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VCB faces Ahoure test in Oslo 100m showdown

Published:Tuesday | June 9, 2015 | 12:00 AMRaymond Graham
Michael Probst
FILE Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown crosses the finish line ahead of Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure (left) to win the gold medal in the women's 60 metres at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday, March 11, 2012. VCB and Ahoure are key competitors in the women's 100m at the Oslo Diamond League meeting tomorrow.

Decorated female athlete Veronica Campbell-Brown (VCB), will make her second Diamond League appearance this season when she competes tomorrow in the 100 metres in Oslo, Norway.

Campbell-Brown will be hoping for a better result after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Shanghai Diamond League meet, where she finished fourth in 11.22 seconds. The race was won by Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria in 10.98 seconds.

Since that run, Campbell-Brown had success at the Beijing World Challenge Meet, winning the 200 metres in 22.68.

 

tough task

 

It will be a tough task for Campbell-Brown to win tomorrow as she will come face to face with joint 100m world leader Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, who lost narrowly to World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in Eugene, Oregon, just over a week ago as both athletes were credited with the same time, 10.81 seconds.

What will give the Jamaican some confidence going into the event is that at the Shanghai meet she finished ahead of Fraser-Pryce, even though the distance now is shorter.

Campbell-Brown will be hoping to improve her start, as a good layoff could see her firing on all cylinders from the blocks and, like her countrywoman Fraser-Pryce, put the brakes on her opponents and in the process improve her season best.

While the race seems a straight fight between Campbell Brown and Ahoure, there are other decent competitors in the field like Brazilian Rosangela Santos, who was third in Eugene in the B race, with a season-best 11.04 seconds, along with Britain's Asha Philip, third in Hengalo with a season-best 11.10 seconds, and the Bulgarian, Ivet Lalova, who has a personal-best of 10.77 seconds.