Marion Jones, who has been shadowed by not-so-hushed doping
allegations for the past year despite never failing a drugs test, will
compete in Europe for the second time in three days despite a
supposed "ban" by an association of European meet organizers at
Wednesday's Grand Prix II meet in Milan.On Sunday in Hengelo, Netherlands, Jones finished a distant second in
the 100 meters clocking 11.29, and will again face Bahamian Chandra
Sturrup, the Hengelo winner. Manuela Levorato, the double sprint
bronze medallist from the 2002 European championships, is the top
Italian hope in the field.
In the men's 100, Britain's Olympic sprint relay gold medallists Darren
Campbell and Mark Lewis-Francis make their second starts of the
outdoor season. Dwight Phillips, the world and Olympic long jump
champion, will start in the short dash as well. Phillips clocked a personal
best 10.14 in Fort-de-France, Martinique last month.
Qatari Daham Bashir, the former Kenyan David Nyaga, and Ethiopian
Mulugeta Wendimo are the key entrants in the 1500. Bashir clocked a
personal best 3:31.04 at the Doha, Qatar Grand Prix in mid-May, while
Wendimu has a 3:31.13 to his credit from last year, a national record.
The women's 1500 field includes Briton Hayley Tullet, Alesia Turova of
Belarus and Anna Jakubczak of Poland.
Milan organizers have put the rarely-run women's 2000 meter
steeplechase on the program, and have gathered a field that will make
an attempt on the event's world record, Russian Marina Pluzhnikova's
6:11.84 set in 1994. Ugandan Dorcus Inzikuru, the African record holder
(9:28.50), and Justyna Bak of Poland who set a world record here in
2002 (9:22.29), lead the field.
South Africans Llewellyn Herbert and Ockert Cilliers lead the field in the
400 meter hurdles while two-time Kenyan Olympian Joseph Mutua
(1:43.33 - 2002) is the class of the field in the 800.
US champion and Olympic finalist Jamie Nieto leads the high jump field,
which also includes Jamaican record holder Germaine Mason, on the
comeback from an injury last year.
The Italian fans will be looking for a good outing from Guiseppe
Gibilisco, the reigning world champion and Olympic bronze medallist in
the pole vault. Still on the mend from injury, the 26-year-old Gibilisco
hasn't competed since his injury-shortened competition at the Pole Vault
Stars meet in Donetsk, Ukraine in February. Fiona May, the 2001 world
long jump champion, headlines the field in her specialty.