Home » News and Media » News » 2010 » July » Lapierre gets set to soar in Eugene
02.07.2010
Headlining the action for Australia will be long jump gun Fabrice Lapierre, 10,000m national record-holder Collis Birmingham (5000m) and national 1500m champion Ryan Gregson (mile).
Sitting in second place on the men’s long jump leaderboard with five points to his name and trailing reigning world champion Dwight Phillips (USA) by just one point, Lapierre will be looking for a big performance in the sandpit this weekend to boost his Diamond Race ranking.
Following his win in the first of seven men’s long jump events on the Diamond League program in Shanghai (CHN) in May, 26-year-old Lapierre leapt 8.11m (w:0.1) to place third in Rome last month behind 2004 Olympic and three-time world champion Phillips (USA), who took out the event with a world-leading effort of 8.42m (w:-0.8), and reigning Olympic and 2007 world champion Irving Saladino (PAN), second with a leap of 8.13m (w-0.4).
Speaking from his training base in Texas in the USA, Lapierre said he was all set to again face up to his two major rivals in Eugene this weekend.
“I’m feeling good and I just want to get out there and try to perform well,” Lapierre said.
“I’ve been training pretty well so I just want to go out there and see what I can do. I think between me, Dwight and Irving, one of us will probably win it and it just depends on which one of us has the best day out there.
“Rome wasn’t my day but whoever has the best day on the day is going to win, it’s going to be a close battle the whole Diamond League series between us three. If I do what I need to do and take care of business on the day, I’ll get the points and the Diamond Race will take care of itself.
“I’ve got five more Diamond League competitions so there’s plenty of points still to be won and if I keep the form I’m in right now, I should have a pretty good chance (of winning it).”
Lapierre said the Diamond League series was an important phase in his build-up to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October.
“The good thing about the Diamond League is it’s really spread out so it’s giving me a lot of time to train and recover,” the New South Welshman said.
“I’ve got three Diamond League meets this month and three next month and then if I make the Continental Cup team that’s in September and then there’s nothing until the Commonwealth Games, so I’ll just be training hard and I’m very confident I can stay on top of my form until October.”
Joining Lapierre in Eugene this Saturday will be Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m nominee Collis Birmingham, who will test his speed over 5000m. On the start line Birmingham will face fellow Berlin world championships finalists Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Matt Tegenkamp (USA) and Chris Solinsky (USA), setting up what should be a tough test for the Aussie middle distance star in the lead-up to New Delhi.
In other track action, Ryan Gregson will contest the international mile and fellow Commonwealth Games nominee and national 800m champion Lachlan Renshaw will pace the elite Bowerman mile.
In other athletics action around the world this weekend, Mitch Kealey (1500m), Kaila McKnight (1500m), Commonwealth Games 5000m nominee Ben St Lawrence (3000m) and 20km walk nominee Luke Adams (3000m walk) will line up at the Cork City Sports in Ireland, pole vault sisters Vicky and Liz Parnov will take on the Mannheim Junior Gala in Germany and emerging athletes with a disability Jake Lappin (5km/10km) and Madison de Rozario (5km/10km) will contest the Peachtree International in the USA.
On the Gold Coast, Commonwealth Games marathon nominees Michael Shelley (10km), Martin Dent (half marathon), Jeff Hunt (half marathon), Lisa Weightman (half marathon) and Lisa Flint (half marathon) will test their mettle in the annual Gold Coast marathon event on Sunday as they continue to clock up the kilometres on the road to New Delhi.
Overnight, Ben St Lawrence showed his Commonwealth Games preparation is on track by taking out the 5000m at the Sollentuna Grand Prix in Stockholm (SWE). St Lawrence clocked 13:39.42 to claim the title ahea dof his 3000m hit-out in Ireland this weekend.
St Lawrence was joined at the Sollentuna meet by Commownealth Games hopefuls Mitch Kealey, who placed third over 1500m in a time of 3:38.75, Kaila McKnight, fifth in the women's 1500m in 4:12.27, and Lara Tamsett, third over 5000m in a time of 16:06.48.
IAAF Diamond League – Round 6
Eugene (USA)
Saturday, July 3
12:18PM (05:18AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
International mile: Ryan Gregson
13:43PM (06:43AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
Long jump: Fabrice Lapierre
14:02PM (07:02AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
5000m: Collis Birmingham
14:46PM (07:46AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
Bowerman mile: Lachlan Renshaw (pace)
News
Lapierre gets set to soar in Eugene
The IAAF Diamond League action returns this weekend when Round 6 of the 14-meet series gets under way in Eugene, Oregon, in the USA.Headlining the action for Australia will be long jump gun Fabrice Lapierre, 10,000m national record-holder Collis Birmingham (5000m) and national 1500m champion Ryan Gregson (mile).
Sitting in second place on the men’s long jump leaderboard with five points to his name and trailing reigning world champion Dwight Phillips (USA) by just one point, Lapierre will be looking for a big performance in the sandpit this weekend to boost his Diamond Race ranking.
Following his win in the first of seven men’s long jump events on the Diamond League program in Shanghai (CHN) in May, 26-year-old Lapierre leapt 8.11m (w:0.1) to place third in Rome last month behind 2004 Olympic and three-time world champion Phillips (USA), who took out the event with a world-leading effort of 8.42m (w:-0.8), and reigning Olympic and 2007 world champion Irving Saladino (PAN), second with a leap of 8.13m (w-0.4).
Speaking from his training base in Texas in the USA, Lapierre said he was all set to again face up to his two major rivals in Eugene this weekend.
“I’m feeling good and I just want to get out there and try to perform well,” Lapierre said.
“I’ve been training pretty well so I just want to go out there and see what I can do. I think between me, Dwight and Irving, one of us will probably win it and it just depends on which one of us has the best day out there.
“Rome wasn’t my day but whoever has the best day on the day is going to win, it’s going to be a close battle the whole Diamond League series between us three. If I do what I need to do and take care of business on the day, I’ll get the points and the Diamond Race will take care of itself.
“I’ve got five more Diamond League competitions so there’s plenty of points still to be won and if I keep the form I’m in right now, I should have a pretty good chance (of winning it).”
Lapierre said the Diamond League series was an important phase in his build-up to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October.
“The good thing about the Diamond League is it’s really spread out so it’s giving me a lot of time to train and recover,” the New South Welshman said.
“I’ve got three Diamond League meets this month and three next month and then if I make the Continental Cup team that’s in September and then there’s nothing until the Commonwealth Games, so I’ll just be training hard and I’m very confident I can stay on top of my form until October.”
Joining Lapierre in Eugene this Saturday will be Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m nominee Collis Birmingham, who will test his speed over 5000m. On the start line Birmingham will face fellow Berlin world championships finalists Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Matt Tegenkamp (USA) and Chris Solinsky (USA), setting up what should be a tough test for the Aussie middle distance star in the lead-up to New Delhi.
In other track action, Ryan Gregson will contest the international mile and fellow Commonwealth Games nominee and national 800m champion Lachlan Renshaw will pace the elite Bowerman mile.
In other athletics action around the world this weekend, Mitch Kealey (1500m), Kaila McKnight (1500m), Commonwealth Games 5000m nominee Ben St Lawrence (3000m) and 20km walk nominee Luke Adams (3000m walk) will line up at the Cork City Sports in Ireland, pole vault sisters Vicky and Liz Parnov will take on the Mannheim Junior Gala in Germany and emerging athletes with a disability Jake Lappin (5km/10km) and Madison de Rozario (5km/10km) will contest the Peachtree International in the USA.
On the Gold Coast, Commonwealth Games marathon nominees Michael Shelley (10km), Martin Dent (half marathon), Jeff Hunt (half marathon), Lisa Weightman (half marathon) and Lisa Flint (half marathon) will test their mettle in the annual Gold Coast marathon event on Sunday as they continue to clock up the kilometres on the road to New Delhi.
Overnight, Ben St Lawrence showed his Commonwealth Games preparation is on track by taking out the 5000m at the Sollentuna Grand Prix in Stockholm (SWE). St Lawrence clocked 13:39.42 to claim the title ahea dof his 3000m hit-out in Ireland this weekend.
St Lawrence was joined at the Sollentuna meet by Commownealth Games hopefuls Mitch Kealey, who placed third over 1500m in a time of 3:38.75, Kaila McKnight, fifth in the women's 1500m in 4:12.27, and Lara Tamsett, third over 5000m in a time of 16:06.48.
IAAF Diamond League – Round 6
Eugene (USA)
Saturday, July 3
12:18PM (05:18AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
International mile: Ryan Gregson
13:43PM (06:43AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
Long jump: Fabrice Lapierre
14:02PM (07:02AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
5000m: Collis Birmingham
14:46PM (07:46AM Sunday, July 4 AEST)
Bowerman mile: Lachlan Renshaw (pace)
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