by Larry Eder
CHERUIYOT
THINKS ROAD FOR FUTURE
NAIROBI
(KEN): Kenyan Sportswoman of the year world champion Vivian Cheruiyot revealed
that she sees her future in road racing. „The awards are very motivational and
if I stay in good health, I look forward to add on the Olympic gold
medal and the world record, then I will see whether to continue on track
or like Tergat or Haile Gebrselassie, move on to road running,” she said for
Kenyan media after getting the award. „It is great, Soya Awards have made me
happy. In Monaco I left so disappointed and I kept asking why they
did this to me,” said Cheruiyot.
CITY
OF OSTRAVA WITH BIG PLANS IN ATHLETICS
OSTRAVA
(CZE): Czech city of Ostrava continues in its effort to bring big international
athletics to the city. New website informing about its activity – not only in
connection with the bid for the Eropean Team Championships 2014 – is open at www.ostrava2014.com. Fifty
years of Ostrava Golden Spike meeting (IAAF World Challenge), IAAF World Youth
Championships 2007, European Athletics Under 23 Championships 2011 are the top
events in which Ostrava and the Czech Republic succeeded. And Ostrava wants to
carry on. Once the European Athletics Under 23 Chapionships was over the
organising team of this year event submitted its bid application form for the
European Team Championships 2014. The City of Ostrava, a well-known city
of sports, has countless years of experience when organising big sports – not
only athletics – events and it is ready to take up new challenges. Plans also
include ideas about staging World Junior Championships, IAAF Continental Cup or
even the European Championships 2020 (without walking and marathon). Golden
Spike meeting organisers are ready to become Samsung Diamond League event in
case such a possibility will open. Czech Minister for Education, Youth ans
Sports Josef Dobes recently sent a letter to IAAF President Lamine Diack
assuring him about financial guarantees for that level of one day meetings.
Ostrava meeting director, legendary javelin thrower and IOC Member Jan Zelezny
also gives his credit for this idea.
PHILLIPS
MOST PROBABLY NO FOR INDOORS
LOS
ANGELES (USA): Four time long jump world champion Dwight Phillips will most
probably skip the indoor season to concentrate on the summer. Confirmed his
agent Caroline Feith. He so far won „only” one olympic gold in 2004 and wants
to attack another one in London. He is not an frequent indoor jumper, since
2004 competed only once indoors in his special event. At the World Indoors he
made only one appearance, winning the gold in Birmingham 2003.
TOTH
THINKS ABOUT 50 K ONLY IN LONDON
BANSKA
BYSTRICA (SVK): Best Slovak walker and IAAF World Cup winner 2010 Matej Toth
changed his philosophy for 2012. He wants to compete at the London Games only
in one event and that should be the 50 km. Additionally it will be his first 50
k from now as he got the wild card from Slovak Athletics Federation and in
spring will compete only in shorter races. „I showed this year with 3:39:46
national record in Dudince that I m able to achieve a high quality
result. There is no need to prove that before the games. I want to show
something similar in London,” said Toth who in Daegu was 14th at 20 km and
unable to finish the 50 km due to an injury.
OTHER NEWS
BRUSSELS
(BEL): World 400m bronze medalist Kevin Borlée has received the award for
Belgian national sporting merit of the year. Borlée was awarded the prize out
of the hands of Prince Filip and told reporters he is very honoured to be
recognized for his world medal. Kevin’s sister Olivia Borlée previously won the
prize in 2007 according to Belgian media.
BERLIN
(GER): German former triple jumper Charles Friedek has won his case again the
German Olympic Committee. Friedek had sued the Olympic Committee as they had
refused to select him for the 2008 Olympic Games after he reached the
qualifying standard. He now demands 135.000 euro for lost income due to his
absence at the Olympic Games. The German Olympic Committee is appealing the
decision reports leichtathletik.de.
REHLINGEN
(GER): Ludwin Klein has ended his position as meeting director of the German
meeting Pfingstsportfest in Rehlingen. The 74-year old Klein is passing on his
position to Lutwin Jungmann, who announced to bring the meeting back as one of
the most attractive sportingevents in Saarland according to leichathletik.de.
KINGSTON
(JAM): Lissant Mitchell, CEO of Scotiabank Investments and Senior Vice
President of wealth management, Scotiabank Group, announced that his company
will be honouring the memory of the late JAAA President Howard Aris through
track & field scholarship. The Scholarship will be at a value of 500
000 Jamaican Dollars and „open to young students/athletes between the ages of
18-23 years old, attending the University of West Indies (UWI), University of
Technology (UTech) and the G.C. Foster College”.
LONDON
(GBR): Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012, has highlighted transport and
security issues as the two main concerns during the last few months of
preparation for next year’s Olympics and Paralympics. Speaking at the
announcement of the Laureus World Sports Awards 2012 shortlists, Coe stressed
that getting Games preparations right was in part a process that needed to
be made up as things went along writes Insidethegames.
BOLZANO
(ITA): More names confirmed for the BOclassic, the international New Year’s Eve
Run in Bolzano, Italy. The Ukrainian darling of the pubic Sergiy Lebid with
five wins here is again coming back. European Champion Arturo Casado is another
top name and for the women race Daegu fourth placer at the 1500 m Ibtissam
Lakhouad from Morocco is announced. With the two current World champions Imane
Merga and Vivian Cheruiyot, BOclassic’s 37th edition already earlier informed
about its top stars. The elite races (women 5 km, men 10 km) will start at 3 pm
and broadcasted by Rai Sport 1 (satellite) or internet www.raisport.rai.it.
TOKYO
(JPN): Hammer world champion Koji Murofushi was awarded the title Japanese
Athlete of the Year. The Excellence Awards went to female marathon runner
Yukiko Akaba and male walker Koichiro Morioka. Special Award went to
surprisingly improved marathon runner Yuki Kawauchi. The Rising Star Awards
went to 400 m hurdler Takayuki Kishimoto, female marathon runner Remi Nakazato
and 7th placer at World Championships marathon Hiroyuki Horibata.
TOKYO
(JPN): Ken Nakamura informs that 2004 Marathon Olympic winner Mizuki Noguchi,
who is preparing for Osaka Ladies Marathon (January 29), returned from Colorado
to Japan on December 14. She did two 40 km long runs and time for her 30 km was
similar to what she achieved before Tokyo Women’s marathon in 2007 (winner in
2:21:37). It is expected she will run All Japan Corporate team Women’s Ekiden
on Dec 18 and then return to high altitude training in Colorado on December 24
(will stay there until Jan 20).
CHISINAU
(MDA): At the annual meeting of the Moldova Athletics Federation hammer thrower
Zalina Marghieva and steeplechaser Ion Luchianov were named Athletes of the
Year 2011. Both were the 8th at the World Championsips in Daegu. Zalina also
won the World University Games in Shenzhen and the bronze at the European Cup
Winter Throwing. Soslan Marghiev was named the best coach. He’s the father and
coach of the Marghieva sisters, as well as of Serghei Marghiev who earned the
silver at European junior championship in Tallinn in hammer.
PEUERBACH
(AUT): New top name for Austrian end of the year race in Peuerbach is Kenyan
road world record holder Leonard Patrick Komon. With him confirmed also another
young Kenyan and 2008 world junior champion Josphat Bett who improved in Eugene
last summer to 26:48.99 at the 10 000 m. The course record 18:47 at 6.8 km by
Richard Limo will be in danger.
LAUSANNE
(SUI): The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the exclusive
terrestrial television, and non-exclusive radio and mobile platform broadcast
rights in Sub-Saharan Africa for the London 2012 Olympic Games to Octagon. IOC
President Jacques Rogge said, “We are delighted to have reached this agreement
with Octagon and look forward to working with them over the coming months to
ensure a comprehensive broadcast of the Games in the region.” Informs IOC.
RESULTS
STELLENBOSCH
(RSA, Dec 15): World junior champion 2010 Luvo Manyonga confirmed solid shape
at third meet of Yellow Pages Summer Series when he leaped to 807 (+1.4) in the
long jump. Also women winner Janice Josephs was good (652, -1.2). Multiple
hammer champion Chris Harmse achieved 71.69 m. Johan Cronje won the mile
(4:13.78). In the 300 m junior champion Wade Van Niekerk won in 33.32 ahead of
Shaun de Jager 33.64. In sprints a double for Brent Stevens with 6.77 at
60 m and 15.94 in the 150 m. Last meet of the series will be held on Saturday
in Parow.
CORRECTIONS
DOHA
(QAT, Dec 15): The mark of Tunisian Chaina Trabelsi winning the women 10 000 m
walk was not new national record. But it was new games record.
BARQUISIMETO
(VEN, Dec 14): Fast 200 m times were hand timed (20.4 Acevedo, 22.8 Soto) at
the National Games.
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