Olympic Triple Jump champion Olsson lines-up for Madrid; quality Shot and Discus

Olympic Triple Jump champion Olsson lines-up for Madrid; quality Shot and Discus

The fitness and form of reigning Olympic Triple Jump champion Christian Olsson will be under close scrutiny when he competes at the ‘Meeting Madrid 2008’ in the Spanish capital’s Moratalaz Municipality Sports Centre on 5 July.

The Madrid meeting is a Grand Prix status fixture as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.

The 28-year-old Swede who is also the reigning double European champion has not competed since the 13 July 2007 because of injury.

Olsson cameback in 2006 from a similarly long lay off period following injury problems sustained during the summer of his successful Athens Olympic title campaign (17.79m national record). It was a quite remarkable return to the top crowned by with the successful defence of his continental title (17.69m) in Gothenburg, and the athletics world will be keen to observe whether Olsson can pull off a similar miracle this summer when he is due to defend his Olympic title in Beijing.

In Madrid on 5 July testing out Olsson’s fitness to the full will be one of his main opponents in Beijing, Portugal’s Nelson Evora, the World champion last year in Osaka.

Hoffa vs Cantwell

Another reigning World champion American Reese Hoffa, who won the Shot Put title in Osaka, is another of the world’s elite to have signed up for Spain’s most prestigious annual meeting.

Hoffa who so far in 2008 has a season’s best of 21.73 metres achieved on 8 June in Eugene and a personal best of 22.43m (2007) will have his compatriot Christian Cantwell, the World Indoor champion as his main opponent just a month before Beijing Olympics.

When Cantwell and Hoffa faced each other in the Valencia World Indoor Championships this winter, it was a mighty fight. Cantwell, the 2004 champion, against Hoffa, the 2006 title defender, produced a great contest with the former winning, 21.77 to 21.20m.

Cantwell's 2008 outdoor best is so far 21.76m (10 May), while he has a PB of 22.54 (2004).

Alekna challenged by local international talents

Lithuanian Virgilijus Alekna, the two-time reigning Olympic champion in the men’s Discus Throw will take on a quality field in Madrid.

Alekna who has twice been World champion and is also the current European titleholder has a personal best of 73.88 metres, second all-time only behind World record holder Jürgen Schult (74.08). In 2008, he has so far thrown 71.25 metres, the second best performance of the season.

In Madrid, Alekna will face Spanish record holder Mario Pestano who threw a national record of 68.61 on 18 May and took a good victory last weekend in the European Cup (68.38m) and has had another two competitions over 67m this summer.

Another Spaniard, this time of Cuban origin, Frank Casañas will also be in the competition having bettered his personal best of 67.91 metres on 7 June, making him the second best in Spain all-time.