Golden League Meetings

 

Having problems by winning the races at the big championships Merlene Ottey has always shown her best at the many Grand Prix events all over Europe. On the three Grand Prix pages you find facts and photos from some of Merlene Ottey’s performances at these events as well as links to official homepages of these Grand Prix Meetings. Featured on this page are the Golden Leauge Meetings: Zürich, Brussels, Berlin, Oslo, Monte Carlo, Rome & Paris.

The IAAF Golden League was established in the 1998 season with an overall prize of 1 million dollars to the athletes in selected disciplines that are able to win at every meeting in the Golden League includig the IAAF Grand Prix final at the end of the season. Before 1998 some of the meetings (Oslo, Zürich, Brussels and Berlin) existed as the Golden Four Series. Before that they were part of the traditional Grand Prix Series established in 1985.

 

Zürich

No doubt Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, where the Weltklasse meeting is taking place, count as Merlene Ottey’s "homeground". Here she has run some of her best races and is the most winning athlete with eight victories and participating no less than 17 times! The crowd at Weltklasse appreciates her, as the queen of sprint – especially beloved was her win at Weltklasse in 1996 as a revenge for the defeat in the Olympic 100 metre final. Also very special is her Stadium Record of 21.66 sec. for the 200 metres, which she ran in 1990 into a 1.0 metre headwind.

You find Weltklasse on the Internet at: http://www.weltklasse.ch

Top performances in Zürich 1980-1989
1980 100 m: DNS      (#1 Göhr: 11.18)
          200 m: DNS      (#1 Koch: 22.34)
1981
100 m: DNS      (#1 Ashford: 11.00)
          200 m: DNS      (#1 Kratochvilova 22.66)
1982 100 m: DNS      (#1 Taylor: 11.21)
          200 m: no run
1983 100 m: 10.98 #2 (#1 Griffith-Joyner 10.96w)
          200 m: 22.20 #1 (SR until 1984)
1984 100 m: DNS     (#1 Ashford 10.76 SR/WR)
          200 m: DNS     (#1 Koch: 21.87)
1985 100 m: 11.20 #6 (#1 Brisco-Hooks: 11.01)
          200 m: DNS     (#1 Brisco-Hooks 21.98)
1986 100 m: DNS     (#1 Ashford: 10.95)
          200 m: ??.?? #4 (#1 Ashford: 21.97)
1987 100 m: ?????     (#1 Issajenko: 11.03)
          200 m: 22.29 #2 (#1 Marshall: 22.06)
1988 100 m: DNS      (#1 Cuthbert 10.96w)
          200 m: DNS      (#1 Young 22.31)
1989 100 m: 11.07 #1
          200 m: no run

97Zürich2.jpg (7926 bytes)

Merlene Ottey on a victory round after her 100 metre victory at Weltklasse in 1997

97Zürich3.jpg (5427 bytes)

 

Top performances in Zürich 1990-1999
1990 100 m: 10.93 #1
          200 m: 21.66 #1 (SR)
1991 100 m: 10.87 #1
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Privalova 22.21)
1992 100 m: 11.01 #2 (#1 Torrence: 10.94)
          200 m: 22.12 #3 (#1 Privalova: 22.02)
1993 100 m: 10.93 #1
          200 m: no run
1994
100 m: no run
          200 m: 22.41 #3
(#1 Privalova 22.15)
1995 100 m: no run
          200 m: 22.12 #2 (#1 Torrence: 21.98)
1996 100 m: 10.95 #1
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Onyali: 22.07)
1997 100 m: 10.96 #1
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 21.76)
1998 100 m: 11.10 #5 (#1 Jones: 10.77)
          200 m: no run
1999
100 m: no run
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 22.10)
2000 100 m: 11.06 #3 (#1 Jones: 10.95)
          200 m: no run       

 

Brussels

Another big event on the Grand Prix circuit is the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels now part of the IAAF Golden League. At the event in 1991 Merlene Ottey ran one of the very best 200 metres ever (21.64 seconds). This race still stands as stadium record and as her own personal best. All in all Merlene Ottey has won in Brussels no less seven times.

http://www.memorialvandamme.be

96 Bruxelles2.jpg (8343 bytes)

Merlene Ottey in Brussels in 1996

Top performances in Brussels
1984
100 m: 
          200 m: 22.35 #2 (#1 Brisco-Hooks: 22.14)
1985
100 m: 11.07 #1
          200 m: 
1986 100 m:
          200 m:
1987
100 m: 11.09 # 1
          200 m: 
1988 100 m:
          200 m:
1989 100 m: 11.03 #1 (SR until 1992)
          200 m: 22.21 #1
1990
100 m: 
          200 m: 
1991
100 m: no run
          200 m: 21.64 #1 (SR)
1992 100 m: 10.89 #1 (SR until 1993)
          200 m: 22.00 #1
1993 100 m: ?????      (#1 Torrence: 10.86 SR)
          200 m: ?????      (#1 Torrence: 21.92)
1994
100 m: 10.92 #2 (#1 Torrence: 10.83 SR)
          200 m: DNS        (#1 Privalova: 22.22)
1995 100 m: 
          200 m: 21.93 #2 (#1 Torrence: 21.86)
1996
100 m: 11.04 #3 (#1 Devers: 10.84)
          200 m: 
1997 100 m: 10.83 #2 (#1 Jones: 10.76 SR)
          200 m: 
1998 100 m: DNS      (#1 Jones: 10.80)
          200 m: DNS      (#1 Miller: 22.20)
1999 100 m: 
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Miller: 22.24)
2000 100 m: 11.18 #6 (#1 Jones: 10.83)
          200 m: 

 

Berlin

The biggest Grand Prix meeting ("ISTAF") in Germany takes place in Berlin and since the beginning of the 1980’s Ottey has visited this meeting 11 times and won six times. In 1990 she ran 10.82 seconds in the 100 metre race, a time that until 1997 counted as stadium record. In 1994 she came back from injury problems and produced her season best result running 22.07 in the 200 metre race.

The official homepage of the ISTAF Meeting: http://www.istaf-berlin.de

Homepage of the 
"Deutscher Leichtathletik Verband": http://www.dlv-sport.de

 

Top performances in Berlin
1982
100 m: 11.14 #1 (first win in European GP)
1983 100 m: 11.09 #1
1984
100 m: 11.18 #5 (#1 Ashford: 10.94)
1985 100 m: 11.07 #2 (#1 Brown: 11.06)
1986 100 m: 11.07 #2 (#1 Ashford: 10.93)
1987 100 m: DNS       (#1 Devers: 10.98)
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Issajenko: 22.55)
1988
100 m: DNS       (#1 Brown: 11.18)
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Jackson: 22.70)
1989
100 m: DNS       (#1 Cooman 11.23)
1990 100 m: 10.82 #1 (SR until 1997)
1991 100 m: 10.84 #1
          200 m: DNS       (#1 Krabbe: 21.96)
1992 100 m: 11.10 #3 (#1 Privalova: 10.93)
1993 100 m: 11.01 #1
1994 200 m: 22.07 #1
1995 200 m: DNF*     (#1 Torrence: 21.98)
1996 100 m: 10.94 #2 (#1 Devers: 10.89)
1997 100 m: 10.85 #2 (#1 Jones: 10.81 SR)
1998 100 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 10.81 SR)
1999 200 m: DNS       (#1 Ferguson: 22.55)
2000 100 m: DNS


* Merlene Ottey suffered an injury during the 1995-race 

 

Oslo

In the chilly north at the very cosy Bislett Stadium in Oslo (Norway), Merlene Ottey has also produced some rather good races. Among other victories Merlene Ottey won the inaugural 100 metre race in the newly created Golden Four series in 1993.

Visit the Bislett page: www.vg.no/mobilbislettgames/

Top performances in Oslo
1986 100 m: ?????      (#1 Drechsler: 10.80w)
1987 100 m: ?????      (#1 Nuneva 11.02w)
1988 100 m: ?????      (#1 Drechsler: 10.91)
1989 100 m / 200 m: 
1990
100 m / 200 m: 
1991
100 m: 10.88 #1 (SR until 1998)
1992 100 m / 200 m: 
1993
100 m: 10.94 #1 
1994 200 m: DNS       (#1 Torrence: 21.94 SR)
1995 200 m: 22.66 #2 (#1 Torrence 22.36)
1996
100 m: 10.95 #1
1997 100 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 11.06)
1998 100 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 10.82 SR)
1999 200 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 22.22)
2000 100 m: DNS       (#1 Pintusevich 10.93)

96 Bislett1.jpg (32345 bytes)

Ottey winning the 100 metre race at the first Golden 4 meeting of the 1996 season in Oslo

 

Monte Carlo

Merlene Ottey lives in Monte Carlo and here she has several times shown that she is rather fast on a track.. Just before the World Championships in 1993 she had a fantastic evening in Monaco as she set stadium records over both 100 and 200 metres metres. Her runs in 10.90 and 21.77 seconds still counts as the second best sprint double ever (best ever is her own races in Zürich in 1990).

The socalled "Herculis Zepter Meeting" can be found at: http://ww.fma.mc

Top performances in Monte Carlo
1987
100 m: 10.99 #1
1988 200 m: DNS       (#1 Young: 22.23)
1989 100 m: 11.04 #1 [Grand Prix Final]
1990 100 m: DNS       (#1 Echols: 11.06)
1991 200 m: 21.98 #1
1992 200 m: 22.08 #2 (#1 Privalova: 22.07)
1993 100 m: 10.90 #1 (SR until 1999)
          200 m: 21.77 #1 (SR)
1994 100 m: DNS       (#1 Torrence: 10.87 SR)
1995 200 m: 22.13 #3 (#1 Torrence: 21.81)
1996 100 m: ?????      (#1 Torrence: 10.92)
1997 200 m: 22.06 #2 (#1 Jones: 21.92)
1998 100 m: 11.05 #4 (#1 Jones: 10.72 SR)
1999 200 m: DNS       (#1 Jones: 22.15)
2000 100 m: DNS       (#1 )

97Monaco.jpg (54248 bytes)

Merlene Ottey, Marion Jones and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor being honoured in Monaco, 1997

 

Rome

One of the cities that from 1998 hosts the IAAF Golden League is Rome. Earlier in her career Ottey has won the sprint races here four times. Furthermore she won two bronzemedals here at the 1987 IAAF World Championships.

http://www.fidal.it/goldengala/

Top performances in Rome
1985 100 m: 11.09 #3 (#1 Griffith-J: 11.00) [GP-Final]
1991 100 m: 10.87 #1 (SR until 1998)
1992 100 m / 200 m:
1993
100 m: 11.13 #1
1994 100 m / 200 m:
1995
200 m: 22.29 #1 (SR until 1999)
1996 100 m: 11.00 #1
1997 200 m: 23.18 #5
1998 100 m: DNS      (#1 Jones: 10.75 SR)
1999 200 m: DNS      (#1 Jones: 22.19 SR)
2000 100 m: DNS      (#1 Jones: 10.91)

 

Paris

Paris became part of the Golden League in 1999, where Merlene Ottey did not participate. But Ottey holds the 100 metre record at the Charlety Stadium with 10.78 seconds from the 1994 Grand Prix final.

Meeting de Paris

Top performances in Paris
1987 100 m: 10.99 #1 (SR until 1994)
1994 100 m: 10.78 #1 (SR) [Grand Prix Final]
1995 100 m: 11.00 #1
1996 100 m: DNS (#1 Onyali: 11.06)
1997 100 m / 200 m: 
1998
100 m: DNS (#1 Jones: 10.88)
1999 200 m: DNS (#1 Jones: 21.99)
2000 100 m: DNS (#1 Pintusevich 11.09)

DNS denotes that Merlene Ottey did not start at the meeting.
DNF denotes that Merlene Ottey started but was not able to finish the race.
SR denotes Stadium Record.
????? denotes that there is no available information on whether Merlene Ottey participated or not.

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