TOKYO:
Former Colombian sprinter Ximena Restrepo has informed AFP in an interview that she intends to face to succeed Sebastian Coe and grow to be the primary girl to guide World Athletics.
Restropo, already the primary vice-president of observe and subject’s international physique, may have had her likelihood this yr if Coe had succeeded in his bid to grow to be Worldwide Olympic Committee president.
However with former swimmer Kirsty Coventry successful that contest, Coe is free to serve out his third and remaining time period on the head of the Olympics’ primary sport.
Restrepo, 56, stated on the sidelines of the world athletics championships in Tokyo that she could be a candidate to succeed the Briton when the time comes.
“I’ll run for president. It will not be straightforward. I already know there are two different candidates who’re going to run and who’re excellent, however it could be one thing I would love to do,” she stated.
“It provides me loads of motivation, it motivates me to do it. We’ve got to begin working towards that.”
Within the battle to entice new followers to athletics, Coe and Restrepo are pinning their hopes on a brand new occasion subsequent yr in Budapest, the World Athletics Final Championship.
The goal is to create a world competitors in a yr with out a international championships.
Further stress has been added to the occasion by the monetary issues which have rocked Michael Johnson’s upstart Grand Slam Monitor circuit this yr, with reviews suggesting it owes hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in prize cash to athletes.
“I feel it will be essential. Subsequent yr we did not have any main occasions, and having the Final Championship is a good way to shut out the season, for each athletes and followers,” Restrepo stated.
The Colombian, who gained a bronze medal on the observe within the 400 metres on the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, stated followers may have “one of the best on the earth in three days” and predicted it can “appeal to new followers to our sport”.
“There will not be a restrict on the variety of representatives per nation, as there’s on the world championships, for instance,” she added.
“The athletes will not must undergo as many rounds, there will probably be much less put on and tear, and the prize cash will probably be greater than on the world championships.”
