by Larry EderIn 2010, the Reebok Grand Prix NY will be no more. It will be replaced by the adidas Grand Prix NY. 2009 was its best year ever, with a SRO crowd of 11,000 plus, tremendous performances, including this come from behind win at 800 meters by 2009 find Anna Willard, who moved from the steeplechase to the 800 meters and 1,500 meters in 2009.
We look forward to the adidas team’s meet, but wanted to congratulate Todd Klein, Jennifer Thomas, Patrick Joyce and the team at Global Athletics for making a major athletic meeting in the Big Apple a reality!
EME NEWS (NOV 27, 2009)
MIKITENKO LATE WITHDRAWAL
MELBOURNE (AUS): Three-time Olympian Benita Willis and Australian Flame Collis Birmingham will headline the Australian contingent at the Great Australian Run on Sunday as part of the Australian Road Running Championships. Writes Athletics Australia. But major news is the withdrawal of women top star German marathon world leader Irina Mikitenko due to injury. On the other hand olympic marathon winner Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya is ready to run as his management confirmed. Briton Helen Clitheroe and Italian Stefano Baldini are other top international names to mention. Sydney Olympic gold medallist and Australian icon Cathy Freeman will be running and is joined by a number of local celebrities as well as thousands of recreational runners looking for their opportunity to run alongside the world‘s best athletes.
NY MEET WITH NEW NAME
NEW YORK (USA): The IAAF Diamond League meeting in New York planned for June 12th 2010 at Icahn Stadium‘s lightning fast oval and straightaway will host the first IAAF Diamond League meet in the United States ever. The event, previously the Reebok Grand Prix, will now be known as the adidas Grand Prix. Tickets for the 2010 event will be available at the meet website beginning December 7th.
SEBRLE IN POTCH
POTCHEFSTROOM (RSA): Decathlon legend Roman Sebrle started another training camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The world record holder, world and european winner is again using this high altitude training center to build up for his next season. Sebrle who was celebrating his 35th birthday while travelling to Africa on Thursday plans to compete in both indoor and outdoor seasons next year. Main target is of course Barcelona 2010 European Championships. But he also hopes to be able to compete at World Indoor Championships in Doha in heptathlon. In this event he is European record holder but would need most probably a wild card as he is not in the top three of 2009 and possibilities to qualify with 2010 result will not be big with only a limited number of good competitions during the indoor season in Europe. Sebrle plans to continue with athletics until London Olympics 2012 and then possibly switch to golf. He will remain with his coach Dalibor Kupka in South Africa until December 17. In the group is also world class high jumper Jaroslav Baba with his coach Jan Janku sr., hurdler Stanislav Sajdok and World Youth octathlon medalist 2007 Jaroslav Hedvicak.
OTHER NEWS
ZAGREB (CRO): Croatian hammer record holder and Beijing and Berlin finalist Andras Haklits is a part of a Croatian bobsled team who traveled to USA to try to qualify for Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Another member of the team is Slaven Krajacic who is former sprinter (10.47 PB) who was olympic team member in Sydney and also at the Winter Games 2006 in Torino.
SINGAPORE (SIN): Singaporeathletics website informs about Michael Johnson views towards Usain Bolt. He suggests he should take 2010 very relaxed. „It might be time for Bolt to slow down. Physically, there is no doubt he can continue to compete, and there is no telling how fast he might go one day. But mentally, it is a different story. The most difficult thing for a young, accomplished athlete to do is to figure out how to stay motivated. But there is still another reason why it would be good for Bolt to take a break. He has rekindled interest in track and field in America, a nation where team sports generally dominate. But as fast as he is, Bolt will not be breaking records with every race, and over time his speed will begin to take some of the thrill out of watching track events. After all, with Bolt in the race, we already know who is going to win.“
NAIROBI (KEN): Kenyan The Nation writes that after several false starts, the Local Organising Committee of the 2010 Senior Africa Athletics Championship finally got off the blocks in a colourful re-launch gala that was attended by top corporate figures, government leaders and sportsmen. Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was the chief guest, cautioned the organisers that the success in hosting the championship will serve as the yardstick for Kenya to receive endorsements to bid and stage future top sporting events. Isaiah Kiplagat, the chairman of LOC confirmed that the event will be used to pick Africa‘s best athletes for the Continental Cup in athletics that will be held in Split in September.
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Sowetan.co.za informs that the newly elected Athletics South Africa interim board is meeting during the weekend to try to set the way forward for the controversy-ridden federation. The meeting has been called by ASA administrator Ray Mali and will be the first one for the interim board elected last Saturday. „We are happy that companies like Nedbank and Yellow Pages have indicated their willingness to return to athletics. There are others who are keen to come on board,“ he was quoted. The interim board members are Hendrick Ramaala, Aleck Skosana, James Evans, Daan Louw, James Moloi, Pieter Lourens, Blanche Moila and female sprinter Geraldine Pillay. It is expected that steeplechase national record holder Ruben Ramolefi will also be co-opted onto the interim board. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the parties are „almost there“ in concluding complex negotiations between interim board and IAAF, writes Race Results Weekly. Davies said the IAAF‘s investigation into ASA‘s handling of the case would concentrate solely on the ASA‘s leadership in recent months. „The relationship we have with our member (federation) means we also need to take action,“ Davies said. „That does not mean that ASA is suspended by the IAAF. The athletes won‘t be penalised … and will still be able to compete.“ Davies said the IAAF welcomed the International Olympic Committee‘s decision to hold a symposium aimed at drafting guidelines for dealing with ambiguous gender issues. The IAAF is helping to fund the conference, which will be held in January in Miami Beach, Florida.
LONDON (GBR): Timesonline.co.uk is writing that interesting piece about disgraced sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Last year, Jones served six months in prison for perjury. The year before she married Barbados sprinter Obadele Thompson with whom she has had another child after the first one with Montgomery. Tim Montgomery says that their relationship is so torn that he has not seen their son for three years. „I wrote to Marion from prison,“ he says. „I said, ‚I know we‘ve been through a lot of things, I know we‘ve both done wrong things. And I wish you the best. But I can‘t figure out why I can‘t see my son. She never wrote back.“
REGENSBURG (GER): German club LG Telis Finanz Regensburg will have new star-member. It is Luxemburg´s 2006 European silver winner at 800 m David Fiegen with national record 1:44.83. The Luxemburg´s top athlete has been depleted by injuries since 2006 and achieved only two solid sub 1:47 times in 2008.
RESULTS
MELBOURNE (AUS, Nov 26): Olympian and world championships participant Lisa Weightman clocked 15:59.15 at Victorian Milers Club at Olympic Park.
MANCHESTER (USA, Nov 26): Kenyan Haron Lagat who went to Texas Tech and lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico, outkicked Patrick Smyth of Chicago in the last 100 meters to win the 73rd edition of the 4.748 miles Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving day. He clocked 21:40 one second ahead of Smyth. Third David Jankowski achieved 21:44. Ireland´s Martin Fagan as best European got 22:01 as fourth ahead of Briton Andrew Lemoncello (22:04). Women winner was Ethiopian Alemtsehay Misganaw (lives in New York) in 25:26 over former five times winner Amy Rudolph in close finish (25:27). Rudolph is suppose to finish her career as elite runner soon. Last year‘s winner Teyba Naser was third (25:31). As www.courant.com writes there were over 13,000 entrants.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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