Olympic champion Valerie Vili will have some heavyweight competition in the shot put ring at the Black Singlet series athletics meet in Auckland on Friday.
Meet organisers today confirmed the participation of Nadzeya Ostapchuk, of Belarus, one of the Aucklander's main rivals in recent years.
Ostapchuk, who isdue to arrive in Auckland on Thursday, won the bronze medal behind Vili at the Olympic Games in Beijing last year but still ended 2008 atop the rankings, due to her top throw that year of 20.98m.
Vili is ranked third, based on her career-best of 20.56m, which she recorded in Beijing.
She is looking forward to locking horns with her rival, the 2005 world champion, on home soil.
"Excellent. It should be a good comp and a good showdown," Vili said.
Athletics New Zealand chief executive officer Scott Newman said having Ostapchuk in Auckland would make for a fantastic night of athletics.
"It is the performances of Valerie and (Olympic 1500m bronze medallist) Nick Willis that is increasing our profile around the athletics world and creates the awareness and association that New Zealand is a force in athletics and enables someone of the calibre of Ostapchuk to come to New Zealand to compete," Newman said.
