The 24,000 crowd in Osaka were treated to dazzling displays by both Frank Fredericks (NAM) and Daniel Komen (KEN) as the IAAF 1997 Grand Prix I circuit really got off the ground.

Frank Fredericks, Olympic silver medallist in both 100m and 200m ran the fastest 200m time so far this season with an exciting 19.90 in almost windless conditions (0.4 m/s). Fredericks romped home ahead of Kevin Little (USA) who might just as well not have been in the same race, as Fredericks crossed the finishing line nearly four tenths of a second ahead. After an excellent season in 1996 Fredericks looks to be in even better form at the start of the 1997 Grand Prix season.

A similar feat was accomplished by Daniel Komen who ran a season’s best in the 5000m of 13:03.51 and finished ahead of fellow countrymen Julius Gitahi and Paul Koech. A relative unknown, the young Gitahi- he was 19 only at the end of April - could well be this season’s surprise from Kenya. Although he couldn’t match Komen’s almost effortless performance - Komen cruised around the track, only kicking out in the last few hundred metres - Gitahi ran an excellent 13:05.64, finishing almost five seconds ahead of Paul Koech. Assuming he can keep his form Komen will doubtless be aiming to beat Haile Gebrselassie’s world record during the season and we may well see Julius Gitahi close on his heels.

Tim Montgomery (USA) ran a convincing 9.95 in the 100m, aided by a 3 m/s tailwind, finishing 12 hundredths ahead of Leroy Burrell (USA) who seemed to find the going very heavy and to be way off his record-breaking 1995 form.
James Beckford (JAM) showed once again that he will be the man to watch this season, with another 8.30m long jump to follow on from the 8.61m mark he jumped in Rio on 4 May, the Rio jump was slightly windy (2.60m/s), but the Osaka mark was in legal conditions.

Deon Hemmings (JAM) made her 1997 season debut with a fine 53.85 in the women’s 400m hurdles crossing the line ahead of arch rival Kim Batten (USA) with a mark of 54.09. The two totally outclassed the rest of the field and Tonya Williams (USA) could manage no better than a lacklustre 57.20 to take sixth place.

There were no surprises in the women’s high jump, the tireless Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) showed that her seemingly endless form is still all there as she cleared 2.02m in her debut in the 1997 Grand Prix I circuit. Odds will be good on her continuing her domination of the event throughout the year and, why not, taking at least one stab at her own world record of 2.09m.

In the women’s triple jump, the most remarkable result was the poor showing by Inessa Kravets. The Ukrainian appeared to be suffering from persistent injury problems and could manage no better than fifth place with 13.33m. She will certainly have to make some major improvement in her form to better her world record jump of 15.50m (Göteborg 1995). The winner of the event in Osaka with 14.72m, Sarka Kasparkova (CZE), will doubtless be keenly contending Kravets’ crown in Athens in August.