The final winter stage of the BIG Gold League, to be held on Wednesday 20 February in the Sports Building of the University of Tartu, will be the final chance for many athletes to achieve the norms required for the World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
The BIG Gold League is becoming one of the most serious testing grounds in track and field. This will be seen on Wednesday in Tartu with the large numbers of strong sports men and women taking part from neighbouring countries and bigger names from further afield. The competition, which promises to be the highest level winter event ever to be held in Tartu, should produce excellent results in every field. There are certain to be exciting face-offs and more than a few athletes striving to set new records.
One of the drawcards of the event and a magnet for sports lovers from Tartu will be the triple jump starting at 5.00 pm, in which the city's Olympic hope, Kaire Leibak, will be giving it her all to maintain her good form after recently setting an Estonian indoor record of 14.26. Providing her with competition will be recent Russian championship bronze medallist Oksana Udmurtova, whose indoor season best of 14.43 is equal to Leibak's outdoor record. Udmurtova is also considering competing in the long jump, in which her personal record is 7.02, where she would be up against fellow countrywoman Natalja Lebusova (personal record 6.94) and Tartu's Sirka-Liisa Kivine and Veera Baranova.
The men's long jump competition will feature the evening's most famous athlete: Atlanta Olympics and three-time world championship silver medallist, Jamaica's James Beckford, whose personal record is 8 metres and 62 centimetres.
Out for revenge in the triple jump will be Lauri Leis, who lost the title in the Estonian championships to Jaanus Uudmäe.
Ksenija Balta, recently crowned two-time Estonian champion, will be starting in the 60 metres, in which she will be hoping for a good time amongst some stiff competition. Her main rivals will be Russia's Natalja Murinovitsh (ranked sixth in Europe with a time of 7.23) and Lina Grincikaite from Lithuanian (whose season best is 7.32). Katrin Käärt holds the Estonian record of 7.30.
Testing themselves in the hurdle sprint will be Estonian record holder Mirjam Liimask (8.20) and junior world champion Jekaterina Shtepa and Svetlana Topylina from Russia. The women will be setting their sights on two records, as the traditional 60-metre sprint will be preceded by a 50-metre event, rarely seen in programmes.
The men's 60-metre hurdle sprint will involve our southern neighbour's famous European champion Stanislavs Olijars, competing against whom and aiming for a new personal record will be Estonia's Rene Oruman (current record 7.86). Also in the mix will be Latvian no. 2 Karlis Daube (personal record 7.83).
The 800 m races will be of equally high quality. Starting in the event with her mind on a record and the indoor world championships will be Egle Uljas, who plans to break her own Estonian indoor record of 2.04.39 and the Valencia norm of 2.04.00. Helping her maintain the pace will be Maria Shapajeva (personal record 1.59.71) and Olesja Tjurina from Russia and Lithuania's Egle Balciunaite (2.05.26). Tartu's Maris Mägi has promised to keep things moving at the right pace in the ‘rabbit' role for the first half of the race.
The men's event will feature the strong Lithuanian Mindaugas Norbutas and the best Estonian athletes in the event at present.
The shot put competition will see Raigo Toompuu aiming for a good result against Latvia's Maris Urtans (personal record 20.18) and Denmark's Kim Christensen.
Coming into the women's high jump competition with ideas of breaking records will be Tartu's Anna Iljuštšenko (personal record 1.89), who will have to overcome the strong Lithuanian Karina Vnukova (1.91).
Any athlete who sets an Estonian record as part of the BIG Gold League will be awarded a five-figure sum from the event's namesake, the Baltic Investment Group Bank.
Tickets for the public cost just 50 kroons. All money raised from ticket sales will go towards the organisation of a sports day for children from the Tilsi orphanage in Põlvamaa. Tickets will also be entered in a draw in which the main prize is a trip to the World Indoor Championships in Valencia. The winner will be announced at the end of Wednesday's competition.
The final stage of the BIG Gold League in the University of Tartu's sports building will start at 4.50 pm on 20 February.
Information about the events is available from the website www.bigkuldliiga.ee.
For further information please contact:
Mati Lilliallik
52 13331
mati@kuldliiga.ee
www.bigkuldliiga.ee
