by Larry Eder
On the other side of the world, David Rudisha ran 1:43.88 and Bernard Lagat ran 13:08.43 to get the season outdoors off to a good start!
RUDISHA AND LAGAT WITH TOP MARKS
MELBOURNE (AUS,
Mar 3): The global track season opened in Melbourne and David Rudisha
and Bernard Lagat started their long outdoor campaigns with victories at
the Melbourne Track Classic, part of the IAAF’s World Athletics
Challenge series. Rudisha, the Kenyan who twice broke the 800m world
record last year, won his specialty in a solid 1:43.88, beating American
Nick Symmonds (1:45.09) and Australia’s Lachlan Renshaw (1:45.66, PB)
and US Tyler Mulder another PB 1:45.73. “Tonight was good,” Rudisha told
Athletics Australia. “I’ve run 1:43 for the first time this season and
that’s a great start to the year.” Lagat, who won the USA indoor 3000 m
title last weekend in Albuquerque, shook off his jet lag quickly,
running a stadium record 13:08.43. As it often has, Lagat’s superior
sprint speed in the final 100m made the difference, giving him a good
final cushion ahead of Australian Ben St. Lawrence (13:10.08 PB) and
American Chris Solinsky (13:10.22). Thirteen men broke 14 minutes,
including Americans Matt Tegankamp (13:16.27) and Andrew Bumbalough
(13:16.77 PB), and Australia’s Craig Mottram (13:25.15), who filled out
the rest of the top-6. Elsewhere in the meeting, Australia’s Jeff Risley
upset Kenya’s Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop in the 1500m, 3:36.71 to
3:37.63. American Alan Webb was third (3:37.82), and his former
University of Michigan teammate Nick Willis of New Zealand was fourth
(3:38.76). In the women’s competition, Jamaica’s Kenia Sinclair ran the
first sub-2:00 performance for 800m this season (1:59.63), and Britain’s
Jemma Simpson won the 1500m (4:08.49). Aaron Rouge-Serret clocked 10.51
win at 100 m against -1.0 and 21.14 at 200 m with -0.5 wind. Only
17-years old Steven Solomon clocked personal best 46.12 to win the 400 m
over more experienced colleagues. US wins for Justin Gaymon at 400 m
hurdles (49.75) and Reese Hoffa in shot put 21.10. Hurdler Sally Pearson
dominated both sprints in 11.52 (-1.1) and 23.36 (-0.4). Throws world
champions dominated in their events, Valerie Adams 20.13 in shot put and
Dani Samuels 61.00 in discus. The next competition in the IAAF World
Challenge series will be the Jamaica International Invitational in
Kingston, on 07-May. However, many of the athletes who ran in Melbourne
tonight will also compete in Sydney in the Sydney Track Classic, the
fourth of the five-stop of the Australia Athletics Tour, on 19 March
(the Melbourne meeting is also part of this tour). Throws world
champions dominated in their events, Valerie Adams 20.13 in shot put and
Dani Samuels 61.00 in discus. With help of Race Results Weekly.
BERCY NEWS
PARIS
(FRA): Qualification standards in men events are 230, 575, 805, 16.95
and 20.10. In women ones 194, 455, 660, 14.10 and 17.90. Men´s high jump
and pole vault are the same as in 2009, women high jump, pole vault,
triple jump and shot put are lower than two years ago. Remaining men´s
long jump, triple jump and shot are tougher than in Torino.
PARIS (FRA):
Latvian combined eventer Aiga Grabuste is the late addition into the
pentathlon field after the withdrawal of Jessica Ennis. Grabuste was
non-finisher in Torino 2009 and 8th placer in Doha 2010 World Indoors.
PARIS (FRA):
Only change in the time-table is the cancellation of first round of
men´s 60 m hurdles Friday morning. The hurdlers will have only
semifinals and finals on Friday late afternoon.
MOSCOW
(RUS): Russian team latest withdrawals are shot putter Anna Omarova
because of injury and triple jumper Igor Spasovkhodskiy because of flu.
PARIS (FRA):
German team captain is Ralf Bartels, former European champion in the
shot put. Positive news are also coming from national pole vault record
holder Silke Spiegelburg. She had good recent trainings and after
illness is ready to attack the highest positions in the absence of
Yelena Isinbayeva or Svetlana Feofanova.
PARIS (FRA):
Polands distance medal hope Sylwia Ejdys confirmed she will try her
luck in two events, the 3000 m and 1500 m. On the other side Renata Plis
will compete only in the 1500 m. Jumper Malgorzata Trybanska informed
that she will start only in triple jump.
OTHER NEWS
CHICAGO (USA): Registration
for the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon closed in record time as
the maximum 45,000 participants signed up in 31 days for the 34th annual
event. With a 26.2-mile course that is world renowned for its speed,
the rate of registration was an “event record” for Chicago and a fitting
prelude to a race on October 9 where thousands of participants will be
striving to achieve their own personal records. Today, the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon also announced that a record $12 million was
raised by runners during the 2010 event for local, national and global
charitable causes. Organizers are informing in a release.
PARIS
(FRA): UNESCO and European Athletics will extend their partnership to
promote the power and potential of sport as a driver for integration,
development and social cohesion, especially among young people. The
announcement will be made on Friday 4 March at the Palais Omnisports de
Paris-Bercy in France, coinciding with the opening of the 31st European
Athletics Indoor Championships. Building on the valuable work jointly
undertaken to date, the two organisations will agree to stage a number
of joint projects, including third and fourth editions of European
Athletics-UNESCO Young Leaders Forum at the next two European Athletics
Championships, which will be in Helsinki (Finland) in 2012 and then in
Zurich (Switzerland) in 2014. New Initiatives such as the European
Athletics Young Leaders Community, a social network that is designed to
promote volunteering and community development projects in athletics,
will also be developed.
NAGOYA
(JPN): Former world champion Lidia Simon of Romania leads the entries
for Nagoya Women Marathon scheduled for March 13. Also running will be
Russian Albina Mayorova, Lithuanian Diana Lobacevske, Ethiopian Tiki
Gelana and Kenyan Rose Nyangacha, all sub 2:30 perfomers. Hiromi Ominami
leads the home entries with Yuri Kano and Mizuho Nasukawa.
HALDENSLEBEN
(GER): The international meeting of Haldensleben, planned for July 10,
was cancelled. The main reason is the necessary financial support from
sponsors which was missed.
LONDON
(GBR): Sky Sports writes that having finally achieved a career goal of
winning the English national cross-country title, Steve Vernon is
targeting Olympic success in a new event. “I’m looking towards a
marathon later this year and would be stupid not to have a go for 2012,”
explained Vernon on his ambition to make the GB Olympic squad for
London next summer.
