by Larry Eder
Phillips Idowu, Gold Medalist, Triple Jump, Berlin WC 09, photo by PhotoRun.net.
Phillips Idowu, the best triple jumper on the planet, will be defending his Sevilla Indoor title at Doha. Idowu wowed the crowds in Berlin with his superb jumping. He is the cover story for the Autumn issue of Spike magazine!
EME NEWS (NOV 18, 2009)
IDOWU, EVORA AND OLSSON PLANNING INDOORS
LONDON (GBR): This coming indoor season could be excellent in men´s triple jump. World champion Philips Idowu of Great Britain plans to defend his title from Valencia 2008. Also competing will be olympic champion Nelson Evora of Portugal and returning is 2004 olympic winner Christain Olsson from Sweden. Even an attack on world indoor record 17.83 might be possible, it is jointly registered for Cuban Aliecer Urrutia (1997) and Olsson (2004). Idowu after beeing voted UK Athlete of the Year said that he did not signed a contract for the new Diamond League. “I’ll miss a grand prix if it works in my favour,†he said. “My aim for 2010 is to pick up gold medals and improve my PBs.†The expected return of Christian Olsson, the Swedish 2004 Olympic champion who has been all but retired for the past three years, is not occupying his thoughts. “He’s just another competitor,†Idowu said. “I just have to make sure I stay on top of the tree.†Writes timesonline. In long term Idowu wants to come close to the achievements of his country-man and world record holder Jonathan Edwards.
FEOFANOVA WANTS TO HAVE HER 6TH WORLD INDOORS IN A ROW
MOSCOW (RUS): Former world champion and olympic medalist Svetlana Feofanova of Russia plans full indoor season 2010. The 29-years old athlete with 488 personal best already started the preparation and hopes to qualify for World Indoor Championships in Doha. She competed in last five undercover global world championships, the best in 2003 in Birmingham winning the gold medal.
DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN KENYA
NAIROBI (KEN): Kenyan East Standard writes that Kenyans could soon enjoy dual citizenship if the draft constitution is enacted into law. According to the draft, a person cannot lose Kenyan citizenship if he or she acquires the citizenship of another country. The draft also proposes that Kenyans, who as a result of acquiring the citizenship of another country ceased to be Kenyan citizens, are entitled to regain it on application. Several athletes have in the past forfeited their citizenship and became citizens of European, American or Gulf countries. Some of the athletes include Stephen Cherono (now Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen, American Bernard Lagat, Dane Wilson Kipketer, Albert Chepkurui (now known as Abdullah Ahma Hassan) of Qatar, Abel Cheruiyot both of Bahrain.
OTHER NEWS
LONDON (GBR): With Europe’s premier industry forum, Future Sponsorship 09, just over a week away, the list of premium global brands set to ignite this year’s debate has been further extended to include iconic brands Heineken, Samsung, PUMA, Red Bull and Volvo. Senior representatives from each brand will join fellow sponsorship professionals as headline speakers at the conference which takes place on the 25 and 26 November 2009 at The May Fair Hotel, London. Organisers are saying in a release. The developments of the world’s leading sports events will also be high on the Future Sponsorship 09 agenda with London 2012, the UEFA Champions League, rugby union’s Heineken Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race all in the spotlight.
MELBOURNE (AUS): The 2009 Great Australian Run will boast the world’s best male and female marathon runners of 2009 because German star Irina Mikitenko has been added to the stellar line up to contest the 15km event around the streets of Melbourne on November 29. Writes David Martin.The Great Australian Run is widely-regarded as the best quality road race to be staged in Australia, and in ten days time, fourteen Olympians will be racing around the streets of Melbourne. At the front of the field, the past two Olympic marathon champions – Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru (Beijing) and Italian Stefano Baldini (Athens) – will go head-to-head against our own rising star and Australian 10,000m record holder Collis Birmingham, who finished third in last year’s event behind the great Haile Gebreselassie. Three-time Austrian Olympic steeplechaser Guenther Weidlinger, dual Olympian Dan Robinson of Great Britain and Spanish star Jose Manuel Martinez will also battle it out at the top of the pack.Jogging amongst the thousands of runners and walkers of all abilities behind the elites will be none other than Olympic 400m champion Cathy Freeman, three-time Olympian Lee Troop and world championships bronze medallist Craig Mottram.
ESSEN (GER): For next year planned Karstadt Marathon will not be staged on September 19, 2010. It is because the title sponsor Karstadt is no longer able to fulfill its role due to bankrupcy. The organisers are still planning a smaller running event, but not marathon. All already entered runners have been informed about the situation. Last edition winner Samson Bungei of Kenya clocked good 2:09:21.
BEOGRAD (SRB): Top Serbian athletes the Topic family (high jumper Dragutin and triple jumper Biljana) started their preparation for indoor season in Athens, Greece. Because in Serbia there is no regular athletics hall they will use the possibilities in Greece with aim to qualify and succeed at World Indoor Championships in Doha. The weather in Athens still permits outdoor training, 38-years old Dragutin still mastered this year 231 and was in the finals of 1991 World Indoors in Sevilla, Spain. His wife Biljana was excellent fourth in Berlin, but in her career competed only once so far at World Indoors in Valencia 2008.
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): Some of the greatest athletes of their generations, including track & field legends Joetta Clark Diggs, Andre Phillips, Randy Williams and Willie Steele, are joined by coach Dr. Ken Foreman as the 2009 inductees into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 was announced Tuesday by USA Track & Field. The Class of 2009 will be inducted Saturday evening, December 5, at the Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with USATF’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Informs USATF.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The IOC made an expected move in the CERA case of positive tested athletes at Beijing Games 2008. Those concerned were stripped of their medals, now also formally. Among them also 1500 m winner Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain who would now need to return the gold medal. It was widely reported by agencies. It also expected that Ramzi will appeal to the CAS. Now he will face also disciplinary action from IAAF (most probably two years ban) and is out from next Games 2012 in London. The medals distribution in the men´s 1500 m will be now official with gold to Asbel Kiprop, silver for Nick Willis and bronze for Mehdi Baala.
LOS ANGELES (USA): UCLA website informs, that former olympic winner and world champion in sprints and hurdles Gail Devers will be honored with the UCLA Award in Professional Achievement. At UCLA, Devers was named the Pac-10 Athlete of the Year in 1988 after winning the NCAA 100-meter dash and setting a U.S. record in the 100-meter hurdles. Her athletic career was threatened when in 1990 she was diagnosed with Graves‘ disease, a debilitating chronic thyroid disorder, and faced the possible amputation of both feet. Less than 17 months after the diagnosis, however, Devers staged one of the greatest comebacks in the history of track and field, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1992 Olympics Games in Barcelona and becoming the first woman in 45 years to win both the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles, at the 1993 World Championships. Devers won two more gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, in the 400-meter relay and the 100-meter dash, becoming only the second woman to win the prestigious 100-meter event in two consecutive Olympics. Off the track, Devers regularly makes appearances to educate the public about Graves‘ disease and other thyroid conditions, leading fundraising efforts and testifying before Congress.
GAINESVILLE (USA): Dutch runner Susan Kuijken will be competing on Monday for her school Florida State at NCAA first division CC Championships. The 23-years old athlete also won last CC season the European U23 title. But will miss the Dublin event this time. „I will return to Europe, but it is going to be too late for Europeans, so I won‘t be running there this year,“ she said in an email message. Host of the NCAA event will be Indiana State University at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
GLASGOW (GBR): Scottish athletes on the UKA World Class Performance Programme are 400 m hurdles runner Elidh Child, 800m runner Claire Gibson, 400/400 hurdles runner Lee McConnell and long distance runner Stephanie Twell. Another twenty-six Scottish athletes have been offered the opportunity of programme support for 2010 with a focus on success at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, through a scottishathletics managed initiative funded through sportscotland.
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