Rome look to javelin star Roehler to rock Olimpico

Baker hoping to hold off Vicaut

A traditional section of the center’s children.

MILAN, June 7, (AFP): The absence of Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt has Rome Diamond League organisers turning their eyes skywards on Thursday in the hope German javelin star Thomas Roehler raises the roof with another stellar performance.

Bolt, who is set to retire from athletics this year, will only make his European debut — ahead of the London world championships in August — at the Czech Golden Spikes event in Ostrava on June 28.

The second of 14 Diamond League meetings spread over 13 different countries, Rome — in spite of Bolt’s absence — offers up an all-star cast featuring 36 medallists from the 2016 Rio Olympics, and a world record attempt in the women’s 5000m for Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba.

And Roehler would be forgiven for wanting to snatch the spotlight — in Doha last month, the German threw the spear a massive 93.90 metres. Schippers, the 2015 world 200m champion, and American Tianna Bartoletta, the 2016 Olympic long jump champion — although Schippers has been fastest this year, setting a 10.95 in April.

With a season’s best of 20.41, Canada’s Olympic silver medallist Andre De Grasse leads the men’s 200m field ahead of Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre (21.22) and Panamanian Alonso Edward, who has won the last three editions of the Diamond Race.

In the absence of Jamaican hurdles king Omar McLeod, American world record holder Aries Merritt, the fastest in the field this year in 13.13sec, can step into the spotlight — although Spain’s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega (13.15) and Britain’s Andrew Pozzi (13.19) could also be in contention.

The entire women’s pole vault podium from Rio — Katerini Stefanidi of Greece, American Sandi Morris and New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney — will reunite, with Cuba’s world champion Yarisley Silva and Britain’s Holly Bradshaw looking to play the upsetters.

A 5000m world record attempt by Ethiopian distance star Dibaba, who came up short when chasing older sister Tirunesh’s mark of 14min 11.15sec in Eugene, will bring the curtain down on the Diamond League events on Thursday, which closes with men’s and women’s 100m paralympic races.

With a personal best of 14:15.41, Dibaba — the indoor world record holder in 14:18.86 — should be pushed all the way by Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, who clocked 14:22.47 Shanghai, three seconds quicker than Dibaba managed in Eugene a fortnight later (14:25.22).

Roehler