by Larry Eder
Olympic 400 meter champion LaShawn Merritt will be featured in the 300 meters, and going for Micheal Johnson’s 30.85 world mark at the Nike Pre Classic!
Photo by Photorun.net.
Great sprint fields, but without Gay
EUGENE (USA): Organisers of 35th Prefontaine Classic presented the start lists of sprint events for this Sunday (IAAF Grand Prix). In total 34 Beijing Olympic medalists will compete at Hayward Field in all events what is more than impressive figure. But the expected duel between Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell will not happen. The US 2007 World Champion will finally not compete. But still Powell will face in his heat Beijing silver and bronze winners Richard Thompson and Walter Dix along with Churandy Martina who won in Hengelo on Monday (9.97). Not to speak about New York winner Mike Rodgers and Doha winner Travis Padgett. Second section has Powell´s relay team-mates Michael Frater with Nesta Carter and 2004 Olympic winner Shawn Crawford with surprise 10.05 perfomer from JUCO Championships Ryan Bailey and Rae Edwards who improved to 10.02 in Hengelo. Olympic winner LaShawn Merritt competes in the 300 m and his aim could be the world best of Michael Johnson 30.85 at Pretoria altitude in 2000. In women´s 100 m return of Olympic winner Shelly-Ann Fraser is expected as she withdrew from New York last weekend against world leader Kerron Stewart, former world champion Lauryn Williams and fastest current US sprinter Carmelita Jeter. Olympic bronze medalist Sanya Richards will be rematched at 400 m against Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams, and fellow-Jamaican Novlene Williams. Russians Yuliya Guschchina and Anastasiya Kapachinskaya will add European flavour to the race. Also running will be the 400 m hurdles olympic winner Melaine Walker.
Idowu 17.60, Di Martino 198, Kaki wins again
TORINO (ITA, June 4): Italian High jump record holder Antoinetta Di Martino returned after injury in great style and won her event at 10th jubilee Primo Nebiolo Memorial (EA Premium Meeting) with excellent 198 cm. It is second best mark of the year behind Blanka Vlasic. Another top mark came in men´s triple jump as olympic silver medalist Philips Idowu of Great Britain achieved 17.60 (+1.0) what is already fifth perfomer of 2009 with 17.60+ result. Second home Fabrizio Schembri got life-time best 17.27 (+0.9). Idowu missed the meet record of Christian Olsson from 2004 only by 1 cm. Briton Chris Tomlinson scored another win with 804 (+0.9) in long jump (olympic medalist Cuban Camejo only 4th 783). Belarus Artyom Zaytsev won the men high jump and equalled his PB 228 cm. In women technical events two meet records were registered. World champion in hammer Betty Heidler got 74.33 and beat Poland´s second in yearly lists Anita Wlodarczyk (71.36). Olympic shot put medalist Natalya Mikhnevich of Belarus achieved 19.56 event best ahead of German Nadine Kleinert (19.21) and Romania´s Anca Heltne (18.79). Stephanie Durst this time beat Laverne Jones at 100 m and reversed the order from Hengelo but it was again close (11.37 and 11.38, -1.6). Yvettte Lewis of USA won the 100 m hurdles (13.00, -1.5) as the head-wind again played a role. Italian Elisa Cusma attacked the meet record (1:59.83) at 800 m but at the end of the day missed it with 2:00.13. More luck in men´s 800 m for World junior record holder Abubaker Kaki of Sudan who equalled the meet record 1:44.25 of Yuriy Borzakovskiy from 2000. Kaki remains unbeaten in the summmer, second place for Latvian Dmitrijs Milkevics (1:45.36). US hurdler Dexter Faulk who had impressive indoor season improved his PB by 0.01 to 13.29 what is sixth fastest of the year. Bahamian Shamar Sands was second (13.50) and Hengelo winner Andy Turner third (13.57). But Tim Benjamin got a win for Great Britain with solid 45.80 at 400 m (Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius was 6th, 47.20). The 100 m sprint was negatively affected by winds. Fabio Cerutti won the 100 m finals but only with 10.33 (-2.3) ahead of Jamaican Steve Mullings (also 10.33). Cerutti was little bit faster in the heat (10.31, -1.3). Vincent Chepkok won the 3000 m in new personal best 7:37.40 and beat European indoor champion Mo Farah of UK who in his track debut of the year got 7:39.02. The meet was held in warm weather with wind and the stadium was filled at very solid level.
Molchanova leaps to 682 cm, Krevsun world lead 1:59.16 at 800 m
KYIV (UKR, June 4): Viktoriya Molchanova (27) achieved her life-time best in long jump with 682 (+1.4) during second day of Ukrainian Cup meet. She also equalled so the european 2009 lead of Naide Gomes. Another top marks came out in 800 m as Yulia Krevsun clocked world leading 1:59.16 and Tetyana Petlyuk 1:59.69 as second. Fast 200 m was won by last year junior Yelizaveta Bryzgina with 22.99 (0.0) beating Natalya Pigida (23.00, she had 22.94 in heats, -1.9). 2004 olympic medalist Olena Krasovska posted solid 13.00 (+0.7) to win the 100 m hurdles and Sergiy Demidyuk achieved 13.79 (0.0) in men´s high hurdles. Good also men´s long jump as Viktor Kuznetsov leaped to 809 (+0.2) ahead of European medalist Oleksiy Lukashevich (796, +0.5). Iryna Sekachova confirmed good hammer shape (72.48) and Inna Akhkozova scored 6015 in heptathlon.
Belarus CE Championships
STAIKI (BLR, June 4): At Belarus combined events championships Aleksandr Parkhomenko scored 7768 to win the decathlon. Last year world junior silver winner Eduard Mihan posted 7575 points as U23 category winner . The team leaders also announced the squad for European Cup Combined Events end of the month with Andrey Kravchenko, Nikolay Shubenok, Aleksandr Korzun and Parkhomenko. Women´s heptathlon winner Marina Parkhomenko registered 5622 points. In U23 category Yekaterina Netsvetayeva achieved 5624 points. For European Cup selected were Yana Maksimova, Natalya Tanana, Parkhomenko and Netsvetayeva.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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