We are proud to provide our athletics fans from all over the world with a YouTube Live stream from the warmup arena of Malmö Games 2015! This stream is brought to you by an Axis camera powered by CamStreamer software.
The World Record holder and Olympic Champion at 110 metres hurdles Aries Merritt, USA, is coming to Malmö Arena to run 60 metres hurdles at Malmö Games on February 25! Aries had a fantastic year in 2012 when he was undefeated and won Indoor World Championships, broke the World Record with 12.80 and won gold at the Olympic Games i London. Thereafter he had som injury problems but are now back and has already run 60 meters hurdles in 7.57 in his opening race on February 7.
Aries will turn 30 this year and has a long carrier behind him but really made a break through at 27 years of age after changing his training but mainly changing his technique with for example moving from 8 to 7 steps to the first hurdle. That transition means that you have to change starting position and also get another rhythm to the first hurdle, something that Aries executed with elegance and led to him becoming the fastest hurdler in the world.
He has run in Sweden several times but never in Malmö and he says:
– I’m really excited to come to Malmö! Every time I have been to Sweden in the past I have run very fast so I am looking forward to ending my indoor season there. I’m looking forward to finish with a bang in Malmö!
The already strong field in 60 metres hurdles, with reigning World Champion at 110 metres hurdles from 2013 David Oliver from USA and former world record holder and Olympic Champion from 2008 Dayron Robles from Cuba, has been reinforced. There will be a challenge between three hurdle kings in Malmö!
It is set for one of the best high jump competitions. To the already strong field is now two of the worlds bests high jumpers added, Andrej Protsenko, Ukraine and Alexey Dmitrik, Russia will challenge about the victory money of 7 000 dollar.
– Four of the worlds five best high jumpers will compete in Malmö, says Theo Söderberg from the meet organization.
The world leader Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatar and Ivan Ukhov, Russia is since before set to compete at Malmö Games.
Not so long ago Mutaz Essa Barshim tried jumping at the world record height of 2,44 metres and was close to clearing. Qatars world star has Malmö as his base during the indoor season and trains in Atleticum with former MAI-coach Stanislav Szczyrba.
It has been speculated if Barshim can beat Javier Sotomayors world record.
– There is a world record bonus of 25 000 dollar waiting, explains Theo Söderberg.
The french pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie also aims to set a new world record in Malmö Arena.
The former world record holder and one of the best sprinters in the world, Asafa Powell from Jamaica is coming to Malmö Arena 25 Februari to run 60 metres against the rest of the worlds top sprinters! Asafa is one of the most merited runners in the world and has several medals from World Championships and also an Olympic Gold medal at home. He has also run more 100 metres under 10 seconds more than any other sprinter – 84 times!
Asafa recently ran his opening race for the season in Boston on February 7 and took second in 6.52.
– I have only been running in spikes för two weeks so I am very happy with this first race, says Asafa. It will be faster in my remaining two races, where Malmö is the last one.
Powell was also banned for doping 2013 but that ban was very controversial. Malmö Games meeting director Rajne Soderberg says:
– Asafa Powells case feels very special. He took a stimulant that was not declared on the table of content. And it was a substance that is ok to use in training but not in competition.
Soderberg is also critical to the ban of 18 months that Asafa first got but later was lowered after appeal to CAS.
– I think he was treated unfairly, comparing to what punishment other athletes got in similar cases. But I am glad he managed to get through this time and we support his comeback.
After the ban he was forced to change coach and he is no trained by his older brother Donovan Powell. Even he a merited sprinter with personal bests of 10.07 in 100 metres and 6.51 in 60 meters. Asafas goal is now to run faster than ever and take gold in the WC in Beijing later this year.
– Nothing is impossible. At 32 years of age you know how to put all pieces together. Asafa is really working to reach the 9.72 he ran a few years back. Personally I believe he can do it if he concentrates and stays healthy, says Donovan.
At Malmö Games he gets tough competition from this years world leader Kim Collins and the reigning World Champion Richard Kilty.
Wednesday February 25 the worlds best sprinters will come to Malmö.
Richard Kilty, reigning world champion in the 60 metres comes to Malmö to compete against the best. He was a substitute during the World Indoor Championships 2014, after his fellow countryman injured himself and couldn’t start, Kilty was called in. He seized the opportunity and won! From substitute to World Champion!
At Malmö Arena will Kilty face Kim Collins from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“I look forward to Malmö Games, and to face Kim Collins who is running faster than ever before will be a great challenge. It’s always good when the fastest sprinters are at the same meet, because then we can push each other to run faster.” – Richard Kilty
Malmö Games will have many sprint races as both 60m and 60m hurdles for both men and women will have heats and finals. The victory premiums in all events is 7000 dollar and in total there is 18 700 dollar in prize money in each event.
Eurosport have secured the pan-european rights to Malmö Games. The athletic meet which will be on the 25th of February will thereby be live broadcasted in the channels network to 154 million households in 54 countries. The deal also includes sub licensing rights worldwide.
Malmö Games will be live broadcasted by Eurosport on the 25th of February 20.00 – 22.00.
– Through Eurosport will Malmö Games reach all of Europe and of course is it fun to collaborate with a Swedish event which is interesting to our whole network. We look forward to offer the European audience a Swedish athletic meet of highest international class as a temperature riser to the European Indoor Championships, says Dennis Andersson, CEO for Eurosport Scandinavia
– Malmö Games is a international event and through Eurosport it will be distributed all over the world, which suits our marketing and sponsors. We are very happy to have Eurosport as a collaborating partner in the establishment of Malmö Games, says Rajne Söderberg, Meeting Director for Malmö Games.
Malmö Games gathers a high class startfield to the competitions in Malmö Arena. Swedish Irene Ekelund (60 m) and Erica Garder (long jump) will be accompanied by world indoor champion Omoghan Oshage (60 m h), world record holder Renaud Lavillenie (pole vault) and worlds fastest man right now Kim Collins (60 m).
Kim Collins from Saint Kitts & Nevis is probably relatively unknown to the Swedish audience but has had an remarkable sprinting career. At the age of 21 he participated in his first international championships, the World Championships in Athen, but didn’t manage to reach the finals. He became a Olympic finalist in 2000, but the big break through came at the World Championships in Edmonton, 2001 when he won the bronze medal in the 200 metres – the first medal ever for Saint Kitts & Nevis.
Kim then went on to win the silver medal in the 60 metres at the World Indoor Championships 2003 and later that year he won an unexpected gold medal in the 100 metres at the World Championships in Paris with the time 10,07 seconds! He has been in the finals or top three at all the international championships from 2004 to 2011 except in 2008. At the World Championships in Daegu 2011, he succeeded in winning the bronze medal in the 100 metres at the age of 35!
At the Olympic Games in London 2012, Kim would have become historical by participating in 5 different Olympic Games, but faith wanted different. He deviated from the Olympic village to go and see his wife, who is also his trainer, and spent a night with her. This was to much for the management of the Saint Kitts & Nevis Olympic team (consisting of 6 athletes), and forbid Kim to start in the 100 metres and sent him home! Kim said “I wanted to get away to focus as this was my last chance to win a Olympic medal. I should have been aloud to compete. I’m an adult man who is soon to become a grandfather!”
But Kim didn’t give up! He came back 2013 and set a new personal record in the 100 metres with 9.97 seconds. For the first time he ran under 10 seconds at the age of 37! 2014 he continued running faster than ever, now in the 60 metres 6.49 seconds and in the 100 metres 9.96 seconds! This year he has already set a new personal record in the 60 metres – 6.48 seconds! Kim Collins is now coming to Malmö for the first time to run the 60 metres at Malmö Games in Malmö Arena, February 25. Double world record holder for men 35+ in 60 metres and the 100 metres and as the fastest man in world right now!
Irene Ekelund will face the worlds fastest sprinters in 60 m the 25th of February at Malmö Games in Malmö Arena.
Irene competes for the organizing club Malmö AI, she have not yet turned 18 years old and has since a couple of years back established herself as Swedens best female sprinter. Irene is one of the most promising sprinters in the world, in 2013 she won the World Youth Championships in the 200 metres and last year she won the silver at the World Junior Championships, also the 200 metres.
At Malmö Games it will be a tough race against Murielle Ahoure, four times silver medalist at World Championships with a personal best as 6.99 seconds in the 60 metres which is the eight fastest time through all time in the distance.
We can count with a fast race on the new specially constructed tracks at Malmö Games, consisting of the same fast surface which Usain Bolt set his world records on. Irene’s Swedish junior record of 7.32 seconds will have a hard time surviving the night.
Wednesday, February 25 the world’s best hurdlers will compete in Malmö Arena at the Malmö Games.
Dayron Robles, Cuba, Olympic champion, world champion both indoor and outdoor, ranked second through all time in the 60m hurdles with 7,33 s as his best time. Robles will face David Oliver, USA reigning world champion from 2013 with 7,37 s as his best time in the 60m hurdles. None of them can be sure to win though they will run against the young hurdlers Orlando Ortega, Cuba, and Jarret Eaton, USA. Philip Nossmy from Malmö will get best possible opponents in his hunt for the Swedish National record in the 60m hurdles.
Malmö Games will consist of many sprint races when both 60m and 60m hurdles for men and women will be decided by heats and final. The prize money in all events is 7 000 dollar (58 000 SEK) and in total there is 18 700 dollar (150 000 SEK) in prize money in each event.
Erica Jarder tested on Friday the new runways to Malmö Games and they were approved with praise.
“It’s the perfect jumping tracks, bouncy but stable,” says Erica Jarder and looks forward to competing in Malmö Arena on 25 February.
Meeting Director, Rajne Söderberg also unveiled another new feature that can change how the long- and triple jump is performed in the future. The long jump competition at Malmö Games, which is a mixed competition with 6 men and 6 women, will be implemented with the long jump board as a takeoff zone. Thus, who actually jumps the longest will win, not the one who has luck on his side with a take off as close to the fault line as possible. Söderberg believes that athletics needs to be modernized and to implement a long jump competition in this way means that the number of fault jumps are minimized, the jumper can use their maximum capacity in every attempt and the audience get to see a more qualitative competition.
Jarder is very supportive of this innovation and believe it is the future of horizontal jumps in track and field.
The athletics tracks is produced by Malmö Games partners, BSW. A German company that specializes in sports floor and the creators of the worlds fastest athletics tracks so far, called Regupol.
In total will 989,4 m2 athletics track be installed in the Malmö Arena for the Malmö Games.
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