For the 16 people who have Universal Sports either through cable or your secondary over the air NBC affiliate channel, you’ll be able to see two track & field meets, one in Switzerland and the other in England. Both will be shown on delay in primetime. If you have Universal Sports and you’re into track, you have some stuff to watch starting Thursday. Here’s the press release.
IAAF Diamond League Series Heats Up this Week on Universal Sports with the Return of Usain BoltBolt Will Run 100M in Lausanne, Switzerland, Coverage Begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on July 8;British Grand Prix from Gateshead, England Begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on SaturdayJuly 6, 2010 — Universal Sports’ coverage of the IAAF Diamond League, the global track & field competition circuit, continues this week from Lausanne, Switzerland, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET (SDD) on Thursday, July 8, and the British Grand Prix from Gateshead, England at 7:00 p.m. ET (SDD) on Saturday, July 10. A replacement to the IAAF Golden League, the Diamond League series expands beyond meets in Europe, and includes competitions in Asia, the Middle East and the United States. Athletes with the highest number of points in each discipline (each discipline is held seven times) at the end of the season win the 2010 Diamond Race and a four-carat diamond.Diamond League Lausanne (Thursday, 8pm ET): ): In Switzerland, all eyes will be on triple Olympic winner and world-record holder Usain Bolt as he prepares for his first 100M competition since withdrawing, due to injury, from the New York event on June. The men’s 800M is another highly anticipated event with 21-year-old Kenyan star David Rudisha leading the field after his swift 1:42.04 in Oslo’s June event. Rudisha, who will be pushing for the course record of 1:42.61 and maybe even the 13-year-old World record, will face a stellar field that includes reigning 800M World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa. The men’s high jump will feature reigning World Champion Yaroslav Rybakov of Russia, Ukraine’s 2005 World Champion Yuriy Krimarenko, Russian World Indoor Champion Ivan Ukhov and American Dusty Jonas, the current world leader. Other world-class competitors include top pole vaulters Steve Hooker of Australia, Romain Mesnil and Renaud Lavillenie of France, as well as a battle between javelin giants Andreas Thorkildsen, Norwegian’s double Olympic champion, and Finnish world-record holder Tero Pitka?ma?ki.Diamond League British Grand Prix (Saturday, 7pm ET): The British Grand Prix could produce the fastest times of the year as Asafa Powell lines up against Tyson Gay. Records have been known to fall at the fast Gateshead track, so spectators could potentially witness a 100M world record. Currently holding this year’s fastest 100M time, Powell hasn’t raced against Gay since last September, with Gay currently edging Powell eight to seven in head-to-head matches. Making his 2010 Diamond League debut, Gay switched from his original 200M entry to race against Powell. The event will also showcase a women’s 400M showdown as Olympic 400M champion Christine Ohuruogu hits the track against reigning World Champion Sanya Richards-Ross and three other world medalists. The event will also include Britain’s World Champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis, British 10,000M record holder Mo Farah, and a host of other world-class competitors.Remaining IAAF Diamond League Events Scheduled on Universal Sports (schedule subject to change)
There you have it.
