Bengaluru/Doha, September 21: Sweden's 2004 Olympic high jump champion Stefan Holm has been named an ambassador for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 to be held at the Khalifa International Stadium from September 27 to October 6.
With less than one week to go to the IAAF's premiere showcase event, Holm is looking forward to following all the action at the Qatari capital's state-of-the-art stadium.
"I'm, of course, honoured to be an IAAF ambassodor during the World Championships," said Holm, who competed at five consecutive editions of the World Championships between 1999 and 2007, earning silver in 2003.
.@scholm240 named ambassador for the IAAF #WorldAthleticsChamps
— IAAF (@iaaforg) September 20, 2019
“As a Swede I'm really looking forward to seeing Daniel Ståhl and Armand Duplantis go for gold”
📰:https://t.co/gF2T7gowSm pic.twitter.com/M9kKcAD7vX
"It's the biggest, and best, athletics competition in the world and it's great to be a part of it and the sport that I love."
Holm also won four world indoor titles during his career before retiring from top-level competition in 2008. He is still heavily involved in the sport and is coach to some of Sweden's leading athletes.
He - and many of the home supporters - will have a keen eye on the men's high jump in Doha, where world champion an dlocal boy Mutaz Essa Barshim will defend his title.
"Of course I'm looking forward to the high jump competitions for both men and women," said Holm. "And as a Swede I'm really looking forward to seeing Daniel Stahl and Armand Duplantis go for gold. And, last but not least, I also have a feeling that the men's 400M hurdles can bring something extra this time around."
long jump world record-holder Mike Powell
(Source: IAAF)