by Larry Eder
FELIX TO DOUBLE
LOS ANGELES (USA): There are still some
major questions open before Daegu World Championships. For example in
which shape will return LaShawn Merritt or will Kenenisa Bekele finally
defend his title? But one question in that range is answered. Allyson
Felix has announced that she intends competing in both the 200 meters
and 400m in Daegu. The American star has courted the idea of doubling
for almost the entire year and having a wildcard entry to the 200 as the
defending champion where she will chase a fourth successive title, she
qualified for the 400 when winning at the US trials in June. Now Felix
who has two Samsung Diamond League 400 victories under her belt this
year is set to take on a challenge which will test her physical strength
to the limit. The 25-year-old’s biggest challengers over the one lap
distance are likely to be Anastasiya Kapachinskaya who went to the top
of the 2011 World rankings with her victory in the Russian Championships
last Friday and Amantle Montsho of Botswana, an undisputed leader in
the current Samsung Diamond League series. In special situation Felix
could be in position to attack four gold medals, in addition to
individual 200 m and 400 m also both relays.
L. MERRITT TO RETURN ON FRIDAY
STOCKHOLM
(SWE): World and olympic 400 m winner LaShawn Merritt will be back at
DN Galan Samsung Diamond League meet in Stockholm on Friday. His 21
months of ineligibility ends on July 27 and he will compete for first
time since Shanghai meet on Sep 20 in 2009. By the way he was unbeaten
in 2009 at the 400 m. His last loss goes back to Zurich meet on August
29, 2008. On Friday he will face a tough field headed by his main US
rival Jeremy Wariner, world leader Rondell Bartholomew of Grenada,
Jamaican record holder Jermaine Gonzalez, world indoor champion Chris
Brown of Bahamas, US hurdler Angelo Taylor and Belgian Jonathan Borlee
who over the weekend clocked sub 45 seconds at the national
championships. All events at Stockholm meet have excellent line-up.
Usain Bolt in his last test before Daegu at 200 m is expecting Caribbean
rivals, fellow Jamaicans Nickel Ashmeade, Marvin Anderson, Ainsley
Waugh with Trinidad´s Richard Thompson and Norway´s record holder
Jaisuma Saidy Ndure.
CONGRESS AND COUNCIL PLANS
CARLO (MON): The biggest sports event on the planet in 2011, the 13th
edition of the IAAF World Championships, Daegu, Korea takes place from
Saturday 27 August to Sunday 4 September, with over 200 teams and 2000
athletes from the IAAF’s national Member Federations taking part in nine
days of what will be exciting and entertaining competition. In the week
prior to the championships, the members of the present IAAF Council
meet for their last session (Mon 22) before elections for the executive
body take place on the first day of the 48th IAAF Congress (Wed 24/Thu
25; opening ceremony evening of Tue 23). Then, as is traditional on the
day prior (Fri 26) to the start of the World Championships, the new IAAF
Council meets the Executive Board of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC), with a joint press conference given by the Presidents
of the IAAF and IOC following that meeting. On Friday evening (26) the
Local Organising Committee of Daegu 2011 hosts a ‘Welcome Night’, in
Duryu Park, while on the following day the Official Opening Ceremony of
the IAAF World Championships takes place in Daegu Stadium, ahead of the
evening session of competition. A second IAAF Council meeting is held on
the morning of the last day of competition (Sun 4), while at the end of
the final session at the stadium there is an Official Closing Ceremony,
including the traditional handover of the IAAF flag to Moscow 2013, the
next hosts of the IAAF World Championships, which is followed by a
Final Banquet at the Athletes’ Village. Writes IAAF in its latest
Newsletter.
SEBRLE IN ALBI
ALBI
(FRA): Special guest at French Championships which will start on
Thursday will be Czech ecathlon world record holder Roman Sebrle. It
will be his last chance to attack the Daegu standard of 8000 points. “My
recent trainings were ok, I will try to do it,” said Sebrle who will
compete against reigning European Champion Romain Barras. Other home
stars competing will be Christophe Lemaitre in sprints, Renaud
Lavillenie in pole vault and Bob Tahri in the steeple. On the women side
Veronique Mang and Myriam Soumare in women sprints, Muriel Hurtis at
400 m, Hind Dehiba in the middle distances, Melanie Melfort in high
jump, olympic winner Francoise Mbango in the triple jump and long jumper
Eloyse Lesueur. Provisionally banned after their fight in Monaco are
running stars Mehdi Baala and Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad. Triple jump
world indoor record holder Teddy Tamgho already finished his season due
to ankle injury.
OTHER NEWS
BERLIN
(GER) : Over 2 million people watched the German national championships
on German television stations ARD and ZDF. On Saturday the ARD reached
2,27 million viewers, on Sunday 2,40 million viewers tuned in on ZDF. In
2010, 1,25 million people watched the event on television reportsleichtathletik.de.
LONDON (GBR) :
London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe claimed the success of the overseas
legacy program ‘International Inspiration’, which has involved top
athletes like Denise Lewis. The program has shown that they have kept
the promise it made to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when it
was awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Singapore more than six
years ago. The program has delivered on its promise a year earlier than
planned as International Inspiration has already achieved its vision of
reaching 12 million children in 20 countries reports Insidethegames.
LONDON (GBR):
Despite the prospect of a home Olympic Games next summer, a new study
has revealed that 64 per cent of British parents admit that so far the
Games have failed to fully ignite the imaginations of their children,
particularly their interest in athletics. Nearly two thirds of parents
say their children do not regularly participate in athletics at school
or outside school hours, according to the study by the official sponsors
of UK Athletics SPAR.
LONDON (GBR):
Phillips Idowu believes he could join compatriots Daley Thompson, Sally
Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards in the British Athletics Platinum club of
athletes that completed the clean sweep of Olympic, World, European and
Commonwealth gold medals and topped it all off with a world record.
Idowu added in an interview with The Mirror that he won’t visit the
Olympic Stadium prior to the Olympic Games for fear of burning out
‘mentally and emotionally’.
LONDON (GBR):
Defending Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu said not to be bothered by
being the face of the London Olympic Games. “What matters most to me is
that the Olympics are in my borough. It’s being held in the streets
where I grew up. I lived there long before we got the Games and I still
live there now. That’s why it doesn’t matter if I’m the public face of
the Games or not. It has a far more personal meaning to me.” she was
quoted in The Guardian.
OTTAWA (CAN):
Brunel University, one of the UK’s best universities for sport, will
serve as the location of Athletics Canada’s 2012 Paralympic Games
pre-Games training camp. An agreement with Brunel University has been
reached which will put the world-class sports facilities at the London
University at the disposal of the Canadian athletes in their final
preparations for London 2012. The Canadian coaching team will visit
Brunel University mid-October 2011 for a final planning visit and will
return with the athletes in May 2012 for their Simulation Camp and
Paralympic Test Event. The final pre-Games preparation camp will be
August 20 to 26, 2012.
TALLINN (EST):
At the end of the European junior championships in Tallinn, Italian
athletics federation (FIDAL) President Franco Arese invited the
international community to Rieti for the 2013 European junior
Championships and added that Rieti enthusiastically embraces the
challenge of hosting a successful championships.
LAUSANNE
(SUI): The man who flew to the top of the Bird’s Nest to light the
cauldron at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has become the latest Olympic
Movement benefactor. Six-time Olympic gymnastics medalist-turned
sporting goods entrepreneur, China’s Li Ning donated USD 1 million to
the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Li, who won three gold, two silver and a
bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was joined by Russian
pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell and
American triple jumper Christian Taylor, all part of the Li Ning stable.
Li said he was delighted that his company was the first Chinese sports
company to donate to the museum. Informs AIPS.
MONTE CARLO
(MON): IAAF recently ratified the women 20 km race walking world record
1:25:08 by Russian Vera Sokolova achieved at National Winter Walking
Championships on February 26 this year in Sochi. There are faster times
in the history and specially achieved in Russia, but this year
international judges were present and doping control was organised.
MONTE CARLO
(MON): In latest published changes of nationality Swiss long jumper
Gregory Bianchi (best 766 cm) is now representing Italy. He already
represented Italy at European U23 Championships in Ostrava. British
hurdler Mensah Elliott with 13.82 best from 2000 is now eligible to
compete for Gambia.
RESULTS
TRABZON
(TUR, Jul 26): During second day of athletics at European Youth Olympic
Festival German Daniel Kolsch won the 100 m in 10.66 (+1.7), Ukrainian
Ivan Horodyskyy the 3000 m (8:21.99) and Czech Dominik Kosar the discus
(56.04). In the girls events Briton Sophie Papps got the 100 m in 11.82
(+1.0), Russian Alena Kudashkina the 3000 m 9:18.46. In technical events
gold for Spain in the triple jump by Ana Peleteiro 13.17 (+1.4), French
Dior Delophont in the high jump 185, Italian Roberta Bruni in the pole
vault 410 and Greek Florentia Kalogeraki 48.31 in the discus.
PORT OF SPAIN
(TRI, Jul 23-24): National young star Jehue Gordon beat in solid 48.92
at 400 m hurdles the former star Felix Sanchez (49.75) during Hampton
International Games. Brendan Christian of Antigua won the 200 m in 20.73
ahead of home Rondell Sorrillo 20.76. During first day at Hasely
Crawford Stadium Aaron Armstrong won the 100 m in 10.13, in the second
section Jamaican Oshane Bailey got 10.18 ahead of Emmanuel Callender
10.19 . Jamaica’s Oral Thompson captured the men’s 400m title in 45.88.
US Natasha Hastings got the women 400 m in 51.64. Ginnie Crawford
achieved 12.91 at 100 m hurdles.
TORONTO (CAN,
Jul 24): Khamica Bingham established a new Canadian youth record in the
girl’s 100-meters at Athletics Ontario’s Bantam Midget Youth
Championship. Khamica won the race in 11.53 seconds surpassing the 2003
mark of 11.54 held by Jenni Hucul.
NERJA (ESP, Jul 23): Sweden´s Linus Thornblad cleared here 225 cm in the high jump.
LOS
CORRALES (ESP, Jul 25): Spanish high jump record holder Ruth Beitia
went over 195 cm here and tried at 197 cm. It is her season best.
CORRECTION
MIRAMAR
(USA, Jul 24): The correct name of Pan-Am Junior champs boys 10 000 m
walk winner is Eider Arevalo and he is not from Mexico but from
Colombia.
