Daegu Metropolitan City will host the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championship Meeting 2008 in preparation for the coming World Championships in Athletics in 2011.

Star athletes from the Beijing Olympic Games and other world-class competitions are already arriving one by one in Daegu to participate in the meet as well as other sports functions.

Wilfred Bungei from Kenya, gold medalist in the male 800-meter running at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Lauryn Williams from the United States, who got fourth place in the women's 100-meter sprints at the same Olympics and sprinter Brian Dzingai from Zimbabwe, with a world ranking of no. 10, already arrived on Monday to visit Daegu Physical Education High School and other sport facilities there.

"We arranged a meeting between world athletes and the pupils to give new inspiration to them," said Choi Jong-eok, the school principal.

Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian queen of pole vaulting, arrived the following day together with her boyfriend. A meeting between Isinbayeva and her Korean fans was arranged at the COEX building in Seoul. Jang Mi-ran, the world record holder in weightlifting also showed up to greet her. In the press conference Isinbayeva vowed to set a new record. The present world record is 5.05m, which was also set by her.

She is to visit Daegu Bangjja Yugi (Korean bronze ware) Museum, Donghwasa Buddhist Temple and Kyoungbuk Physical Education High School in Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province).

Other notable athletes who has arrived or coming to Korea by Thursday include Rodney Martin, Torri Edwards and Bershawn Jackson all from the United States, Tatyana Lebedeva from Russia, Leevan Sands from the Bahamas, Tero Jarvenpaa from Finland and Eriks Rags from Latvia.  
The city of Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul and with a population of 2.5 million, is to host the biennial 2011 World Championships in Athletics.

Homepage for the Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting 2008
Homepage for the Daegu IAAF World Championships in Athletics



SOURCE : Korea.net