Even those with short memories will have difficulty forgetting the exciting women’s 3000 meters race at last year’s Sparkassen Cup competition in Stuttgart.

Twelve-months ago  Meseret Defar not only demolished the previous world record by more than four seconds with an 8:23.72 performance, she also kept the capacity crowd on its feet with a nail-biting finish, denying her compatriot (and an indoor debutante) Meselech Melkamu the record with a victory margin of only 0.02 seconds.  For veteran observers of athletics, it was reminiscent of a similarly epic battle in the 1500 between Steve Cram and Saïd Aouita in Nice in 1985 as the 3:30 barrier was pierced for the first time.

Meseret will be back again this year as one of the marquee athletes in the 22nd edition of the Sparkassen Cup - IAAF Indoor Permit - meeting today, February 2 afternoon, a competition which enjoys the longest continuous single sponsorship of any fixture in Europe.

Although it would be easy to downplay Meseret’s chances of yet another record after such a powerful race last year, the Ethiopian showed that this is a distinct possibility with a world-best performance of 9:10.50 in the Two Miles run in Boston last Saturday as she took almost 13 seconds off the previous best.  That time has been equated to an 8:29.8 performance in the 3000, certainly placing her within striking range of another global mark at the distance.  

The Athens and Osaka champion in the 5000 and also the reigning double World Indoor 3000m champion, Meseret also is cautious about making any promises. "My main aim in the next few months is Valencia," she said recently. "I am not in top condition, but I will try the world record in Stuttgart. I am not planning to run lots of races this year, but I want to give my best in every race."

Aside from being the main protagonist in the Stuttgart race, she will also be a mentor to her younger sister Almenesh, aged 15, who will be seeing an indoor track for the first time.   

Serious challengers to Meseret on Saturday, if they exist, should include Osaka fourth placer Sylvia Kibet of Kenya, European indoor bronze medalist Silvia Weissteiner of Italy, and Russia’s Regina Rakhimkulova, who was a finalist in both the European indoor and outdoor championships.  Competitors normally seen in the 1500 meters but moving to the longer distance this weekend include Britain’s Helen Clitheroe, Nataliya Tobias of Ukraine, Anna Alminova of Russia, and Slovenia’s Sonja Roman. (IAAF)