It’s not a Diamond League event but sparks could fly when long jumper M. Sreeshankar meets Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou in Stockholm on June 30.
The organisers of the Bauhaus-Galan Stockholm Diamond League have invited Sreeshankar for the event and also for the Folksam Karlstad GP at Karlstad on July 3.
“It’s not a Diamond League event this time but it is an ‘additional event’ in the main programme with a world-class field,” Ulf Saletti, international relations and project manager, Swedish athletic meetings and athlete liaison for the Bauhaus-Galan meet, told The Hindu from Stockholm on Monday.
“Each WDL (Wanda Diamond League) meeting can add extra events to their programme and in Stockholm the additional events are men’s long jump and women’s shot put, both with local Swedish interest plus world-class athletes.
“Tentoglou and Thobias Montler (the World No. 1 and 2) are other top names in long jump right now.”
Tentoglou and Sreeshankar are level with 8.36m, and at No. 2, in the outdoor World list this year.
Neeraj’s challenge
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will also be in action in Stockholm in the javelin event which will be a Diamond League event.
“(Johannes) Vetter, (Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub) Vadlejch, (season-leader Anderson) Peters, (Julian) Weber... so nearly all will be there,” said Saletti.
After Stockholm, Sreeshankar plans to go to the US and will train at Chula Vista to prepare for the World championships in Oregon which begins on July 15.
