Taipei, May 12 (CNA) Over 600 athletes from 15 countries, including four Olympics gold medalists, will meet in one of the biggest track and field competitions in Taiwan in years, the Chinese Taipei Track and Field Association (CTTFA) said Wednesday in a press conference.
The gold medalists are Polish shot putter Tomasz Majewski, New Zealand women's shot putter Valerie Vili and sprinter Michael Frater, a member of Jamaica's record-setting 4x100 meters men's relay team -- all of whom won their golds in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Tim Mack, who won the men's pole vault in the 2004 Athens Olympics, will also join the competition.
The gold medalists will be the most notable of 15 top athletes among 129 foreign invitees who will attend the 2010 Chinese Taipei International Athletic Meet, which will take place from May 28-29 in Taipei, announced CTTFA President Thomas Tsai.
The CTTFA hopes that the competition featuring a rare strong lineup and "star power" will inspire local athletes and rejuvenate local development in the track and field category, which has suffered from lackluster performance for quite some time, said CTTFA Secretary-General Wang Ching-cheng. A total of 475 local athletes will attend the competition, which the CTTFA said it intends to make an annual event.
"Taiwan's track and field performance may be down, but it is not out, evidenced by a 4x100 meters men's relay gold in the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong, " Wang said, adding that there have been other potential local athletes who could break out at least on the Asian level.
For example, Wang said, 14-year-old high-jumper Hsiang Chun-hsien, who is 188 centimeters tall, had a personal best record of 2.15-meter and could improve with experience and better training.
Hsiang is expected to learn a lot when he meets Sylwester Bednarek, who won bronze at the 2009 World Championship with 2.32-meter, and from Taiwan record-holder Tsao Chih-hao (2.23-meter), he said.
Taiwan is also working hard in order to duplicate its success in the men's 4x100 meters relay in the upcoming Asian Games, which will be held in Guangzhou, southern China late this year, he noted.
Fans are welcome to attend the free-of-charge event at the Taipei City Stadium, which has undergone renovation before the Deaflympics was held in Taipei last year, Wang said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/cs