Vlasic, Felix arrives in Doha as Super Grand Prix countdown begins;

(QAAF) President, on Tuesday evening announced a glittering field of international star athletes to compete in the 10th edition of the Qatar Athletics Super Grand Prix, as the countdown to the May 9 athletics extravaganza began in earnest with the arrival of two of the top female athletes on Doha. Croatian World indoor and outdoor high jump champion Blanka Vlasic was one of the first to arrive as she landed early on Tuesday morning at Doha International Airport.
Hoping for a repeat of her successful season opener in Doha last year, the tall Croatian checked into the very same hotel room after arriving from a Golden League press
conference in Zurich at 5am on Tuesday morning. 'The Doha meeting will be a good chance for me to test my form in a brief break from my heavy training for the Olympics,'
the Croatian star said after her arrival. 'After this event I will return to my home city of
Split to prepare to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing.'
In Doha Vlasic will face strong opposition from the Russian Anna Chicherova, who came
second behind Vlasic at the World Championships in Osaka last year. Another star attraction in a strong women's field is the American World Champion Alysson Felix, who will have a busy Friday afternoon competing in both the 100 and 400 meters. Felix
arrived in Doha this morning from Los Angeles, and will have to beat 25 year old Jamaican Sheri-Ann Brooks and experienced Sri Lankan Susanthica Jayasinghe in the shorter distance.
The full stadium round looks to be even more exciting, as Felix will have to fend off the strong challenge of Amantle Montsho from Botswana, who has just won the African
Championship in 49.83 seconds in the high altitude of Addis Ababa. Meanwhile in the long distance races for women, there beckons a thrilling race in the 1500 meters, where
rising star Janeth Jepkosgei will face a retiring legend of track and field, Maria Mutola, who has won an Olympic gold and three World titles in the 800 meters.
There will also be an interesting all-American battle in the 100 meter hurdles between
Lolo Jones, the world 60 meter hurdles indoor champion, and Virginia Powell, who registered a scorching best time of 12.45 last year.
With a host of top names and enticing duels to look forward to, the women's events at the Qatar Super Grand Prix promise much excitement and strong early performances in the
year of the Olympics.