by Larry Eder
Aldama thinks after London
LONDON (GBR): David Martin writes that veteran Yamile Aldama the fresh
World Indoor Champion (with world masters record) admits the victory might motivate her to extend
her career. Aldama thrilled British supporters with her gold medal
success in Istanbul last Saturday and has already hinted she might
change her plans to retire after this summer’s Olympic Games. The
40-year-old Cuban born’s display in Istanbul was the culmination of
almost a decade in which she overcame the family upheaval of husband
Andrew Dodds being jailed for 15 years after he was convicted of storing
100 kilograms of heroine at a warehouse in Barking. It was a traumatic
time for Aldama and his incarceration meant that she was refused a
British passport which prevented her competing at the 2003 World
Championships in Paris when she was in the kind of shape to win much
needed prize money for herself and son Amil. Fortunately before the
following year’s Olympic Games Andy Norman one of the most powerful
managers in global athletics, wheeled and dealed on her behalf and fixed
it for her to compete in the colours of Sudan where she placed fifth.
Aldama’s first positive good luck came with the release of Dodds in 2009
and the following year and now a British citizen, saw her cleared to
compete for her adopted country in November 2010 after Sudan supported
the change of allegiance. Now Frank Attoh her long time coach and
personal friend insists Aldama who lives in Wembley and can see the
Olympic Stadium from her home is adamant she can approach 15 metres
which might win a medal this August in London and then extend her
career.
Lavillenie to open in Ostrava
OSTRAVA (CZE): Fresh World Indoor Champion Renaud Lavillenie of France
will open his summer season at 51st Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting on May
25. The Czech IAAF World Challenge meet will have men´s pole vault for
first time since 2008 and organizers are hoping he can attack the meet
record 577 cm set in 2008 by Yevgeniy Lukyanenko of Russia. “I heard
about Ostrava meeting from my colleagues and I m glad the meet will have
after some years men´s pole vault. My plans are clear for the summer
with Helsinki and London and Ostrava will be the starting point. First
meet is always very important and I want to give the crowd a good show.
In case all we be well with my shape and conditions I think I would be
able to attack the meet record 577 cm,” said the 2010 European Champion
for the organizers. Already earlier confirmed stars for the meet are
Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, LaShawn Merritt, Oscar Pistorius,
Barbora Spotakova, Dayron Robles, Christian Cantwell and Dylan
Armstrong.
Komon debuting in Praha and thinks WR
PRAHA (CZE): Road world record holderLeonard Patrick Komon revealed the
site of his half marathon debut. It will be in Prague on March 31. He
also said he wants to attack the current world record 58:23 of Zersenay
Tadese achieved in 2010 in Lisbon. Komon, a 24 year old long-distance
runner from Kenya, should have the support of two pacemakers from his
group (Rono and Chesari). Also in the field last year’s
winner Philemon Limo who was the first to run the course on Czech
soil in under one hour
(59:30) and Kenneth Kipkemoi with 59:11 last Sunday in Den Haag. For
anyone able to beat the world record, there is a prize of 100
000 Euros. First place prize is 4000 E and course record bonus 5000
E. Aside from top runners, the Hervis Prague Half Marathon also draws a
wide range of other runners. The record capacity of 11 000 start
numbers was sold out
already two months in advance.
Simon for fifth Olympics
BUCURESTI (ROU): Romanian media are informing that 38-years old Lidia
Simon will be selected for her fifth Olympics based on her Nagoya
2:33:41 result last Sunday (19th position). The marathon world champion
2001 started with 6th place in Atlanta 1996, that was followed by silver
in Sydney 2000, a non-finish in Athens 2004 and 8th place in Beijing
2008.
PREVIEWS
SAN VITORE (ITA): The Cinque Mulini IAAF Permit Meeting Cross Country
race will
celebrate its 80th anniversary this Sunday. It will be a
special edition for the legendary Northern Italian race which has
been held staged since 1933 even during the second World War. The
stand-out names are last year’s 5000 metres World Championships
sixth placer and 12:51.95 runner Thomas Longosiwa and 2011 European
Cross Country champion Atelaw Bekele from Belgium. The other three
Kenyans in this year’s field are Bernard Rotich, who
finished third at the Antrim IAAF Cross Country race on 21 January
and fourth at the Police Cross Country Championships in Kenya,
Solomon Kirwa Yego and William Kibor. Another medallist from the
European Cross Country Championships in Velenje is José Rocha from
Portugal, who finished third in the Slovenian town. The top Italians
are cross country veteran Gabriele De Nard, who won his second
National cross country title in Borgo Valsugana last January and
Italian middle distance runners Merihum Crespi and Abdellah Haidane,
respectively 1500 and 3000 metres Italian Indoor champions last
month. The top name in the women’s race is Kenyan Prisca Jepleting,
who won the 5000 metres World Championships bronze medal in Osaka
2007 and finished fourth in the 10000 metres at the 2011 World
Championships in Daegu. She will battle against Moroccan Btissam
Lakhoad who finished fourth in the 1500 metres at the IAAF World
Championships in Daegu. Ines Monteiro from Portugal is the top
European name in the field. Silvia Weissteiner, who won the Italian
cross country title in Borgo
Valsugana in 2012, Olympic 3000 metres steeplechase Elena Romagnolo,
Agnes Tschurtschenthaler and Federica Dal Ri are the best Italians
in the field.
ROMA (ITA): The 18th edition of the Rome Marathon ACEA, a IAAF Gold Label Road
Race has attracted 15500 road runners from 82 countries (8500
Italians and 7000 foreigners from all corners of the world) who will
toe the starting-line from the world-wide famous Fori Imperiali this
Sunday. The programme also features the popular Roma Fun
4 km mass race which reached a record figure of 80 000 road runners
in the previous years. No less than 7 top runners with a sub-2:09 PB and 14 runners with a
sub-2:10 PB will take part. Nicholas
Kemboi from Qatar is the fastest runner in the field with a PB of
2:08:01 set in Valencia in 2011. Kemboi will clash against
Ethiopians Dereje Tesfaye Gebrehiwot (PB 2:08:28), Gidena
Gebremeghin (PB 2:08:28), 2011 Tadese Toledo Aredo (2:09:02), winner
in three Italian top marathons (Florence 2010, Padua 2011 and Venice
2011), Hussan Roba Adelo (2:09:09), Fikadu Kassa Kedir (2:09:15),
Demssew Abebe Tsega (2:09:44) and Kenyans Nickson Kurgat (PB
2:08:36), Luka Kanda (2:08:40), Daniel Kipkurui Kosgei (2:08:45),
Samson Kiprono Barmao (2:08:56), Thomas Kipchumba Chemitei
(2:09:21), Cosmas Koech Kimutai (2:09:25) and Philemon Gita Baaru
(2:09:51). The last three editions of the Rome Marathon were won by Ethiopian
Firihwot Dado, who went on to conquer the 2011 New York City
Marathon last November. The fastest woman in the field is Kenyan
Hellen Kimutai who set her lifetime best of 2:25.53 in
Hamburg 2003 and finished ninth at the 2005 IAAF World Championships
in Helsinki. She has already competed in Rome in 2007 when she
finished second in 2:26:46.
The Kenyan will square off against Ethiopians Fatuma Dergo Sado
(2:28:01), Shuru Diriba Dulume (2:28:26), Bizunesh Mohamed Urgesa
(2:31:09), Ashete Dido Bekere (2:31.35), Kenyan Margaret Toroitich
(2:31.09) and Russians Nina Podnebesnova (2:31.36), Yevgeniya
Danilova (2:31.44) and Marina Kovaleva (2:32.20). Both Italian all-comers records were set in the Eternal city. The
men’s course race is held by Benjamin Kiptoo who clocked 2:07:17,
while Russian Galina Bogomolova set the women’s course record
running 2:22.53 in 2008.
LUGANO (SUI): Italian Olympic Champion Alex Schwazer is but one of a
handful of
star names to take part in this weekend’s Lugano Trophy – Memorial
Mario Albisetti Walking, the first of the European Athletics Race
Walking Permit Meetings on
Sunday. Schwazer last competed in this event two years ago, when he
sensationally broke the Italian 20km Walk record with 1.18.24 held
by 1980 Olympic legend Maurizio Damilano but has had mixed fortunes
since then and struggled to rediscover his form in 2011. However a
very strong win in the Italian Winter Championships last
month, where he walked 35km in one of the fastest times in history
suggests the 27-year-old is coming back into the sort of form which
saw him destroy the 50km field in Beijing four years ago. “I had
some injury problems last year and I never really got back to
my top form” said Schwazer from his Milan training base “although
now I feel as good as ever and am so confident I am planning to race
the 50km in Dudince six days after Lugano to show me exactly where I
am”. Perhaps the great threat to Schwazer will come from double
French European
50km Champion Yohann Diniz who memorably set a world record
over 50km last year and has an 1.18.58 best time. The Russian
challenge will be headed by Pyotr Trofimov a 1.19.02
performer and Ireland’s Robert Heffernan, who placed 4th over 20km
and 50km at the last European Championships will also be in the hunt
towards the business end of the race. Schwazer’s fellow Italian
Olympic medallist Elisa Rigaudo leads the
women’s 20km field after recovering from her 2011 absence due to the
birth of a baby daughter Elena. There is a large Russian presence
entered including Tatiana Sibileva
who has a best of 1.25.52 and 2009 World Championship silver
medallist Olive Loughnane will also be hoping to set a mark tom put
her Olympic preparation on track. Sylvia Korzeniowska, the sister of
four time Olympic Champion Robert
Korzeniowski is also entered and will be hoping to secure her place
on the French team for London. On a day of a full programme
Ireland’s World Youths 5,000m Walk
Champion Kate Veale will be hoping to break her own Irish record
this time competing over 10km.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): The Kenyan team will be one of five of the strongest
countries in the
world to compete at the CAA Africa Cross Country Championships on
Sunday when they defend their title. With the absence of a World
Cross Country Championships in 2012, the
Africa Cross Country Championships will serve as the biggest event
this year. This year the Kenyan team will send only four athletes in
each
category to defend their title. This policy carries an element of
risk as should a team member have to withdraw, Kenya will not be
eligible for the team prize as four athletes are required to finish.
The senior men’s team consists of Frederick Ndunge, Timothy Kiptoo,
Vincent Chepkok and Clement Langat while the senior women are Joyce
Chepkirui, Margareta Muriuki, Emily Chebet and Esther Ndiema.
Vincent Chepkok is, on paper, the most experienced of the men’s
team. He finished 3rd at the 2011 World Championship. The full list
of teams entered are: South Africa, Kenya, Eritrea,
Morocco, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Congo, Egypt, Uganda,
Mauritius, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Sudan,
Namibia, Swaziland, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. SA federation website informs.
EUROPEAN CUP WT
MINSK (BLR): Belarus is sending 11 athletes for the European Cup Winter
Throwing this weekend in Bar, Montenegro. The top entry is fresh silver
medal winner from Istanbul in the shot put Nadezhda Ostapchuk who will
be the main favorite of her event. In hammer Sergey Kolomoyets, in women
discus Svetlana Serova are the other names to follow.
MOSCOW (RUS): Russia will have in Bar 23 athletes in all events and
categories. Top female names are hammer world champion Tatyana Lysenko,
former discus European champion Darya Pishchalnikova and shot put
European indoor winner 2011 Anna Avdeyeva. Also to note Soslan Tsirikhov
in men´s shot put and Kirill Ikonnikov in men hammer. Dmitriy Tarabin
is the one to follow in javelin.
OTHER NEWS
LONDON (GBR) : World 800m bronze medalist Andrew Osagie talked to
BBC about his ambitions for this summer and announced that he will
compete at this year’s European championships in Helsinki. Osagie will
be among the favourites to win a medal in Helsinki.
LONDON (GBR): Steve Backley, the former javelin star and the first
British athlete to medal at three consecutive Olympic Games, has
launched the Cadbury Keep Team GB Pumped Parade, a 3D spectacle to
encourage the public to get behind the country’s medal hopes at London
2012 writes Insidethegames. The virtual parade can be viewed at
http://on.fb.me/GBParade and is also available via Facebook and Twitter.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Frankie Fredericks is set to remain as a member of the
IOC when his current term expires later this year after he was one of
five people nominated for election in London. Under the rules of the
IOC, his eight-year term is due to expire at London and he would have
been forced to step down as the chairman of the IOC Athlete’s
commission. He will now be allowed to continue. A similar situation
happened to Fredericks’ predecessor as chairman of the Athletes’
Commission, Sergey Bubka, who was elected to continue as an IOC member
when his term ended in 2008 according to Insidethegames.
NEW ORLEANS (USA): The New Orleans Saints announced today that the club
has named former NFL star wide receiver and 12-year coaching veteran
Henry Ellard as the team’s wide receivers coach. Ellard is a former
triple jumper competing at the 1992 Olympic Games and holds a personal
best of 16.73.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The long-running revenue negotiations between
international and U.S. Olympic officials made progress in recent weeks,
but failed to produce an agreement in time for the two-day IOC executive
board meetings in Lausanne. IOC President Jacques Rogge hopes to
resolve the revenue issue in further meetings.
COLORADO SPRINGS (USA): Budweiser and the U.S. Olympic Committee
announced that the beer brand is extending its exclusive malt beverage
sponsorship and renewing its commitment to the USOC and Team USA through
2016. Budweiser’s partnership with the USOC spans nearly three decades
and includes 14 Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games.
DUSSELDORF (GER): German athletes André Pollmächer and Jan Fitschen have
confirmed their participation at the Düsseldorf marathon on April 29 th
. Both athlete are hoping to qualify for the London Olympic Games and
run the standard of 2:12 reports leichtathletik.de.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) informs it has
upheld an appeal by the IAAF and banned Spanish walker Francisco
Fernandez for two years. That means the 2004 Athens olympic silver
winner will not be able to participate in his fourth Olympic Games in
London (also 7th both in Sydney and Beijing). His initial two years ban
was reduced to one year (starting in February 2010) by Spanish Athletics
Federation but IAAF challenged this decision. In the mean-time
Fernandez was competing in 2011 even at World Championships in Daegu
(non finisher) and was the national champion at 20 km and 10 000 m on
the track. To serve the second year of the ban he will miss the 2012
season. Spanish media are quoting Fernandez as hugely dissapointed as
his ban was reduced to one year based on the fact that he was
cooperating in the investigation.
RESULTS
SYDNEY (AUS, Mar 15): During day two of the 2012 Australian Junior Athletics
Championships round one of the men’s 400m also delivered, as Australian
Flame
Steven Solomon set a new meet record of 46.19 to blaze into
the final on Saturday.
NEW DELHI (IND, Mar 12-15): Top results at the 60th All India Police
Athletics champioships at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium were Ravindra
Rautela achieving 3:45.89 in the 1500 m and Jai Bhagwan 1:24:00.02 in
the 20 000 m walk.
