Haile
has had a rough six months. He dropped out the ING NYCM marathon,
announced his retirement, then came back. In February, Haile injured his
knee and had to withdraw from the Tokyo International marathon.

Now, he seems to be training okay, and is intending to run the Vienna Half Marathon  in mid April. We wish him well….

HEIDLER VS LYSENKO, VIZZONI
VS. PARS

SOFIA (BUL): In total 148 men and 130 women from 34 countries will
compete during the weekend at the 11th European Cup Winter Throwing in Bulgaria.
The weather forecast is chilly temperatures and light rain. The contest will be
held on the stadium of National
Sport Academy.
The most interesting contest is expecting to be the women’s hammer throw.
Former world record holder Tatyana Lysenko of Russia will meet reigning
European champion Betty Heidler (74.72) and the leader of the world lists 2011
Kathrin Klaas (75.30 pb). Also men´s hammer has good quality with Belarussians
Pavel Kryvitski and Yury Shayunov and Barcelona
silver and bronze winners Nicola Vizzoni and Krisztian Pars. In men´s javelin Ukrainian
Oleksandr Pyatnytsa is the top name. Discus will see a clash between German
Markus Munch, Spain´s Frank Casanas and Dutch Eric Cadee along with Russian
Bogdan Pishchalnikov for top positions. Romanian veteran Nicoleta Grasu is
women discus favorite. In women javelin Romanian Maria Negoita with Italian
Zahra Bani could be mentioned, but high quality is seen from Vira Rebryk of Ukraine who
will compete in the U23 category. Shot put will have French Gaetan Bucki,
Danish Kim Christensen and Marco Fortes of Portugal, all coming with 20+ marks
from indoors. In women shot German Paris medalist Christina Schwanitz will
fight with team mate Josephine Terlecki and Italian Chiara Rosa for top
honours.

TICKETS SALES OPENED

LONDON (GBR): Tickets to the London Olympic Games
2012 are now on sale and Foreign Office staff around the world are marking this
key milestone in the run-up to London 2012. 
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “In just 500 days, the world’s
gaze will turn to the UK
as the lights go up on the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. The
British people stand ready to welcome friends from across the globe, athletes
and spectators alike, to what my friend and Chairman of the Games, Lord Coe,
describes as the greatest show on earth.” The application process for tickets
to the London 2012 Olympic Games will be open from March 15 until 26 April
2011. People buying tickets in the UK can apply at any point during
this period. Residents outside the UK and designated European
countries should apply for tickets through their local National Olympic
Committee or its Authorised Ticket Reseller from 15 March.

LEWANDOWSKI FOR 880 YARDS

BYDGOSZCZ (POL): Organizers of 11th Enea Cup of Bydgoszcz (EA Premium
Meeting on June 3) announced that European champion Marcin Lewandowski will try
to improve the European best at 880 yards. The mark is 1:46.7 held by Jozef
Plachy (at that time Czechoslovakia)
from 1970 and Luciano Susanj (at that time Yugoslavia) from 1975. Polish
All-time best is 1:48.6 and world best 1:44.1 by Rick Wohlhuter back in 1974 in Eugene.

HAILE IS OK

VIENNA (AUT): After a knee injury Haile Gebrselassie
is confident to run a half marathon on 17th April in Vienna. This was confirmed by the management
of the Ethiopian superstar. The event in Austria will be staged parallel to
the Vienna City Marathon. Organisers expect a total of more than 30,000 runners
to take part in the various events on 17th April. Organizers are informing in a
release. After a fall in training during which he injured his knee Haile
Gebrselassie had to cancel his start at the Tokyo Marathon in February.
“Recently Haile was able to start running again and he is confident that he can
participate in the Vienna Half Marathon as planned,” said Jos Hermens and
explained that Haile had done some alternative training after the fall and thus
was able to conserve his good form from the beginning of the year.

PETROV EXPLAINS

FORMIA (ITA): Russian Sport Express catched Vitaliy Petrov after the
news broke that Yelena Isinbayeva changed the coaches. Petrov admitted that
first Isinbayeva wanted him to move to Volgograd,
but he refused. “There are three main reasons. First that the training
conditions in Volgograd
are not at the necessary level. Second I have my family here in Italy, they need
me. And third I m leading here the IAAF pole vault training center,” explained
Petrov. He also revealed that he tried to persuade her not to change the things
so quickly and prepare everything for the move back to Russia within
some 2-3 months. Petrov also said that he is not worried and hopes that Yelena
will fulfill all her plans towards London Games and Moscow World Championships.

PUNTA UMBRIA
NEWS

INDIANAPOLIS (USA):
Olympic Bronze medalist and American record holder Shalane Flanagan is set to
lead the Team USA women at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Spain on March
20. The USA’s women team
managed a bronze medal finish in 2010 and count on improving in Spain. Also on
the women’s team are American Record holder at 5000 meters Molly Huddle
and 2008 Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet. The senior men’s team will
be led by Brent Vaughn who won his first USA
title at the 2011 USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego, as well as Andrew Bumbalough,
Andrew Carlson, Ben True and Brian Olinger. Aisling Cuffe is the current USA junior
cross country champion and will lead the women’s junior team. USA men’s
junior champion Erik Olson leads the men’s junior team.

MONACO (MON): IAAF published the entry lists with 500
names from 55 countries. The biggest number is in senior men race 153 followed
by junior men 123, senior women 118 and junior women 106. It is approximately
at the same level as last year in Bydgoszcz,
in the same entry period before the event there were 499 names from 56 countries.
Women are showing slight increase in the participation for both senior and
junior race. Record participation number from 2000 edition in Vilamoura is 806
runners from 76 countries. But that was when also short-course races were
staged. In non-short course editions the best is Torino 1997 with 72 countries
and Budapest
1994 with 760 runners.

MONACO (MON): From the IAAF entry lists it is also
seen that 18 European countries will be represented in Punta Umbria. Interesting to note that New Zealand has
twins competing Jake and Zane Robertson. Former US sub 4 miler Jon Rankin will
compete in first IAAF event for his new country Cayman
Islands. It should be noted he already ran for them the
Commonwealth Games. Russia
is sending only 6 junior boys for the event. Interestingly Qatar is not
competing at all.

OTHER NEWS

RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA): Brazil’s
former Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles has been officially appointed
to head the Olympic Public Authority, which is the agency set-up to coordinate
preparations for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Meirelles, who helped oversee
Brazil’s biggest economic expansion in decades, will now coordinate Government
policies and public works projects for the Games for the new body, Autoridade Pública
Olímpica·(PDB) writes Insidethegames.

LONDON (GBR): The London 2012 organizing committee
has unveiled the Omega Countdown Clock to mark the 500-day build-up to next
year’s Olympic Games in London.
The Clock was revealed by four Olympic gold medallists from Beijing 2008,
rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson
pulled the cover off the clock at a public event also attended by world and
European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis and London 2012 chairman Sebastian
Coe reports Insidethegames.

LONDON (GBR): British 800m runner Andrew Osagie is
hugely disappointed with his fourth place finish at the European indoor
championships in Paris.
“I guess when I look back I will be quite happy to make the first final in a GB
vest but right now I am disappointed with the finish.There was a medal for me
in that race and right now it feels like a missed opportunity.” The 23-year old
was quoted in The Guardian.

NEW YORK (USA): The SportsBusiness Journal
announced today that the 2010 ING New York City Marathon is a finalist for
“Sports Event of the Year” at the 2011 SBJ Sports Business Awards. The award
honors the greatest events in the industry for “effectively offering best in
class entertainment, improving market and brand strength, generating new
revenue and growth, and initiating projects that give back to the community.”
Previous winners in this category have included the Super Bowl and the NHL’s
Winter Classic.

LONDON (GBR): Jessica Ennis has admitted she is reaching a crucial stage
of her preparations for next year’s London Olympics and is hoping to “take some
confidence” from a successful IAAF World Championships later this year in
Daegu. “It’s really exciting,” Ennis told Sky Sports. “It feels really surreal,
it’s all coming to light. I can’t believe it’s 500 days until the Olympics
starts. I’m getting nervous but really looking forward to it. The next big one
is the summer season and the World Championships in Daegu, it’s going to be a
really big challenge, obviously going in there as defending world champion,
it’s going to be really tough but I’m hoping to have a great summer which I can
roll into next year and take some confidence from that.” Ennis was quoted.

DEN HAAG (NED): Kenyan Sammy
Kitwara explained to the Hardloopkrant that
his disappointing performance at the CPC Den Haag half marathon was
caused by
back pains starting after about 14km in the race. Kitwara has had to
deal with
the same backproblems during the World championships half marathon in
Birmingham in 2009 and during the Peachtree Roadrace in Atlanta in 2010.
However,
taking into consideration his excellent result during the Worlds Best
10K in San Juan, Puerto Rico
just some weeks ago, Kitwara’s recent back problems come as a suprise.

MANCHESTER (GBR): European silver medallist Chris
Thompson and Helen Clitheroe – fresh from her recent European Indoor 3000 metres success –
will compete at the BUPA Great Manchester Run on May 15. Writes David Martin.
The pair will carry British hopes at the high profile and world class IAAF Gold
Label event where a record field of 38000 runners will line up for the ninth
staging of the 10
kilometres race. Thompson currently faces the most
difficult task of the duo against reigning champion Haile Gebrselassie and Australia’s
Craig Mottram.

TOKYO (JPN): Japanese athletes around the world are
working hard to raise online donations for relief efforts in their
earthquake-stricken homeland and are offering messages of support to the people
suffering in the aftermath of the disaster. Spearheaded by San Diego-based 400 metres hurdler Dai
Tamesue, several sporting fraternities have set up donation drives for the
benefit of Civic Force, a disaster relief team working in the devastated Miyagi
prefecture. Agencies are informing.

LONDON (GBR): Legendary Carl Lewis was quoted by
agencies as saying that Usain Bolt should concentrate on retaining his Olympic
100m and 200me titles before considering a move into other events like long
jump or 400 m.
Lewis is relishing the prospect of his fourth Olympic Games as a fan and
believes London
will put on a great show. Informs Reuters.

NAGOYA (JPN): Romanian marathon runner Lidia Simon
was able to leave Nagoya on Monday to South Korea.
She is still undecided whether to try to compete in Asia or return to her
training base in Boulder, Colorado.

MINSK (BLR): Discus 2008 olympian Hanna Mazhunova
gave birth to a son. Her best is 62.71 from 2008. Her husband Maksim Mazhunov
is physio of national athletics team.

RESULTS

HAVANA (CUB, Mar 5-7): In another set of additional
results from Cuba (Fortun
Memorial) William Collazo clocked 46.29 in the 400 m and impressive 2:02.88
at 800 m
were registered by Rose Almanza who is still a junior and Moncton 4th placer.

HAVANA (CUB, Mar 10-11): At the 5th open meet in Estadion
Panamericano Alexis Copello leaped to 17.27 (+0.1) triple jump. New national
record for Ecuador
as Diego Ferrin cleared 225
in high jump. In as usual solid women throws Yipsi
Moreno got 72.06 in
hammer, Yanet Cruz 59.20 in
javelin. Misledys Gonzalez achieved 18.70 in shot put ahead of former World junior
champion Natalia Duco of Chile
18.15.

MAYAGUEZ (PUR, Mar 6): New Colombian triple jump record
here by Katerina Ibarguen 14.30 (+1.1). Hurdles world medalist Javier Culson
won the 800 m
in 1:51.98. Also this is a late addition.

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