by Larry EderRemember Roman Mesnil, the French vaulter looking for a sponsor? Well, he has found one. Check out his new video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9itjh_virus-po1l_fun.
More Global News from Alfons Juck and EME:
EME NEWS (JUNE 11, 2009)
BOLT IS SPORTSMAN OF 2008
TORONTO (CAN): Before his Thursday´s 100 m race Usain Bolt was crowned the winner of the 2009 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, after his sensational performance in the Beijing Olympics. Bolt, 22, received the world‘s most prestigious sports Award from Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin Moses and Academy member Michael Johnson on the eve of the Festival of Excellence track and field meet in Toronto, Canada. After receiving the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, Bolt performed his trademark celebration, a lightning-like gesture with his arms, and said: „I am delighted to win this prestigious Award and would like to thank everyone who voted for me. It is an honour to succeed such greats as multiple winner Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods.“ Laureus website informs. „I can‘t say he‘s the greatest sprinter I‘ve ever seen – yet. For him to be the greatest, he‘ll have to win gold at another Olympics or a World Championship, show some consistency and longevity. But there‘s no reason for me to think he can‘t do it,“ added Johnson.
JELIMO SAYS NO WORRY
NAIROBI (KEN): „I want to tell Kenyans that I‘m fine and they have nothing to worry about.“ That is the message Olympic 800m champion, Pamela Jelimo, sent out to her concerned compatriots after returning to the country from Eugene, Oregon where she lost for only the second time since she took up the distance. Kenyan media are informing. „I want to increase my mode of training to get endurance since my speed is okay. For now, my focus is only on the World Championships. I will avoid competing and work on getting my shape back for the trials but I‘m happy with my self and my abilities,“ she explained.
MORE NAMES FOR DKB-ISTAF
BERLIN (GER): More names are revealed each day for AF Golden League opening on Sunday in Berlin. Sanya Richards will face at 400 m Russian Yuliya Gushchina, who finished fourth in Beijing and collected Olympic gold in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays; another Russian, Tatyana Firova, a Beijing Olympic finalist and gold medallist in the 4x400m; and Amantle Montsho of Botswana, the reigning African champion and 2008 Olympic finalist. World and olympic winner Christine Ohuruogu will not run, she is competing on Thursday in Montreuil, France. Jamaican Kerron Stewart is also competing in Montreuil but will then head to Berlin. In the men´s 100 m world and olympic finalist Marc Burns of Trinidad is the main name with Asian record holder Samuel Francis, Daniel Bailey of Antigua and US Rae Edwards are other top names. The men‘s full lap will reunite three Beijing Olympic finalists: Bahamian Chris Brown, Leslie Djhone of France, and Swede Johan Wissman. As French media are informing Djhone´s appearance is under question. The field also includes Gary Kikaya of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the African record holder at 44.10. The men‘s high hurdles will reunite the second, third and fourth place finishers from last summer‘s Olympic Games, promising one of the finest rematches of the afternoon in Berlin (Payne, Oliver, Doucoure). The field also includes European champion Stanislav Olijar, and American Dexter Faulk, who has won his last three races. American Damu Cherry, who missed a Beijing medal by just 0.01 seconds, is already running considerably fast. The 31-year-old opened her season in April with a swift 12.69 in Gainesville, Florida, and has since competed consistently, winning in Baie Mahault, and finishing second in Doha and Eugene. Jamaicans Delloreen Ennis-London and Brigitte Foster-Hylton, fifth and sixth in Beijing and just 0.01 and 0.02 seconds behind the bronze medallist, bring extensive experience to Berlin start line. Ennis-London took World championships silver in 2005 and bronze in 2007, the latter with a PB 12.50, and women last night in Thessaloniki.
NEW NAMES: KIPROP, YEGO, JACKSON, PERRY
OSTRAVA (CZE): Although Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting Organisers are awaiting their biggest star Usain Bolt coming from Toronto meeting later on, more high quality names have been added today at a press conference in Prague. The 48th edition of this IAAF Grand Prix meeting will see great 800 m field. To olympic silver winner Ahmed Ismael of Sudan the other olympic medal winner (bronze) and reigning world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya was added. But the main favorite of the race could be somebody else – a young man who might be very soon olympic champion. Asbel Kiprop after his great mile win in Eugene wants in Ostrava attack the 1:43 barrier after he improved to 1:43.17 in Doha in May. Two top athletes are returning to Ostrava. Latest name for 400 m hurdles is 2005 world champion and Eugene winner (also olympic bronze winner) Bershawn Jackson who already back in 2006 promised to Ostrava a sub 48 mark. Another Pre winner coming is 100 m hurdles double world champion (2005 and 2007) Michelle Perry who also wants to make for some ground in Ostrava. Namely, in 2007 she was disqualified after false start and wants to give to the public a event best (12.65 is the current mark). She will also replace in a way already announced Lolo Jones who is not ready yet to compete after her Drake Relays injury and hopes to compete at US Trials at least. Excitement is builded around javelin battle of home star Barbora Spotakova, German Christine Obergfoll and Russian Mariya Abakumova. „I hope to win before home crowd but it will be tough, I achieved some personal bests with special shot put today, so the shape is growing,“Spotakova was quoted. But Obergfoll is also ready, specially after last year when she set in Ostrava the meet record and beat Spotakova: „For me this is first highlight of the season. I expect excellent competition and I think it will be very close, I like the meet and why not to achieve a 70 metres,“ she said in a telephone interview with Czech journalists today. In category of special guests both 800 m world record holders will appear –home Jarmila Kratochvilova and Wilson Kipketer of Denmark.
CHAMBERS 10.17, OHURUOGU 51.14
MONTREUIL (FRA, June 11): French series Alma Athle Tour started with the international meet in Montreuil (close to Paris). British olympic gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu started her 400 m year with solid 51.14 win. It is similar to her last year opening 51.06. Jamaican olympic medalist Kerron Stewart posted a fast 11.14 (+0.4) win at 100 metres and confirmed she will be the name to beat on Sunday in Berlin. European indoor champion Dwain Chambers achieved another victory with 10.17 (-0.1) at 100 m beating Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (10.33) and both best French sprinter Martial Mbandjock (10.33) and Ronald Pognon (10.40). Home walking star Yohan Diniz won the 5000 m in 18:54.86. Member of home club (CA Montreuil), the world junior triple jump champion Teddy Tamgho did not win the triple jump and was only fourth with 17.01. Grenada´s national record holder Randy Lewis (17.17) and Cubans Alexis Copello (17.09) and David Giralt (17.07) were better. Bahamian Shamar Sands came close to his national record with 13.45 (-0.9) win over US Jeff Porter (13.54). Russians dominated the 400 m (Anton Kokorin 46.37 and Denis Alekseyev 46.41) and Artyom Zaytsev of Belarus won the high jump (220). In remaining women events Kenyan Ines Chenonge won the 3000 m (8:46.48) and Poland´s Zaneta Glanc beat in discus (61.83) the olympic medalist Yareli Barrios of Cuba (60.96). French runner Jeff Lastennet improved to 1:46.48 at 800 m and beat a solid field.
OTHER NEWS
MOSCOW (RUS): All-Sport informs that CAS in Lausanne informed that the hearings in case of Russian athletes and their tampering of doping samples and subsequent bans which are appealed by IAAF will be postponed to a later stage. Initially the programme of hearings was set for June 12-13.
MONTE CARLO (MON): IAAF announced the opening of news sections in three additional languages (French, German and Spanish) to supplement existing English editorial build-up to and coverage of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 to 23 August). These news sections are opening to mark the major test event of the World Championships, the DKB-ISTAF meeting of the ĹF Golden League 2009 which takes place in Berlin‘s Olympic stadium this Sunday 14 June, and they will continue to operate until 23 August, the last day of the championships.
BUDAPEST (HUN): The re-constructed and improved version of All-Athletics.com
UTRECHT (NED): The International 10 000 m races in Utrecht, Netherlands on June 14 (also national championships) will have strong fields. In women race Ethiopians Werknesh Kidane, Ejegayehu Dibaba, Meselech Melkamu will face Kenyans Florence Kiplagat, Sylvia Kibet and home runner and European CC Champion Hilda Kibet. In the men race at 10 000 m world cross country champion Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam is the top name with Hengelo winner Ali Abdosh, Ibrahim Jeylan and Bekana Daba. On Kenyan side Matthew Kisorio and Shadrack Lagat with Qatari Nicholas Kemboi. Both races will be staged in evening time and fast times are expected.
PARIS (FRA): There is a new video from Romain Mesnil, the French pole vaulter at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9itjh_virus-po1l_fun.
GLASGOW (GBR): Following the tremendous success of the European Athletics Coaches Association (EACA) Conference hosted by scottishathletics in Glasgow in 2008, a stunning programme for the International Festival of Athletics Coaching 2009 has now been announced. scottishathletics, working in full partnership with EACA, UKA and European Athletics, has confirmed a dazzling roll call of world class speakers who will be taking to the stage to address Festival delegates at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow from Friday 30 October until Sunday 1 November 2009. Athletics icons Sergey Bubka, Wilson Kipketer and Adam Nelson will be in Glasgow for what is expected to be the largest formal gathering of athletics coaches in the world this year, while a number of world class experts will join the team including Cuban Santiago Antunez (coach of world record holder Dayron Robles) and Jamaican Fitz Coleman.
LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames.com informs, that a row over sponsorship led to some of Britain‘s top athletes, including Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton withdrawing from the inaugural Super8 in Cardiff on Wednesday. Sotherton, Greg Rutherford and Hannah England all pulled out because their kit sponsors Nike wanted their athletes to wear branded kit in Cardiff, but the Super8 vest has no sponsorship, carrying just the event logo and team name. Sotherton had been due to captain the Birmingham team in the two-hour, city versus city contest, which aims to emulate the success of Twenty20 cricket and boost falling attendances at athletics meetings in Britain. The event would otherwise have been classed as a success, with a crowd of around 2,500 turning up and the forecast heavy rain staying away, apart from a brief downpour around half an hour before the start. On the track, it proved a mixed evening for star attraction Tasha Danvers, the Olympic bronze medallist and London South captain winning the 100 metres hurdles but later pulling up with a hamstring injury in the relay.
RESULTS
ALGER (ALG, June 11): Alger African Super Grand Prix meet (also part of Area Permits for IAAF World Athletics Tour) registered good quality men hammer as Ukrainian Artem Rubanko (78.63) beat Latvian record holder Igors Sokolovs (78.42). Home runners showed good shape. Nadji Manseur won the 800 m (1:47.71), Antar Zergoulaine the 1500 m (3:36.77) and Ali Saidi-Sief the 5000 m (13:32.69). New national record for Otmane Hadj Nazib at 110 m hurdles with 13.67 (-0.9). Another home win for Issam Nima in long jump (800, +0.8). Foreign wins for South African Talkmore Nyongani at 400 m (46.06) and Italian High Jumper Nicola Ciotti with 224 in count-back over African champion Kabelo Kgosiemang of Botswana (224). Liberian Kou Lougon won the 400 m hurdles (56.54) and Bobby-Gaye Wilkens of Jamaica the 400 m (52.16). Very solid also the 70.04 in women hammer by Italian Cristina Claretti.
FAYETTEVILLE (USA, June 10): NCAA Championships started in Arkansas with fast 100 m heats but then slowed in semis against a head-wind. Alexandria Anderson clocked 11.02 PB (+1.4) what is years third fastest and then won her semi in 11.29 (-1.0). Also fast in heats were Tiffany Townsend, Porscha Lucas and Jamaican Samantha Henry (all 11.14). Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast sped to 11.17. In men 100 m heats Trindon Holliday improved to 10.00 (+1.4) and also won his semi in 10.14 (-0.1). Jacoby Ford in other heat also scored life-time best 10.01 (and won the semi in 10.26, -0.3). In the next heat junior D´Angelo Cherry clocked PB of 10.04 (+1.7) what is third fastest junior ever. High quality 4×100 relay times in heats, Texas AM 42.93 in women section and Texas AM 38.51 and Florida 38.57 in men races. Belgian Jonathan Borlee was fastest in 400 m heats (45.50), Ryan Whiting posted 20.91 in shot put qualification and Reindell Cole windy 821 (+2.1) in long jump qualification.
BUDAPEST (HUN, June 10): Another improvement of Tamas Kazi at Running meet here at 800 m with 1:46.15.
SOFIA (BUL, June 11): During last day of World Military Championships the former European indoor champion Gregory Sedoc of Netherlands won the 110 m hurdles in 13.47 (+0.4) ahead of Chinese Ji Wei (13.56). Top Italian sprinter Simone Collio won the 200 m in 20.84 (-1.1). Morrocan Abdelkader Hachlaf was best in the steeple (8:35.00) and Algeria got the 4×400 m gold in 3:07.95. German Matthias De Zordo who is European junior champion 2007 won the javelin (79.92). In women events it was a Poland day. Marta Jeschke was the best at 200 m (23.31, -2.9) and Sylwia Ejdys at 1500 m (4:17.78).
HUELVA (ESP, June 10): Addition to this high quality meeting in running events is the fastest 3000 m of the year when European indoor medalist Natalia Rodriguez improved to world leading 8:35.86 ahead of European champion Marta Dominguez who clocked 8:36.53.
FUKAGAWA (JPN, June 10): At distance Hokuren meet Yusei Nakao improved to 27:48.71 at 10 000 m and beat Kenyans Micah Njeru (27:53.79) and Paul Tanui (27:57.99).
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