The European Indoor Championships open Friday, March 5 in Paris, France. 49 of 50 eligible countries are entering athletes in the bi-annual event. On Sunday, road racing takes center stage in Paris as 30,000 runners will be traversing the streets of Paris for the Paris “semi” marathon. Watch for coverage of both events by RBR this coming weekend!

The confluence of indoor track and field and road racing in Paris is a perfect example of the global opportunities in our sport. At this time, athletics at grass roots (track & field and road running) is booming. The disconnect seems to be at the professional level and that is due, in my humble opinion in the territory issue. Dogs are not the only creatures who mark their territory. For our sport to get out of the minor-major sport mode and re- emerge as the major sport that athletics once was and should be, we need to look at our sport with a different eye. What is truly innovative? Well, perhaps being on time would be a start. Promoting the meet more than the week before would be a good thing. Perhaps we have to start with the assumption, that while sports fans might be receptive, we have to start with our strengths: competitive events are fun and emotional.  Keep the schedule simple and organized.

Tell us what you think, email me at runblogrun@gmail.com.

PARIS EXPECTS ALSO 30 000 RUNNERS
ON SUNDAY

PARIS (FRA): Not only European Indoor Championships will be something to
watch from athletics in Paris
during the weekend. On Sunday the 19th Paris Half-Marathon will be staged with
30 000 runners from 56 countries entered. Organizers are hoping that course
records (1:00:26 and 1:09:37) will be also attacked. Main candidates for that
in men category are strong Kenyans. Sub one hour bests are registered for World
CC and track medalist Moses Mosop with 2:07:54 marathon runner Stephen
Kibiwott. Very interesting entry is the reigning marathon world champion Abel
Kirui who is yet to clock sub one hour. Bacha Megersa with 1:00:27 is the top
Ethiopian on the paper, but two fast track runners will debut at the distance:
Ali Abdosh with Habtamu Fikadu. Kenyans are also women category favorites. Two
of them are world HM medalists. Peninah Arusei with 67:48 was 3rd last year in China and Philes Ongori with 67:38 was second in
2009 in
Birmingham.
Chinese Zhu Xiaolin is fourth placer from Olympic Marathon 2008 in Beijing and top two Ethiopians listed are
Abebech Afework and Aheza Kiros.

                   Tyson Gay running AVIVA London GP, photo by PhotoRun.net

GAY CHATS VIA VIDEO

ORLANDO (USA):
US
sprint record holder Tyson Gay informed in a video chat that the 200 m is still his favorite
event, but must admit that the 100
m is his best event currently. He is not sure whether he
will run at Penn Relays for USA
but confirmed he will start his season in April with 4×400 m relays and 400 m races in Texas and Florida.
Gay also said that most probably his individual season opener will be at the
New York Diamond League meet on June 11 at the 100 m. He also said that he
would love to compete in the US
4×400 m team along with likes of Jeremy Wariner and is ready if asked. Gay
ruled out to try long jump: “That is too much coordination for me, I will
remain the straight runner.” Gay confirmed two main goals for 2011 – to win a
gold medal at World Championships and to break the world record.

ABEYLEGESSE MARRIED

ISTANBUL (TUR): European champion and double olympic
medalist at long distances Elvan Abeylegesse married on February 25 with
Ethiopian Semeneh Debelie. They know each other from childhood and were close
friends in last 3,5 years. Described as simple ceremony by Turkish Athletics Federation
website many top guests from politics, sports and athletics attended the event
held at the place owned by her club ENKA. Next race for Abeylegesse is not yet
known.

BEYU PLANS MARATHON
DEBUT

OSTIA (ITA): Surprise winner of Roma-Ostia
Half-Marathon Ethiopian Tujuba Beyu Megersa (171 cm/52 kg) plans the marathon
debut in middle or end of April. Informs his agent Gianni Demadonna. He became
the 68th man ever to break one hour barrier on Sunday with 59:58 (Ken
Nakamura). Demadonna also gives more details about him. Born on October 15, 1987 in Shino debuted
internationally 2009 at February RAK Half-Marathon with 1:00:16 as 8th. The
same year was third at Rabat half and 11th in New Delhi half. In 2010
was third in Ostia
and Merano and fifth in French 22.4
km road race in July (Marvejols-Mende).

2ND YEAR OF IAAF WCH WITH 14 MEETS 

MELBOURNE (AUS): The second year of IAAF World Challenge (second level
after Samsung Diamond League) starts as usual in Melbourne (Thursday). The whole series is for
2011 composed of 14 meetings in 14 countries. Europe has half of the meetings
(7), two will be organised in America,
Asia and Africa and the one remaining is Ocenian fixture in Melbourne. New meeting this year is Kingston in Jamaica,
Japanese event is switching venue from Osaka to Kawasaki. As last year Brazil meet will be staged in Rio
de Janeiro after some years in Belem. As in 2010 also in 2011 the Athens meeting
Tsiklitiria which would be normally part of the series will not be staged.
Initially also the meeting in Ponce (Puerto-Rico) was included into the
calendar but at the end of the day the meet did not want to over extend itself
and decided to maintain the same area level as in past years. The basic
conditions for every meeting is to guarantee minimum prize money 200 000 USD
and stage 16 events. Unusual is that two meetings are on the same day (Berlin
and Rieti) and also end of May period is crowded with Dakar moving from its
traditional end of April time to end of May. The circuit will end with
Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb.
Calendar – Melbourne (March 3), Kingston (May 7), Kawasaki (May 8), Daegu (May
12), Rio de Janeiro (May 22), Dakar (May 28), Hengelo (May 29), Ostrava (May
31), Rabat (Jun 5), Zhukovskiy (Jul 3), Madrid (Jul 9), Berlin (Sep 11), Rieti
(Sep 11), Zagreb (Sep 13).

E. KIPTANUI LEADS ROTTERDAM FIELD

ROTTERDAM (NED): The 31st edition of the ABN AMRO
Rotterdam Marathon on April 10 features a field of no less than 6 athletes with
a personal best of 2:05 or 2:06. So far Kenyan Eliud Kiptanui (2:05.39) is the
fastest entry, followed by compatriot Feyisa Lelisa (2:05.23) and Ethiopian
Getu Feleke (2:05.44). Also in the race is Kenyan Wilson Chebet (2.06.12 in his
debut marathon), Gilbert Kirwa (2.06.14) and Chala Dechase (2:06.33). The
organization plans on announcing more top names in the near future.

BERCY NEWS (Sailer out, N. Fernandez
in)

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics has confirmed a
record number of 630 athletes from 45 countries for the 31st European indoor
championships in Paris.
346 male athletes are on the list and 284 female athletes. The biggest number
of entries on the men side as usual in the 60 m 38, the lowest is pole vault with 18. On
the women side the biggest number 26
in the 60
m and the lowest 13 in the shot put.

FRANKFURT (GER): European 100
m champion Verena Sailer is out of Paris. As leichtathletik.de informs it is
because of her back problems which started again after the National
Championships over the weekend. German team is so having 37 athletes.

PARIS (FRA): Teddy Tamgho confirmed he will double at the European
indoor championships in both the triple jump and the long jump. He warned his
competitors that he is not competing in the long jump just to take part but
ensured he will fight for a medal. In more news about the French team Ladji
Doucouré confirmed he will be present in Paris
to watch who will take over his European indoor crown from Turin. Doucouré is not competing in Paris but confirmed his
training with coach Jacques Piasenta is going well.

STOCKHOLM (SWE): Sweden
will have in Paris
nine men and six women. Also selected was high jumper Emma Green but has chosen
not to go after missing too much training because of her achilles injury. Main
medal hopes are 2004 olympic winner Christian Olsson for triple jump, in-shape
Michael Torneus for long jump and young star, pole vault world junior record
holder Angelica Bengtsson. The team – men – 60 m: Tarnhuvud, 400 m: Wissman
(title defender), de Oliveira, 3000 m: Bouafif, pole vault: Jeng, long jump:
Torneus, Otterling, triple jump: Olsson, shot put: Arrhenius. Women – 60 m:
Berntsson, 1500 m: Schonbeck, high jump: Jungmark, pole vault: Bengtsson,
Dahlstrom, pentathlon: Samuelsson.

MADRID (ESP): Two new additions into Spanish Team.
European 1500 m
champion Nuria Fernandez will compete in her distance after winning the
national CC title during the weekend. Also added is female high jumper Raquel
Alvarez. RFEA President Jose Maria Odriozola also said he offered a place in
the team to other Barcelona
1500 m
medalist Natalia Rodriguez but she did not accept it. Last minute health
difficulties are reported for both hurdlers Josephine Oniya and Jackson
Quinonez and 1500 m
runner Manuel Olmedo. But all three are remaining in the team for the moment.
David Angel Rodriguez clocked during the weekend 6.65 at 60 m, his fastest of the year.

OTHER NEWS

LAUSANNE (SUI): The Oslo Bislett Games has become the
first Samsung Diamond League meeting to sign up as a partner in the European
Athletics Young Leaders Community confirms European Athletics. “We think the
community is a great way for athletics to motivate and say thank you to the
young people who give their time to help us stage our meeting and make the
sport work”, said Bislett’s General Director Rune Stenersen. “I am sure that many
of the Bislett volunteers will be joining the community in the coming weeks and
months.”

MADRID (ESP): The Spanish Olympic Committee has
decided to increase their budget for the development of athletes from 10.6
million euro to 12 million euro. However, they have decided that athletes
involved in ‘operacion Galgo’ will not be able to profit from the budget. This
means that athletes such as Reyes Estevez, Nuria Fernández, Digna Luz Murillo,
Eugenio Barrios and Marta Dominguez will not be supported by the Spanish
Olympic Committee as long as ‘operacion Galgo’ is open.

LEIPZIG (GER): German Athletics Federation decided not
to stage in 2011 the traditional DLV Gala meet held usually before the main
championships of the year. It was initially planned for Aug 13 in Wattenscheid. In
2007-2010 it was held in Wattenscheid and DLV President Clemens Prokop said the
federation wants to come back with a new format of competition in future.

BERLIN (GER): Leichtathletik announces that a German
study showed athletes risk to unvoluntary test positive for the beta-2-Agonist
Clenbuterol when traveling or competing in China. When researching Chinese
tourists, 22 out of the 28 tourists tested positive for Clenbuterol. It is
likely the tourists tested positive due to eating contaminated meat in China.
Clenbuterol is forbidden both in and out of competition.

LONDON (GBR): World triple-jump champion Phillips Idowu is among a host
of British London 2012 hopefuls who feature alongside mascots Wenlock and
Mandeville in a new education cartoon.The unmistakable figure of Idowu bounding
in to the pit, complete with trademark brightly-coloured hair, is captured in
the cartoon, written by children’s author Michael Morpurgo.His signature head
and wristbands plus his ear and face piercings have also been included in the
four-minute film. Wenlock, the Olympic mascot, and Mandeville, the Paralympic
mascot, also meet diver Tom Daley, cyclist Shanaze Reid, wheelchair rugby
player Mandip Sehmi and double Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds
during the film, called Adventures On A Rainbow.

NEW YORK (USA):
Lee Evans will sell his gold medals from the Mexico Olympic Games and hopes to
raise at least 250,000 dollar to help build a school in Liberia. Evans won both the 400m
and the 4x400m in Mexico
and will arrange the sale of his gold medals through Athletes United for Peace.

LONDON (GBR): Designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
have been chosen to design the torch for the London Olympics. Barber and
Osgerby won a competitive tender launched last year by London 2012 and the
Design Council to create the Torch, along with the celebration cauldrons to be
used at the lunchtime stops and evening celebrations during the Olympic Torch
Relay. The designers are also working on design aspects for the Paralympic
Torch Relay that will take place between the close of the Olympic Games and the
start of the Paralympic Games in August 2012 writes Insidethegames.

LAUSANNE (SUI): A ground-breaking International Olympic
Committee summit on illegal and irregular sports betting is beeing hosted on
Tuesday by IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge in Lausanne. The IOC has released a background
paper for media which is published on the AIPS website together with a list of
participants.

MUNICH (GER): Tim Lobinger not only got selected for
his 8th appearance at European Indoor Championships at age of 38 (won two gold
medals and one bronze) but also informed he will compete in the popular dancing
TV show “Let´s Dance”. This series in German station RTL will start on March 23.

ALBUQUERQUE (USA): Sprinter Mike Rodgers and pole vaulter Jenna Suhr
were named the Visa Championship Series winners based on their performances
6.48 and 486 and took home a 25 000 USD prize as the top male and female
performers based on IAAF scoring tables. Rodgers´s mark is worth 1220 points
and Suhr´s 1211 points.

ALBUQUERQUE (USA): Surprise US indoor champion at 60 m hurdles Omo Osaghae (two
life-time bests 7.54 in
heats and 7.52 in
finals) registered one of the biggest individual achievements in Texas Tech’s
track and field history. He was out of NCAA eligibility for indoors but will
return for summer after he redshirted last spring to let an injury heal. He’ll
resume competing as a Tech senior when the outdoor season starts next month.
Local media are writing. That means he needs to wait one more season to run
pro.

RESULTS

HAVANA (CUB, Feb 24-25): Good shape by Cuban female
triple jumpers was displayed also during the third open meet at Estadio
Panamericano. Mabel Gay got 14.44 (+0.4) over Yarianna Martinez 14.42 (+1.9).
World javelin medalist Guillermo Martinez achieved 79.88 and Victor Moya
returning from Europe cleared 223 in high jump. Finally
also auto-timing was used and Orlando Ortega (last year junior) improved to
13.62 (+0.4) at 110 m
hurdles.

SEATTLE (USA, Feb 27): Brooks PR Invite meet for HS athletes saw fast 60 m times by Damiere Byrd
6.70 and Deserea Bryant (17) 7.26.

JONESBORO (USA, Feb 28): Nigerian Noah Akwu
achieved 200/400 double at Sun Belt Championships with 21.01 and 47.53. Fast
6.94 at 55 m
in heats were produced by Sharika Nelvis, she also clocked 6.99 to win the
finals.

NEW YORK (USA, Feb 25): New US High-School
indoor record at 600 m
by Terrance Livingston 1:17.64.

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