Women's 800 metres:

Masterkova v Mutola

After winning both the 800 and 1,500 metres at the Atlanta Olympics, Svetlana Masterkova is now back into prime shape after a couple of poor seasons with injuries. The 31-year-old Russian ran a lifetime best of 1:55.87 two months ago in Moscow, but her only two defeats this season have come at the hands of Maria Mutola from Mozambique.

Mutola has always been the 800 metres specialist, winning the world title in Stuttgart back in 1993 and recording 50 successive wins in 800 metres finals between 1992-96. Masterkova will at least have the home support as she now lives in Alicante, in the north of Spain, where she settled after marrying a former

professional Spanish cyclist. Mutola, however, is known as one of the most aggressive on the track (she was disqualified for running out of her lane in Gothenburg in 1995) and will make it far from easy for Masterkova to record victory in front of her adopted crowd.