{"id":1672,"date":"2018-06-09T15:10:08","date_gmt":"2018-06-09T15:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockholm.diamondleague.com\/2018\/06\/09\/mouth-watering-head-to-heads-the-motivation-for-kendricks-and-manyonga\/"},"modified":"2018-06-09T15:10:08","modified_gmt":"2018-06-09T15:10:08","slug":"mouth-watering-head-to-heads-the-motivation-for-kendricks-and-manyonga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stockholm.diamondleague.com\/en\/mouth-watering-head-to-heads-the-motivation-for-kendricks-and-manyonga\/","title":{"rendered":"Mouth-watering head-to-heads the motivation for Kendricks and Manyonga"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kendricks of the USA – the global champion indoors and out – was unbeaten in 2017 and has recently notched up IAAF Diamond League victories in Rome and Eugene – in addition to winning in Germany just last night.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

The 25-year-old Olympic bronze medalist enters the competition with a 5.84m season\u2019s best courtesy of his time in the Italian capital, and Kendricks admitted he chose to leave the competition at 5.70m yesterday evening in order to save energy for the mouth-watering battle against Swedish superstar, Armand \u2018Mondo\u2019 Duplantis – the 18-year-old who jumped a 5.93m world junior record last month.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here for only an hour but it\u2019s beautiful and sunny, it could have been avoided but I\u2019m searching for competitions – I\u2019ve competed nine times in the last month but it gives me a chance to earn a living and explore more places,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of things to be missed and a lot of things to be gained, and I\u2019m here to jump against Mondo. I hope he goes for six meters and I\u2019ll be sure to chase him up there.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a fire of competition often not seen in young competitors but Mondo has seen what it takes and he has a great coach. When I compete against him, i feel like he\u2019s gunning for me and I really respect that.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year is a chance to go beyond – I\u2019ve been on the road for three weeks going for wins, heights and records. My saving is \u2018to go wherever the leader takes the day\u2019 so it\u2019s great to take the chance this year to travel around.
<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowd will be cheering for a great competition so i don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m the underdog here – track and field is a gentleman\u2019s game as we don\u2019t get much coverage, so my enemy\u2019s not Mondo, it\u2019s the bar and how much better I can be. It\u2019s about how we work together to jump the highest bar and combine our generation in one competition.\u201d
<\/span><\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s Manyonga, meanwhile, leapt an impressive 8.58m world-leading mark in Rome, having already taken the Commonwealth title in April and wins in Shanghai and Hengelo.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

The 26-year-old Olympic silver medalist said:<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m having a good season and I\u2019m excited about it – it feels like it\u2019s still only the beginning of the season. Juan (Miguel Echevarria) is giving me a tough time at the moment – last year I was all alone but now it is an intense competition between us. The meeting record is at risk tomorrow, the way we\u2019re pushing each other, we have a good shot to take it away – we need to take it for the next generation, it\u2019s going.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, I still have the African Championships and the IAAF Continental Cup so the focus is to stay healthy, perform and to break my personal best. I\u2019m not rushing myself, it will come naturally – I just have to be patient.
<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the Commonwealth Games, I took a little break for two weeks but still trained – winning that title was on my bucket list of things I wanted to achieve. Then my world lead was taken so I had to pull my socks up and get back out there to maintain my unbeaten streak – now, I only focus on myself as it\u2019s only me on the runway. Juan gave me a fight – I don\u2019t like to be left behind, I feed off intense competition and I\u2019m able to respond and change the game. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since we have two jumpers going over 8.50m so we\u2019re helping the event to grow and it\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

A third jumper, Thobias Nilsson Montler – Sweden\u2019s 22-year-old European under-23 long jump bronze medalist also spoke and will be aiming to leap beyond eight-meters on Sunday:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started with a new coach in January after leaving college in America I hope to jump 8-meters tomorrow, my personal best is 8.04m so I@m aiming for something around that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


The men\u2019s 200m contest, meanwhile, will showcase a thrilling battle between the world leader and the world champion, with <\/span>Steven Gardiner <\/span>of the Bahamas going up against Turkey\u2019s <\/span>Ramil Guliyev<\/span> in the half-lap event.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

World silver medalist, Gardiner scorched to a swift 19.75 national record in Florida back in April – the first sub-20-second clocking of his career – before switching to his specialist 400m event with fine victories in the Doha and Shanghai IAAF Diamond League meetings. <\/span><\/p>\n


His 43.87 winning time in the Qatari capital was also a Bahamian record and for now, Gardiner is happy to share his time between the two track disciplines:<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI\u2019m happy I\u2019m getting the chance to compete in my first ever IAAF Diamond League 200m tomorrow after dropping down from the 400m,\u201d he revealed. <\/span><\/p>\n


\u201c I just want to have fun out there – the competitors are good and once it\u2019s sunny, then anything is possible. <\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cThe plan is to get faster this year in order to improve the 400m. I\u2019m keeping both distances in mind by keep working on both.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n


London 2017 winner, Guliyev meanwhile, placed third in Doha before taking the honours in the Oslo IAAF Diamond League on Thursday in a 19.90 season\u2019s best.<\/span><\/p>\n


The 28-year-old European 200m silver medalist and Olympic finalist was close to his 19.88 lifetime best dating back to 2015 so he spoke in confident mood ahead of the tantilising head-to-head:<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI competed two days ago and the competition went great, I think my form is coming,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI hope I can do something really special here and I just want to enjoy the race. If the weather is good, then it\u2019s possible to do a new Meeting Record (19.90 or better).\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n


Having finished sixth and eighth over 100m in the Shanghai and Rome events, respectively, Guliyev continued:<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI want a good competition in the European Championships (in Berlin in August) and my plan this year is to run a European record. I want to compete in the 100m and 200m in Berlin so I\u2019ll see what I can do. <\/span><\/p>\n


\u201c(After winning the world title), I now feel like an important person and it is good to get more chances to run fast by being invited to better competitions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


Elsewhere, a trio of discus throwers spoke with local hope, Daniel Stahl leading the pack.<\/span><\/p>\n


The 25-year-old Swede and world silver medalist boasts a 68.03m season\u2019s best from California in April, and he recently finished fourth in Rome and third in Oslo, respectively. <\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI felt powerful in Oslo, not good technically, though but I\u2019m getting there,\u201d Stahl reflected.<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cIt will be a good crowd full of great people tomorrow – this is my home-town where I was born and grew up. My track and field club and my football team is here, and all of my family and friends will be coming here to scream. I feel really good and confident – I will try my best tomorrow to hopefully win.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


His challenger, 27-year-old Mason Finley of the USA is the world bronze medalist who placed fifth in Oslo with a 65.16m season\u2019s best a week after finishing sixth in Rome. Finley has hopes to improve upon his top 2018 IAAF Diamond League position in Stockholm:<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful stadium so I can\u2019t wait to compete here – hopefully, there will be some big throws, I want to throw really far – as far as I can, definitely over 65m and get into the top three,\u201d he revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cWe have great competitors here so I\u2019m very excited to compete with them – it\u2019s a great start-list that mimicks the World Championship so it\u2019s the best competition in the world tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


On the impact his unexpected global bronze medal has on young American throwers and in response to his changing physique, Finley continued:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope seeing an American getting a global medal inspires the next generation and breathes life into the discus. <\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI lost over 100 pounds over the course of three years – I got too heavy so I\u2019ve had to adapt my training and nutrition to get to the optimal weight for competition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


Another Swedish thrower, Simon Pettersson will looking to make an impact on home turf – the 24-year-old world finalist recorded a 65.81m personal best in March and he is relishing the step up in competition on Sunday:<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI think this will be the biggest competition of my career outside of the world championships, so I want to do my best tomorrow,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n


\u201cI really hit a good one in the world\u2019s so I hope for similar this year – I want to become more consistent, it\u2019s coming along so I hope to do well in the European\u2019s. It will be really fun tomorrow so we\u2019re in for a good night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicola Sutton for the BAUHAUS-galan media team<\/i><\/p>\n

Picture: From left Thobias Nilsson Montler, Luvo Manyonga and Sam Kendricks. Photo: Deca Text&Bild
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