GAY IS NOT THINKING ABOUT 200 M THIS YEAR

RALEIGH (USA):
Former world champion Tyson Gay said he was unlikely to run the 200 meters at this
month’s U.S.
trials, effectively ending his chances of facing world record holder Usain Bolt
over the distance at this year’s world championships in Daegu. Although the
American said to Reuters he was still planning to run the 100m at the U.S. trials and
hoped to face Bolt at the worlds, he said he was resigned to skipping the 200m
because of fitness concerns.”I have honestly missed so much training this year
because of my hip and everything, it is very difficult to say when I will run a
200.”
Gay was quoted. On Saturday he will run his first international stadium track
race of the year at adidas Grand Prix in New
York at the 100 m. There will be heats on the programme and
Gay is expecting to face in the finals his training group colleagues Steve
Mullings and Nickel Ashmeade from Jamaica. It also looks like Gay is
not planning a 200 m
race later in Europe. So far he has two meets
confirmed in Birmingham and London.

NEWS FROM JAMAICA, WORLD
CHAMPS MUST NOT BE AT THE TRIALS

KINGSTON (JAM):  Seoul Olympic silver medallist Grace Jackson has been
named team leader of Jamaica’s
2011 World Championships team in Daegu. Howard Aris, president of the Jamaica
Athletics Administrative Association, confirmed that Jackson was chosen because she would
successfully lead the communications between the IAAF and Daegu Organizers
writes Trackalerts.com. In other Jamaican news Asafa Powell resumed training on
Wednesday morning after suffering leg discomfort during Sunday’s 100m race in Rabat, Morocco.
Earlier Powell’s manager Paul Doyle was quoted as saying “he feels no pain or
tightness in the leg and should be all set for the trails” and few hours later
MVP Club confirmed the athlete will resume training. President of the JAAA
Howard Aris thanked Supreme Ventures for their $9.3 million (JAD) contribution
towards assisting with the staging of the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Junior
and Senior Championships. He also said, unlike USA
rules which stipulate all athletes must compete in order to take up their IAAF
wild-cards, for Jamaica’s
defending world champions – Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Melaine Walker
and Brigitte Foster-Hylton – they have already booked their places and doesn’t
have to compete at the trials.

LEMAITRE PLANS

PARIS (FRA): Christophe Lemaître, who improved on his French record when
running 9.96 in
France this week, told
athle.com his race was worst then when he raced in Rome but is extremely happy to have run a new
record this early in the season. Lemaître believes he can still go faster and
wants to find his place among the world’s best sprinters. Lemaitre will next
compete at European Team Championships in Stockholm.
He is still undecided about doubling there, but 100 m is for sure.  “I
have to admit that I’m surprised by my
time. I wasn’t expecting to have run so fast, especially given the
weather
conditions (it was 14° in Montreuil
when the 100m was run). My race was only average. I felt a lot better in
Rome, last month. It goes
to show that I’ve made progress this year in nearly all the different
sectors.
Last year, Yohan Blake was way ahead of me at the Meeting Areva (9”95
compared
with 10”09). Right now I’m just 0.01 behind him. My start is better. My
technique is more fluid. I’ve gained power as I weigh two kilos more
than I did
last season (81/82kg instead of 79kg in 2010),” Lemaitre was quoted in a
release of his sponsor Asics. His international meeting plans include
Lausanne on June 30 at 100 m, Paris on July 8 the 200 m against Usain
Bolt,
national championships and Herculis 100 m again with  Bolt. August will then be devoted to
training, in Aix-les-Bains, southern France, before he leaves to Daegu
where he also strongly considers a double.

OTHER NEWS

TORONTO (CAN): Jamaican fast sprinter Yohan Blake will
be the headliner of Toronto
meet on July 13, part of the new national series. He will chase the stadium
record of Usain Bolt who clocked here in 2009 achieved 10.00.

ISTANBUL (TUR): Cezmi Or Memorial (EA Classic) will
have on Saturday not only great 100
m (Chambers, Ouhadi, Guliyev) on the programme.
Bulgarian European leader Vania Stambolova is entered into both 400 m and 400 m hurdles. US indoor
record holder Jill Camarena-Williams is the star of women shot put. Another
Bulgarian European medalist Venelina Veneva is the top high jump entry with St.
Lucia´s Lavern Spencer. Kenyans are the favorites in distances, Paul Kemboi at 5000 m and William Biwott in
the U23 1500 m.
Improved javelin thrower Fatih Avan will seek another victory on the home soil.
Fresh Lithuanian record holder Povilas Mykolaitis is the top name of long jump.
Natalia Tobias of the Ukraine
should be on top in the 1500
m, Belarus Alina Talai in duel with Canadian olympic
hurdles finalist Angela Whyte at 100
m hurdles and Russian Yelena Sokolova in long jump.

AMSTERDAM (NED): The Dutch Athletics Federation (KNAU)
has released its preliminary team for the European team Championships First
League division in Izmir, Turkey. They will be particularly
strong in the throwing events with Erik Cadée and Monique Jansen in the discus
throw and Rutger Smith and Melissa Boekelman in the shot put. Arnoud Okken and
Yvonne Hak are strong in the 800m and in form Gregory Sedoc  starts in the 110H. Relays and sprint events
are to be decided later.

BRUSSELS (BEL): 
The twin brothers Borlée are the stars of the Belgian team for the
European Team Championships First League division in Izmir. Jonathan Borlée is registered for the
200m while his brother Kevin will start in the 400m. Other strong event is the
400m hurdles with Elodie Ouedraogo and Michael Bultheel.

LONDON (GBR): London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
sponsor Holiday Inn is trialling an in-room ice bath service at hotels across
the UK
to provide guests with a post workout recovery usually reserved for elite
athletes. Active guests will be able to experience the free, post-exercise ice
baths, which are used by almost all top athletes to aid muscle recovery.
Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis helped to launch the
trial reports Insidethegames.

LONDON (GBR): Nearly one year from London 2012, the United States
Olympic Committee (USOC) is preparing to launch its Join Team USA initiative,
capitalising on the patriotic summer holidays and inviting Americans to support
their athletes. The campaign encourages the public to support and Join Team USA in many
ways, including by attending one of the 330-plus Olympic Day celebrations
taking place across the country writes Insidethegames.

PARIS (FRA): L´Equipe informs that walking world record holder Yohan
Diniz will not compete in the 20
km race initially planned for mid June. He plans to go
5000m on the track at meetings in Nancy on June
24 and Reims on July 5. His Daegu preparation
for the 50 km
race will happen in mid July in Font Romeu.

OSLO (NOR): Jamaica-born Canadian Donovan Bailey has hailed the halt of
the drain of top sprint athletes from the Caribbean island when speaking at a
press conference at the City Hall in Oslo. The 43-year-old Bailey emigrated to Canada at the age of 13 just as many Jamaicans
have found themselves competing for other adopted countries, but Bailey said
improved infrastructure has helped and will continue to help persuade many more
to stay and train in Jamaica.
Interestingly, he clocked his fastest 200 m in any conditions, windy 20.14 in Oslo in 1997. 
Bailey plans to work for Canadian TV during World Championships in
Daegu.

BOSTON (USA): The Boston Athletic
Association (B.A.A.) today announced that Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time
Boston Marathon Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson, and four-time Boston Marathon
Champion Bill Rodgers will compete in the inaugural B.A.A. 10K on June 26.
Samuelson recently ran the 2011 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:51:29, winning
the 50-54 age group division. Rodgers served as the grand marshal of the
Patriots’ Day race, and ran the race in 2009.

LAUSANNE (SUI): Following major competitions such as the
European Cup Race Walking, European Champion Clubs Cups meetings, the start of
the European Athletics Outdoor Meetings series and the IAAF Diamond League
series, European Athletics is pleased to announce the European Athlete of the
Month nominations for May representing 12 countries. The voting will close on
Wednesday 22 June.

RESULTS

DES MOINES (USA,
Jun 8): NCAA Championships started with hot and muggy first day and many
surprises. Juliet Bottorf won the 10 000 m in 34:25.86 and she was not listed in
the top ten charts of TFN. The same for women discus winner Trecey Rew with
58.64 (great PB, she came with 54.96 best result). Other technical events
winners were also not in the top positions, like Tim Glover in javelin 80.33
(PB), Australian Julian Wruck in discus (61.81), Scott Roth in pole vault
(540). Second best jump decided in women long jump for Tori Bowie (664 and 663)
over Ti´anca Mock (664 and 648). Jeff Demps did not quality (10.40) to 100 m final, fastest was
Zimbabwean long jumper Ngoni Makusha 10.13 (-1.1). Also in women 100m out for
Semoy Hackett of Trinidad and Jeneba Tarmoh (fs), fastest 11.17 (-0.4) by US junior
record holder English Gardner. Tony McQuay was the fastest in 400 m heats (44.87, here out
for Tabarie Henry and Tavaris Tate). Fastest non-qualifier Errol Nolan with
45.30. Jessica Beard was the fastest in women 400 m heats (51.24). Best
times in the 400 m
hurdles heats by Tí´erra Brown (55.59) and Jeshua Anderson (49.18). Best in the
800 m
heats Channelle Price (2:02.84) and Charles Jock (1:45.77). Fast relay heats
for Texas AM 38.38 stadium record and Florida 38.49 on the men side and 42.94 for LSU and 42.99
for Texas AM
on the women side. Miller Moss leads the decathlon with 4271 points after first
day.

KASSEL (GER, Jun 8): Askina 2011 returned to the
renovated Aue Stadium (EA Classic) and registered new meet record by hammer
world record holder Betty Heidler 74.65 (second Kathrin Klaas 73.18). Another
meet record by young Briton (last year world junior finalist) Jack Green who
clocked impressive 49.48 at 400
m hurdles and that makes him medal favorite for the
European U23 Championships in Ostrava.
He beat top Jamaicans, Isa Phillips was 3rd (50.09) and Danny McFarlane 6th
(50.84). Surprise in women pole vault as Martina Strutz cleared 455 to win and
Silke Spiegelburg after clearing 440
in second missed three times at 460 and was fourth.
Dutch Gregory Sedoc got solid 13.55 (0.0) at 110 m hurdles, Cindy Roleder
achieved a home win in women hurdles (12.98,-0.4). South African Ofentse
Mogawane won the 400 m
in 45.75 over best German Thomas Schneider (45.90). Ukrainian Natalya
Pogrebnyak was the best in women 100
m (11.37, 0.0). Cuban wins in jumps by Wilfredo Martinez
(785, -0.8) and David Girat (16.86, +1.5). David Storl was again better than
Ralf Bartels in shot put (20.06 and 19.88). Ethiopian Etenesh Diro Neda won the
3000 m
in 9:00.39 ahead of Sabrina Mockenhaupt 9:02.64.

MINSK (BLR, Jun 8): National combined events
champions are Aleksandr Parkhomenko with 7813 points and Yekaterina
Netsvetayeva with 5662. Andrey Kravchenko in preparation for Kladno decathlon
competed in individual events (14.08 shot put, 43.71 discus).

CELJE (SLO, Jun 8): Olympic and world winner Primoz Kozmus improved to 77.17 in hammer at the
Slovenian GP meet in Celje. Javelin record holder Martina Ratej achieved 61.98
and good triple jump by Snezana Rodic (14.12) with returning Anja Valant
Velepec 13.83.  Ghana´s Aziz Zakari won
the 100 m
in 10.33 (+0.7) and Hungarian Lajos Kurthy achieved 20.20 in the shot put.

GYOR (HUN, Jun 8): Czech olympic finalist Roman
Novotny won the Jumping Gala meet here with 785 ahead of Bence Banhidi n783.
Romanian Cornelia Deiac was the best woman with 654 cm.

SALAMANCA (ESP, Jun 8): At the 14th  “Gran Premio Caja Duero” Angel David
Rodriguez clocked 21.08 in
the 200 m,
Luis Felipe Meliz leaped to 777 and Concha Montaner 640 in long jump.

SAD NEWS

DES MOINES (USA): The
Nebraska Athletic Department is deeply saddened to confirm that assistant track
and field coach Mark Colligan passed away Wednesday while in Des Moines with the Huskers for the NCAA
Championships. Colligan, 47, was found unresponsive in his hotel room early
Wednesday afternoon.