by Larry EderMy take on the Blade Runner, Mr. Oscar Pistorius? Here is what I think. I do think that he has an advantage with his new feet. I do think that if the company who made his artificial feet have gone this far at this time, where they can take a young man, obviously talented, who can run a 47.5 if he was able bodied, and now he can run just under 47.
It is just a matter of time before technology and better training for Oscar, brings him to the 45.55 range. The kid has talent, this is just not a matter of technology, and he does give many an example of “Citius, Altius, Fortius.”
I do believe, however, if he was running 44.5, that the decision would have been quite different. Oscar Pistorius has to climb his own Mt. Fuji, which is the 45.55 Olympic A standard.
EME NEWS (MAY 20, 2008)
BLADE RUNNER WANTS FIRST STICK TO HIS PARALYMPIC SCHEDULE
MILANO (ITA): According to media reports “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius who is now allowed to compete within IAAF events admitted that qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics is a more realistic goal than getting to Beijing this year. It was said that he will try to run in Milano on July 2 (Notturna Meet which will be held after some years of break) in his first open track competition. Until then he will follow his paralympic schedule which contains International German Championships in June. He got the invitation from AF Golden League opening in Berlin on June 1, but it is not sure whether he will be able to accept it. His target of 45.55 (Olympic A-qualifier) is more than a second quicker than his Paralympic world record of 46.56 and it would require a significant improvement for him to make it to the Olympics. He still can be considered for South African 4×400 m relay team without any standard from IAAF point of view.
NEW TAKE-OFF BOARD FOR SALADINO
HENGELO (NED): The organizers of Saturday´s Thales FBK Games in Hengelo informed that new take-off board will be installed for Long Jump to suit all needs of world champion Irving Saladino. The Panamian will compete in his second meet after jumping world leading 839 in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. He last time lost on July 6, 2006 at Paris Golden League meeting (829 to 831 by Ignisious Gaisah) and his winning streak is currently at number 20 since then. Also confirmed was the participation of Dutch Pole Vault World Champion 2005 Rens Blom who in recent years struggled with injuries.
RUSSIA MINUS 8 POINTS
MONTE CARLO: IAAF confirmed on its web-site what was already known for some weeks from Russian side. Both hammer throwers world record holder Tatyana Lysenko and Yekaterina Khorosikh were banned for two years. Russian Federation tried to get the ban reduced to one year, but did not succeed. Their ban runs until July 14, 2009 what means they can make it for World Championships 2009 in Berlin because the entries deadline is on Aug 3. Deleted are all their results since May 9, 2007. That includes for Lysenko world record 78.61 in Sochi, wins at Znamensky Memorial (77.01), SPAR European Cup in Munich (75.86), Ostrava Golden Spike (77.71) and Zagreb Grand Prix (76.74) and also second place from Doha (75.73). This will not change the order of European Cup, Russia will be still the winner with 119 points ahead of France (108) and Germany (95.5).
DIETZSCH THREATENS
BERLIN (GER): Franka Dietzsch threatens to refuse participation at the Olympics. SID agency reports that the Discus World Champion from Germany said she would abstain from the Games if her coach Dieter Kollark was refused to go to China. The German Olympic Committee and the German Athletics Federation are examining the suspicion that Dieter Kollark had given performance enhancing drugs to athletes in the former GDR. The 63-year-old rejects the accusations.
OTHER NEWS
SYDNEY (AUS): Four marathon runners and two 20 km walkers have been chosen for nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for selection into the Australian track and field team for the 2008 Olympic Games. Informs Athletics Australia. Newly included is 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Jane Saville (20km walk), former world CC champion Benita Johnson (marathon), Lee Troop (marathon), and Olympic debutants Kate Smyth (marathon), Lisa-Jane Weightman (marathon) and Chris Erickson (20 km walk). For Saville (33) her fourth Olympic Games, she was 26th in Atlanta 1996 at 10 km followed by emotional dq in Sydney 2000 and bronze in Athens 2004.
BERLIN (GER): Ulrike Maisch, European Marathon Champion from Germany will not take part at the Olympic Games. She dropped out of the Copenhagen marathon on Sunday after 15 kilometers. This was her last chance to qualify for the marathon in Bejing after not having finished the Hamburg marathon at the end of April. Her coach Klaus-Peter Weippert says:” Her physical situation is not ok. We invested a lot in the past but the result was zero. Ulrike cannot run fast at the moment.” Now, the 31-year-old will try to get self-confidence by shorter races and track races. There will also be changes in the training process. The big aim is now the World Championships 2009 in Berlin.
HALLE (GER): Hammer Throw World Champion Betty Heidler from Germany will find strong international competition at the thrower meeting in Halle this Saturday.: Vice European Champion Gulfiya Khanafeyeva from Russia who will arrive with a personal best of 77,36m and Poland´s Kamila Skolimowska who came fourth at the World Championships and won Olympic Gold in 2000.
UTRECHT (NED): World half-marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat and her cousin Hilda Kibet will compete at the Utrecht 10.000m race on May 30th in order to qualify for the Olympics. Both Kiplagat, who holds the world records for 20K and half-marathon, and Kibet need to run 31:22 to be part of the Dutch team. In Istanbul at the European Cup in April they had failed, finishing second in 31:53.72 and third in 32:05.49 respectively. Other interesting names on the starting lists of Utrecht are Belgium’s Nathalie de Vos and Great Britain’s Hayley Yelling.
COPENHAGEN (DEN): Danish javelin national record holder Christina Scherwin (64.83) who lives in USA is in good shape and plans to open her season at European Cup Second League A-group in Tallinn, Estonia. Recently she was at one month training camp in Southern California. After European Cup she will compete at home on June 29 (Aarhus Games).
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Former world indoor triple jump record holder Ashia Hansen is determined to make the British team for this year’s Olympics despite a lengthy lay-off because of injuries. Informs David Martin. Hansen has had a torrid time with injuries over the last four years which have largely ruled her out of sustained competitive action. She wants to compete at European Athletics Permit Meeting in Khania, Greece (Crete Island). Hansen joined sprinter Jeanette Kwakye today at Birmingham’s Harvey Nichols store to launch the Aviva National Championships incorporating the Team GB Selection Trials, which will be returning to the Birmingham Alexander Stadium on 11th, 12th and 13th July.
KALAMATA (GRE): The Greek Olympic Champion at 400 m Hurdles Fani Chalkia is the top entry for European Athletics Permit meet „Papaflessia 2008″ to held in Kalamata on June 4. Star for sprints should be the 60 m world indoor champion US Angela Williams. Jumping headliners will be the top long jump performer of 2007 Greece’s Luis Tsatoumas and the triple jump bronze medalist from Valencia Marija Sestak of Slovenia. Russian former world medalist Tatyana Andrianova is going to compete at 800 m.
PRAHA (CZE): Czech world champion Barbora Spotakova is the main headliner for European Athletics Premium Meeting “Josef Odlozil Memorial” on June 16 in Praha. She will have another duel after Ostrava with fourth placer from Osaka Nikola Brejchova. Top men hammer is already a tradition at Juliska Stadium. Already confirmed are two medallists from Osaka silver holder Primos Kozmus of Slovenia and third Libor Charfreitag of Slovakia. With them also European medalist 2006 Vadim Devyatovskiy of Belarus. Czech male High Jump elite Tomas Janku, Svatoslav Ton and Jaroslav Baba will clash with Russians headed by European Champion Andrey Silnov.
ABU DHABI (UAE): The richest half-marathon, the Zayed International Marathon of Abu Dhabi (300 000 USD for winners) plans improvements in organizational and promotional issues. It was said by home media. As a first step, the organization has appointed the New York Road Runners to help manage next year’s race in Abu Dhabi. The organizers are aiming for partnership with World Marathon Majors and ideas include an annual championship run for winners of each of the majors, to be held in Abu Dhabi every year with generous prize money. This February the winners were Samuel Wanjiru and Lornah Kiplagat.
EUGENE (USA): Maria Mutola will run this year her last Pre Classic on June 8. Through 15 consecutive victories dating back to when she was a student at local Springfield (Oregon) High School, Maria Mutola has been No. 1 both on the track and in the hearts of Prefontaine Classic fans. Now, at age 35, she returns from her current residence of Johannesburg, South Africa to seek a 16th victory at Hayward Field. Women´s 800 m field will be strong with world No. 6 Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica, who pushed Maria all the way to the line in 2007, losing by less than 3-tenths, 1:58.33 to 1:58.61. She’ll be joined by 2008 U.S. indoor champion Nicole Teter, who now lives and trains in Eugene, much as Mutola did during the ‚90s. Also in the field are the No. 2 & 3 U.S. runners last year, Hazel Clark-Riley and Alice Schmidt, and 2007 Pan Am gold medalist Diane Cummins of Canada. In honor of Mutola’s accomplishments at the Prefontaine Classic, the meet will retire the No. 1 bib she has worn for the past 10 years. Instead of being issued to future athletes, the „1″ bib will be the centerpiece of the Maria Mutola Outstanding Athlete Award, which will be presented for the first time immediately upon conclusion of the 2008 meet.
LONDON (GBR): Writer Pat Butcher got an-ex manager to go on-record re Athletics Kenya issues. You could link at http://www.globerunner.org/blog/.
RESULTS
TEL AVIV (ISR, May 17): European champion Aleksander Averbukh opened the season with 541 in Pole Vault.
CHOLET (FRA, May 18): French record holder Manuela Montebrun achieved 68.55 to improve her season best from Doha.
CHARTRES (FRA, May 18): French Long Jump European Indoor medalist who was last year involved in horrible accident with javelin Salim Sdiri improved his 100 m best to 10.79 (+2.0) during the weekend and also registered 779 (+0.2) in Long Jump.
SAN FRANCISCO (USA, May 18): Kenyan John Korir won the 97th ING Bay to Breakers 12 km race with 34:24. Informs Race Results Weekly. He will collect 7000 USD first place prize and 25 000 USD ING Battle of genders (elite women had a 4:40 headstart). Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui was the best woman (39:22) beating Rose Kosgei (40:47).
GLASGOW (GBR, May 18): Osaka 5000 m world medalist Vivian Cheruiyot won the 10 km Resolution Asset Management Women´s 10 km run after 31:32. Other Kenyans followed her 2-4 with Lucy Wangui (31:41), Magdalene Mukunzi (31:49) and Pauline Wangui (31:58).
SIOFOK (HUN, May 17): Ukrainian wins at 5th WINK Marathon and 7th Police World Marathon Championships. Andriy Naumov clocked 2:22:43 and Tetyana Vernigor 2:44:31.
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