Vinn Lananna, 2008 US Olympic Trials, photo by PhotoRun.net

Let’s make it very clear. Vinn Lananna and his team gave us the 2008 Olympic Trials, one of the best events most track fans will ever remember in their lives. His resurrection of both the Stanford programs, and now the Oregon program, made Lananna a poster-boy for the possible new CEO position for USA Track & Field, in many observers’ minds.

Speaking very honestly, in the heralded Oregonlive.com site, Lananna admitted being interviewed for the USATF CEO position, but believing that he was serving his sport best, at this time, championing track & field at the country’s most visible track program, he decided that it was best to stay on at Oregon.

My belief is that Vinn can do whatever he sets his mind to. We need good, creative people in the key positions in our sport. Lananna is positioned to support our sport at Oregon and also with the support he receives from that little footwear company based in Beaverton with the swoosh.

For Vinn Lananna, and the sport he loves, he made the right decision. And yes, I am looking forward to see how fast Andrew Wheating runs this season! 

DIACK CONTINUES

ROME (ITA): Agencies are reporting that IAAF
president Lamine Diack said on Thursday he will stand unopposed for re-election
when the IAAF Congress meets on August 24. Diack, 77, announced his decision to
bid for another term last year, stating he was still in good health and had
work to complete.

DEFAR IN HENGELO

HENGELO (NED): Latest addition into women 5000 m field is former
olympic winner, world champion and world record holder Meseret Defar of Ethiopia.
She will face mainly Sentayehu Ejigu her country-mate and Kenyan Sylvia Kibet.

OTHER NEWS

NIJMEGEN (NED): The ABN AMRO Seven Hills run has opened
its registration for the 15K. The race, scheduled on November 20th, will allow
33.000 athletes to register for the 15K race. Participants who make the choice
for Greenchoice 100% green energy at home can register for free and will
receive a free train ticket to the event.

WEINHEIMER (GER): The Kurpfalz Gala in Weinheim on Saturday will feature
German long jumper Bianca Kappler and the Swedish 4x100m team under the lead of
Carolina Klüft, who will take on the German 4x100m team.

EUGENE (USA):
University of Oregon coach Vin Lananna admitted that
he met with board members for USA Track & Field about the USATF’s vacant
CEO position. Lananna declined to call his meeting with members of the USATF
board an interview. “It was important for me to hear what they were talking
about and so on. But I’ll quickly respond that I think that right now, for me,
the best way to make a contribution, is to do exactly what I’m doing.” Lananna
was quoted in Oregonlive.com.

NAIROBI (KEN): The Daily Nation reports that a
postmortem examination on the body of marathon star Samuel Wanjiru will be
conducted on Friday by a government pathologist. Burial committee chairman
Ndegwa Wahome said the athlete’s mother Hannah Wanjiru and wife Teresia Njeri
had agreed to have the examination conducted to help find out Wanjiru’s cause
of death.

LONDON (GBR): Phillips Idowu has insists he is more
interested in breaking the triple jump world record than defending his world
title later this year. The Olympic silver medallist’s ultimate focus remains
triple jump gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games but added for the Daily
Mirror “I’d rather jump a world record than have the world title, and then win
the Olympic title next year.”

HENGELO (NED): On Sunday during the 29th edition of
the FBK-Games (IAAF World Challenge) the 100 meters hurdles for
women will be a real champions ball. The highest ranked athlete is the American
Dawn Harper who in 2008 during the Olympics in Beijing won the gold. She can expect
competition from another Americans world indoor champ Lolo Jones and world
leader Kellie Wells. The stadium record in this event is from the Swedish
Susanna Kallur who ran 12.65
in 2005. The meet organizers will award, from this year
on, a through the Oldenzaalse artist Antoinette Ruiter produced bronze statue
from Fanny Blankers-Koen and a bonus of 2500 euro’s for every improvement of a
stadium record.

HENGELO (NED): Ethiopia has yet another running
wonder. Yenew Alamirew seems to have everything that can make him the successor
of the living running legends Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. The
spectators of the 29th edition of the FBK-Games will make acquaintance with
this athlete on Sunday when he runs the 5000 m. Since a year and a half Alamirew is
coached by athlete’s manager Jos Hermens and his colleague Valentijn Trouw. Jos
Hermens is curious what Alamirew can run on the 5000 meters by now
after he ran a 13:16.53 on the 5th of June in the Belgium Oordegem last
year.”He should be able to run sub 13.”,
thinks Hermens.

HENGELO (NED): Latest addition into women 5000 m field is former
olympic winner, world champion and world record holder Meseret Defar of Ethiopia.
She will face mainly Sentayehu Ejigu her country-mate and Kenyan Sylvia Kibet.

KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaican Championships will for the
first time be contested over four days, as opposed to the customary three. The
event will now start with a number of heats on the morning of Thursday, June
23, and will end on Sunday, June 26, at the National Stadium. Jamaican media
are informing.

EUGENE (USA):
US Eugene-based runners Nick Symmonds and Tyler Mulder will test themselves
against Abubaker Kaki of Sudan
and Kenyan Boaz Lalang in the 800 meters in the Prefontaine Classic, June 4
at Hayward Field. Informs Oregon
Live. Olympian Andrew Wheating , another member of OTC/Eugene, will run in the
Pre Classic, but it hasn’t been determined whether it will be in the 800 or 1500 m.

KINGSTON (JAM): World and Olympic sprint double
champion, Usain Bolt, who is also the holder of both world records, will be
conferred with the honorary doctor of laws degree. This means he will be
refered to as Ambassador-At-Large, Dr. The Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt. In a
statement from University of the West Indies
on Wednesday, Bolt was being recognised for his athletic prowess. He will get
his honorary doctorate later this year.

MADRID (ESP): Spanish Athletics Federation RFEA after
marathon announced also team members for Daegu in walking events. Francisco
Fernández, Jesús Ángel García and María Vasco were named as the headliners.
Also in the team for 20 km
Benjamin Sanchez. The other two names Juan Manuel Molina and Miguel Angel Lopez
will have the chance to qualify in June races. For the 50 km also Mikel Odriozola
and Jose Ignacio Diaz were included. In the women 20 km Maira Jose Poves and
Beatriz Pascual are the other entries.

SOCHI (RUS, May 24-25): Interesting notes to Russian
Team Championships. Yelena Soboleva returned as 7th in the 1500 m 4:10.36. The winner
Yuliya Zaripova is formerly Zarudneva, the steeple runner (4:07.01). 800 m specialist Mariya
Savinova was 5th in 400 m
(52.94) and European fourth placer Vladimir Krasnov was only third in the 400 m (46.86).

HIGH JUMPERS: Stefan Holm turned 35 on Wednesday and Stevan Zoric 40.