by Alfonz Juck
The Match will be streamed all over the World
Dinamo National Olympic Stadium, Minsk, Belarus
MINSK (BLR): On Monday and Tuesday the inaugural edition of The Match Europe v USA which will be streamed live through the European Athletics website courtesy of European Athletics’ International Partner Eurovision Sport. The competition is redolent of the dual matches which formed a significant part of the athletics calendar in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The Dinamo National Olympic Stadium itself played host to such a competition in 1973 when teams from the Soviet Union and the United States clashed in the Belarusian capital with the overall victory going to the hosts. Both teams are filled with winners from major championships but the US team in particular also includes some emerging talents such as 17-year-old Athing Mu who – like Mary Decker some 36 years ago – will be toeing the start-line in the 800m against a European team headed by the very experienced European indoor and outdoor bronze medallist Olha Lyakhova from Ukraine. At the other end of the experience spectrum, the US team also features the most bemedalled athlete in World Championships history Allyson Felix in the 400m up against European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic from Poland and 19-year-old European U20 champion Polina Miller from Russia who cites Felix as one of her idols. Other standout names on the US team include reigning four-time world champion Brittney Reese and olympic champion in shot put Michelle Carter. From European Athletics.
