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More than two dozen international track stars, including pole vaulter Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, the world-record holder, and No. 1-ranked sprinter Dennis Mitchell of the United States, will compete Friday at Moscow's Znamensky Sport Hall in the Nike-Seldom World Class competition, Russia's premier indoor track and field meet.
In Bubka's last appearance in Moscow in June 1991, he broke the world outdoor pole vault record. The four-time world champion's last showing at a Russian indoor competition was in 1983.
The competition for $1.2 million in prize money is particularly strong in the men's and women's 50-meter dash, men's 50-meter high hurdles and men's pole vault.
"This is my first race of the year, and I'll do my best to start the season on a winning note," said Dennis Mitchell, the 1994 Goodwill Games gold medalist.
American Andre Cason, Frank Fredericks of Namibia and Bruny Surin of Canada will compete with Mitchell in the 50-meter race. The women's field in 50 meters will feature Jamaicas' Merline Ottey and Juliet Cuthbert, Zhanna Tarnopolskaya of Ukraine and Nelli Cooman of the Netherlands. The only notable absentee from the race will be Russia's Irina Privalova, the reigning indoor world champion. Meet organizers say Privalova pulled out of the competition at the last minute because of a dispute over last year's prize money.
The 50-meter high hurdles also features a strong group of runners, with Americans Greg Foster, Jack Pierce, Courtney Hawkins and Alan Johnson joining Olympic champion Mark MacKoy of Austria.
The pole vault, which organizers hope will produce a new indoor world record, includes Bubka, his main rival Radion Gataulin of Russia, 1992 Olympic gold medalist Maxim Tarasov, and Americans Dean Starkey and Scott Huffman.
Other stars include world 800-meter women's champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique, 800-meter runner Johnny Gray of the United States, and former world-record holder in the women's triple jump Yolanda Chen of Russia.
Asked how he likes his chances in the competition, Mitchell said that "I am in good condition but I don't know how fast I'm going to run, because I have not raced at this distance (50 meters) in over five years."
Mutola, who lives and trains in Eugene, Oregon, will be competing here for the first time. She said it is a possibility that she might better the world mark in the 800 meters, "but I'm not sure how fast the track is."
The meet is sponsored by New Sport, a Russian sports advertising company.
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