by Larry Eder
THE AVIVA SERIES MEDIA RELEASE
27/07/2011
OLIVER SUMMONS THE TROOPS FOR FRIDAY HURDLES BATTLE AT PALACE
World number one
hurdler David Oliver believes a sell-out crowd at next week’s Aviva
London Grand Prix could set the stage for his maiden World title next
month, but warned
fans it’s now a race against time to secure seats for his clash with
Olympic champion Dayron Robles and European and Commonwealth champion
Andy Turner on 5 August.
The American record
holder, also the third fastest hurdler of all time, is one of the
favourites to land the coveted IAAF World Championship gold medal in
Daegu next month
after a whirlwind 15 months where he has won 32 out of 34 races.
However, in his path
for glory in both South Korea and at the Crystal Palace National Sports
Centre next week, stands Beijing gold medallist and World Record holder
Dayron
Robles, the Cuban athlete who has inflicted one of Oliver’s two defeats
this season when recording his first victory over the American in more
than three years with a win in Paris.
And with only a
final few tickets remaining for Friday to see the 110m hurdles
competition, in addition to Asafa Powell in the 100m and Mo Farah in the
3000m, Oliver has urged
athletics fans in London not to miss out on what he insists will be one
of the showpiece events at next year’s Olympic Games.
He said: “I love
competing in the UK, I’m really excited to get back there and get back
on the track and run the best I can. This year has been great for me so
far and I’ll
be hoping to keep my good form in London.
“The
field will be good in London, it will be great to get back up against
Dayron [Robles]
again, he’s had a great season and I always look forward to competing
against him because he is the best and it will be a true test of where
I’m at in my last competition before Worlds.
“One year out from
2012 I want to get a good result in London. I want to leave the city in
good form and with a great feeling for when I return next year. The
World Championships
are obviously on the cards and this will definitely be preparation for
that so I’m not going to be holding back, I want to get a good result.
“I hear that the
Saturday is sold out now but there’s still some tickets left for when
I’m racing so I’m really hoping that people get out and buy tickets so
it’s a packed
stadium for the race. I think the 110m hurdles is one of the most
interesting events out there at the moment, there’s a field packed full
of talent and every race is a great one.”
Like Oliver last
year, Robles has enjoyed one of his finest seasons to date this campaign
and until his last race in Barcelona – where he hit a hurdle in a freak
accident and
finished last – he had won every race he had entered.
He goes head-to-head
with Oliver once again this Friday in the Samsung Diamond League bout
in Stockholm, the last before they clash on UK soil next Friday, and is
keen to test
himself against the best in a world class Aviva London Grand Prix field
that will also include world number four Aries Merritt.
The
event is also a good opportunity for Aviva Great Britain and Northern
Ireland star Turner to notch another victory over Robles after the
Cuban’s
calamity in Spain and also test himself against good friend and
frequent training partner Oliver.
Turner
is in outstanding form after a top performance at the SPAR European
Team Championships in Stockholm in atrocious weather, followed by a
personal
best of 13.22secs in Lausanne just last month, and the Sutton-based
hurdler believes he has a big performance stirring within him and has
set his heart on putting in a strong performance in front of his local
fans.
“It’s
going to be great competing at the Aviva London Grand Prix, it’s one of
my favourite meets on the circuit as I love to race in front of a home
crowd. There’s a high level field racing so it will definitely be a
tight one. David and I have raced a few times this season but it will be
great to add Robles to the mix as well.
“It’s unbelievable that we’re now only one year away from 2012, it’s
really going to hit home when we’re lining up before the race and I
really hope that I get some good support from the crowd.
“I’m
happy with how 2011 has gone so far. I know I have a big performance
in me and am feeling positive about the second half of the season.”
Oliver, Robles and Turner join an
all-star cast of British and international athletes set to head to the
Aviva London Grand Prix. Mo Farah (3000m), Asafa Powell (100m),
Mark Lewis-Francis (100m), Jenny Meadows (800m), David Rudisha (800m),
Abubaker Kaki (800m) and Kim Collins (100m) will all be joining them in
action at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Friday 5 August,
while Christine Ohuruogu (400m), Sanya Richards-Ross
(400m), Phillips Idowu (triple jump), Felix Sanchez (400m hurdles), Dai
Greene (400m hurdles), and Carmelita Jeter (100m, 200m) will take to
the track on the sold-out Saturday for the final Aviva Series contest of
2011.
Oliver, Robles
and Turner will compete at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace
National Sports Centre on 5 August. For tickets or more information go
to uka.org.uk/aviva-series
or phone 08000 556 056. The event on 5-6 August will be shown live on BBC 2 / BBC HD
ENDS
For further event information please contact:
Caroline Grenger – 07773044593
caroline.grenger@
Nick Hartwell – 07787510286 nick.hartwell@fasttrackagency.
Editors’ Notes:
The Aviva Series:
Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix, Alexander Stadium, 10 July
Aviva UK Trials and Championships, Birmingham Alexander Stadium, 29-31 July
Aviva London Grand Prix, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, 5-6 August
Samsung Diamond League:
Stockholm, 29 July
London, 5-6 August
Zurich, 8 September
Brussels, 16 September
UKA:
UKA is the National Governing Body of athletics, the premier Olympic and
Paralympic sport. We aspire to be a world leading sporting organisation
delivering clear and inspirational leadership for athletics to ensure a
vibrant and empowered sport at every level
that can evolve to meet every challenge. We work with Home Country
Federations and other partners to secure and distribute funding and
develop policies for key areas and implementation at the appropriate
levels, giving support and strategic guidance. For
more information visit www.uka.org.uk
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athletes since 1999 and is helping pave the way for their success by
hosting six world class athletics events on home soil – The Aviva
Series, supporting
the Aviva GB & NI junior, senior and Paralympics teams as they
prepare for all major championships. Through the Aviva Athletics
Academy, we are also providing the opportunity for the next generation
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