Bolt, Gay headline new Diamond League series
Last Updated: Saturday, November 21, 2009 | 4:40 PM ET
The Associated Press
American Tyson Gay, right, beat Jamaica's Usain Bolt at the 2007 world championships, but the Jamaican has taken sprinting to an unprecedented level since. (Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press)Sprint stars Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the United States are scheduled to race each other at least three times at elite Diamond League meetings next year.
The IAAF, athletics' governing body, said on Saturday that the two fastest men in history are contracted to compete in seven of the 14 cities in Asia, Europe and the United States featured in the inaugural global series.
The new series replaces the six-city Golden League that offered athletes a share of a $1-million US jackpot for six victories. However, the series never left Europe and could not find room for some of the less glamourrous events.
It is hoped the series will garner more attention than would otherwise be the case in a year that won't include the quadrennial Olympics or the world championships (held every two years).
The Diamond League offers a total of $6.63 million in prize money across 32 track-and-field disciplines. A 4-carat diamond will be presented to the season-ending points leader in each event.
Diamond League vice-chair Patrick Magyar said the old system didn't work for athletes or meet organizers.
"The idea is to bring back competitivity to the meetings ... and also to bring back all disciplines," he said.
Bolt broke his own world record in the 100 at the world championships in Berlin in August, running a 9.58. Gay took silver with a time of 9.71, faster than any other man ever but Bolt.
The Jamaican hasn't lost at a major meet since Gay beat him in the 200 at the 2007 world championships.
Other elite athletes committed to seven Diamond League appearances are distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, pole vaulters Yelena Isinbayeva and Steve Hooker, 400 runner Sanya Richards, high jumper Blanka Vlasic and javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen.
Many of those same athletes are up for the IAAF men's and women's athlete of the year award, to be announced on Sunday.
Diamond League schedule
The 14 Diamond League meets are:
- Doha, Qatar, Friday, May 14
- Shanghai, Sunday, May 23
- Oslo, Friday, June 4
- Rome, Thursday June 10
- New York, Saturday, June 12
- Eugene, Ore., Saturday, July 3
- Lausanne, Switzerland, Thursday, July 8
- Gateshead, Britain, Saturday, July 10
- Paris, Friday, July 16
- Monaco, Thursday, July 22
- Stockholm, Friday, Aug. 6
- London, Friday-Saturday, Aug. 13-14
- Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, Aug. 19
- Brussels, Friday, Aug. 27
