Sport

Campbell on show in Helsinki 100m

Veronica Campbell - file

JAMAICA'S OLYMPIC 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell will be one of the star attractions in today's Grand Prix meet inside the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

Campbell will get an early feel of the atmosphere inside the World Championships venue and also test the newly-laid Mondo surface in Helsinki when she runs in the women's 100m against Americans Muna Lee and LaTasha Colander.

The Athens 100m bronze medallist will want to get back to winning ways quickly after losing her long winning streak at 200m on Friday night in London.

Lee was second in the event at the 2005 U.S.A. championships while Colander, the 2004 champion, was eighth in last year's Olympic 100m final.

The women's 100m hurdles could develop into a straight fight between Jamaica's pair of Vonette Dixon and Lacena Golding-Clarke. Dixon has a best time this season of 12.68 while Golding-Clarke has done 12.67. Poland's Aurelia Trywianska is next best in the field with a 12.77 clocking.

Spearmon

American man of the moment, Wallace Spearmon Jr. fresh from his world leading 19.89 seconds in London's Super Grand Prix last Friday, is down to contest the 100m today.

The 20-year-old whose father, Wallace Sr. ran the 200m for the U.S.A. at the 1987 Rome World Championships, has now produced three of the four fastest 200m performances over the distance this season, following his 19.91 on June 11 and 19.97 on April 17.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt (19.99) finished runner-up to Spearmon last Friday.

Spearmon who was fourth in the 200m at the U.S.A. Championships now has a team place following the withdrawal of Olympic champion Shawn Crawford. Injury has forced Crawford from the American 200m trio for the World Championships and he will run only the 100m and relay.

The American will face Trinidad and Tobago's sub-10 second duo of Marc Burns and Darrel Brown, who had times of 9.96 and 9.99 respectively last week. Also in the field are Nigerians Uchenna Emedolu, the World Cup winner, and Olusoji Fasuba, and Germany's Tomas Unger, an Olympic 200m finalist.