by Larry Eder
Update from trackside by Alfons Juck on the World Junior Championships, which, despite
rain, are keeping the crowds of 10,000 very excited! Plus, updates on Barcelona,
and all the athletics news that is fit to print!
JAPAN
GETS 200 M
GOLD AND QATAR HIGH JUMP
MONCTON (CAN, Jul 23): US sprinter Stormy Kendrick spoiled the dream
sprint double hopes of Great Britain’s Jodie Williams when comfortably winning
the World Junior Championships 200 metres title in a lifetime best time
of 22.99. The American thunderbolt who came to Moncton with a personal
record of 23.28, exploded off the final bend to prevent her 16-year-old rival
becoming only the third woman to follow in the footsteps of Veronic
Campbell-Brown and Tezdzhan Naimova and achieve the feat. Second Williams got
23.19 and third Jamile Samuel of Netherlands in 23.27. World leader Shota
Iizuka duly took the 200m gold medal in 20.67 – the first ever over the
distance for Japan – and even if the three 100m medallists had been present,
they would have struggled to beat the inspired Asian speedster. Second
Aleksandr Linnik of Belarus in 20.89 (20.81 in semifinals NJR) and home Aaron Brown
third (21.00). No medals for USA or Jamaica. Jehue Gordon duly atoned for his
unexpected elimination at the last Championships by winning the 400m hurdles –
but it wasn’t the expected walkover many expected.
In a thriller the Trinidad and Tobago star held on to score a narrow
victory in 49.30 by just 0.16sec from the fast finishing Takatoshi Abe of Japan
with the US Virgin Islander Leslie Murray third in a season’s best 50.22.
Another Asian junior title holder and this year’s leading high jumper Mutaz
Essa Barsim lived up to his reputation much more comfortably when winning with
a height of 2.30m. Barsim whose winning performance was just a centimetre
below his best, beat off the challenge of US champion David Smith who cleared a PB
2.24m and Japan’s Naoto who produced a season’s best 2.21m. Till Woschler
with the biggest javelin throw in the world this year, lived up to his
pre-Championships billing as the likeliest to win the gold medal. The
19-year-old German giving it everything with his first attempt, hurled his
spear out to a distance of 82.52m to better the world lead of 78.64m he
set on home soil in Saarbrucken at the end of May. It was the first time a German
had clinched the title ahead of Japan’s Genki Dean who in a close chase
for silver, threw a PB 76.44m in round four and Russia’s Dmitri Tarabin
whose best of 76.42m came in the second. Dutch Dafne Schippers the overnight
heptathlon leader maintained her form on the second day to score a heralded
victory for the Netherlands with a a score of 5967 points. Germany’s
Sara Gambetta although finishing last in the final discipline the 800 where
despite the placing she set a PB, claimed second tallying 5770. Helga
Thorsteindottir lying fourth before the final discipline, lifted herself to win
the 800 and the valuable points earned moved her into bronze medal position
with a score of 5706, just a single point ahead of Estonia’s Grete Sadeiko.
The women’s long jump with world leader Darya Klishina not included in the
Russian team, saw Cuba’s Irisdaymi Herrera after taking the lead in in round
two improve to a PB gold medal leap of 6.41 in the fifth. China’s
Wupin Wang already lying second after clearing 6.21m in the fourth improved to
6.23m with her last attempt. The Ukraine’s Marharyta Tverdohlib finished third
with 6.20m. The United States women with fluid baton won the second heat of the
4×100 relay by almost a second and it came as no surprise that Kendrick,
Takeia Pinckney, Dezerea Bryant and Ashley Colley, posted a National
record of 43.56. Great Britain a distant second held off Canada with a time
of 44.62 with the host nation clinching their place in the final in a time
of 44.77. Russian Valeriy Filipchuk showed he is not just an accomplished road
walker when striding out down the backstraight, he pulled marginally away to
win the World Junior track 10000m title ahead of Chinese Zelin Cai in 40:43.17
over 40:43.59. The winner’s Russian teammate Petr Bogatyrev, who was dropped by
the pair with 250m remaining, also prodcued his fastest ever time of 40:50.37.
With the help of David Martin.
OTHER NEWS
BERLIN (GER): Caster Semenya will return to the stadium of her big success. The
800 m
world champion confirmed she will run her event at ISTAF meet in Berlin on Aug
22, part of IAAF World Challenge. Her agent Jukka Harkonen said for German
media that she intends to race each week in August. Confirmed except of Berlin
is Milano early September. She also plans to run two more small meetings. ISTAF
will be her first really big meet and that is very symbolical. Her aim is to
run under 2 minutes there. Long term goal this season, the Commonwealth Games
in India.
LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames.biz informs that David Bedford has announced plans
to step down as the race director of the London Marathon, having established it
as the richest and most successful race in the world. Bedford, the former
world record holder for 10,000
metres, has told insidethegames that he hopes to hand
over the reins following the 2013 race when he will have been involved with the
race in an official capacity for 28 years and will be 63. „By 2013 there will
be a new race director if it all goes well,” he told insidethegames.
KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaica Observer writes that the ruling in Shelly-Ann Fraser
case is expected by the end of next week. That was said by Warren Blake, head
of medical committee of anti-doping of Jamaican Athletics Federation JAAA.
Fraser presented her arguments to the committee and the disciplinary committee
as next stance should prepare the verdict.
MONACO (MON): TrackAlerts writes from behind the scenes how was it with lane 8
for Yohan Blake in the 200 m.
„I asked for lane 8 for him,” explained his agent Cubie Seegobin. „I was
instructed by coach Glen Mills,” he said.The 19.78 by Blake in lane 8 is one of
the fastest times ever in that lane, but not the fastest. Xavier Carter clocked
in Lausanne at Athletissima meet from lane 8 even faster 19.63 in 2006.
BERKELEY (USA): Former California star Alycia Johnson who now leads the 800 m world lists plans to
return to Berkeley for a couple weeks of training and will next compete at
the Samsung Diamond League Aviva London Grand Prix on Aug 14.
ATHENS (GRE): Finally a confirmed departure time for Greek team for
Barcelona. The squad will fly on Sunday morning at 8.50 am.
MONTE CARLO (MON): The 2011 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and
Illness in Sport will be held in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, from 7 to 9 April 2011.
CHULA VISTA (USA, Jul 23): US discus Champion Becky Breisch had a throw of
64.63 in
her series at a local meet. However, she finished the day with a best
of 66.52. It is the longest throw by an American woman since 2007 and third
best in the world this year.
