Dayron Robles, photo by PhotoRun.net

Dayron Robles will be running the World Indoor Champs in Istanbul, Turkey in March 2012, he announced earlier this week. We also noted that Steve Mullings, the Jamaican athlete, has been now banned for life. That is most unfortunate, but that, is also the rule of our sport.

A happy and belated 40th birthday to Nike shoe creative, Tony Bignell. Bigsey, as his friends call him, worked on Nike running, then Nike soccer (football), then lead Nike running,  and is now in the Innovation kitchen. A better man would be hard to find. Bigsey loves his friends, his family and his job. We wish him a relaxing break over his holiday and a happy, belated birthday. 

Runblogrun.com wants to wish all of our readers a Happy Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 24. It is my favorite holiday in the United States. For my family, it is the day when my five brothers and sisters, four grandchildren and mes parents spend the couple days around the holiday together.

I wanted to thank you all for reading Runblogrun and supporting the RunningNetwork. We feel fortunate to be able to chronicle the happenings, the events and the stars in our global sport. In the end, it is about running, jumping and throwing. Activities that give so many happiness. See you on the roads soon and on the track next spring!

ROBLES
FOR ISTANBUL

HAVANNA
(CUB): Hurdles world record holder Dayron Robles plans next winter to defend
his World Indoor title from Doha in March in Istanbul. The Cuban won his Pan-Am
gold in October and is now in good training for winter. Robles plans also full
indoor schedule with meeting appearances. His continental record at 60 m
Hurdles is 7.33 from 2008, just 0.03 shy of World Indoor Record of Colin
Jackson since 1994.

RUDISHA
WITHOUT CHANGES

NAIROBI
(KEN): World record holder at 800 m David Rudisha back from IAAF Gala started
his preparation for 2012. As usual he will pass the indoor season and wants to
begin as in last years in Australia with possibly two meetings appearances end
of February, early March. It is interesting to note, that the 2011 World
Champion never in his career competed indoors so far. In 2011 he won all his
races, lost only the last one in rainy Milano to young Ethiopian sensation
Mohamed Aman.

MULLINGS
AS EXPECTED

KINGSTON
(JAM): Verdict as expected. Jamaican Steve Mullings was handed a lifetime
ban by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) Disciplinary Panel. Informs
Trackalerts. After over an hour of listening to arguments from JADCO’s lawyer
Lackston Robinson–who pushed for a lifetime ban – and Mullings’ lawyer
Alando Terrelonge–who begged for mercy in terms of a sentence not
exceeding eight years – the panel of chairman, Lennox Gayle, Dr. Japheth Ford
and Peter Prendergast took a 10-minute break before reading its verdict.
Mullings tested positive for the masking agent furosemide, at Jamaica’s
National Senior Championships, in June of this year. It was disclosed that the
lab in Canada detected the masking agent in Mullings’ sample taken on the night
of June 24th.

POWELL
FOR INDOORS

ATLANTA
(USA): For first time since 2004 Jamaican sprinting hero Asafa Powell plans
indoor races. That was revealed by his management company Doyle Management via
twitter. It is not yet known in which races he will participate. But opens door
to interesting thoughts, that if in shape how fast he can go. In 2004 he
achieved 6.56 in the 60 m and later that year dipped for first time also under
10 seconds at the 100 m. Since then he grew to world medalist, world record
holder and relay world champion. He has the biggest number of legal sub 10
marks ever. The world indoor record 6.39 by Maurice Greene (1998 and 2001)
could be in danger. For example during the 100 m World Championships 2009 final
in Berlin he was timed at 60 m exactly with 6.39. Tyson Gay had the same 6.39
and Usain Bolt impressive 6.31.

MEDVEDEV
AWARDS DIACK

MOSCOW
(RUS): Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev presented state awards for the
development of cooperation in sports. Among the recipients was also IAAF
President Lamine Diack. On Tuesday in his residence Gorki-9 other top sports
personalities were awarded. IOC President Jacques Rogge and other heads of
international federations. In attendance also head of Russian Athletics
federation Valentin Balakhnichev and 800 m World champion Mariya Savinova.
Informs Rusathletics.com.

OTHER NEWS

GLASGOW (GBR):
Guardian writes that Liz McColgan, winner of the 1988 Olympic 10,000m silver
medal and the 1996 London Marathon and also 1991 World Champion at 10 000 m,
was found on Monday not guilty of assaulting her estranged husband at the
family home. The 47-year-old Scot said she was glad the „judge saw sense today”
after she was cleared of the alleged attack on her husband, Peter McColgan, in
July 2011.

LONDON
(GBR): David Howman, the director general of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),
has hit out at British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Colin Moynihan,
saying that it is disappointing when someone of his stature makes such
misguided accusations. In a highly controversial speech at the
International Federations Forum in Lausanne last week, Moynihan attacked WADA,
saying the organisation was „toothless” and calling on them to adopt the BOA’s
draconian bylaw which prevents athletes found guilty of a doping violation
from representing Team GB in the Games. Tensions between the two were
aggravated further when WADA declared the BOA „non-compliant” with its global
code at their Foundation Board meeting in Montreal due to the BOA bylaw that
prevents drugs cheats from representing Team GB at the Olympics.

PARIS
(FRA): Fastest European sprinter Christophe Lemaitre signed with new sponsor
Societe des eaux minerales Aix-les-Bains, the local mineral water producer. The
double world medalist from Daegu will work with the company until 2016 Rio
Games. Another long term partner for Lemaitre is Asics.

BEIJING
(CHN): China won in Daegu the first throwing world gold medal since 1993 in
Stuttgart. Li Yanfeng was the best women discus thrower. She admitted it is
also due to the excellent cooperation with German coach Karlheinz Steinmetz. „He
is one of the best discus coaches in the world,” she said about Steinmetz who
formerly guided Lars Riedel to five world titles and a olympic win.
Steinmetz was already 2007 in the position to be the top discus coach in China
but needed to return to Europe for a surgery. He will spend Christmas at
home and then again back to China. His group plans also training camps in
Portugal in spring and competitions end of May in Europe, specially in Germany.
Informs Gustav Schwenk.

CHIBA
(JPN): The 2011 International Chiba Ekiden will have on Wednesday twelve teams
from ten countries competing. At six stages marathon course Kenya has for
example Thomas Longosiwa and Janeth Kisa as their runners. Russia hopes are
connected with Rybakov twins, Natalya Popkova and Yelena Zadorozhnaya. In
Australian team strong women Georgie Clarke and Lisa Corrigan. In US team
Robert Cheseret, Emily Brown and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom. Also running from
overseas Canada, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland and Romania. Home
favorites are Japanese University select and Japan national team. Informs Brett
Larner.