The IAAF Grand Prix Final was an athletics competition featuring track and field events staged by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was first held in 1985 and replaced in 2003 by the IAAF World Athletics Final. For the most part of its history, the events were staged in early September in European major cities which also played host to prominent annual athletics meetings. Fukuoka City became the first non-European host in 1997. Doha followed in 2000 (also the first time the event was staged in October) and Melbourne was that last non-European host before the final edition of the competition was held in Paris in 2002.[1]

IAAF Grand Prix Final
SportTrack and field
FounderInternational Association of Athletics Federations
First season1985
Ceased2002
Replaced byIAAF Golden League
ContinentWorldwide
QualificationIAAF Grand Prix

The event programme was half that of a full traditional track and field programme, with events alternating each edition. For example, a men's 100 metres and women's 200 metres were contested in 1985, but not vice versa – that arrangement was reversed in 1986 and reversed again in 1987, and so forth. Middle-distance running was particularly prominent as a 1500 metres or a mile run were held at every edition of the tournament.[2]

From 1982 to 1992, the winners of the Grand Prix title in an event were decided by the overall seasonal points rankings gained from competing on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit. This was amended in 1993 when seasonal points served as a method of qualifying for the final, with the event winner being the victor at the Grand Prix Final event. The athlete with the greatest number of points accumulated in the season across all events was declared the overall Grand Prix Final champion.[2]

The Grand Prix Final had had a number of world records set in its history, including the Tim Montgomery 100 metres record that was later taken from him after the BALCO scandal.

Editions

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Games Year Dates Host stadium Host city Host country Events
1st 1985 7 September Olympic Stadium Rome Italy 16
2nd 1986 10 September Olympic Stadium Rome Italy 17
3rd 1987 11 September King Baudouin Stadium Brussels Belgium 17
4th 1988 26 August Olympic Stadium West Berlin West Berlin 17
5th 1989 1 September Stade Louis II Fontvieille Monaco 17
6th 1990 7 September Olympic Stadium Athens Greece 18
7th 1991 20 September Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Barcelona Spain 17
8th 1992 4 September Stadio delle Alpi Turin Italy 18
9th 1993 10 September Crystal Palace National Sports Centre London United Kingdom 18
10th 1994 3 September Stade Sébastien Charléty Paris France 17
11th 1995 9 September Stade Louis II Fontvieille Monaco 18
12th 1996 7 September Arena Civica Milan Italy 18
13th 1997 13 September Hakatanomori Athletic Stadium Fukuoka City Japan 18
14th 1998 5 September Luzhniki Stadium Moscow Russia 18
15th 1999 11 September Olympic Stadium Munich Germany 18
16th 2000 5 October Khalifa International Stadium Doha Qatar 18
17th 2001 9 September Olympic Park Stadium Melbourne Australia 19
18th 2002 14 September Stade Sébastien Charléty Paris France 18

Overall points leaders

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Year Gold Silver Bronze
1985   Doug Padilla (USA) 63   Mike Franks (USA) 60   Sergey Bubka (URS) 59
1986   Saïd Aouita (MAR) 63   Andre Phillips (USA) 61   Steve Scott (USA) 61
1987   Tonie Campbell (USA) 63   Greg Foster (USA) 59   Sergey Bubka (URS) 58
1988   Saïd Aouita (MAR) 63   Mike Conley, Sr. (USA) 61   Danny Harris (USA) 58
1989   Saïd Aouita (MAR) 69   Roger Kingdom (USA) 63   Steve Backley (GBR) 63
1990   Leroy Burrell (USA) 63   Noureddine Morceli (ALG) 61   Danny Harris (USA) 59
1991   Sergey Bubka (URS) 69   Jan Železný (TCH) 63   Michael Johnson (USA) 63
1992   Kevin Young (USA) 63   Werner Günthör (SUI) 63   Igor Astapkovich (EUN) 59
1993   Sergey Bubka (UKR) 72   Jan Železný (CZE) 72   Colin Jackson (GBR) 72
1994   Noureddine Morceli (ALG) 78   Samuel Matete (ZAM) 72   Mike Conley, Sr. (USA) 72
1995   Moses Kiptanui (KEN) 84   Jan Železný (CZE) 72   Mark Crear (USA) 72
1996   Daniel Komen (KEN) 103   Jonathan Edwards (GBR) 99   Dennis Mitchell (USA) 95
1997   Wilson Kipketer (DEN) 114   Lars Riedel (GER) 99   Mark Crear (USA) 95
1998   Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 136   Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 114   Bryan Bronson (USA) 97
1999   Bernard Barmasai (KEN) 111   Konstadinos Gatsioudis (GRE) 109   Wilson Kipketer (DEN) 108
2000   Angelo Taylor (USA) 101   Yuriy Bilonoh (UKR) 94   Adam Nelson (USA) 93
2001   André Bucher (SUI) 102   Allen Johnson (USA) 101   Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 100
2002   Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 116   Félix Sánchez (DOM) 116   Christian Olsson (SWE) 102

Women

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Year Gold Silver Bronze
1985   Mary Slaney (USA) 69   Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) 63   Judi Brown-King (USA) 63
1986   Yordanka Donkova (BUL) 69   Maricica Puică (ROM) 65   Tsvetanka Khristova (BUL) 63
1987   Merlene Ottey (JAM) 63   Doina Melinte (ROM) 63   Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) 61
1988   Paula Ivan (ROM) 63   Grace Jackson (JAM) 63   Ana Fidelia Quirot (CUB) 57
1989   Paula Ivan (ROM) 67   Galina Chistyakova (URS) 63   Sandra Farmer-Patrick (USA) 63
1990   Merlene Ottey (JAM) 63   Heike Drechsler (GDR) 63   Petra Felke (GDR) 63
1991   Heike Henkel (GER) 63   Merlene Ottey (JAM) 63   Natalya Artyomova (URS) 63
1992   Heike Drechsler (GER) 63   Merlene Ottey (JAM) 61   Trine Hattestad (NOR) 59
1993   Sandra Farmer-Patrick (USA) 72   Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) 72   Stefka Kostadinova (BUL) 72
1994   Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) 72   Svetla Dimitrova (BUL) 72   Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) 72
1995   Maria Mutola (MOZ) 78   Anna Biryukova (RUS) 72   Gwen Torrence (USA) 72
1996   Ludmila Engquist (SWE) 93   Merlene Ottey (JAM) 90   Michelle Freeman (JAM) 85
1997   Astrid Kumbernuss (GER) 99   Deon Hemmings (JAM) 93   Kim Batten (USA) 91
1998   Marion Jones (USA) 130   Svetlana Masterkova (RUS) 107   Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR) 101
1999   Gabriela Szabo (ROM) 108   Maria Mutola (MOZ) 108   Deon Hemmings (JAM) 104
2000   Trine Hattestad (NOR) 110   Marion Jones (USA) 104   Gail Devers (USA) 104
2001   Violeta Szekely (ROM) 116   Maria Mutola (MOZ) 105   Tatyana Tereshchuk (UKR) 96
2002   Marion Jones (USA) 116   Gail Devers (USA) 111   Ana Guevara (MEX) 108

References

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  1. ^ IAAF Grand Prix Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-01-17.
  2. ^ a b IAAF Grand Prix Final. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-01-17.
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