Just as it was expected, Senegalese Laminates Diack, 74, was elected unopposed on Wednesday to be the president of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) until at least 2011 (he was first selected in 1999), while Cuban Olympic kings Alberto Juantorena and Maria Charity Colon will maintain in their positions in that organization.

Juantorena, two-time champion the 1976 Montreal Olympics, will remain for other four years in the Management Council, and Colon, the queen of javelin in Moscow in 1980, will stay on with the Womens Committee.

Among the newly elected vice-presidents at the IAAF congress, which concludes today in the Japanese city of Osaka, are the exceptional Ukrainian pole-vaulter Serguei Bubka and the Britains Sebastian Coe, another two-time Olympic champion and head of the Organizing Committee of the 2012 London games. The two are possible future contenders to replace the head of the world athletics governing body

Meantime, as the 11th World Athletics Championships prepare to begin on Saturday in the Japanese city, experts are making their predictions as to what will be the outcomes of the most anticipated contests.

Many are looking for the finals of the 100-meter mens sprint to be led by Jamaicas Asafa Powell and Americas Tyson Gay - the fastest athletes in the world this year.

The race is set for Sunday, when world-recorder holder Powell "at 9.77 seconds" will accept the challenge of the northerner, the world leader this season recording a dash at 9.84 seconds.

The dark threat of injuries is present in the hours preceding the start of the competition. Indeed, the Swedish Christian Olsson, the Olympic jump triple champion in Athens in 2004, was reported to have injured a tendon in his knee.

Others who will not compete due to injuries include Moroccos Jaouad Gharib, the 2003 and 2005 two-time marathon king, and the French veteran Eunice Barber, winner of the heptathlon in 1999.

Although Barber maybe present in the long jump, the road seems clear for Swedish Carolina Kluft, who is seeing her chances improving for taking a third title in a row.

Still it is not known whether or not we will see the participation in Osaka of Czech decathlon athlete Tomas Dvorak, triple world champion (1997, 1999 and 2001), who hurt one of his heels.

Source: By Francisco Mastrascusa, Juventud Rebelde