Simon Bairu, en route to CR, May 1, 2010, Stanford, CA,photo by PhotoRun.net.

Okay sports fans, this is our Non-Barcelona news update. Some good stuff here. Andrew Wheating goes to Nike. London 2012 news abounds, and Simon Bairu, Oregon Track
Club member, and Canadian record holder at 10,000 meters (remember that little 10k
at Payton Jordan Invitational?), won the Canadian title. I mention Simon as he is a
graduate of UW, forty-one miles from my home in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. As he is
a former Badger, former cheesehead (honorary) and friend of our local Badger graduate,
Ryan Gasper, (steeplechaser), I had to congratulate Simon on his national title!

Simon Bairu, Canadian Record Holder, 10,000m, 27:23.63, May 1, 2010, photo by PhotoRun.net.

NON
BARCELONA NEWS

KIPROP FIRST MAJOR WINNER

NAIROBI (KEN, Jul 28): Wilson
Kiprop won the 10 000 m
on the first day of African Championships with excellent 27:32.91. Second Moses
Kipsiro of Uganda achieved 27:33.83 and Kenyan triumph was undermined by third
Mathew Kisorio in 27:56.71. Respectable times taking into account the Nairobi
altitude. Fourth best Ethiopian Jakob Yarso 28:20.66. Top Ethiopian in the race
Sileshi Sihine did not finish the race because of an injury. Burger Lambrechts
with 18.63 headed a full podium for South Africa in shot put.  Senegal’s Amy Sene made for a surprise
in winning the women hammer with 64.11 over title defender Marwa Hussein of
Egypt 62.36. Title defender Larbi Bourrada is overnight decathlon leader with
very solid 4312 points. David Rudisha got easy 1:50.51 in his 800 m heat. Fastest in 100 m semifinals was Aziz
Zakari of Ghana 10.16 ahead of Nigerian Ogho-Ogene Egweru 10.17 and Ben Meite
of Ivory Coast 10.22. Long jump olympic medalist and NCAA Champ Blessing
Okagbare was the fastest in women´s 100 m semifinal 11.16.

TITANS DUEL CONFIRMED

STOCKHOLM (SWE): It is now
confirmed. First this years clash of top trio of best sprinters in the world
will happen on Aug 6 at DN Galan Samsung Diamond League meet in Stockholm. It
will be only second time this three top speedsters will meet together after
last years World Championships final. „It is a great pleasure to confirm
and host this exciting race,” said Meeting Director Rajne Söderberg. „It will
strengthen DN Galan’s positioning within the world of sports.” This unique
meeting between the world’s greatest 100m sprinters is sponsored by the world
leading company Samsung. Second clash of titans will then follow in Brussels on
Aug 27. Writes IAAF.

WHEATING WITH NIKE

EUGENE (USA):  The 2010 NCAA 800 m and 1500 m champion Andrew
Wheating has signed an endorsement agreement with Nike, his management firm
announced.  Wheating, a 2008
Olympian who recently moved up to #4 on the USA all-time list with his 3:30.90
1500m mark at the Herculis meeting in Monaco last week, said he will remain in
Eugene, Ore., where he attended the University of Oregon.  He will continue to be coached by Oregon’s
track and field chief, Vin Lananna. Informs RRW. „I can’t even explain how
excited I am about staying in Track Town, USA, and about the chance to
continue working with my coach at the same school that supported me as an
undergraduate,” Wheating said in a statement released by Global Athletics
& Marketing, the Boston-based athlete management firm owned by Mark
Wetmore.  „Hayward Field has been
a special place for me.  Nike is
a great partner in all the cool things happening in Track Town and
I look forward to being part of its team as I continue to train and
develop.”

GREAT RELAY IN ZURICH

ZURICH (SUI): Weltklasse
Samsung Diamond League final in Zurich announced that top sprinters will
compete on Aug 19 in
Zurich Trophy relay. Jamaica will have Usain Bolt as anchor (with Forsythe,
Blake, Anderson) and USA will have Trell Kimmons but then top medalists Walter
Dix, Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay. In the women 100 m top two in the world
will run together Veronica Campbell-Brown against Carmelita Jeter. In the 200 m Walter Dix as Diamond
Race winner will duel with new sensation in this event Yohan Blake. The meet is
sold out, limited number of tickets will be ready on Friday Aug 13. Bolt will
be guest of Swiss TV Programme „Sportpanorama” on Aug 15.

OTHER NEWS

LONDON (GBR): Oil company BP
has once again confirmed its tier one 78 million dollar sponsorship  of the Olympics and Paralympics is not under
threat. BP today announced a record corporate losses of 18 billion dollars
due to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The loss, which is the equivalent of
8 million dollar an hour, was the company’s first for 18 years and the biggest
ever for a UK firm insidethegames confirms.

LONDON (GBR): Organizers of the
London 2012 Olympics are close to reaching their domestic sponsorship target of
1.1 billion dollars exactly two years before the Games open. “We’ve raised well
north of 600 million pounds,” Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Organizing
Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, said in an interview.
“We’re very pleased with that, as it’s in the teeth of a really difficult
economic environment, and all that money is discretionary spending.”

LONDON (GBR): Football club
West Ham United expects to be given first option of taking over the Olympic
Stadium after the London 2012 Games, the club’s vice-chairman Karren Brady
claimed. He claimed that a move from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium
will cost them 194 million dollar and have asked the Olympic Park Legacy
Company (OPLC), who are responsible for the future of the London 2012 venues,
for a six-month „lockout” to hold exclusive talks on the deal.

KINGSTON (JAM): Four of
Jamaica’s upcoming quarter milers, amongst them two juniors, will be joining
Racers Track Club later this year. Olympian Allodin Fothergill, Edino Steele,
along with juniors Demar Murray and Jermaine Gayle, are set to join the group
when training resumes in about October. Writes Trackalerts.com.

RESULTS

LEVERKUSEN (GER, Jul 28):
Olympic and world winner Steven Hooker won the special pole vault meet in
Germany with 580. Second home Richard Spiegelburg cleared 555. Hooker tried
afterwards at 595.

TORONTO (CAN, Jul 28):
Athletics Canada informs from first day of national championships the title for
Simon Bairu who defended his first place from last year in 28:49.25. Jessica
Zelinka is leading the way in the heptathlon with 3640 points. She finished
first in the 100m hurdles (13.27), Shot Put (13.27m) and 200m (24.64). She
placed third in the high jump (1.73m). In the decathlon Windsor’s Jamie
Adjetey-Nelson is leading after five events with 4184 points. Following in
second is Massimo Bertocchi with 4120 points.