The 2009 Zagreb Grand Prix athletics meeting took a new direction. The highest quality one-day sports competition in Croatia, the popular Hanzek, [:]as it is locally called, got a new Meeting Manager. He is one of the most eminent athletics managers, Daniel Wessfeldt from Sweden.
– We think that certain freshening up is necessary after so many years. Daniel is one of the world’s most successful and most esteemed managers. Still, we have managed to persuade him to become our Meeting Manager, as well, which is a great thing for us, said Ivana Brkljacic, Meeting Director. The Zagreb Meeting will take place at the Mladost Stadium in Zagreb on 31 August 2009.
Wessfeld started representing athletes back in 1987; since then, he has represented great athletes such as Patrik Sjöberg (three times Olympic medallist and High Jump World Champion), Wilson Kipketer (current 800m world record holder), Trine Hattestad (Javelin Throw Olympic and World Champion), Kajsa Bergqvist (High Jump World Champion and indoor world record holder) and Stefan Holm (High Jump Olympic Champion) among others.
Through Podium Agency, Daniel Wessfeldt is currently the agent of the world’s best female track and field athlete Yelena Isinbayeva (pole vault world record holder, Olympic, World and European Champion), Andreas Thorkilsen (two times Javelin Throw Olympic Champion), Christian Olsson (former Triple Jump Olympic, World and European Champion), David Oliver (the 110m hurdles Olympic bronze medallist from Beijing) and numerous other athletes.
As a certified IAAF agent, he has been a member of several IAAF working groups. He is one of those who can take the most credit for the successes of a few Swedish athletics meetings. He has been the Meeting Director or the person in charge for bringing athletes to the outdoor meeting in Malmö (since 1987) and the indoor meetings in Göteborg (since 2004) and Malmö (since 2009). As consultant and Assistant Meeting Manager, Wessfeld has been cooperating closely with the Stockholm Grand Prix Meeting (DN Galan), one of the world’s best meetings, which will belong to the Diamond League from the next season.