Isinbayeva, Richards, Bekele go for jackpot

BRUSSELS — On the last day of the Golden League season, the Van Damme Memorial will see Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele and Sanya Richards compete for the $1 million jackpot.

The prize goes to anyone who wins all six of the premier European meets. If more than one contender remains perfect by Friday night, the pot will be divided accordingly.

The race for the jackpot will have to make up for missing out on the anticipated showdown between Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay in the 100 meters. It was supposed to be the only rematch of the world championship final, where the Jamaican set a world record of 9.58 seconds and Gay finished second.

But Bolt opted for the 200 instead, while Gay decided against joining his rival because running a curve would put too much pressure on his tender groin. Instead, Gay will face Asafa Powell in the 100.

Bolt was never in line for the Golden League jackpot since he did not compete in all six meetings.

At the end of a long summer, Bolt is no longer predicting magic every time he comes onto the track. He only wants to beat the 19.79 second King Baudouin Stadium record set by Gay three years ago.

That is way off the world record of 19.19 he set in Berlin at the worlds.

“My body is a bit tired, but it should be good,” Bolt said.

It does not mean the capacity crowd of 50,000 will have to do without world records. The Van Damme will specialize in the esoteric marks on Friday, with Gelete Burka of Ethiopia going for the record in the rarely run 2,000 meters and a quartet of Kenyan men going for the even quirkier record in the 6,000 relay.

Much will depend on the rain and wind, and both have been promised in abundance. Temperatures could well stay as low as 64 degrees, tightening up muscles which should be as loose as possible.

Fickle winds are especially troublesome for the pole vaulters and it seems to be the only thing standing in between Isinbayeva and at least a share of the golden jackpot.

After her stunning no-jump exit at the world championships, the Russian bounced back last week with a world record of 5.06 meters at the Weltklasse, the penultimate of the Golden League meetings.

She set one of her 27 world records in Brussels five years ago, but staying perfect for the jackpot will put a big smile on her face.

Two years ago, Isinbayeva won half of the jackpot, sharing it with 400-meter runner Richards.

After earning her first major individual title at the world championships in Berlin, Richards is poised to join Isinbayeva again, especially after she set the fastest time of the season at the Weltklasse last week.

It will be equally tough to bet against Bekele in the 5,000 after the Ethiopian dominated the whole season and added a long-distance double in Berlin.