by Larry Eder
Steffi Nerius, Berlin 2009 WC, javelin, photo courtesy of PhotoRun.net.
Steffi Nerius upset at the Berlin 2009 World Champs is still in the mind of the German media as the year ended. Robert Harting, the discus champion from Berlin 09, finished third in the sportsmens title!
Ian Dobson and Erin Donahue are to be featured in the Emerald Nuts NYC Midnight Run, one of the oldest in the country. Good luck to both!
E NEWS (DEC 21, 2009)
NERIUS IS NUMBER ONE IN GERMANY
BADEN-BADEN (GER): Javelin world champion Steffi Nerius is German Sportswoman of the Year 2009. She was awarded during the traditional TV Gala in Spa place Baden-Baden. She was congratulated by Berlino after winning the poll of German sports journalists. Meantime Nerius retired and is oriented for her coaching work with disabled athletes. Second place for swimmer Britta Steffen and third alpine-skier Maria Riesch, In the men vote discus world champion Robert Harting ended as third. Last time track athletes were voted in this poll was in 2000 when Nils Schumann and Heike Drechsler were the winners after getting Olympic golds in Sydney. Winner was swimmer Paul Biedermann ahead of Formula one driver Sebastian Vettel.
POWELL AND GAY TOGETHER
KNGSTON (JAM): Despite the late change to the venue, the ‚Night On Tracks‘ benefit concert staged by the Asafa Powell Foundation, was still a huge success. Writes TrackAlerts.com. The concert, held inside the National Indoor Sports Complex, was attended by several big names, including government‘s representative, the Minister of Sports, Olivia ‚Babsy‘ Grange. American star athlete Tyson Gay, flew to the island on Sunday to be in attendance, whilst World and Olympic sprint king, Usain Bolt didn‘t miss this opportunity to throw his full support behind his teammate and best friend Asafa Powell‘s, ground breaking venture. Newly crowned World 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton and her husband Patrick Hylton, managing director of NCB bank, were in attendance and occupied front row seats along with Shelly-Ann Fraser, defending World and Olympic 100m champion, and Shericka Williams, Berlin and Beijing‘s 400m silver medalist. They all rocked and grooved to the music of the star performers, especially Tarus Riley, who subsequently went on to close the show in style. „Having the American record is a beautiful thing in America but it doesn‘t ring a bell as well as having the world record,“ Gay said. „Usain Bolt has set the bar at a standard where it is going to be tough to reach, but I am glad he has done that because it is going to allow me to work harder and continue to strive for that record,†Gay was quoted by Jamaica Gleaner while at the Island. „I think with the right condition, he is capable of running low 9.5, 9.4s even because I think it is about conditions. He is a monster – he can run in any condition; rain, snow, anything but at the same time. I think under the right conditions, he can go faster,†Gay said about Bolt.
DIBABA FOR EDINBURGH
EDINBURGH (GBR): Double olympic winner Tirunesh Dibaba will compete before Boston Indoor Games in Europe. She will run already on January 9 the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country. Fresh European CC Champion from Dublin Hayley Yelling-Higham will also run the 5.6 km long course. Dibaba will return to Holyrood Park as favorite and add to the victory she achieved at the inaugural race in 2005. Yelling-Higham insists it is not her intention to again pursue a full time running career quickly pointing out that the World Championships next March don‘t figure in her plans. Dibaba‘s younger sister 18-year-old Genzebe who has won the last two World Junior cross country crowns is expected to be a strong contender in the race while Freya Murray leads the Scottish challenge. The meeting will feature a titanic clash in the men‘s competition where six-time world cross champion Kenenisa Bekele goes head-to-head with fellow Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam who succeeded him with his victory in Amman in March.
OTHER NEWS
MOSCOW (RUS): Russian Sports Journalists announced their top ten sports personalities of the year. In the list also three representatives of athletics. Three world champions walkers Olga Kaniskina and Valeriy Borchin and high jumper Yaroslav Rybakov. There is no more order announced all top ten are recieving the same prize a small statue. The award ceremony will be staged at the end of January next year.
MADRID (ESP): Steeple world champion Marta DomÃnguez and veteran walker and bronze winner from Berlin Jesús Ãngel GarcÃa Bragado have been elected Spanish Athletes of the Year 2009. In the vote of media, officials, coaches Dominguez got 12 428 votes and Garcia 11 572. The gala evening will be held on January 23 in Gran Casino of Castellon. In women order other runners followed with Natalia Rodriguez (9672) and Nuria Fernandez with Ruth Beitia (5512). In the men results second place for Jesus Espana (7124) ahead of Eliseo Martin and Mario Pestano (4368). Best juniors are, hammer thrower Javier Cienfuegos and runner Estefania Tobal. Coaches of the year are Miguel Escalona and Cesar Perez. In the U23 category number ones are Manuel Blanco and Aurora Perez.
BOLZANO (ITA): Fresh European CC Champion Hayley Yelling is having a tough schedule as she committed to run the 35th edition of BOClassic the traditional December 31 race in Bolzano, Italy. She will race again 2006 winner here Hungarian Aniko Kalovics and Young Ethiopian Sule Utura. Another top name is French Christelle Daunay who was third in Fall at NYC Marathon. In the men´s race new name is best home runner Andrea Lalli who just over the weekend won the IAAF CC Permit in Brussels. Olympic champion Stefano Baldini is definitely not coming to Bolzano this year.
CANBERRA (AUS): New Zealand´s World Juniors 2006 fifth placer Jessica Penney now lives in Canberra and trains with Craig Hilliard. She is now able to represent Australia since last August. Her best mark from 2006 is 637 cm what is also New Zealand junior record. Last week she jumped 602.
MOSCOW (RUS): New names confirmed for IAAF Indoor Permit meet Russian Winter on February 7 in Moscow are home top athletes. 800 m 2004 Olympic winner Yuriy Borzakovskiy and former pole vault world record holder Svetlana Feofanova. She only competed once before at this meet back in 1999, now she returns and interestingly currently trains in CSKA Hall what is the venue of the event. Women Pole Vault will be the headline event as multiple world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva already earlier confirmed her participation. Also jumping will be Poland´s world medalist Monika Pyrek and another top Russian and European Indoor Champion 2007 Yulia Golubchikova. Borzakovskiy will run the non-traditional 600 m against Ali Belal Mansour of Bahrain and will aim for sixth win at the meet.
MOSCOW (RUS): News from agents section. Javelin world leader 2009 and olympic and world medalist Mariya Abakumova changed her agent. After working for some years with Mikhail Gusev he changed to Jose Praia, an Portugal based manager with knowledge of Russian language who has for example in his group also steeple 2007 world champion Yekaterina Volkova for example.
KINGSTON (JAM): Olympic medalist sprinter Sherone Simpson hopes for a successfull 2010 as she missed most of last summer due to injury. “I was really emotional for the 100m final in Berlin. I was supposed to be in the stands to work with Eurosport but I knew I could not manage it,“ she says. „So I was in Berlin at my hotel and I watched it and I really felt it because I wanted to be in the final, seeing that in 2008, I was in the final in Beijing, but I was really happy for my teammates,“ she was quoted by Jamaican media. She anticipates that 2010 will be a busy season for her, even though she is still up in the air about defending her Commonwealth Games 200m title next October in India. Her real ambitions, it seems, lie beyond 2010.
LISBON (POR): Coach Joao Ganco confirmed that Triple jump olympic winner Nelson Evora will not compete during the indoor season 2010. All plans of Evora are oriented towards Barcelona 2010. In his medal collection he is missing the one from European Championships as last time in Goteborg was fourth in triple and sixth in long jump. He will not compete indoors at all, not even at national level. „He is continuing with training, but it is nothing strong. Mainly focusing on technical aspects. He is still in pain after the stress fracture. But of course is not jumping. We hope to start with special training for summer around February,†coach is explaining.
LINZ (AUT): Long jump world champion Brittney Reese is considering to participate at Gugl Indoor meet in Linz on February 4. The world leader 2009 has a indoor best of 687 cm. The organizers are saying the chances are good that she will come.
LISBON (POR): European Indoor Champion at 1500 m Rui Silva hopes to return to training soon because of his muscle injury. He missed about one month of training already. His main aim for summer is Barcelona 2010, he will compete indoors only when his club Sporting will need him.
MONTE CARLO (MON): Another IAAF Diamond League event confirmed its program for 2010. The Herculis Meet scheduled for July 22 added to 15 Diamond Race events another three. It is men´s 800 m and 400 m Hurdles and women´s 100 m Hurdles.
MONTE CARLO (MON): Athletics fans believe that High Jump world champion Blanka Vlasic will break the World Indoor record in 2010. That means to jump higher than 208 of Kajsa Bergqvist in Arnstadt 2006. In the current situation 66.09 percent of voters say yes and 33.91 percent say no. Vlasic jumped in the second part of the last summer season 208 and has an indoor best of 205 achieved already three times. In 2006 in Banska Bystrica, in 2008 in Weinheim and in 2009 in Karlsruhe. She will open her season on January 26 in Trinec, Czech Republic at second leg of 6th Moravia High Jump Tour.
NEW YORK (USA): Olympians Ian Dobson and Erin Donohue will kick-off their 2010 seasons with the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run here at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, the New York Road Runners announced. It will be the 31st edition of the popular four-mile road race, costume party and fireworks display held annually in Central Park to ring in the New Year.
BYDGOSZCZ (POL): Nearly every Sunday in last weeks at 11 am at Myslecinek Park in Bydgoszcz runners are competing to the WXC 2010. It started October 25 with „Cross Bydgoski“ (Bydgoszcz Cross) and 509 participants. Then, starting from 8th November again the number of amateurs and non-amateurs runners was growing. Last Sunday despite minus 15 degrees some 50 persons came. In the field also national U-23 runner Damian Kabat (46th at European CC in Dublin) with Andrzej Urbaniak who is ultra marathonrunner.
RESULTS
PONTA DELGADA (POR, Dec 19): Helder Santos won the 46th corrida de Săo Silvestre at 10 km with 30:18. Sandra Teixeira was the best woman at 5 km after 16:57 ahead of Monica Silva (17:04).
TOULOUSE (FRA, Dec 20): Kenyans dominated the Cross National des Violettes in freezing weather. Justus Moranga clocked 27:19 at 9.306 km ahead of Joel Kimaru (27:28) and Abraham Kiprotich (27:28). best French runner steeple specialist Abdelharim Zilali as fifth (28:29). Women 4.77 km winner was Miriam Wangari of Kenya (15:48).
PRAHA (CZE, Dec 19): New Czech U15 60 m indoor record for Zdenek Stromsik who clocked 6.93.
SYDNEY (AUS, Dec 19): Australian World Youth and World Junior participant Olivia Tauro (19) clocked good 37.56 at 300 m.
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