by Larry Eder
Bolt confirmed by Croatians
ZAGREB (CRO): Mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandic, meeting director Ivana
Brkljacic and meeting manager Daniel Wessfeldt confirmed that Usain
Bolt will compete in the 100 m at the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb
on September 13 (IAAF World Challenge). It will be his first meet
after World Championships in Daegu. It is expected that the 8000
capacity of the stadium will be overbooked. The meeting budget is at
5,3 millions of Croatian Kuna (around 700 000 E). Informs Jutarnji list. Bolt is expected to arrive to Daegu on August 16.
Top athletes do not want to compete
PORT-OF-SPAIN (TRI): Double Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson
may not be allowed to skip Trinidad and Tobago’s National Championships
which serve as trials to pick the Twin Island Republic’s team for the
World Championships later this month. Thompson’s manager Emmanuel Hudson
told Track Alerts he contacted the NAAA seeking an exemption for the
defending double sprint champion but was informed that Thompson, who
will face strong competition in the men’s sprints, was mandated to take
part. World Championship 400m bronze medallist Renny Quow also tried
unsuccessful to get an exemption. In a Trinidad Express story, NAAA
president Ephraim Serrette was quoted as saying: “The executive met,”
Serrette explained, “and decided not to grant exemptions to Thompson and
Quow. Because of the large number of qualifiers in the 100, the
head-to-head meeting at the Championships will be used to decide on the
three.” The Championships were originally scheduled for June 24 to 26
but had to be postponed because of the incompletion of the relaying of
the track at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. Since then many athletes have
expressed their disappointment on the delay. The NAAA decided to hold
the meet on August 13 and 14. Female sprinter Kelly Ann Baptiste has
also pulled out of the event. Fellow World Championships bronze medalist
Josanne Lucas – who has not competed since sustaining an injury at the
Central American and Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico last month,
is likely to also miss the meet. Shot Putter Cleopatra Borel is the
latest withdrawal. The two time Commonwealth medalist told
Trackalerts.com on Tuesday, that she has opted not to participate,
choosing instead to rest after her fifth place outing in London and head
off to Daegu next week.
NYC Marathon debutant runners
NEW YORK (USA): The “Freshman Class of 2011”–Bobby Curtis, Ed Moran,
Lauren Fleshman, and Molly Pritz–will make their marathon debuts at the
ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, it was announced today
by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. Organizers
are informing in a release. This quartet of American standouts continues
a tradition set by compatriots Deena Kastor (2001), Meb Keflezighi
(2002), Marla Runyan (2002), Dathan Ritzenhein (2006), Kara Goucher
(2008), Jorge Torres (2009), and Shalane Flanagan (2010) of making their
marathon debuts on New York City streets.
Clitheroe for HM debut
NEWCASTLE (GBR): European Indoor 3000 m champion, Helen Clitheroe
believes her appearance in next month’s Bupa Great North Run could
signal the beginning of a serious road running career after the 2012
London Olympic Games. Clitheroe is having one of the best years of her
track career, highlighted by her European indoor gold medal in March and
at the weekend gaining the 5,000m qualifying standard for the IAAF
World Championships in Daegu, starting on 27 August. Now, on returning
from South Korea, the experienced British international and former
Commonwealth 1,500m bronze medallist will make her debut over the half
marathon distance in the Bupa Great North Run on Sunday 18 September.
Chemos thinks WR
NAIROBI (KEN): Steeple world leader Milcah Chemos arrived at the
training camp at Kasarani without an entourage, yet the World 3,000m
steeplechase bronze medallist had just written her name in the
discipline’s folklore as the first athlete to defend the Diamond League
race title.Chemos remained unbeaten in the 2011 season winning six out
of six races she competed in. All Chemos needs to do now is compete in
Brussels and irrespective of whether she finishes or not, the Diamond
trophy and $40,000 will be hers. “I am in good form and I have been
running well this season. But that does not mean that I will relax. In
this career, there is no complacency and you have no idea of what
newcomers can do,” she said. But there is one thing that Chemos is keen
to accomplish, if she has to become a legend. That is to set a new world
record. With a personal best time of 9:08.57, which she set in Berlin
in 2009 on her way to winning bronze, Chemos has never taken her feet
off the acceleration pedal and she believes that time is ripe to attain
that goal. “My next race in Europe will be in Brussels. That will come
after the World Championship and I have no pressure to do well in
Belgium. So I want to carry along my pace maker to the race and
hopefully, I will be able to attain my goal and break the world record,”
she said for Kenyan media.
DAEGU NEWS
US team
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): Eight reigning world champions will lead Team
USA into the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field
Championships. USA Track & Field on Wednesday announced its
roster for the 13th edition of the Championships. On the roster are
a total of 19 World Championships medalists and 16 Olympic
medalists. At the most recent 2009 World Outdoor Championships in
Berlin, Germany, Team USA won a total of 22 medals well ahead of
second place Jamaica (13). Of the 22 medals, 10 of them were gold
for Team USA, which was also ahead of second-place Jamaica (7). At
the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Team USA tied its own
record from 2005 by winning a total of 14 gold medals and equaled
the best ever for total medals won by an American team with 26. A
total of 66 men and 63 women find their names on this year’s team.
Named to Team USA’s relay pools for the men’s 4x100m were Walter
Dix, Justin Gatlin, Michael Rodgers, Trell Kimmons, Ivory Williams
and Travis Padgett and for the women’s 4x100m were Carmelita Jeter,
Marshavet Myers, Miki Barber, LaShaunte’a Moore, Alexandria Anderson
and Bianca Knight. Those named to the pool for the men’s 4x400m were
LaShawn Merritt, Tony McQuay, Greg Nixon, Jamaal Torrence, Michael
Berry and Miles Smith and for the women’s 4x400m were Sanya
Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory, Debbie Dunn,
Jessica Beard and Natasha Hastings. Athletes already on the Team USA
roster in other events also are eligible to compete in the relays.
Head coaches for Team USA at the 2011 World Championships are Connie
Price-Smith for the women and Vin Lananna for the men. Head managers
are Diane Wholey for the women and Ken Brauman for the men. The
events where US is not having three athletes are men´s 20 km walk
(only one) and 50 km walk (nobody), hammer (two), javelin (one). In
women events 20 km walk (one), high jump (two), triple jump (one),
javelin (two) and heptathlon (two).
Lemaitre without coach
PARIS (FRA): European sprint champion Christophe Lemaitre will be
without his coach Pierre Carraz in Daegu at the World Championships.
The fastest European sprinter is used to travel to events without
his coach. It is because of a bike fall.
Bailey no for Daegu
MONTREAL (CAN): Donovan Bailey, the 2-time Olympic, 3-time World
Champion and former 100m World Record holder underwent successful
Achilles tendon surgery last week on a injury to correct a 17cm tear
that he suffered in a car accident in September of last year . “I am
very happy with my doctors and my rehab team will have me back to my
old self as soon as humanly possible, it’s not a quick fix and it
will take some time.” Informs TrackAlerts. “I was really looking
forward to making the trip to Korea, I had a few appearances
scheduled with organizations, and was excited to sit track side and
watch the new generation of Canadians compete, I wish them all the
best, and want them to know that I will be watching from the comfort
of my home, as I have not been given medical clearance to make the
trip.”
Slovak team
BRATISLAVA (SVK): Slovakia is sending to Daegu 8 athletes. Among
them World Cup walking winner Matej Toth who is entered for both 20
km and 50 km, hammer European champion Libor Charfreitag, European
indoor bronze medal winner Dana Veldakova in triple jump and recent
DL third placer from London Lucia Klocova for 800 m. Also in the
team NCAA hammer star Marcel Lomnicky, two more walkers Anton Kucmin
for 20 km and Milos Batovsky for 50 km. The 8th member is female
walker Maria Czakova. Due to back injury missing is triple jump
record holder Dmitrij Valukevic and no one from long jump European
finalists Renata Medgyesova and Jana Veldakova achieved the
necessary standard.
Ireland team with Smyth
DUBLIN (IRL): Double Paralympic sprint champion Jason Smyth has
been named in the 17-strong Ireland team that will compete at the
World Athletics Championships in Daegu later this month. The
24-year-old visually-impaired sprinter from Derry in Northern
Ireland will compete in his specialist event – the 100 metres –
after he claimed victory over the distance at the Irish Nationals
this weekend with a relatively modest time of 10.52sec. It comes
after Smyth set a personal best of 10.22 in Florida earlier this
year and means that he is the second Paralympic athlete to qualify
for the able-bodied World Championships in South Korea after double
leg amputee Oscar Pistorius was named in the South African squad.
Informs insidethegames. Athletics Ireland has also named Olive
Loughnane, a silver medallist from Berlin 2009, as part of the team.
Robert Heffernan who had the qualification standard for both the 20k
and 50k walk has yet to decide on which event he will compete in the
Korean city. Derval O’Rourke will compete in the 100m hurdles after
securing her ninth national title in Santry clocking 13.24. The team
– men – 100 m: Smyth, 200 m: Hession, 1500 m: O´Lionaird, 5000 m:
Cragg, 20 km w: Heffernan, 50 km w: Heffernan, Griffin. Women – 400
m: Cuddihy, 100mH: O´Rourke, SC: Britton, O´Reilly, HJ: Ryan, PV:
Pena, 20 km w: Loughnane, 4×400 m: Cuddihy, Andrews-Heffernan,
Bergin, Carey, Barr.
Brazilian team
BRASILIA (BRA): Brazil has announced its team for the IAAF World
Championships in Daegu and will be represented by 14 male and 16 female
athletes. The team will be led by World Indoor Pole Vault champion
Fabiana Murer and Olympic Long Jump champion Maurren Maggi. New stars
are fresh South American record holder Ana Claudia Lemos in women
sprints and Bruno Lins in men´s sprints. The team – men – 100 m. Andre,
200 m: Lins, Viana, 4×100 m: added Cavalcanti, Moraes, 800 m: Davide,
Paes, F. da Silva, 400mH: Suguimati, PV: Gomes, TJ: Sabino, dec:
Alberto, 20kmw: Bonfim, Zimmermann. Women – 100 m and 200 m: Claudia,
4×100 m added R. Santos, Krasucki, Coelho, Gomes, 4×400 m: Coutinho,
Sousa, de Oliveira, dos Santos, 10 000 m: Alves, 400mH: de Lima (also
for 4×400 m), PV: Murer, LJ: Maggi, Costa, TJ: Costa, DT: Adriano,
Morais.
Cuban team
HAVANA (CUB): More than 30 athletes will represent Cuba World
Championships in Daegu. The national commissioner of the sport, Aurelio
Romero, announced that the Cuban delegation will be led by reigning
Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles and by world
champion Yargelis Savigne. The squad also includes world silver
medalists Guillermo Martinez, Leonel Suarez, Yarelis Barrios, and Mabel
Gay, as well as world bronze medalist Alexis Copello. Also in the team
will be Yoandri Betanzos, David Giralt, Yarianna Martinez and Dailenis
Alcantara (triple Jump), Lazaro Borges, Yarisley Silva and Daylis
Caballero (pole vault), Victor Moya (high Jump), Carlos Veliz, Misleydis
González and Mailin Vargas (shot put), Denia Caballero and Jorge
Fernandez (discus). In running events Michael Herrera (200), William
Collazo (400m), Omar Cisneros (400m Hurdles), Yordanis Garcia
(decathlon), Aime Martinez (400m, 4x400m), Daisuramy Bonne (4x400m),
Nelkis Casabona (100m-200m-4×400), Diosmelis Peña (4x400m), Susana
Clemens (4x400m), Yipsi Moreno (hammer) and Yanet Cruz (javelin).
Kenyan 800 m hopes
NAIROBI (KEN): Former world 800m champion Alfred Kirwa Yego has
predicted the Kenyans would dominate the men’s 800 metres at this
month’s World Athletics Championships in Daegu. The 24-year-old Yego,
who won a silver medal behind South Africa’s Mbulaeni Mulaudzi at the
last championships in Berlin, will line-up alongside world record holder
David Rudisha and Jackson Kivuva, the 2006 world junior 800m silver
medallist, in the race. “I believe the team is very strong. If we stay
focused together and go to Korea with one mind, I don’t see anything to
stop us. We feel very proud to have a world record holder amongst us,”
said Yego for supersport.com.
Serbian team
BEOGRAD (SRB): Serbia is sending three males and four females to Daegu.
Emir Bekric for 400 m hurdles, Asmir Kolasinac in shot put and Mihail
Dudas in decathlon. On the women side Ivana Spanovic for long jump,
Biljana Topic for triple jump, Dragana Tomasevic for discus and Tatjana
Jelaca for javelin.
Ticket questions
DAEGU (KOR): Joongangdaily website informs that three weeks before the
start of the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, predictions of low
attendance at athletic competitions have left the organizing committee
scrambling to fill seats and avoid embarrassment. While 85 percent of
tickets have been sold, the committee said 86 percent of them were group
purchases by corporations, civic groups and schools, which it fears
could decrease turnout as many of the purchased tickets were distributed
free or at a discount, providing less incentive to attend events. To
attract spectators, Daegu’s government and the organizing committee have
begun pulling out all the stops. The city government has begun sending
officials to organizations that purchased tickets in bulk to persuade
them to end their workday earlier and run their shuttles – normally for
employees to commute home – to the stadium instead. Daegu Metropolitan
City and the organizing committee also said they would offer various
discounts across the city in cooperation with local businesses such as
restaurants and KTX trains.
Korean team
SEOUL (KOR): Koreaherald.com informs that sprint hurdler Park Tae-kyung,
triple jumper Kim Deok-hyun and women’s pole vault Choi Yun-hee will
lead the Korean athletics team for the Daegu World Championships. Korea
Association of Athletics Federations named a 60-strong team for the
event. “The squad is well mixed with young potential talent and
well-experienced veteran athletes,” said Moon Bong-gi, head coach of the
Korean athletics team. Korea, as the host country, is allowed to send
one athlete into each event regardless of the entry standard.
Russia – Rybakov and Zagorniy out
MOSCOW (RUS): Two changes in Russian team for Daegu. High jump title
defender Yaroslav Rybakov will not compete because of an foot injury (he
got 220 on Tuesday in Tallinn) and world leader Aleksey Zagorniy in
hammer will not travel to Korea because of back problems. He was third
two years ago in Berlin.
Krantz ok
FRANKFURT (GER): German walking champion Sabine Krantz is allowed to
compete at World Championships. That was confirmed by IAAF General
Secretary Pierre Weiss. Her standard from German Championships in Erfurt
on June 11 was first not approved because the event was not among the
qualification competitions.
OTHER NEWS
KYIV (UKR): Ukrainian athletics federation banned for two years two
athletes who were positive at European U23 Championships in Ostrava. It
is sprinter Darya Pizhankova who won gold at 200 m and 4×100 m and
silver in the 100 m and Ulyana Lepska who was also part of the winning
4×100 m team. In samples of both stanozolol was found. The medals order
is changing in the 200 m gold for Anna Kielbasinska of Poland, silver
for Moa Hjelmer of Sweden and bronze for Dutch Marit Dopheide. In the
100 m German Leena Gunther will get silver and Poland´s Anna
Kielbasinska bronze. In the 4×100 m relay gold for Russia, silver for
France and bronze for Great Britain.
BRUSSELS (BEL): Belgian 1500m athlete Lindsey De Grande puts an
immediate end to the season after being diagnosed with chronic
Leukemia. The 22 year old managed 6th place at the European indoor
championships in Paris and improved on the national indoor record
with 4:09.18. The diagnose follows after a disappointing 9th place
at the European U23 championships in Ostrava in July.
LONDON (GBR): London 2012 have confirmed that, despite the riots
that have hit the capital, they are confident that the Olympic Games
will pass off safely. The Government vowed to review security plans
for next year as a third day of rioting forced the cancellation of
England’s football match against the Netherlands at Wembley Stadium,
which is one of the London 2012 venues and due to stage the finals
of the football. Widespread unrest across London and the inability
of police to deal swiftly with last night’s multiple outbreaks of
violence, have prompted questions over security plans for the
Olympics. Home Secretary Theresa May said officials would “look at
what is necessary” to ensure a trouble-free Olympics writes
Insidethegames.
MELBOURNE (AUS): Athletics Australia have agreed to a four-year deal
with Western Australian Government to host both the Perth Track
Classic and the Australian Junior Athletics Championships. The deal,
set in conjunction with Athletics Western Australia, will see the
Perth Track Classic hosted on 11 February next year, and then again
in 2013 and 2014. It also includes an unprecedented deal for the
grassroots of the sport, as it becomes the first state ever to offer
substantial financial support for the Australian Junior Athletics
Championships and supporting pathway (2013 and 2016) reports
Athletics Australia.
TULSA (USA): A plan for an Olympic Stadium so Tulsa can host the
2020 Olympic Games is among proposals put forward to redevelop the
west bank of Arkansas River in the city, even though the United
States Olympic Committee (USOC) has made it very clear that it is
unlikely to bid for the event. The Tulsa Games Committee is
proposing the site as part of the overall application for Tulsa in
its bid to be considered for the 2020 Olympics. The site would
include the Olympic Stadium and parking, an Olympic Park, Olympic
and Native American sports museum and large statue and a World Fit
Olympic and River Parks walking trail, reports Tulsa World.
WACO (USA): Trackandfieldnews.com informs that this isn’t how Jeremy Wariner envisioned spending his summer. He
expected to be competing in his fourth consecutive World
Championships 400 final on August 29 in Daegu. Instead, the 27-year-old Texan will be rehabbing his left knee
following surgery he expects to undergo this coming Monday. “It will
just be a clean out, like I had on the other knee in ’09,” says the
multiple honored 1-lapper. “I should be all healed up by the time I
start back training in October.”
RESULTS
LA ROCHE SUR YON (FRA, Aug 10): At National Meeting D2 Jamaican Remaldo
Rose clocked 10.33 (+0.3) in the 100 m. Yoann Decimus won the 400 m in
46.04 ahead of Teddy Venel 46.18. US Fred Townsend won the 110 m hurdles
in 13.48 (-0.5) ahead of Bano Traore 13.58. Romain Mesnil cleared 560
in the pole vault and Nicolas Gomont leaped to windy 806 (+3.4) and
legal 796 (+1.6) in the long jump. Adriana Lamalle got 13.01 (+0.1) at
100 m hurdles, Manuela Montebrun 68.81 in the hammer and Delphine
Atangana clocked 11.44 (0.0) in the 100 m for Cameroon.
NOTES
TALLIN (EST): Anna Iljustsenko is only 168 cm tall so she has now
cleared 28 centimetres above
her own head height with recent 196 NR. Italian Antonietta Di
Martino jumped 35 cm above her height with 204 Italian record during
last indoor season in Banska Bystrica what is women all-time world best.
ANKARA (TUR): It wasn’t a Turkish junior 400 m record for Mehmet Guzel but an
U23 record. He is 19, but turns 20 before the end of the year.
