BERLIN – Eight recently-crowned world champions along with the cream of Germany's track and field stars will highlight the 76th edition of Berlin’s ISTAF, an IAAF World Challenge meeting, on Sunday.
Included in the meeting will be South Africa's Caster Semenya who will run the rarely-contested 600m instead of her customary 800m
Semenya, whose best 600m time is 1:25.56, will have to contend with top class competition. Among the South African’s rivals will be Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, who won silver medals in both London and Rio.
Semenya's target, however, could be the world best of 1:22.63 which was set by Cuban Anna Fidelia Quirot 20 years ago.
The meeting, which has deep historical roots in the German capital, will also serve as a dress rehearsal for next year's European Championships which will also be staged at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, host to the 2009 IAAF World Championships.
Two weeks after the IAAF World Championships London 2017, eight gold medallists will be in action.
The 200m winner Ramil Guliyev of Turkey in the 100m, where he's taking on Adam Gemili, Sam Kendricks of the USA in the pole vault, Lithuania's Andrius Gudzius in the discus, 200m winner Dafne Schippers who'll compete in the 4x100m, 400m champion Phyllis Francis of the USA who'll compete in the 200m, and javelin champion Johannes Vetter of Germany.
The middle and long distance races should provide the highlights on the women’s side of the programme.