by Larry Eder
Deena Kastor has best race since her April 2008 Olympic Trials win, with her strong win in BUPA Edinburgh Great Run. Photo by Photorun.net.
EME NEWS (MAY 3, 2009) UPDATE
ROAD RESULTS
EDINBURGH (GBR, May 3): US Olympic medallist 2004 in marathon Deena Kastor returned to competition with great win at BUPA Edinburgh Great Run. She clocked 32:38 and clearly beat a strong field headed by former NYC Marathon winner Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia (33:14), former track world champion Sally Barsosio of Kenya (33:34) and Hungarian Aniko Kalovics (33:42). World record holder Micah Kogo won the men race also clearly with 28:13 ahead of Bernard Kipyego (28:27) and former European champion “Chema†Martinez of Spain (29:33). Fourth place for Portugal´s Rui Pedro Silva (29:35).
DUSSELDORF (GER, May 3): Kenyan David Langat took the sixth edition of the METRO Group Marathon Düsseldorf in 2:10:46. He was originally been signed as a pacemaker but had said two days before the race that he intends to finish. Langat beat the favourite Wilfred Kigen, who suffered of a muscle problem during the final stages of the race. While the Kenyan took second with 2:11:30 Germany’s André Pollmächer was third with a personal best of 2:13:09. As expected the women’s race was a German affair. While the defending champion Melanie Kraus was forced to drop out soon after the 5 k point because of a muscle problem Susanne Hahn clocked a personal best of 2:29:26. Debutant Melanie Schulz (2:42:47) was second while Sonja Oberem, who had ended her professionall career some time ago, took third with 2:43:49. Adding other events the METRO Group Marathon Düsseldorf registered around 10.000 entries from more than 65 nations. About 400,000 spectators lined the loop course. Organisers are informing in a release.
HANNOVER (GER, May 3): Top four achieved better times than previous course record (2:11:44) at Hannover Marathon. The winner Evans Kipkosgei Ruto clocked 2:10:47 ahead of pacemaker Julius Muriuki (2:10:47) and third Ethiopian Hussen Adem (2:11:17). In women category top two for Kenya. Fridah Jepkite achieved 2:35:47 and Ruth Wanjiru 2:42:07. In all races 11 000 participants, 2000 in marathon.
TRIESTE (ITA, May 3): Kenyan Justus Kiprono won the 10th Maratona d´Europa in solid 2:14:48 ahead of his team-mate Philip Kanda (2:14:50) and Morrocan Cherfaoui Lalaami (2:14:51). Brazilian women win for 38 years old Nadir de Siqueira who debuted with 2:47:02.
SALZBURG (AUT, May 3): Austrian marathon champions at Salzburg Marathon were crowned Christian Pflügl in 2:23:32 and Ursula Bredlinger in 2:49:20. Both were also overall winners.
BURGOS (ESP, May 1): At 2nd Burgos Road mile Juan Carlos Higuero clocked 4:10 to win ahead of Alvaro Rodriguez and Diego Ruiz (4:11 and 4:12). In women race European champion Marta Dominguez only fourth (4:57), the winner was Margarita Fuentes-Pila in 4:52.
ATTNANG (AUT, May 2): Kenyan Eric Chirchir won the road mile in Austria after 4:04.62 beating Hungarian Peter Szemeti (4:06.00) and another Kenyan Joseph Boit (4:06.01).
US TRACK RESULTS
PALO ALTO (USA): Jenny Barringer added another collegiate record in the women’s 5000m in the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational with world leading 15:07.64. Another female world leads also for steeple runner Lindsay Anderson (9:35.30) and Anna Willard at 1500 m (4:06.90). Katie Waits achieved 2:01.78 at 800 m. In men events Matt Centrowitz won a good quality 1500 m in 3:36.92 (9 sub 3:40). Ben Bruce clocked 8:26.08 in steeple. But the best results were registered in longer events. Ireland´s Alistair Cragg won the 5000 m in second fastest of the year by a European runner 13:22.36 ahead of Matt Tegenkamp (13:22.60) and Kenyan Sam Chelanga (13:28.31). Stanford freshman Chris Derrick edged out 2009 World Junior Cross Country Championships teammate German Fernandez to set an American junior record of 13:29.98 to finish third in the “B†section of the 5000 m on his home track. Fernandez, the top U.S. finisher in the junior race in Amman in March, was fourth in 13:31.78. Hassan Mead won in 13:28.45. Tim Nelson timed 27:36.99 in the 10 000 m to achieve the World Championships automatic qualifying standard to lead three runners under 28:00 with Oregon Track Club teammate Simon Bairu of Canada (27:50.76) and Australian Shawn Forrest of Arkansas (27:52.10), writes IAAF. Swiss discus thrower Daniel Schaerer won with solid 60.75 m.
COLUMBUS: At Owens Classic Joel Brown clocked 13.56 at 110 m Hurdles, Liz Wanless achieved 18.04 in Shot Put and Deirdre Mullen cleared 190 in High Jump.
LOS ANGELES: In classic universities match men and women of USC beat their rivals from UCLA (men: 92:71, women: 93:70). To note exactly 80.00 in javelin by Corey White.
OTHER RESULTS
ADDIS ABABA (ETH, May 2): African champion Zemzem Ahmed (10:01.42) and rising talent Aberu Kebede (33:18.08) took deserved victories in the women’s 3000m Steeplechase and 10,000m respectively on the fourth day of the 38th Ethiopian Championships, writes IAAF. In other major final of day four, youngster Abeba Aregawi (2:08.89) beat national champion Mestawet Tadesse (2:08.99) in the women’s 800m for the biggest surprise of the championships so far.
Tallinn 2011 and Rieti 2013, new one-day meetings concept approved
FRANKFURT (GER): European Athletics awarded the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships to Tallinn, Estonia, and the 2013 edition of the event to Rieti, Italy during the European Athletics Council meeting in Frankfurt. The Council also made a series of important decisions in the areas of Competitions, Event Management and Sport Development. EA says in a release. The Council unanimously approved a new system for long term planning for event allocation. The initiative will facilitate better co-ordination of the international athletics calendar along with a balanced distribution of event. The new system will offer a seven-year circle for staging of the European Athletics events that includes both the biennial and annual events. The process will come in force in autumn 2009. The Council approved a new permit system for one-day meetings in Europe. The structure has been designed to have a consistent system for one-day meetings in Europe in liaison with the IAAF. The world body IAAF plans a new structure from 2010, the IAAF Diamond League. Under the new system the one-day meetings in Europe have been classified into European Premium League, European Challenge League and the Area Permit Meetings. An important underlying idea behind the new system is to create a link between the existing meetings and to offer even possibilities for each athletic discipline. On the other hand it plans also to categorise athletes in a way that top athletes will compete with preference only at top meetings. Unclear remains the situation of European meetings which are currently part of IAAF Grand Prix but will not be in the Diamond League from 2010. There are also plans to establish a second world-wide league. The new system comes into effect from the year 2010.
Special thanks for Alfons Juck, EME News.
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