DANIEL KOMEN, the second fastest man over 3,000 metres, takes on Algerian Noureddine Morceli at the Ivo Van Damme meeting tonight in a race which may well produce a world best.
The 20 year old Kenyan failed to qualify for the Atlanta Olympics but has been in devastating form since on the grand prix circuit. After running the second fastest 3,000 metres in history in Monaco on August 10th, Komen clocked the second fastest 5,000 ever at the Zurich grand prix.
He now meets Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Morceli who set the current 3,000 mark of seven minutes 25.11 seconds in Monaco two years ado.
Michael Johnson makes his first appearance at a major European meeting since he achieved an historic 200-400 metres double at Atlanta. A one lap race has been added to the programme for the Texan who commands one of the larger appearance fees on the circuit.
Johnson injured his right hamstring after smashing the world 200 metres record in Atlanta but said he was now back to peak form. "I'm in good shape now. I am looking forward to a good race.
He also dismissed suggestions that he might concentrate on the 100 metres in the run up to next year's World Championships in Athens. I am not a depressed 100 runner who does the 200 and 400 because he isn't good enough," Johnson said.
Russian Svetlana Masterkova, the Olympic 800 and 1,500 metres champion who smashed the women's mile world record in Zurich last week, takes on Mozambique's former world 1,500 metres champion Maria Mutola over 1,000 metres.
The men's 100 metres boasts the Olympic gold medallists from the last four Games Carl Lewis (1984 and 1988), Linford Christie (1992) and Canada's current champion Donovan Bailey. Atlanta bronze medallist Ato Boldon and American champion Dennis Mitchell are also in the field.
Namibia's silver medallist Frankie Fredericks will run the 200 metres where he is one of seven athletes still in contention for the Golden Four jackpot of 20 one kilo gold bars, worth around $250,000.
Athletes winning specific events at all four meetings in the series in Oslo, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin can win the prize. The competition wilt he decided at next week's final meeting.
The other athletes involved are Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey (100 metres), Denmark's Wilson Kipketer (800 metres), American Derrick Adkins (400 hurdles), Britain's Jonathan Edwards (triple jump), Germany's Lars Riedel (discus), and Bulgarian high jumper Stefka Kostadinova.
