearly the man to beat.
“I think it’s possible to run faster if the conditions are right,” Gay said. While the forecast isn’t quite summer-like, temperatures are expected to still be in the upper teens at race time, considerably warmer than in Gay’s previous two outings.
Others to watch include American Rae Edwards, who will represent the North & South American squad at the IAAF / VTB Bank Continental Cup in Split, Croatia, next weekend.
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