Image via Wikipedia

Andrew Howe, the silver medalist in  2007 world championships in the long jump, will be venturing for only his second time to the European indoor. In a thoughtful interview in La Gazeetta delle Sport, Howe spoke about how well his training is going in Doha, Qatar, how he wants to do well in Paris at the European Indoor and how he has some decisions to make regarding the 2011 Outdoor World Championships–we he long jump or run the 200 meters?

Howe is a talented athlete, who has had his share of injuries, but the obviously talented young man, with a little bit of luck, could make 2011 a memorable year for his country, Italy, his sport and for himself.

HOWE
READY FOR PARIS

MILANO (ITA): Former European
long jump champion Andrew Howe wants to compete in Long Jump at European Indoor
Championships in Paris.
He confirmed that in recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
25-years old national record holder indoor and outdoor so far competed only
once at European Indoor event and won in 2007 in Birmingham. He is currently training in Doha under the guidance
of his mother and coach Renée Felton. He is in positive mood ahead of the upcoming
2011 season. “I have a passion for sprint but I will compete in the long jump
at the European Indoor Championships in Paris
and at the World Championships in Daegu. I have to make a choice for Daegu, as
the long jump final is on the same day as the 200 metres semifinals on
2 September. Paris
will be just a test for the outdoor season. I feel in very good shape with no
pain. I have not trained so hard for years. When I wake up I don’t feel pain
any more,” Howe was quoted.  At world
level as his main rivals he sees Phillips, Reif, Saladino, Mokoena and Bayer.
“I feel that 8.60 metres
is within my reach,” Howe added.

A.
KIRUI NOT THINKING ABOUT DAEGU

NAIROBI (KEN): World marathon title defender
from Berlin 2009 Kenyan Abel Kirui is not keen on defending his title in Daegu
in summer. East Standard writes that he has his sight on the world record in
Berlin Marathon in September where he is planning to attack Haile
Gebrselassie’s three year-old mark set at the same course. His best is 2:05:04
from beeing third in Rotterdam 2009. “I have chosen not to defend my title in Korea this
year. But I hope to wear the national colours in London next year where I am targeting the
Olympic glory by winning a gold medal,” added Kirui, presently training under
Amos Korir.

            Eliud Kiptanui, -real, Berlin 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net

E.
KIPTANUI TOP NAME

DUBAI (UAE): 
With first place (men and women) paying a quarter of a million dollars,
and a cool million for a world record, there is no shortage of top runners for
Friday´s Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. Pat Butcher writes that there are
six sub-2.07 men, with another ten who have broken 2.10; but the youngster who
tops that list might just be the man to beat. One of the top favorites is
Kenyan Eliud Kiptanui, winner in Prague
last year with fast 2:05:39.  “He’s in
good shape for Dubai.
There’s no pressure, no appearance money, and he can do whatever he wants. He
wants to go for the world record at some point, but maybe not this time; just
run the course, see what it’s like, and prepare for next year,” says his German
agent Volker Wagner. Ethiopians Chala Dechase and Eshetu Wendimu are other
names to watch. Chala’s 2.06.33 and Eshetu’s 2.06.46 are more than adequate
preparation. And if Evans Cheruiyot has finally got over the injuries which
have hampered him since his Chicago 2008 win, in a personal best 2.06.05, then
he too should figure. Add to the mix, Deressa Chimsa (2.07.54), Sammy Mugo
(2.08.20), Dejene Yirdawe (2.08.30), Muguleta Wami (2.08.32), David Kemboi
(2.08.34), Dereje Tesfaye (2.08.36), Laban Kipkemboi (2.08.38). Former winners,
Berhane Adere and Askale Magarsa of Ethiopia lead the women’s
contenders for victory. But Helena Kirop, third last year, and record breaking
winner in Prague four months later is just as likely as Kiptanui to make it a
double double for the pair of young Kenyans. But she will have to contend with
a half dozen fast Ethiopians, since in addition to Berhane (2.20.42) and Askale
(2.21.31), there is also Atsede Baysa (2.22.02), Aselefech Mergia (2.22.38) and
Roba Guta, just two seconds slower. There will be more than 14,000 competitors
in the three events on Friday morning, the marathon, 10k and 3k Fun Run. Also
at www.globerunner.org.

             Elvan Abeylegesse winning Euro Ch 10,000m, photo by PhotoRun.net.

ABEYLEGESSE
FOR JAPAN

MARUGAME (JPN): Double olympic
medalist from Beijing Turkish  is the star of Marugame Half
Marathon on February 6 in
Japan.
The course is fast, Kayoko Fukushi posted here in 2006 Asian record 1:07:26.
For the reigning European 10
000 m champion this will be first competition since Continental
Cup in Split in
September. Her national record set last year at Ras Al Khaimah race is 1:07:07.
Kayoko Fukushi should run again with Australian Nikkie Chapple, Russian Silvia
Skvortsova and Korean Kim Sung-Eun. In men´s race top foreign names are Moroccan
Rachid Kisri, Ukrainian Dmytro Baranovsky, Ethiopian Girma Tola and top home
runners Yuki Sato, Tsuyoshi Ugachi and Tsuyoshi Ogata.

OTHER NEWS

OITA (JPN): Brett Larner informs that
organizers of the 60th anniversary Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon scheduled for
Feb. 6 announced names of some of this year’s elite field.  At the top of the foreign elite field are
2003 Beppu-Oita winner Samson Ramadhani of Tanzania and the man who made last
year’s Beppu-Oita of international note with an exciting come-from-behind
3rd-place finish and Australian debut record of 2:11:00, Jeff Hunt. Also in the
international field are Moroccan Ahmed Baday, 3rd at last year’s Marrakech
Marathon in a PB of 2:10:58, and Australian veteran Andrew Letherby.

TORINO (ITA): Walking olympic
champion from Moscow
1989 Maurizio Damilano was re-elected as regional president of Piemonte FIDAL
with 67 percent of votes. Also in the council 1960 200 m olympic
winner Livio Berruti.

ABIDJAN
(CIV): African 100 m
champion and 200 m
silver medallist Ben Youssef Meite was crowned 2010 best Sportsman in Ivory Coast ahead of football players Didier
Drogba (Chelsea) and Yaya Touré (Manchester City). 19 media from Ivory Coast
took part in the survey organised by Supersport. Informs African Athletics
United Facebook.

NAIROBI (KEN): A record Sh30 millions
sponsorship was recieved by Athletics Kenya (AK) from National Bank of Kenya
(NBK). Local media are informing. It is around 370 000 USD.  Speaking at a ceremony where the most
lucrative deal the federation has received from a domestic sponsor in its
history at AK’s Riadha House headquarters, top officials of the athletics
governing body pledged to use the funds to expand the medal catchment at major
events from the mid and long distance events. 
AK marked so another milestone with NBK’s deal coming second to American
sports apparel manufacturers, Nike who signed a Sh40m a year deal some years
ago. From the amount  Sh15m will be going
to track and field with junior and youth programmes receiving Sh13m and Sh2m
for the 2011 AK Golden Gala. Interesting in this connection another note by
Kenyan media saying that the 17th edition of African Championships held last
year in Nairobi are still in debt with Sh 150 millions.

MOSCOW
(RUS): Natalya Zhelanova who is responsible for anti-doping section of Russian
Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth informed that last year in total 15 000
doping controls were organised in Russia on behalf of domestic
authorities. Only 89 of them had positive results (in 2009 86). The total
number of controls was by 500 more than in 2009 (14 500).

LAUSANNE
(SUI): The participation of the Ethiopian Athletics team in the 2010 IAAF World
Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha,
Qatar led to
the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Informs AIPS. Both
the Ethiopian and Qatar Athletics Federations have been nominated for the Jean
Borotra Fair Play Award which will be presented at a gala ceremony organised by
AIPS at the Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne
on January 27.

AMSTERDAM (NED): The Dutch national
television NOS believes the television rights for the 2011 IAAF World
Championships are over priced and therefore has not yet bought the rights. The
Dutch Athletics federation fears the championships will not be televised in the
country, reports All Track Press.

DUBLIN (IRE): Irish cross
country star Fionnuala Britton has been named The Irish Times / Irish Sports
Council ‘Sportswoman of the Month’ for December, following her impressive
performance in the senior race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships
in Albufeira. Britton finished fourth at the championships but was given the
same time as the runner in third place. Britton is currently in South Africa for three weeks of high-altitude
training in preparation for her next big target, the World Cross Country
Championships at Punta Umbria, Spain,
in March reports European-athletics.org.

ROAD TOWN
(BVI): CAC Games women’s 100m champion Tahesia Harrigan and World Junior
finalist Chantel Malone were named British Virgin Islands Senior and Junior
Female Athletes of the Year for the second time in a row.

PORT
OF SPAIN (TRI): After The Bahamas
pulled out of hosting this year’s Carifta Games, also Trinidad and Tobago announced they
are not ready to take on the event. This year’s Carifta Games should be held on
April 22nd to 24th but the Trinidad
and Tobago National Amateur Athletic
Association stated they will not have enough time to organize the event on the
original date writes trackalerts.com.

PORT
OF SPAIN (TRI): World junior record
holder from Trinidad and
Tobago sprinter Darrel Brown is back on
track for the 2011 season. The 26 year-old athlete has set up his base back in Trinidad since October last year under coach Vern
Gambetta and has been focusing on strength training to avoid yet another
injury. “Right now I’m feeling like back (to) my old self, I feel young again,
like back in 2002,”
Brown was quoted in trinidadexpress.com. This year, in addition to making the
World Championships final and improving his personal best of 9.99 seconds,
Brown has set the goals of getting up to optimal strength and staying healthy.

BERLIN (GER): The German Athletics
federation DLV has added facebook to its ‘DLV lounge’. DLV lounge is an
internet community that gathers athletics fans and offers them a platform to
discuss and share everything related to athletics.

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics announced
the launch of the full version of its Young Leaders Community website www.athleticscommunity.org.

FUKUOKA (JPN):   Rikuren announced that the IAAF has granted
the Fukuoka International Marathon its highest level, the gold label. Having
been upgraded from silver label status, along with March’s Biwako Mainichi
Marathon and February’s Tokyo Marathon, Fukuoka,
scheduled for Dec. 4, is now the third race within Japan to receive the gold label
distinction. Informs Brett Larner.

DAKAR
(SEN): The African Athletics Confederation will hold its elective congress in Yaounde (Cameroon)
on April 22-23. The deadline for the federations to send applications to the
elective positions is January 22.

RESULTS

VOLGOGRAD (RUS, Jan 15): European indoor
champion Antonina Krivoshapka achieved at regional event 52.90 in the 400 m. Anna Omarova started
with 18.26 in
the shot put. Youth Olympic Games winner in high jump Mariya Kuchina cleared 185 cm.

MONACHIL (ESP, Jan 15): Fastest
spanish sprinter Angel David Rodriguez started in altitude with 6.74 at 60 m.

JAEN (ESP, Jan 16): Zimbabwean Cutbert
Nyasango won the 27th road race here with 25:36 at 8.7 km. Interestingly
European 1500 m
champion Arturo Casado was 3rd (25:49). Another miler Manuel Olmedo ended 12th
(27:26). Moroccan Soud Kambouchia won the women´s race at the same distance
(29:47).

PODBREZOVA (SVK, Jan 17):
Slovak Barcelona high jump finalist Peter Horak cleared at local meet 220 and
tried at Paris
standard of 226 cm.

LIEVIN (FRA, Jan 16): Euro
indoor 2009 8th placer Gael Querin totalled 5735 in heptathlon during
the weekend.

MARSEILLE (FRA, Jan 16): After
tough duel Kenyan Josphat Muraga beat in 27:34 at Jean Bouin Memorial CC race
Algerian Brahim Chettah (the same 27:34).

CORRECTIONS

LE MANS (FRA): The winner of women´s race at
the Le Mans RR race was Hiwot Ayalew, the sister of world medalist Wude Ayalew.
Her agent Hussein Makke points out.

MUMBAI (IND): The correct time of second Ethiopian
and still a junior Merima Mohammed was 2:26:57 (and not 2:29:04) losing the
race during a final sprint by only one second in very hot and humid conditions.

SAD NEWS

SOFIA (BUL): Bulgarian media
are informing about the death of 1973 European indoor 800 m champion (2:02.65 in Rotterdam) Stefka
Yordanova at age of 64 in
Burgas.