Ennis and Dobrynska confirm World Indoor participation

MONTE CARLO, February 05, 2010 – With  just over five weeks to go to the start of the IAAF World Indoor Championships which will be held in the magnificent Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar from 12 to 14 March 2010, the first confirmations of participating athletes already offer a couple of very enticing duels.

Following IAAF rules, participants to the Combined Events at World Indoor Championships are limited to eight male and eight female athletes, six of which are invited by the IAAF based on their 2009 outdoor performances.

As such World champion Jessica Ennis of Great Britain who topped the 2009 outdoor rankings with her 6731 World Championships winning performance was the first invited athlete. The 24-year-old who recently established a national 60m Hurdles record and seems to be in the shape of her life has obviously accepted to take part in what will be her first ever World Indoor Pentathlon competition.

Ennis will take on Olympic champion Natallia Dobrynska of Ukraine who finished just outside the medals in Berlin. It will be Dobrynska’s third participation in the World Indoor Championships following her silver medal in 2004 and fourth place in 2008.

The seventh performer of 2009, Aiga Grabuste of Latvia is the third confirmed athlete for the women’s Pentathlon in Doha.

In the men’s Heptathlon, a similar rematch between Berlin World champion Trey Hardee and runner up Leonel Suarez will also prove a mouth watering head to head. The 22-year-old Suarez who also won bronze at the Beijing Olympics was 150 points off the American champion in Germany last year, however the Cuban’s strong event, the Javelin Throw, is not part of the indoor Heptathlon for men.

Fourth in the 2009 World outdoor list and bronze medallist in Berlin, Aleksandr Pogorelov of Russia completes the podium rematch of last summer’s World Championships. It will be the fourth appearance at the World Indoors for the Russian champion who counts three sixth place finishes in his resumé in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Confirmed Combined Events participants as invited by the IAAF:

Men -

Trey HARDEE (USA)

Leonel SUAREZ (CUB)

 Aleksandr POGORELOV (RUS)

Women -

Jessica ENNIS (GBR)

Natallia DOBRYNSKA (UKR)

Aiga GRABUSTE (LAT)

How Participants are chosen:

For the combined events, Eight (8) athletes will be invited by the IAAF in the Heptathlon and in the Pentathlon as follows:

• the three best athletes from the 2009 Outdoor Lists (as at 31st December 2009), limited to a maximum of one per country and

 • the three best athletes from the 2010 Indoor Lists during (as at 22nd February 2010)

• two athletes which may be invited at the discretion of the IAAF

In total no more than two male and two female athletes from any one Member will be invited. Upon refusals or cancellations, the invitations shall be extended