by Larry Eder
Imane Merga, Edwin Soi (center), Vincent Chepkock, 2012 Campaccio XC, photo by PhotoRun.net
Imane Merga, Vincent Chepkok, Edwin Soi, 2012 Campaccio XC, photo by PhotoRun.net
Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, has suggest Nawal El Moutawakel, 1984 Olympic 400m hurdles champion, as candidate to succeed him in 2015. President Diack would love my favorite historical figure, Cardinal Richelieu, who was supreme at confusing adversaries and muddying up the electoral waters, so to speak. Will the number of candidates for the IAAF Presidential race for 2015 rival the number of Republican candidates
fighting for the 2012 Republican nomination for President in the U.S.? Only time will tell.
So, 2012 is off to a fine start, which will also have bumps and surprises, even without the suggestions by the Mayans that the world shall end in March 2012. Sure hope it is after the World Indoors, I am looking so forward to Istanbul, Turkey.
One week now, until the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials for the Marathon, to be held in Houston, Texas, on January 14, 2012.
RBR sees a battle between Desi Davila and Shalane Flanagan on the women’s side. The battle for third position is wide open on the women’s side. On the men’s, it is Ryan Halls’ race to win or lose. Meb Keflizighi is healthy, perhaps a bit under trained, as sounds Dathan Ritzenhein. The question mark is Galen Rupp, who is on the starting list to race his first marathon. And as always, there will be a couple of huge surprises, men or women who have been training away, somewhere, in Colorado, or California, or perhaps, Minnesota, who will give journalists something to wax poetically about for weeks to come……
Sally Pearson, Lamine Diack, Usain Bolt, photo by PhotoRun.net
DIACK
SUGGESTS EL MOUTAWAKEL
DAKAR
(SEN): IAAF President Lamine Diack speaking to media in Senegal suggested that
in the elections at the 2015 IAAF Congress also Moroccan former 400 m hurdles
olympic winner Nawal El Moutawakel should be considered as a candidate to
follow him. She is IAAF Council member and also IOC Executive Committee member
and chair of the Rio de Janeiro Coordination Commission. Diack also revealed
more details and informations about the IAAF Centenary Celebrations through the
2012.
SOI
AND CHERONO
SAN
GIORGIO (ITA, Jan 6): Kenyan wins were registered at the 55th Campaccio
International Cross Country (IAAF CC Permit for first time). Edwin Soi won
after Bolzano also here at the 10 km in 29:13 in close finish ahead of world
medalist Vincent Chepkok 29:13 and so far not very highly profiled Kinde
Athanaw of Ethiopia 29:14. Only fourth World Champion Imane Merga 29:18. Best
European was home Stefano La Rosa as 7th (30:08), European CC medalist Jose
Rocha of Portugal was 11th (30:45). World junior champion 2010 Mercy Cherono
won the women 6 km clearly in 19:26. World medalist Sylvia Kibet was second
(19:47) ahead of another new Ethiopian sensation Afera Godfay (19:49). Fourth
best European Binnaz Uslu of Turkey (20:09). Top Italian Silvia Weissteiner was
6th (20:18).
BOLSHOVA
4746 PENTATHLON
ST.
PETERBURG (RUS, Jan 5): Superb improvement for the 23 years old Yekaterina
Bolshova in indoor pentathlon. She scored high quality 4746 points personal
best after clocking 8.47 in the hurdles, jumping excellent 188, 13.40 in the
shot put, 632 in long jump and good 2:11.74 in the final 800 m. Her previous
indoor best was 4356 points from 2010 and outdoor heptathlon best is 5738. She
might be one to watch for the summer. World Champion Tatyana Chernova is the
invited qualifier for Istanbul, but based on 2012 marks Bolshova has the chance
to be the second Russian in the field.
OTHER NEWS
AMSTERDAM
(NED) : Former European indoor 60 m hurdles silver medalist Marcel Van der
Westen has changed his coaching situation to prepare for the London Olympic
Games. Van der Westen has returned to his former coach, 66-year old Ineke
Bonsen. His coach Lieve Van Mechelen will continue to make his training program
while Bonsen will overlook the day to day training. Van der Westen is confident
he could perform well at the European championships in Helsinki and hopes to
compete in London too reports losseveter.nl.
BERLIN
(GER): German decathlete Pascal Behrenbruch told leichtathletik.de about his
new life and training under Erki Nool. Behrenbruch made the switch from his
long time coach to Nool and now trains and lives in Estonia, admitting that it
is a lonely life. The 26-years old is focusing more on his jumping events
and is happy with the way his training is progressing. Behrenbruch is now
leaving for a training camp to South Africa.
KINGSTON
(JAM): Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said Jamaican athletes
present „a unique opportunity” for the nation to work together as one people.
In her inaugural address Thursday afternoon as Prime Minister of Jamaica,
Simpson Miller said it is time to take „advantage of the prospects that will
emerge.” Among guests at the inauguration also Jamaican born 1996 100 m olympic
winner Donovan Bailey.
NEW YORK
(USA): The ING New York City Marathon will be broadcast live and across the
nation for the first time in nearly two decades. The deal is a result of
the most significant feature of a new television deal that is expected to
be announced by New York Road Runners as soon as Friday. As part of a five-year
deal, the race will be carried for three and a half hours on ESPN2, which
reaches nearly every household with cable or satellite television, and for five
hours on WABC, ABC’s affiliate in the New York area. WABC will also broadcast
the marathon’s opening ceremony and a half-hour preview show the night
before the race. The NYC Half Marathon in March and the Fifth Avenue Mile may
also be televised writes The NY Times.
NAIROBI
(KEN): The proposal by a senior Kenya Revenue Authority that athletes
agents should pay taxes locally elicited rage and excitement from the sporting
world. Italian agent Gianni Demadona threatened to close down his training camp
in Eldoret, saying it did not make sense because he paid his taxes in his home
country and did not see the need of paying taxes here. Other top managers have
not reacted despite being sent questions writes The Standard.
LONDON
(GBR): Olympic organisers have set out social media rules for the 70,000 Games
Maker volunteers, including a ban on pictures or posts featuring backstage
VIPs. The rules, set out in a document in the Games Makers’ area of Locog’s
website, say social media at London 2012 is managed by its communications team
and it asks people not to mention details about their role, location or about
athletes, celebrities and dignitaries according to the BBC.
KINGSTON
(JAM): Lerone Clarke, the 2011 Pan-American Games 100m Gold Medalist has
decided on his opener to the 2012 season that will see him look to qualify and
contend for a medal at the World Indoor Championships later in March.
Clarke, who ran 10.01 at the Pan-American Games in October and beat Caribbean
rival Kim Collins, is looking forward to racing Kim along with many of the
other top 60m runners in the world in the 2012 season. „An invite was extended
to me to run at the Tyson Invitational and I kindly accepted it, having
run late into October I was looking for an opener mid February and this
fit the schedule perfectly” Clarke said in an interview via Skype with
Trackalerts.com Clarke, in 2011 ran a great indoor season and set a personal
best of 6.52 at the BW Bank meeting in Karlshrue in Germany accounting for the
2nd fastest time in the world, something he looks to build on in 2012. Tyson
Invitational will be held on Feb 10-11.
HOUSTON
(USA): From now until the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials are contested in Houston
one week from Saturday, Meb Keflezighi’s main priority is to relax and stay
healthy. The 36-year-old father of three is focused on finishing on the podium
and booking a ticket to his third Olympic Games. „Vacation starts January
15th,” joked Keflezighi in a conference call from his home in Mammoth
Lakes, Calif., where he has been training at altitude. Spending time with
daughters Sara, Fiyori and Yohana, Keflizighi is in the taper phase of
training, with the majority of work already having been completed in
preparation for the January 14th race. But when Keflezighi, who has run in two
Olympic Trials Marathons before, takes to the streets of Houston, he will have
completed an up and down journey since his last marathon–a sixth place
finish at the ING New York City Marathon on November 6th. Informs RRW.
LONDON
(GBR): Sportcal informs that IAAF Marketing Director Luis Carulla will leave
the post on March 31 this year.
STOCKHOLM
(SWE): Friidrott.se published top ten Swedish Athletes of 2011. The number one
position went to triple jumper Christian Olsson. Second is marathon record
holder Isabellah Andersson and third Carolina Kluft. Next following Emma Green
Tregaro ahead of Ebba Jungmark (both high jump) and heptathlete Jessica
Samuelsson. Top ten is completed by Michel Torneus, Angelica Bengtsson, Moa
Hjelmer and Leif Arrhenius.
NEW YORK
(USA): More names were announced for the 50 m field at US Open meet in Madison
Square Garden on January 28. Also running will be US Trell Kimmons and Antiguan
record holder in the 100 m and Glen Mills coached athlete Daniel Bailey. He is
the national record holder of Antigua at the 60 m too, clocked already three
times in his career 6.54 at this distance. At 50 m he may achieve another
Antiguan national record. Already earlier the participation of Asafa Powell,
Justin Gatlin and Richard Thompson was confirmed. Here the Trinidad national
mark is good quality 5.64 by Ato Boldon in 2000.
RESULTS
ST.
PETERBURG (RUS, Dec 29): In an earlier competition Svetlana Pospelova clocked
38.35 in the 300 m and Artur Burtsev won the unusual indoor 10 000 m in
30:12.49.
ESSING
(GER, Jan 6): Slovak Peter Horak won for the fourth time the high jump indoor meet
in Essing. He cleared in first attempt 223 and tried twice at 226 and once at
228 cm.
MIYAZAKI
(JPN, Jan 5): At First Sea Gaia Cup Himuka Ladies Trial Yoko Miyauchi won the
10 000 m in 32:49.20.
SYDNEY
(AUS, Dec 30): Emanuele Fuamatu achieved new Samoan shot put record with solid
19.40 m.
CHELYABINSK
(RUS, Jan 6): Walking indoor Rodionova Memorial winners were Aleksandr Ivanov
(19:35.0) and Lina Bikulova (22:11.1) in the 5000 m races. Also to note the
13:02.52 in girls 3000 m walk by 15 years old Olga Sargina.
PERTH
(AUS, Jan 6): At Strive Interclub meet Ben Offereins clocked 46.20 in the 400
m. In the pole vault Liz Parnov and Alana Boyd cleared 430 cm. In men´s
competition Matt Boyd went over 510 and Steve Hooker is listed in the results
with 440 as second.
SAN
SEBASTIAN (ESP, Jan 6): Moroccans won the 82nd Cross Internacional de Reyes.
Abdellah Taghrafet was the best male runner at the 10 km (29:32) and Malika
Asahsah the best woman (33:01).
HAPPY NEWS
MOSCOW
(RUS): Hurdler Natalya Ivanova (54.36 in 2007) at age of 30 gave birth to a daughter
(3.95 kg, 54 cm). She was double finalist at European Championships (2006 and
2010) in the 400 m hurdles and gold medalist in the relay in Goteborg.
PRAGUE
(CZE): Top Czech high jumper Iva Strakova (31, 195 outdoors, 198 indoors) is
happy mother since December 19 when her son David was born. She is not yet
thinking about a come-back into the jumping arenas.
SAD NEWS
PRAGUE
(CZE): At age of 87 died Czech official Emanuel Bosak author of many athletics
publications. In 1952-1970 he was member of IAAF European Commission and in
1968-1972 the last Czech so far in the IAAF Council. In 1967-1970 Bosak headed
the Czecho-Slovak sports organisation. When in this post the bid of Prague to
stage Olympic Games in 1980 was prepared but later cancelled due to pro-Soviet
views and after 1968 normalisation process.
