Guerrouj looking to overshadow Greene and Jones
Simon Evans
Top Americans Maurice Greene and Marion Jones head the bill in Friday's Rome Golden League meeting, but Morocco's triple world champion Hicham El Guerrouj looks the most likely athlete to break a world record.
It was in Rome's Olympic stadium that El Guerrouj set the world 1500 metres record in 1998 with a time of three minutes 26.00 seconds, and a year later at the same venue he posted the world mile record of three minutes 43.13.
Organisers have agreed to the Moroccan's request to alter the programme, making the planned 1500 metres into a mile race to give El Guerrouj the chance to repeat the success he enjoyed in the Oslo 'Dream Mile' in June.
While El Guerrouj will have his eye on a new record at the third Golden League race of the season, he will need no reminding of the threat posed by Kenyan Noah Ngeny.
Ngeny pulled off a major surprise by beating the Moroccan at the Sydney Olympics, and while he has yet to hit top form this season conditions in Rome may suit him more than the races in Oslo and Paris.
Olympic and World 100 metres champion Greene looked to be struggling after suffering two defeats last month to Britain's Dwain Chambers, but he won in Paris with a time of 9.99 seconds and will be aiming for another victory in the 'Golden Gala'.
With Chambers absent in Rome to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, Greene's biggest challenge could come from compatriots Bernard Williams and Tim Montgomery.
OLYMPIC CHAMPION
Jones broke her own season's world 100m best in Paris, running 10.89 seconds, but again the Olympic champion will not face the woman who beat her in last year's world championships, Ukraine's Zhanna Pintusevich-Block.
Jones is hoping to take advantage of the newly laid track at Rome's Olympic stadium.
"I have trained on the new track three times this week and I have to say that I feel that it is fast," she said.
"You have to remember that I, like all the Americans have been in Europe for some time now. We are half way through the European tour and we have acclimatised and got over all the jet lag, so we are ready to produce our best," added Jones, who said the warm Italian weather was also a welcome contrast to the cold and drizzle of Paris.
Jones, along with El Guerrouj, is among eight athletes still in with a chance of sharing the prize of 50 kilograms of gold for athletes who win their events in all seven Golden League meetings.
The others are British triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in 400m hurdles, Mexican Ana Guevara in the women's' 400 metres, Romania Olympic and world champion Gabriela Szabo in 3000 metres, Kenyan 5000m runner Benjamin Limo and American Gail Devers in 100m hurdles.
The Rome competition will also offer a first chance to see Mozambique's Maria Mutola, the world and Olympic 800m champion, compete in the 1500 metres.
