by Larry EderCongrats to Sergey Bubka for becoming the first Ukranian athlete to win the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of 4th grade. It essentially makes him a Hero of the Ukraine..tremendous performances at the Nike NXN today, now in its eighth year. USATF convention continued, with much ado about something in AAC meeting.
Sergey Bubka, photo by PhotoRun.net
TOP AWARD FOR BUBKA
KYIV
(UKR): Legendary pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, President of the NOC of
Ukraine, was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of 4th grade.
The award was conferred on him by the President of Ukraine Viktor
Yanukovych in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of referendum on the
Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine which took place on
December 1st, 1991. The Act was supported by 90% of Ukrainians. The
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise is awarded for distinguished services
to the state and the Ukrainian nation. Akihito, Emperor of Japan, Shimon
Peres, President of Israel, and Jacques Chirac, ex-President of France,
are all among the few who received this Order. In 2001 Sergey Bubka
became the first Ukrainian athlete to receive the highest state award of
Ukraine – «Hero of Ukraine».
LAST FOUR WORLD CHAMPIONS COMPETING
NORDHAUSEN
(GER): The top shot put indoor meet in Nordhausen (January 20)
presented the international field of four throwers for the 12th edition.
It is composed by World Champions Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and
Adam Nelson along with Olympic winner Tomasz Majewski. Along with home
throwers current world champion David Storl, former European gold
medalist Ralf Bartels and Marco Schmidt it is the best field ever for
the german fixture. David Storl promoted this week the event directly in
Nordhausen where he on the square was throwing over four cars. In women
competition Germans Nadine Kleinert, Christina Schwanitz, Josephine
Terlecki against Italian Chiara Rosa and Dutch Melissa Boekelmann.
EJAFFINI THE HEADLINER
ROMA
(ITA): Italy will send 21 runners to the SPAR European Cross Country
Championships in Velenje, Slovenia, on 11 December with Nadia Ejjafini
their big hope for a medal in the senior women’s race.m In the senior
men’s team is Gabriele De Nard who has competed in 14 previous
Championships, making him the second most prolific racer in the history
of the event behind only Sergey Lebid. Also in the senior men’s team for
the Azzurri is Ruggero Pertile, one of Europe’s top marathon runners
who was voted as the European Athlete of the Month for November 2010.
Italy is sending four full teams (men, men U23, junior men and senior
women).
COLD WEATHER EXPECTED
LAS
VEGAS (USA): With their early morning starts, runners competing in the
big marathons in Chicago and New York know that they can wear extra
clothes in the early miles, then shed them as the day warms up. But
competitors in Sunday’s Zappos.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & 1/2
Marathon here will face the opposite challenge: falling temperatures and
a lack of warming sunshine after they start in the late afternoon and
run into the night. According to various weather forecasting services,
the high temperature for Sunday here of 52°F (11°C) will come at about
3:00 p.m. One hour later, when the marathoners set off on The Strip in
front of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, the temperature will already be down to
49°F (9°C), and by 5:30 p.m. when the half-marathoners start it will be
closer to 45°F (7°C). When the first marathoner finishes, it will be
down to 44°F, and when the last marathoners come in at 10:00 p.m. it
will be a chilly 39°F (4°C). Race officials will definitely be on the
lookout for athletes suffering from hypothermia, and said here today
that they are ready. Informs Race Results Weekly.
SCIENCE NOT ENOUGH
LONDON
(GBR): Insidetghegames writes that science alone is no longer enough to
catch all drug cheats, a leading figure in the fight against doping in
sport has admitted. In a sobering resume of the balance of forces in
this high-profile battle in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games,
David Howman, director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
told the Partnership for Clean Competition Conference in New York: “We
all should know by now that the fight against doping in sport has
reached the stage where science alone will not eradicate cheating or
often even detect it. Sample collection and analysis is getting more
expensive. The rules appear to some to be getting more complicated.
Laboratory directors and scientists in general continue to be
conservative. Indeed, it may be suggested that some err in favour of not
returning adverse results for fear of the legal process and the time
required to give evidence under attack.” The sport industry, he said,
was now estimated to be a $800 billion (£510 billion/€594 billion) a
year business. “Analytical findings suggest about 1-2 per cent, but
recent studies suggest double digits,” he said. To deal with the current
situation, Howman argued, investigations needed to form “an integral
part” of any effective anti-doping programme. He disclosed that a new
document had now been sent to all anti-doping organisations worldwide
including “good, practical, sensible suggestions” on how to go about
working with law enforcement, customs, immigration and other officials
“in order to properly and appropriately share information”.
RACERS BANQUET
KINGSTON
(JAM): Racers Track Club will launch their first Inaugural Fundraising
and Awards Banquet, on Tuesday December 6, 2011, at the Spanish Court
Hotel in Kingston, at 10:00 am. In what could well turn out to be a star
studded affair, this ground breaking venture seems befitting to the
highly successful Racers outfit, who spearheaded by sprint top coach
Glen Mills, over the last few years rewrote the manuals on sprinting.
Expected to be among the awardees, are sprint sensations Usain Bolt and
Yohan Blake. In another informations from Jamaica by Trackalerts Yohan
Blake and Usain Bolt looks to be the top candidates for Jamaican Athlete
of the Year awards. Female top candidate is 200 m world champion
Veronica Campbell-Brown. The annual Golden Cleats Awards, at the Terra
Nova Hotel, will be held next Friday, Dec. 9.
DEBA FOR BOSTON
BOSTON
(USA): Universalsports.com informs that after narrowly missing out on
victory in the ING New York City marathon in November, Ethiopian
Buzunesh Deba will run the Boston marathon in April. Deba finished the
New York marathon in 2:23:19, four seconds behind the winner and her
compatriot Ethiopian Firehiwot Dado, and ahead of London champion Mary
Keitany of Kenya. A resident of the Bronx borough of New York and the
fastest female marathoner ever from the city, Deba prepared for the race
in her home turf, but she will temporarily flee the Northeast winter to
train for Boston in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
PEARSON AMONG NOMINEES
MELBOURNE (AUS): Smh.com.au informs
that The Sports Performer Awards, presented by the The Sydney Morning
Herald and The Age , recognising outstanding achievements in the year of
Australian sport is having as one of the nominees also 100 m hurdles
world champion and IAAF AOY Sally Pearson.
DATE FOR KENYAN SOYA CHANGED
NAIROBI
(KEN): The dates for the Kenya Sports Personality of the Year Awards
(SOYA) have been changed from December 9th to 14 in Nairobi. The other
changes in the gala night that fetes sports personalities is that it
will not be held at the traditional Kenyatta International Conference
Centre instead it has been switched to the historical site of Arboretum
Forest. SOYA has attracted guests who are internationally renowned
personalities and they include former Nigeria football international
Taribo West, former world marathon record holder Haile Gebreselasie,
Olympic 10,000m and 5,000m champion and six time world cross country
champion Kenenisa Bekele both from Ethiopia, former France football
national team player Marcel Dessaily among others. Soya patron former
marathon record holder Paul Tergat said they were forced to change the
dates owing to some of the invited guests will committed elsewhere on
that particular date to be unavailable. Kenyan media are informing.
USATF CONVENTION
ST.
LOUIS (USA): Runblogrun.com writes about second day of USATF
convention. The highlight was the AAC meeting where uniforms and logos
were discussed. Credit should be given to Jon Drummond and Benita
Fitzgerald Mosley for organizing the meeting. Credit should also be
given to manufacterer reps from Nike ( John Capriotti), Saucony (Mark
Bossardet), Reebok (Patrick Joyce), adidas (Spencer Nel), meet
management (Ian Stewart), marketing (Rich Kenah), IAAF (Bob Hersh) and
Mike McNees from USATF. Max Siegel provided some strong observations.
Credit Stephanie Hightower for stepping in and keeping the meeting in
perspective. The information provided was like a Marketing 101 master’s
class in real live, day to day brand marketing. President Hightower said
it best, take the time to understand each other.
RESULTS
LAWRENCE
(USA, Dec 2): US 13.13 hurdler Dexter Faulk is already fast during the
first indoor weekend in USA. At Bob Timmons Challenge he clocked 7.64 at
60 m Hurdles.
JONESBORO
(USA, Dec 2): Fourth placer from last World Indoors in Doha Trell
Kimmons achieved at 55 m at Kick-Off Classic meet here 6.31 win (he was
also third in the 200 m 22.24). Kimmons was also part of US relay team
in Daegu. Sharika Nelvis of home team was solid sprint/hurdles winner
with 6.87 at 55 m and 7.88 at 55 m hurdles.
NYAHURURU
(KEN, Dec 3): The fifth NBK/AK National Cross Country series meeting in
Nyahururu served up new winners in the four categories after some of
the expected top contenders failed to show-up, some no doubt put off by
the soggy under foot conditions. Informs IAAF. Paul Lonyangata won the
men´s 12 km in 36:47 ahead of Linus Chumba (36:52) and Caleb Mwangangi
(37:10). Margaret Wangari was the best in women 8 km (27:43) clearly
over Fridah Chelangat (28:04) and Veronica Nyaruai (28:19). Junior
winners were Justin Cheruiyot (8 km, 24:06) and Mercy Kibowen (20:37, 6
km).
ARANDA
DE DUERO (ESP, Dec 3): Eritrean Adhanom Habraha (26:42 at 9.985 km) and
Ugandan Rebecca Cheptegei (19:09 at 6.105 km) were the winners at the
Cross de la Constitución de Aranda de Duero. Second was another Eritrean
Kiflom Sium with four seconds behind (26:46).
CORRECTION
SOFIA
(BUL): Hammer thrower Viktor Apostolov who died at age of 49 this week
was not Balkan champion 1990. He finished first but was then
disqualified for a positive drug test, the title going to his fellow
Bulgarian Ivan Tanev.
