The 2007 Golden League was the tenth edition of the IAAF's annual series of six athletics meets, held across Europe, with athletes having the chance to win the Golden League Jackpot of $1 million.

Jackpot events

* Men **

100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

1500 m The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometer ...

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

110 m hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...

Triple Jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

Javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

* Women **

400 m The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

100 m hurdles The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race, ten hurdles of a height of are placed along a straight course of . The first hurdle is ...

High Jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

Pole Vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

The 2007 series included meets at * Oslo, Norway (

Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bislett ...

) on June 15. * Paris, France (

Meeting Gaz de France Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamo ...

) on July 6. * Rome, Italy (

Golden Gala Golden Gala is an annual Track and field, track and field event normally held at the Stadio Olimpico, Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 deat ...

) on July 13. * Zürich, Switzerland (

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich () is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it ...

) on September 7. * Brussels, Belgium (

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final event of the D ...

) on September 14. * Berlin, Germany ( ISTAF) on September 16.

Bislett Games

Held in Oslo, Norway on June 15, at the

Bislett Stadium Bislett Stadium () is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. Bislett is Norway's most well known sports arena internationally, with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here. The original stadi ...

Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Tola (Amharic: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions includ ...

's Women's 5000 m World Record somewhat overshadowed the Jackpot events in Oslo, but some interesting Jackpot contenders emerged.

Men's 100 m

World Record-holder,

Asafa Powell Asafa Powell (born 23 November 1982) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres. He set the 100 metres world record twice, between June 2005 and May 2008 with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds. Powell has consistently ...

, took the event in 9.94. ''Wind: +0.9 m/s''

Men's 1500 m

(Held as Mile) Moroccan

Adil Kaouch Adil Kaouch () (born 1 January 1979) is a Moroccan middle-distance runner. In 1998 he won the World Junior Championships over 1500 metres. The next year won a 5000 metres gold medal at the 1999 Pan Arab Games. At the 1999 and 2001 Wor ...

produced a personal best to win this event from

Augustine Choge Augustine Kiprono Choge (born 21 January 1987) is a Kenyan middle distance and long distance runner. He won world youth and junior titles on the track in 2003 and 2004, eventually going on to set a world junior record for the ...

of Kenya and

Andrew Baddeley Andrew James Baddeley (born 20 June 1982) is an English middle-distance runner. Career He finished sixth in the 1500 metres final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. He also competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, an ...

of Great Britain. Australian

Craig Mottram Craig Mottram (born 18 June 1980) is a former Australian long and middle-distance runner who specialised in the 5000 metre event. Early years Mottram was born on 18 June 1980 in Frankston, Victoria. He attended Geelong Grammar School. Care ...

finished ninth.

Men's 110 m Hurdles

USA's Anwar Moore took a narrow victory in the absence of World Record-holder Liu Xiang, Cuban

Dayron Robles Dayron Robles (born 19 November 1986) is a Cuban track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles. He won his first major medal (a silver) in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 seas ...

, and top Americans such as

Terrence Trammell Terrence Trammell (born November 23, 1978) is a retired American track and field athlete who was the silver medalist for the 110 meter hurdles at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, and three time silver medalist for the World Championships. He w ...

and

Dominique Arnold Dominique Arnold (born September 14, 1973, in Compton, California) is an American hurdling athlete. He is tied for being the seventh fastest all-time 110 m hurdler, with a time of 12.90 s (+1.1 m/s), which was the American record from ...

. ''Wind: -0.3 m/s''

Men's Triple Jump

Great Britain's

Phillips Idowu Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu, (born 30 December 1978) is a British athlete who specialised in the triple jump and was active at elite level between 2000 and 2014, with his greatest success coming between 2006 and 2011. He is a former World Outdo ...

took a surprise victory from Olympic and European champion

Christian Olsson Christian Olsson (born 25 January 1980) is a former Swedish athlete competing in high jump and triple jump. He won an Olympic gold medal, one gold and one silver medal in the World Championships and two gold medals in the European Championship ...

and World Leader

Jadel Gregório Jadel Abdul Ghani Gregório (born 16 September 1980) is a Brazilian athlete competing in long jump and triple jump. Based in São Paulo, he has competed in several international championships since 2001. His jump of 17.90m is the South American a ...

Men's Javelin

Finn

Tero Pitkämäki Tero Kristian Pitkämäki (born 19 December 1982) is a Finnish retired track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He is a World Champion, having won gold in 2007. His personal best throw of 91.53 m, set in 2005, ranks him eleve ...

out-threw Olympic champion and home crowd favorite

Andreas Thorkildsen Andreas Thorkildsen (born 1 April 1982) is a retired Norwegian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He was the Olympic Champion in 2004 and 2008, European Champion in 2006 and 2010, and World Champion in 2009. He is the fir ...

, and in-form American

Breaux Greer Breaux Greer (born October 19, 1976) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. After attending Ouachita Parish High School and the University of Louisiana at Monroe, he went on to be the current American r ...

Women's 100 m

American Stephanie Durst continued her good form to take victory ahead of

Sheri-Ann Brooks Sheri-Ann Brooks (born 11 February 1983 in Kingston) is a Jamaican sprinter, who specializes in the 100 metres. Brooks was born in Manchester and attended Manchester High School. She is the first child of Mr. Errol Brooks and Mrs. Donna Broo ...

. ''Wind: -0.2 m/s''

Women's 400 m

Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being the 2012 Oly ...

took an expected victory from former World Champion Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal.

Women's 100 m Hurdles

World Champion Michelle Perry extended her winning streak to 14 races, beating top European

Susanna Kallur Susanna Elisabeth "Sanna" Kallur (; born 16 February 1981) is a Swedish former athlete competing mainly in sprint hurdles. She has won several international medals, including the gold medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 2006 ...

. * ''Wind: -0.1m/s''

Women's High Jump

Olympic and World Indoor Champion,

Yelena Slesarenko Yelena Vladimirovna Slesarenko, née Sivushenko (; born February 28, 1982, in Volgograd) is a Russian high jumper. Largely unknown before 2004, she kick started the season by clearing 2.04 metres and winning the World Indoor Championships. When ...

, beat a star-studded field which included the European Champion indoors and outdoors,

Tia Hellebaut Tia Hellebaut (; born 16 February 1978) is a Belgian former track and field athlete. She started out in her sports career in the heptathlon, and afterwards specialized in the high jump event. She has cleared 2.05 metres both indoors and outd ...

, World Champion outdoors and World Record-holder indoors,

Kajsa Bergqvist Kajsa Margareta Bergqvist (; born 12 October 1976 in Sollentuna Municipality, Sollentuna, Stockholm) is a Swedes, Swedish former high jumper. She won one bronze medal in the Olympic Games, one gold and two bronze medals in the World Championshi ...

, and four other jumpers who had been over 2 meters this year.

Women's Pole Vault

Olympic, World, and European Champion,

Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva ( rus, Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 200 ...

, who also holds both the indoor and outdoor World Records, took a highly anticipated victory ahead of Polish rival

Monika Pyrek Monika Zofia Pyrek-Rokita (born 11 August 1980) is a retired Polish pole vaulter. Born in Gdynia, competing at the 2004 Olympics, she placed fourth with 4.55 metres, just behind another Polish pole vaulter born in Gdynia, Anna Rogowska. Monika ...

Jackpot Contenders

Men

100 m:

() 1500 m:

() 110 m Hurdles: Anwar Moore () Triple Jump:

() Javelin:

()

Women

100 m: Stephanie Durst () 400 m:

() 100 m Hurdles: Michelle Perry () High Jump:

() Pole Vault:

()

Meeting Gaz de France

Held in Paris, France, at the nine-lane track of the

Stade de France Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the List of football stadiums in France, largest stadium i ...

, on July 6.

Men's 100 m

Asafa Powell (winner in Oslo), battling with injury, did not run in Paris, and so was out of the Jackpot race before it had started. In his absence, Bahamian, Derrick Atkins, won in 10.00 seconds. * ''Wind: -0.1 m/s''

Men's 1500 m

Adil Kaouch, winner in Oslo, was also injured and out of the Jackpot race, but a thrilling race ensued, with Alan Webb's sprint for home beating the valiant efforts of home-crowd favorite

Mehdi Baala Mehdi Baala (; born 17 August 1978 in Strasbourg) is a French middle-distance runner competing mainly in the 1500 metres event. Baala has won several major international championships medals in the 1500 metres event – an Olympic Games bronze, ...

Men's 110 m Hurdles

Olympic Champion Liu Xiang and World Champion

Ladji Doucouré Ladji Doucouré (born 28 March 1983) is a French track and field athlete. Biography Ladji Doucouré's father and mother were Malian and Senegalese respectively. Ladji Doucouré was a football player and decathlete before specializing in hurdli ...

were in Paris to outrun Oslo winner Anwar Moore, but it was only the young Cuban

who could out-dip the American this occasion, as the two were awarded the same time, 13.13. * ''Wind: +0.5 m/s''

Men's Triple Jump

Again, the Oslo winner,

, was injured and out of the Jackpot race, but

made up for his disappointment at the Bislett Games, by winning with 17.56.

Men's Javelin

was the only male winner from Oslo to win in Paris, doing so in a European Lead of 89.70. Three of his five valid throws would have been enough to win as he produced a peerless series of throw, ahead of rival

Women's 100 m

Stephanie Durst did not venture to Paris and was out of the jackpot race.

Torri Edwards Torri Edwards (born January 31, 1977) is an American sprinter. She competes in 100 and 200 meters, winning an Olympic medal in 4 × 100-meter relay in 2000. In 2003, she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Ch ...

won in a race with Americans occupying the top four places. * ''Wind: +0.5 m/s''

Women's 400 m

produced a World Lead to win, in a race which included all three women who out-did her for a place on the USA's World Championships team.

Women's 100 m hurdles

Michelle Perry was one of the lucky few to repeat her Oslo win, convincingly outrunning

, again, remaining in the hunt for the Jackpot. * ''Wind: -0.2 m/s''

Women's High Jump

Oslo winner

could only manage a second-place finish as

Blanka Vlašić Blanka Vlašić (; born 8 November 1983) is a Croatian former track and field athlete who specialised in the high jump. She is a double world champion, an indoor world champion and twice Olympic medallist. Vlašić's personal best of is a Cr ...

impressed with 2.02 meters, with both women jumping 2 or more meters.

Women's Pole Vault

regained exciting form as she sailed over 4.91 m, which she followed with the attempts at a would-be World Record of 5.02. European Indoor Champion,

Svetlana Feofanova Svetlana Yevgenyevna Feofanova (; born 16 July 1980) is a Russian pole vaulter. Svetlana Feofanova was born in Moscow, Soviet Union. She has studied at the Finance University under the Government of the Russian Federation. Feofanova was a gymna ...

returned to heights not seen, from her, this season, as she finished second with 4.71.

Jackpot Contenders

With three Oslo winners injured and two choosing not to compete in Paris, only six athletes were still in the Jackpot race before the Meeting Gaz de France had begun. Two of those six finished second in their respective events, and only four remain in contention after Paris.

Men

Javelin:

()

Women

400 m:

() 100 m Hurdles: Michelle Perry () Pole Vault:

()

Golden Gala

The third stop of the Golden League took place at Rome's

Stadio Olimpico Stadio Olimpico (; ), colloquially known as l'Olimpico (The Olympic), is an Italian multi-purpose sports venue located in Rome. Seating over 70,000 spectators, it is the largest sports facility in Rome and the second-largest in Italy, after ...

, on June 13, 2007. This meet hit headlines, as French long jumper Salim Sdiri was hit by a rogue javelin, thrown by Finn

, as he warmed up for his event. The injuries sustained, however, were not serious and Sdiri made a full recovery.

Men's 100 m

took his second Golden League victory, beating Paris winner Derrick Atkins who took second. * ''Wind: +0.5 m/s''

Men's 1500 m

also took a second Golden League victory, in a Personal Best, with several other athletes recording the best results of their lives.

Men's 110 m Hurdles

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

winner Anwar Moore won a close-run race from Paris winner

Men's Triple Jump

Christian Olsson only took two attempts before retiring, a foul and a jump which turned out to be a winning mark.

Men's Javelin

Tero Pitkämäki plummeted out of the jackpot race, as Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen took the win. However, this competition was more memorable for a freak accident concerning Pitkämäki and French long jumper Salim Sdiri. On the Finn's second throw, his javelin veered off to the left and into the long jump area, where Sdiri was warming up. The implement hit Sdiri in his side but no serious injuries were sustained. The incident clearly had an adverse effect on Pitkämäki, however, as he failed to match his first round effort of 86.09 m.

Women's 100 m

continued her fine season with a win over compatriot

Me'Lisa Barber Me'Lisa Barber is an American sprinter. After graduating from University of South Carolina, she was the 2005 USA Outdoor Champion in the 100 metres and the 2006 World Indoor Champion in the 60 metres. She was also one of the 2003 World Champions ...

and top European Tezzhan Naimova, as

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 meter ...

finished fourth.

Women's 400 m

Sanya Richards remained in the jackpot hunt with a graceful performance ahead of 2001 World champion Amy Mbackie Thiam, who set her fastest time for four years.

Women's 100 m Hurdles

Michelle Perry set a world lead to win, as Susanna Kallur was disappointed to finish third.

Women's High Jump

Blanka Vlašić took her second Golden League win of the season, as two athletes went over 2 m. Antonietta Di Martino, who had hoped to perform well in front of her home crowd, disappointed, finishing fourth.

Women's Pole Vault

Yelena Isinbayeva took a clear victory to keep her hopes of a jackpot share alive. Isinbayeva missed her first attempt at 4.65 m, then passed to 4.70, which she cleared first time, then came a failure at 4.85, attempts were passed to 4.90, which was routinely cleared at the first attempt. None of the three world record attempts at 5.02 m were close.

Jackpot contenders

was the only casualty of the meeting, as three women remained in the jackpot hunt.

Women

400 m:

(), 100 m Hurdles: Michelle Perry (), Pole Vault:

()

Weltklasse Zürich

Held in Zürich, Switzerland, at the

Letzigrund stadium Letzigrund () is a stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, the home of the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich, as well as the athletics club . The original stadium was constructed by members of FC Zürich in 1925. Grasshopper Club has ...

, on September 7.

Men's 100 m

''Wind: +0.1 m/s''

Men's 1500 m

Men's 110 m Hurdles

''Wind: -0.2 m/s''

Men's Triple Jump

Men's Javelin

Women's 100 m

''Wind: -0.1 m/s''

Women's 400 m

Women's 100 m Hurdles

Women's High Jump

Women's Pole Vault

Jackpot Contenders

Women

400 m:

(), Pole Vault:

()

Memorial Van Damme

The 31st edition of the Memorial Van Damme took place at the King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels, Belgium, on 14 September 2007. The Golden League events were somewhat overshadowed in Brussels, as

succeeded in her world record attempt in the two miles event and

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha (; ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian Long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000 metres, 5,000-metre and 10000 metres, 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the go ...

failed in his attempt over 10,000 m.

Men's 100 m

''Wind: -0.3''

Men's 200 m

''Wind: +0.7''

Men's 800 m

Men's 1500 m

Men's 5,000 m

Men's 10,000 m

, the current world record holder, won but failed to make a new

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in this event.

Men's 3,000 m Steeplechase

Koech won with a new world lead for this year, and an improvement of 0.62 seconds to the previous lead, that marked in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in August.

Men's 110 m Hurdles

''Wind: -0.5''

Men's Triple Jump

Men's Javelin Throw

Women's 100 m

''Wind: ±0.0''

Women's 200 m

''Wind: +0.5''

Women's 400 m

Women's One Mile

Women's 3,000 m

Women's Two Miles

After her 5,000 m event gold medal at the world champs this year, Defar successes to make a new

in this event - with an improvement of 11.89 seconds to the previous record.

Women's 100 m Hurdles

''Wind: +0.5''

Women's High Jump

Women's Pole Vault

Jackpot Contenders

Women

400 m:

(), Pole Vault:

()

ISTAF

The 15th edition of the

Internationales Stadionfest The Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) is an annual track and field Sport of athletics, athletics meeting at the Olympiastadion (Berlin), Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. It was first held in July 1921 at the Deutsches Stadion (Berlin), Deut ...

(ISTAF) took place at the Berlin Olympiastadion, in Berlin, Germany, on 16 September 2007. The sixth Golden League meet ended with two jackpot winners:

from , in the women's 400m event, and

from , in the women's

event.

Men's 100 m

''Wind: -0.5''

Men's 200 m

''Wind: -0.8''

Men's 400 m

Men's 1500 m

Men's 110 m Hurdles

''Wind: -0.5''

Men's 400 m Hurdles

Men's Pole Vault

Men's Triple Jump

Men's Javelin Throw

Women's 100 m

''Wind: -0.3 m/s''

Women's 200 m

The American female sprinter

Lauryn Williams Lauryn Williams (born September 11, 1983) is an American sprinter and bobsledder. She was the gold medalist in the 100 meter dash at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2007 World Cha ...

won this event with a time of 22.95. ''Wind: -0.3 m/s''

Women's 400 m

Women's 800 m

Women's 5,000 m

Women's 100 m Hurdles

The Sweden female athlete

beat the American world champion Michelle Perry with a time of 12.49, very close to Perry's world lead for this year, 12.44. * ''Wind: +0.9m/s''

Women's High Jump

, the

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

for this event this year, won the event with a good high of 2.00 m.

Women's Pole Vault

Olympic, World, and European Champion,

, completed her 6 wins in 2007 Golden League in this meet.

Women's Javelin Throw

Jackpot Winners

Yelena Isinbaeva from Russia, in the women's

event; and

from United States, in the women's

event. Each of them got a prize of $500,000.

External links

IAAF report of 'Bislett Games'

{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Iaaf Golden League IAAF Golden League

IAAF Golden League The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of outdoor track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Athletes who won specific events at all of the series meetings were awarded a jackpot prize ...