POWELL TO DEBUT IN AFRICA

RABAT (MAR): The 4th edition of the “Meeting
international Mohammed VI” announced in Moroccan media its main star. Former
world record holder at 100 m
Asafa Powell of Jamaica will
compete for the first time in Africa. On June
5 he will run the 100 m
and should improve the meet record easily (10.30 by Ronald Pognon in 2009).
More top names are expected for this IAAF World Challenge meeting. So far
confirmed in the Diamond League for Powell are Rome,
Birmingham and London. It is also expected he will run at
the Kingston Jamaica Invitational on May 7, but that is not yet finally
confirmed.

EDWARD FOR RIO

RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA): Brazilian federation website informs
about new names for the May tour of one day meetings. South American 200 m record holder and World
medalist Alonso Edward of Panama
is confirmed for Rio de Janeiro
IAAF World Challenge meet on May 26. Also competing here Brazilian stars
olympic long jump winner Maurren Maggi and pole vault world indoor champion
Fabiana Murer. At the Belem
meet on May 15 again Maurren Maggi with Kelia Costa are announced, continental
record holder Fabio Gomes Da Silva will be the star of the pole vault. In the
first meet of the five events series in Fortaleza
on May 11 three talented Kenyans are confirmed. All three are Moncton 2010
world junior champions. David Mutua at 800 m, David Bett at 5000 m and Purity Kirui in
the girls steeple.

BERLIN FOR EUROPEANS 2018

BERLIN (GER): The Berlin City Council approved the
bid for European Championships in 2018 and promised the necessary support.
German Federation DLV President Clemens Prokop was quoted as saying: “We are
thinking, we have good chances. In case we will get the event, it will be
similar as at the successful World Championshisp 2009.”

LEMAITRE FOR ROME CLASH

PARIS (FRA) : Triple European champion Christophe Lemaitre has revealed
his 2011 ambitions to the French newspaper L’Équipe. Lemaitre will start his
season at home in Aix-les-Bains on April 23rd and hopes to run as many times as
possible under the 10 seconds barrier. This season Lemaitre wants to grow to a
level in which he regularly clocks times around 9.90/9.89 in the hopes of
becoming a closer rival to athletes such as Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.
Lemaitre will have a first head to head with Powell and Bolt at the Rome
Samsung Diamond League on May 26th.

OTHER NEWS

JOHNSON CITY (USA): Agency Total Sports US
informs about new additions into its roster. Mary Saxer, who finished 3rd at
the 2010 U.S. Championships in the pole vault, has retained the management
services of Total Sports US. Also a collaboration with the female miler Frances
Koons who is the face of the globally recognized Girls on the Run program,
sponsored by New Balance, was confirmed.

DAEGU (KOR): The second and final day of the IAAF Council’s meeting
concentrated on a Progress Report delivered by the Local organising Committee
of the IAAF World Championships, Daegu 2011. Qualification Standards for the
Games of the XXX Olympiad London 2012 were approved, and following the agreed
schedule set out in the Qualification System this information will be published
on the IAAF website on Friday 15 April.

ABIDJAN (CIV): Ivory Coast’s post-electoral crisis
between the elected president Alassane Ouattara and his opponent Laurent Gbagbo
has had more than economic and social repercussions, also sports have suffered
from the crisis. Since the start of the crisis five months ago none of the
scheduled sports events could take place. A number of sports such as football,
basketball, handball, judo, karate and cycling have not yet started national
competitions and training has been impossible under the current conditions.
Also sports journalists have taken a heavy toll as many sports journalists
could not report on their teams during their competitions through lack of money
reports aipsmedia.com

MELBOURNE (AUS): World indoor champion Fabrice Lapierre and Australian
Athletics Tour jumps champion Mitchell Watt are set to battle it out at the
89th Australian Athletics Championships and Selection Trials for the World
Championships this weekend. Lapierre is the reigning national champion after a
monster wind assisted 878 leap (3.1) in Perth last year, and later on in
October soared to a Commonwealth Games record of 830 (0.3). Mitchell Watt, a
world indoor and world championships bronze medallist, can confirm his
selection to the Australian Flame team bound for the Daegu world championships
this August by securing the national crown. Sally Pearson will be aiming to
make Australian Athletics championships history as the Olympic hurdles silver
medalist eyes a victory in the 100m, 200m and the 100 m hurdles. The last woman
to achieve such a feat was Pam Ryan in 1968. Another interesting event is the
men’s 400m in which defending champion Ben Offereins takes on Commonwealth
Games silver medalist Sean Wroe and youngster Steven Solomon. The men’s 1500m
features Craig Mottram, Jeremy Roff and Jeff Riseley while Lachlan Renshaw and
Tamsyn Lewis start in the 800m. On the hunt for world championships selection
in the throws events are Australia’s
world class quintet Dani Samuels (discus throw), Jarrod Bannister (javelin
throw), Benn Harradine (discus throw), Kimberley Mickle (javelin throw) and
Dale Stevenson (shot put) reports Athletics Australia.

BEIJING (CHN): Xinhua informs that US star golfer
Tiger Woods and Chinese top hurdler Liu Xiang met students of Beijing Sports
University. Woods, who is
in China on Nike’s “Make it Matter” golf promotional tour, and Liu shared their
experiences and inspired youth in China to free their minds and take on
difficulties and challenges. Liu plans his first big race of the season at home
soil at Shanghai DL Meeting on May 15 against US record holder David Oliver.

LONDON (GBR): British Olympic hopeful Alyson Dixon
has been informed that her 2:34.51 qualifying time for the IAAF World
championships and the 2012 Olympic Games will not count for selection as the Brighton marathon in which she ran the time is not
recognized as a qualifying race.”UKA have known we were running here for months
and they have never told us it was not a qualifying race, I am obviously very
disappointed.” Dixon
was quoted after the race writes Insidethegames.

AUCKLAND (NZL): New
Zealand distance star Kim Smith believes the Boston
Marathon on April 18 is “winnable” and she can emulate the achievements of
Lorraine Moller, the last Kiwi to triumph in Boston some 27 years ago. Smith believes she
is in the best shape of her career after enjoying an untroubled preparation,
including an eye-catching half-marathon lifetime best of 1:07:36 in New Orleans in February
reports The New Zealand Herald.

HOUSTON (USA): The Houston Marathon
Committee and USA Track & Field are making improvements to the proposed
course for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials according to feedback and
comments from athletes who competed in the recent USA Half Marathon
Championships.”The improved route is as runner- and spectator-friendly as
possible, and we believe the Olympic Trials participants will be very happy
with it” the organizers announced while adding that the pending route should be
even faster than the USA Championships route.

BOSTON (USA): Boston Athletic Association
announced the professional fields for both the B.A.A. 5-K and Invitational Mile
races to be held on Sunday, April 17, the day before the 115th Boston Marathon.
Informs RRW. For the first time in its three-year history, the B.A.A. 5-K will
feature an elite field vying for a piece of the combined $30,000 prize purse.
Among those entered are Australian
Ben St. Lawrence
and Americans Bobby Curtis and Nick Arciniaga. The women’s field is highlighted
by Lineth Chepkurui, the 24-year-old Kenyan who dominated the American road
race scene in 2010. The course records for the B.A.A. 5-K are 14:29 by Jarrod
Shoemaker (2009) and 16:52 by Jennifer Campbell (2010). In the Invitational
Mile races, last year’s champion Andy Baddeley of Great
Britain returns, aiming to defend his title on the
streets of Boston.
Joining him on the line will be Lukas Verzbicas, the highly touted University
of Oregon-bound senior from Orland
Hills, Ill. The last
time Verzbicas was in Boston,
he ran 4:03.88 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, missing his goal of
four-minutes by less than four seconds. Anna Pierce, the 2009 Women’s
Invitational Mile champion, will be racing for the first time in 2011. Treniere
Moser, Marina Muncan, and Charlotte Browning are also entered in the race. The
best times for the three-loop course are 4:08.6 by Andy Baddeley (2010) and
4:38.6 by Anna Willard (2009).

INDIANAPOLIS (USA): The USA Track & Field
Foundation has awarded an elite grant of $25,000 to Team Elite Athletics,
announced Chairman Bob Greifeld and Executive Director Tom Jackovic. Based in
Chula Vista Team Elite athletes include 2012 Olympic hopefuls Melinda Owen
(pole vault), Becky Holliday (pole vault), Jacob Pauli (pole vault), Ian Waltz
(discus throw) and Mike Hazle (javelin throw). Funds will be used for expenses
such as uniforms & equipment (pole vault training poles), travel expenses,
massage & chiropractic, and health insurance.

RESULTS

NASSAU (BAH, Apr 8-9): At Bahamian Carifta Trials high quality sprints
by 17 years old Antoniqe Strachan 23.06 (+1.2) lifetime best at 200 m and 11.42 (+2.3) while
winning the 100 m.
New national junior record at 400
m hurdles by Katrina Seymour (18) with 58.93.

NASHVILLE (USA, Apr 9): Top jumping marks from
African athletes. Gold medalist from last year African Championships Sarah
Nambawa of Uganda improved her national triple jump record to 14.06 (0.0) and
also recorded long jump personal best 643 (+1.8). Nigerian bronze winner from
African Champs Stanley Gbagbeke bettered his long jump best to 815 cm.

SAD NEWS

OLSZTYN (POL): At age of 60 died Polish former top 400 m and 400 m hurdles runner Danuta
Piecyk. She was world best holder at 400 m hurdles, olympian 1972 and European
indoor medalist. She was 8 time national champion and 23 times national record
holder. Piecyk also competed at three European Championships (1969, 1971,
1974). Her unofficial hurdles world best 56.91 was clocked on August 11, 1973.