2011 BMW Berlin Marathon: Haile is coming back! by Alfons Juck, note by Larry Eder

HAILE AS EXPECTED IN BERLIN
BERLIN (GER): What
was expected is now confirmed. World marathon record holder Haile
Gebreselassie has announced his fifth start in the Berlin Marathon. The
38th edition of the Berlin Marathon on September 25th will welcome
Gebreselassie for a fifth time as the Ethiopian won the race from 2006
to 2009, setting a world record in the process. Last year Gebreselassie
had ventured to the New York City Marathon but said on his twitter he is
more than happy to return to Berlin where he will aim at running the
Olympic Games standard. In the women’s race Irina Mikitenko is back
again on the course where her marathon career had started in 2007. In
the following year she clocked 2:19:19 hrs here for a course record
making her the fourth fastest woman of all time. In 2008 and 2009 she
won the World Marathon Majors series of marathons. In 2010 she was
handicapped by an injury dropping out at the Virgin London Marathon in
the spring and placing 5th at Chicago in the fall. Last April she ran
2:24:41 for seventh place in London after running most of the distance
on her own. In Berlin she wants to qualify for the Olympic marathon 2012
in London. The BMW BERLIN MARATHON is sold out since February.
Registration had started October 18th. The participation limit is set at
40.000. The BMW BERLIN MARATHON will be televised live on n-tv
nationally for four hours and on Eurosport from 9 until 11.30 a.m.
Organizers are informing in a release.

POWELL IS READY
KINGSTON
(JAM): Former 100m World record holder Asafa Powell is keeping a cool
head ahead of what is expected to be a hotly contested National Trials
despite discussion in some circles that the sprinter may not finish in
the top three. Informs Jamaica Star. “I am in good shape to run at the
trials as I have overcome the small injury I got two weeks ago at the
Rabat meet in Morocco. I am going into the championships with the same
mind frame as I have done in the past,” said Powell.

CHRISTOPHER RETIRED
OTTAWA
(CAN):  Quarter-miler Tyler Christopher has officially announced his
retirement from the sport of athletics. The track star steps away from
competition after a very successful career highlighted by a World Indoor
title in 2008 and a bronze medal at the 2005 World Outdoor
Championships. Athletics Canada informs.  His illustrious career will be
honored Saturday June 25 as part of Athletics Canada’s Awards &
Hall of Fame Induction Banquet taking place in Calgary, site of the 2011
Canadian Track and Field Championships June 22-25.  

BOLT FANS GROWING
KINGSTON
(JAM): Track Alerts informs that Usain Bolt when returning to racing
his Facebook fan base grew by a whopping 650,000 in just over two
months, from April 1 to June 16. Bolt has surpassed the 4.6 million fans
and may very well reach 5 million before the start of the World
Championship in Daegu. UK, USA and France are the top countries – but
top cities include Rome, London, Manchester, Paris, Bangalore and
Mumbai. Rome has been number one for an extended period including since
the start of 2011. Usain continues to have the 18 – 24 male age group as
his most popular fans accounting for 33 per cent, while the 13 – 17 age
group, also male, is close by with 30 per cent of his overall fan base.
His highest female age group is the 13 – 17 age group with 8 per cent.

EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS

STOCKHOLM
(SWE): Multi-events hero Carolina Kluft ruled out a return to the
hepthathlon at next year’s London Olympics following her switch to the
long and triple jumps. She confirmed that at a news conference before
SPAR European Team Championships. Earlier she confirmed she will end her
career after 2012.

IZMIR (TUR):
The Borlée twins Jonathan and Kevin spoke to the press this morning
ahead of the European Team championships and confirmed they have 44.5 in
mind for this season. Jonathan is already qualified for the IAAF World
Championships in both the 200m, 400m and 4x400m but will only compete in
the 400m and 4x400m. European champion Kevin Borlée reported to be more
interested in medals than in fast times, while both brothers aim at
running the final later this year in Daegu. They will not meet in a race
together until Daegu. 

IZMIR (TUR):
Super sprinter Merlene Ottey who is still competing at age of 51 arrived
to Izmir with the Slovenian team. The legendary former Jamaican
representative is here as alternate for the relay. She raced already
raced this season in Celje at National Cup meet as fourth in 12.07
against -1.6 wind.

IZMIR (TUR):
Home team of Turkey hopes for promotion into the highest category in
2013. Also 100 m Hurdles champion Nevin Yanit will compete. She started
twice in Turkey this season with 13.49 and 13.50. But other high hopes
are connected to reigning European champion at 5000 m Alemitu Bekele.
Team captain discus thrower Ercument Olgundeniz was positive about the
spirit of the team and the chances. “We hope to be promoted,” he was
quoted as saying. 

STOCKHOLM
(ESP): Spanish sprinter Digna Luz Murillo (Colombian origin) will not
compete during the weekend for Spain in Stockholm at the 100 m. It is
because she acknowledged she was working with coach Manuel Pascua, one
of coaches charged in Operation Greyhound. Spanish federation RFEA
decided to send Murillo back home. She will be replaced by Cotan Amparo
in the invidual race and by Belen Recio in the relay.

OTHER NEWS 

AMSTERDAM
(NED) : Jolanda Keizer, who succesfully finished the heptathlon at the
TNT Fortuna combined events challenge in Kladno, said to Dutch media she
is ready to attack the IAAF World Championships standard at the
European Cup Combined events. Keizer recently moved to Sweden to train
along with Carolina Kluft after injuries had slowed her down in the last
2 years.
 
LONDON
(GBR): The British Olympic Association (BOA) managed to stay in the
black last year, in spite of significant increases in both its cost of
sales and administrative expenses reports insidethegames. The body,
which has faced severe financial pressures in recent years as the UK
prepares to host the 2012 Olympic Games, managed to make a pre-tax
profit for the year ended December 31, 2010 of exactly 379,664 dollar.

KLADNO (CZE):
Addition to TNT-Fortuna combined events meeting is that French junior
Kevin Mayer, Octathlon World Youth Champion in 2009 and Decathlon World
Junior Champion in 2010, improved French National Junior record (with
seniors hurdles & implements) with 7992. He added strong near 200
points to Ladji Doucouré’s previous mark (7794 in 2001). Interestingly,
his total is better than his National record for Junior Decathlon (7928
since last year at WJC in Moncton).
 
MOUNTAIN
VIEW (USA): The July edition of Track and Field News informs that 2009
World medalist in pole vault Chelsea Johnson retired at age of 27 due to
lack of enthusiasm. She competed last time in Australia in winter and
cleared 410 cm.

KINGSTON
(JAM):  Youth Olympic Games champion Odean Skeen and Jazeel Murphy,
winner of the 2011 Carifta Games Under-20 boys 100m, head Jamaica’s
World Youth team for Lille.
Three world
leaders Edwin Allen’s Christania Williams with 11.39secs at 100m, Vere
Tech’s Shericka Jackson’s 200m time of 23.32 and Holmwood Tech’s
Chris-Ann Gordon, who ran 51.62 to win the Class 2 400m at Champs, are
the top athletes on the female side.

MELBOURNE
(AUS): World indoor champion 2008 at 800 m Tamsyn Lewis who got married
recently would prefer to be known by her married name Tamsyn Manou.
 
ATLANTA
(USA): Doyle Management Group is excited to announce its first round of
collegiate signees. DMG will now represent hurdler Nia Ali of the
University of Southern California;  400m runner from US Virgin Islands
Tabarie Henry, sprinter Gerald Phiri of Zimbabwe and Jamaican
long/triple jumper Julian Reid of Texas A&M. DMG CEO Paul Doyle is
proud to be adding such a talented group of clients to his agency. “I’m
really excited about the quality of athletes and the quality of people
that we have signed. Our four signees epitomize the type of athlete
we’re looking for: hardworking, talented, good people.”

SEOUL (KOR): 
Agencies are informing that the head coach of South Korea’s marathon
team is being investigated for allegedly doping his athletes who include
an Asian Games gold medallist, police said on Friday. Coach Jeong
Man-Hwa has since April allegedly made his marathoners inject themselves
with illegal substances that increase red blood cells but are hard to
detect in drug tests, Yonhap news agency said. Among them is Ji
Young-Jun, who won the gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games last
November. According to the Korea Association of Athletics Federations
(KAAF), Jeong has told KAAF president Oh Dong-Jin that he is innocent,
Yonhap reported.

SAPPORO (JPN):
The elite field for the July 3 Sapporo International Half Marathon is
headlined by the 2010 World Half Marathon champion Florence Kiplagat of
Kenya and 2010 Asian Games men’s marathon gold medalist Youngjun Ji from
Korea. Defending champions Cyrus Njui and Yuri Kano with 2009 Sapporo
winner Gideon Ngatuny will also return. Informs Brett Larner on his
japanrunningnews blog.

PORT OF SPAIN
(TRI): In a press release on Friday the National Administration of
Athletic Associations of Trinidad & Tobago advised  “that the
Sagicor Open Championships 2011 due to take place on the 25th and 26th
June 2011 is postponed until further notice because of the inclement
weather that has affected the completion of the Hasely Crawford
Stadium.”

OLOMOUC (CZE):
Top names were announced for the Volkswagen Olomouc Half Marathon which
that takes on Saturday. In the men´s category, the expected favourite
is Eliud Kiptanui from Kenya who won last year´s Volkswagen Prague
Marathon, running his personal best time of 2:05:39 and creating a new
race record as well as one of the best times in the marathon distance
running history. In the women’s category, the city´s own athletic star,
Petra Kaminkova, has again confirmed her participation in this year´s
race and she is sure to be the number one Czech favourite. There are 4
women with sub-73:00 PB’s taking part in the race, including Kaminkova.

LONDON (GBR): Latest Pat Butcher´s blog at www.globerunner.org – Riot? What Riot?

STOCKHOLM
(SWE): Nordic Sport informs that the company became the official
supplier to European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

RESULTS

GOLD
COAST (AUS, Jun 17): Round 2 of the Gold Coast Winter Series has
delivered fast paced track results with local hero Sally Pearson sending
a commanding message to her international rivals in the women’s 100m
hurdles. She clocked her season best 12.74 (+1.1) before travelling next
week to Europe and compete first at Athletissima of Lausanne. It is
also the fastest legal time ever by an Australian on home soil. Pearson
also competed in the flat 100m dash, again improving on her national
title winning time to cross the line in 11.35 (w: +0.6). Meanwhile in
the men’s 100m, Matt Davies and world indoor championships long jump
bronze medallist Mitchell Watt both clocked 10.31 (w: +1.1). The time
elevates the duo to number one on the 2011 Australian rankings list, and
for Watt confirms his developing speed which on the international long
jump runway will prove vital. Davies also competed in the men’s 200m,
taking victory in a time of 20.79 (w: -0.9). Informs Athletics
Australia.
 
CHULA
VISTA (USA, Jun 16): Former pole vault world champion Brad Walker is
returning in right time into top shape with world leading 584 cm here.
Ian Waltz won men discus with 65.43 over Briton Carl Myerscough 65.04.
Also highly respectable 64.30 in women discus for Becky Breisch. Becky
Holliday cleared 455 in the pole vault. Windy long jumping saw Jarrod
Tobler 822 and Briana Glenn 700 cm. 

NAIROBI (KEN,
Jun 17): Guest runner Kenneth Kipkemoi convincingly won the 10,000m race
on the first day of this year’s Prisons Athletics championships at
Nyayo National Stadium after clocking a time of 28:06.6. Joseph Birech, a
former Fukuoka Cross Country champion, settled for second position in a
time of 28:42.2, while Bernard Rotich followed closely in 28:42.8. The
fourth place went to John Mwangangi, the Africa cross country champion
in 28:47.4, while Bernard Rotich was fifth in 28:56.0. In a slow 5000 m
race, Catherine Ndereba, who was expected to thrive, failed in the final
sprint as Jane Mwikali held out strong to clinch victory in 16:28.04,
with Alice Mogire taking second place in 16:36.23, while Ndereba was
third in 16:48.56. 

NOVI SAD (SRB, Jun 17): In test competition at Second League Slovak Jana Veldakova leaped to 650 in the long jump.

STOCKHOLM
(SWE, Jun 17): In pre-competition programme Great Britian clocked fast
38.72 at 4×100 m with Malcolm, Pickering, Ellington and
Akinees-Aryeetey. Second Russia 39.22 and third Czech Republic 39.45.

IZMIR (TUR, Jun 17): Swiss Reto Schenkel clocked fastest 100 m (10.51, +0.6) in the pre-programme at the First League. 

BENXI
(CHN, Jun 17): Chinese national GP walk meet saw 16-years old Liu Xu
achieving fast 42:50 in the women 10 km. Men 20 km winner was Cui Zhide
in 1:24:08.

BRESSANONE
(ITA, Jun 16): During Italian Junior championships excellent high jump
by Gianmarco Tamberi 225 cm. In the U23 competition Michele Tumi clocked
10.35 (-0.5) at the 100 m and Federico Tontodonati 41:35.65 in the 10
000 m walk. In the women U23 5000 m walk Eleonora Anna Giorgi got
22:41.60 over Antonella Palmisano 22:53.81.

WATFORD (GBR, Jun 15): U17 athlete Jessica Judd (born 1995) achieved fast 2:02.70 at BMC races meet.

LOHJA (FIN, Jun 16): Eemeli Salomäki cleared 560 in the pole vault at the meet here.

GREENSBORO
(USA, Jun 16): The 2011 New Balance Outdoor Nationals began with two
record-breaking races here in Greensboro, site of the 2011 USA high
school outdoor track and field championships. On the first day of
competition, the boys’ and girls’ 5000m races took center stage as the
only running finals contested on the blue track on the campus of North
Carolina A&T.  Edward Cheserek, a sophomore from Newark, N.J, led
the boys’ race wire-to-wire, breaking the two year-old meet record in
the process with 14:25.74. The girl’s 5000m was a tactical affair for
Wesley Frazier in 16:24.83.