by Larry Eder
Dayron Robles, the current world record holder at 110 meter hurdles, said to RBR, ” My training is going well and I want to run as fast as I can right now.” His emphasis was on the word, “rapido”. Watch for Robles to put a time out there to wake up the hurdling community.
Asafa Powell noted that he had not run 60 meters since 2004 and looked forward to racing well. ” I want to run 6.51 or better.” That is quite fast. For Powell, the race is a blur, as such a short sprint is based on his start.
Liu Xiang of China, the former 110m hurdle WR holder and 2011 WC silver medalist, noted that he does not look back, on 2008, but only ahead. He did admit that 2011 WC race, where he took the silver, was a bit of a surprise.
And then, Holly Bleasdale,the British pole vaulter, who jumped the third highest EVER indoors, and number two vault for 2012, of 4.87m. Holly is very new to the media game, but was a brilliant interview. She loves the sport and is enjoying the scene so far. Sergey Bubka, the greatest male vaulter of all time, noted that she is in the medal hunt for London. Her vaulting is going well and she should have an easy pb for jumping in Birmingham, as her former best there was several years ago at 3.60meters. ” I am trying to get used to jumping on longer poles.”
And then, there is Mo Farah. The guy is so on right now, it is not funny. First, he stumbles and looses the pack in the mile in Boston and he not only catches the field, but finishes third and with a PB in the mile. He then runs 4 miles at tempo of 4.43 per mile and finishes that with a distance session. He is aiming for John Maycock’s British two mile record of 8:17, but do not be surprised if he takes down the 8:13.2 of Emiel Puttemann, who ran that back in 1973-it was, and is still, the European indoor record. Mo asked how fast that was, and I told him ” 4:06 miles” Should have said two 3:48 1,500 meters back to back!
In any case, RBR will be covering the meet from the National stadium on Saturday ( 4 am Pacific time, 6am Central and 5 am Eastern time). Watch, read, listen.
POWELL TARGETS NEW PERSONAL BEST AT AVIVA GRAND PRIX
Liu Xiang & Dayron Robles, 2012 Aviva press conference 2, photos courtesy Aviva
Asafa
Powell intends to smash his personal best and put in a world-leading
performance in tomorrow’s 60m sprint at the Aviva Grand Prix in
Birmingham – the world’s premier
annual indoor athletics event.
Having
never competed indoors in the UK and nowhere globally since 2004 prior
to this year, the former World Record holder has chosen the Aviva Grand
Prix, and more specifically
the National Indoor Arena, to hone preparations for Olympic gold.
Powell,
who will be based in Birmingham with the Jamaican team in the lead-up
to this summer’s Olympics Games, remains supremely confident of
producing a show-stopping performance.
He
intends to better his indoor personal best of 6.56 secs and Lerone
Clarke’s world leading 6.50 secs in tomorrow’s 60m against a world-class
field including World outdoor
bronze medallist Kim Collin.s
Powell
said: “I’m not going to say ‘if’ I do well tomorrow – I really think
I’m going to do well tomorrow. I’m very confident. I’m looking to go
below 6.50 seconds. Lerone
[Clarke] is here, as is Nesta Carter and Michael Frater as well, so
there is some really good competition. I’m just trying to get over the
line and get the win. A good time is overdue.
“My
coach and I really wanted to get the ball rolling earlier this season.
It’s a very important year, so whatever I need to do to get ready and
get in shape, I’ll be doing
it. “
Having
enjoyed success competing outdoors in Birmingham in the past, including
victory over 100m at last year’s Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix, Powell
feels at home in the
UK’s ‘second city’ and is looking forward to returning this summer
ahead of the Olympic Games.
“Birmingham
has good food and very good training facilities,” said Powell. ” I’m
excited about coming back here for training camp. We always get really
good support.”
For
British fans in Birmingham on Saturday, there will be no greater
attraction than watching 5000m World Champion Mo Farah in his debut 2
mile race. Already regarded as
Britain’s greatest ever distance runner, Farah is looking to add to his
impressive start to 2012.
Asafa Powell & Mo Farah, 2012 Aviva Press conference 2,
photo by PhotoRun.net
Farah is hotly-tipped to challenge the indoor British record over 2 miles of 8:17.06 held by John Mayock.
Farah
said: “The British record is definitely a target. I’ve just got to get
in the right race though and not think about any times, to try to be
more competitive than anything
else.”
Having
already won on home soil over the 1500m distance at Glasgow’s Aviva
International Match last month, Farah praised the support that he
receives from British fans.
He
added: “The support that I get at home events is a really great
addition and it gives me a big boost. It’s one of the reasons that I’m
looking forward to the race tomorrow.
If I’m struggling in the final stretches, I know that the home crowd
will give me an added boost.”
In
arguably the most anticipated event of the day at the NIA, the two
fastest hurdlers ever – 110m hurdles World Record holder Dayron Robles
and former World Record holder
Liu Xiang – will go head-to-head for the first time since they clashed
in last year’s World Championships final.
On
that occasion, Robles was disqualified after winning for impeding Xiang
with his right hand, preventing the Chinese star from taking victory.
Robles
played down the rivalry, however, and is looking forward to testing
himself over 60m hurdles for the first time this year.
“I
forgot about the World Championships final straight after it happened.
It doesn’t make sense to keep thinking about that as I will be racing
Xiang again and again. I’m
just looking to the future, starting in Birmingham tomorrow,” Robles
said.
“We
are the fastest three hurdlers of all time [including American David
Oliver], but we will have to wait until our careers are over before we
see who’s the greatest ever.
I’ve been training very hard and I’ve come out here to win.”
Xiang echoed his words ahead of what should be a mouth-watering battle.
He
said: “Both of us are great hurdlers. We have been good friends for
many years and when we race together it’s great for both of us, as well
as great for the sport. I
would really like to have a great competition tomorrow. I chose to come
to Birmingham because it fits in perfectly with my overall plan for
2012 and I have great memories from competing here in 2003.”
Twenty-year-old
Lancashire pole-vaulter Holly Bleasdale is another star attraction at
the Aviva Grand Prix, having shot to prominence this year with some of
the greatest
pole vault performances of all-time.
The
last time Bleasdale competed at the NIA she placed third in the
national under 20 titles with a clearance of 3.90m. This month she will
return to the venue as one of
the leading pole vaulters in the world athlete and a medal hope for
London 2012, having cleared 4.87m in France in January.
Bleasdale,
who is third on the all-time list of vaulters, said: “I’m really
excited to get out there and compete. I don’t get the opportunity to
compete against such world-class
athletes very often so this competition is really valuable. I’m really
looking forward to making the most out of this year.”
“My
main aim is to continue to be consistent. I now want to go out and jump
4.70m-4.75m at every event, and that will be my aim tomorrow. Of course
there’s always the hope
that I can go higher.”
The
stellar line-up of athletes competing at the Aviva Grand Prix include
Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, Asafa Powell, Liu Xiang, Dayron Robles, Holly
Bleasdale, Hannah England,
Kim Collins, Mark Lewis-Francis and Helen Clitheroe.
The
Aviva Grand Prix will be at the NIA in Birmingham on 18 February.
Tickets are now sold out; for further event information go to uka.org.uk/aviva-series. The Aviva Grand
Prix will be shown live on BBC 1 from 1pm.
ENDS
Editors’ Notes:
The Aviva Series 2012 – Indoor season:
Aviva International Match, Kelvin Hall ISA, 28 January 2012
Aviva Indoor UK Trials & Championships, EIS Sheffield, 11-12 February 2012
Aviva Grand Prix, NIA Birmingham, 18 February 2012
UKA:
UKA is the National Governing Body of athletics, the premier Olympic and
Paralympic sport. We aspire to be a world leading sporting organisation
delivering clear and inspirational leadership for athletics to ensure a
vibrant and empowered sport at every level
that can evolve to meet every challenge. We work with Home Country
Federations and other partners to secure and distribute funding and
develop policies for key areas and implementation at the appropriate
levels, giving support and strategic guidance. For
more information visit www.uka.org.uk
Aviva:
Aviva
has been supporting British athletes since 1999 and is helping pave the
way for their success by hosting six world class athletics events on
home soil – the Aviva Series 2012, supporting the Aviva GB & NI
junior, senior and disability teams as they prepare for all major
championships. Through the Aviva Athletics Academy, we are also
providing the opportunity for the next generation to get involved
in athletics.
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insurance, savings and investment products with total worldwide sales in 2010 of £47.1 billion**.
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In 2010 we invested £4.3m into our communities in
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