Sha’Carri Richardson, the current world champion in the 100 meters, is set to race at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo this Sunday. This track meet is important because it is being held in the same stadium that will host the World Athletics Championships later this year.
Sha’Carri Richardson To Test Training Fitness
For Richardson, who already has a spot in the Worlds as the defending champion in the 100m, this competition is a chance to get familiar with the venue and test her speed against strong competitors.
Joining Richardson in the 100m race is fellow American sprinter Twanisha Terry. Terry finished finished fifth at the Olympics last year and ran the second leg on the winning 4x100m relay team. She has already posted 11.07 seconds this season, so the former USC sprinter is expected to bring some form into the contest.
The meeting record of 11.03 seconds was set by American Chryste Gaines in 2003.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh Aims High in Tokyo
Another global champion who will be competing in Tokyo is Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh. She is the world record holder in the high jump and recently jumped an impressive 2.02 meters in Doha.
Mahuchikh will face Japan’s Nagisa Takahashi, who holds the Japanese indoor record in the event. This competition will be a good test for Mahuchikh as she prepares for the World Championships.
Haruka Kitaguchi Faces World Rivals on Home Turf
Japan’s top javelin thrower, Haruka Kitaguchi, will also be competing in front of her home crowd. As the reigning world champion and the Olympic champion from last year, Kitaguchi is a major star in Japan.
This weekend, she will compete against the same two athletes who stood on the podium with her at the last World Championships: Flor Ruiz Hurtado of Colombia and Mackenzie Little of Australia, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
Also in the competition is Jo-Ane van Dyk of South Africa, who finished just ahead of Kitaguchi at a recent Diamond League meet. This strong field will provide Kitaguchi with a valuable challenge before the Worlds Athletics Championships.
Other Field Event Highlights
In other field events, JuVaughn Harrison from the USA will compete in the long jump. He will face Australia’s Liam Adcock, who has been performing well recently, along with two top Japanese athletes, Shunsuke Izumiya and Yuki Hashioka.
De Grasse Leads Men’s Sprint Events
Meanwhile, Canada’s Andre de Grasse, the Olympic champion in the 200 meters, will also be racing on Sunday. Coming off a third-place finish in the 4x100m relay at the World Relays, De Grasse will focus on his main event. His main competition could be Robert Gregory, who has a personal best of 19.89 seconds in the 200m.
In the men’s 100m, the 2017 world champion Christian Coleman, who is off to a slow start this season, will race against young talent and American countryman Christian Miller, who will be competing outside of the United States for the first time.
Other athletes in the race include USA’s Pjai Austin, Canada’s Jerome Blake, and Japan’s Hakim Sani Brown.
Hurdles and 400m Races to Watch
Japan’s Rachid Muratake is hoping for a win in the men’s 110m hurdles after finishing second in recent Diamond League races. However, he will face tough competition from his fellow countryman Shunya Takayama and Dylan Beard of the USA.
The women’s sprint hurdles will feature Americans Tonea Marshall and Alia Armstrong competing against Japan’s record holder Mako Fukube. In the men’s 400m hurdles, Trevor Bassitt, the 2022 world bronze medalist, will race against Gerald Drummond of Costa Rica and Japan’s Ken Toyoda.
Elsewhere, the men’s 400m will include Australia’s Reece Holder, Emmanuel Bamidele from Nigeria, and Japan’s Kentaro Sato, who won this event last year.
