by Larry Eder
Blake working on his start
KINGSTON (JAM): World champion Yohan Blake said he is focusing on
getting a faster start for the summer. He spoke to media via conference
call in relation to his participation at adidas Grand Prix in New York
on June 9. “Nothing really different we do in training. One thing I’m
trying to
work on is my start and the technical details. Basically I’ve been
working on that and trying to get off to a better start for the
first 30 metres. I want to work on the first 30 metres and get my
start right. I can
improve on my first 30 metres. The rest of my race is wonderful but
that I need to work on for the Olympics. All of that is going to
come into play for the Olympics. Blake also met on Tuesday Prince
Harry. “He’s a funny guy,” Blake said. “He was a good person to talk
too.
It meant a lot to meet him.” Blake is concentrating on the 100 m
this year even though he considers
the 200 his stronger race and said he would not mind running the
4×400 relay at London if the opportunity came his way. “I don’t want
to beat Usain Bolt. I want to win the gold medal in
the 100 and 200,” Blake said. He so far competed in relays this
year, another could be expected on March 17 at UWI Invitational. He
plans three meetings before Jamaican Trials, New York was already
announced as first. With the help from Track Alerts.
Bolt running with the Prince
KINGSTON (JAM): It was not a real race, but still a great meeting. The
world’s fastest man Usain Bolt and Britain’s Prince Harry met up on a track on
Tuesday in the Jamaican capital. The prince got off to a false start and was about 50 metres down the
track as Usain Bolt bent over with laughter. The Olympic medalist
then jogged up to Harry, making one of his signature skyward points
for a crowd of onlookers at the University of the West Indies in the
Jamaican capital. Later, the two exchanged pleasantries and talked about running for
an audience made up mostly of university students, including many
athletes. The prince noted Jamaica’s international reputation as a
track and field powerhouse and said it was impressive for a small
nation of nearly 3 million. Harry is touring the Caribbean as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour in
honour of Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates 60 years on the
throne. The 27-year-old prince , who made earlier stops in the
Bahamas and Belize, arrived by private jet and received a 21-gun
salute from members of the Jamaica Defence Force. Agencies and Track Alerts informing.
ISTANBUL NEWS
ARRIVAL DAY: Wednesday was the arrival day of most European athletes. Overseas athletes came already earlier.
EUROSPORT: Sports TV channel Eurosport plans to broadcast from Istanbul
14 hours of live transmission. The German voice of Eurosport Sigi
Heinrich will have commentary support from European long jump champion
Christian Reif.
GERMANY: Captain of the team was voted female shot putter Nadine Kleinert who will have her 47th national vest competition.
TICKETS: Per informations from media Saturday and Sunday evening
sessions are sold out. The capacity of the new Atakoy Arena is 7000
places. The budget for the event is at 28 milllions Euro level. Staging
of World Indoors should also help Istanbul´s bid for Olympic Games 2020.
RUSSIA: Head-coach Valentin Maslakov was quoted as saying: “World
Indoors is a stepping stone towards Olympics. We do not have a special
medal plan, but for sure want to be at least at level of previous
championships in Doha.” In 2010 Russia won 9 medals (2-4-3) and was
second best country behind USA.
BRAZIL: Keila Costa will compete only in the long jump, informs head
coach of the Brazilian Team Nelio Moura. She was initially entered also
for triple jump. That means after withdrawal of Paraskevi Papahristou
the number of triple jump entries is down to 30, still impressive
number. It is the highest ever at World Indoors, previous record number
was 23 female participants in 1993.
COUNTRIES: Interesting stats tops, number of countries having winners
was the highest in 1997 in Paris with 17, number of countries having
medalists was the highest in 2008 in Valencia with 37 and number of
countries having finalists again in 1997 in Paris with 59.
OTHER NEWS
PARIS (FRA): France will be sending 11 athletes to the European Cup
Winter
Throwing in Bar, Montenegro, on 17-18 March with the most prominent
name being their national discus record holder and 2001 European
Athletics U23 Championships gold medallist Melina Robert-Michon.
Also to note hammer thrower, Berlin and Daegu finalist Stephanie Falzon.
WARSZAWA (POL): Poland will send 5 throwers to European Cup Winter
Throwing. Female discus thrower Wioletta Potepa who is one of them
already won the event in 2006. Also to note both shot putters Jakub Giza
and Paulina Guba.
GOTEBORG (SWE): Special innovation is planned for next years European
Indoor Championships in Goteborg. The traditional three day event will
have as a build-up on Thursday evening shot put men qualification at
so-called Market Square and not in the main hall Scandinavium. The
finals will be then as usual on Friday evening in the hall. Women will
have the qualification on Saturday morning at Market Square and the
finals on Sunday evening in the hall. Some victory ceremonies will be
also staged in the Market Square.
MOSCOW (RUS): Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbaeva is leading a
ranking of Russian sports women prepared by several russian media,
including agency RIA and voted by males, sports personalities and
officials. In total 50 names were mentioned, Isinbaeva is number one, in
the top ten from athletics only one more Olga Kaniskina, the walking
world and olympic winner. In the top twenty also Anna Chicherova and
Darya Klishina were included.
NEW YORK (USA): The New Balance High School Indoor Nationals will see
this weekend in the Armory top men´s 400 m. When Arman Hall, Najee Glass
and Aldrich Bailey meet up they will greet each other as old
friends and then race for the 400 m title as arch-rivals. They all
ran for USA at World Youth Championships in Lille last year and might
attack the 46 seconds. Glass clocked 46.06, Bailey 46.07 indoors and
Hall 46.41 outdoors this year. The national HS record is Elzie
Coleman’s 2004 45.92 set at
altitude, at the Simplot Games.
ZURICH (SUI): Swiss female athlete Lea Sprunger will concentrate on
sprints in the future. The 22 years old athlete started as combined
eventer, but seeing not too many ways to improve in the 800 m she will
now devote her career only to sprints. Sprunger competed for the
national 4×100 m relay team last summer and was running the 200 m at the
World University Games in China.
CLUJ (ROU): Canadian former star sprinter Ben Johnson visited the
Romanian soccer club CFR Cluj. It was his first visit in the country as
ambassador of a soccer programme.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): For the second time in two years, Africa’s elite will descend onto
Cape Town for the running of the 2nd CAA African Cross Country
Championships. On 18 March some 173 athletes from 19 countries
will be racing around the 2km loop at Keurboom Park for the title of
African Cross Country Champion. “To be hosting the African Cross
Country Championships for the second year in succession is a huge
honour for the country and for Athletics South Africa. It firmly
puts us on the map in global terms as a nation that can host major
athletics championships. Bidding for a World Cross Country
Championships is something we may consider in future,” said
Athletics SA President James Evans. With no World Cross Country Championships taking place in 2012 (the
World Championships take place every odd-numbered year), the
importance of the African Championships has been elevated and the
top African athletics nations such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and
Uganda will be sending a full contingent of their best athletes to
Cape Town. Informs SA federation website.
PARIS (FRA): The press conference for the 27th Sultan Marathon des
Sables informed that the legendary event, contested self-sufficiently in
the South of the Moroccan desert, will be held from 8 to 14 April 2012.
Six legs and 246,500km will be on the menu in this 27th edition between
Tazzarine and the idyllic setting of the Merzouga dunes. Enjoying even
greater variety than ever, the course spans jebels, ergs, dried-up
lakes, wadi beds and sand dunes where the 887 competitors from 50
countries will experience something exceptional.
JOHNSON CITY (USA): Total Sports US under leadership of Chris Layne
informs about new clients into their roster. EME NEWS already informed
about hurdles world champion Jason Richardson, others are distance
runner Kim Conley of USA, New Zealand´s running twins Jake and Zane
Robertson, Canadian shot putter Justin Rodhe and US 400 m runner Frankie
Wright who is relay bound for Istanbul.
HONOLULU (USA): At the inaugural Hapalua, a half-marathon scheduled for
Sunday in Honolulu, two elite Kenyan marathoners will have to come from
behind if they want to win the event’s $5000 first prize. That’s
because a hand-picked group of local top athletes will be given a head
start forcing Honolulu Marathon champions Nicholas Chelimo and Jimmy
Muindi to give chase. The general field of about 2,500 runners,
including Chelimo and Muindi, will start the race in the heart of
Waikiki at 6:00 a.m. in front of the famous Duke Kahanamoku Statue.
Informs RRW.
HAVANA (CUB): World record holder and olympic winner Dayron Robles
arrived to Cuba from his base in Spain in pesimistic mood. He said that
he is seriously considering retiring after he defends his title at the
London Games. A minor leg injury forced him to withdraw from World
Indoors. “I am disappointed about many things. I want to finish the
Olympics and retire right then and there,” he was quoted by the AP. In
addition to the injury, Robles has complained recently about Cuba’s poor
training facilities, which he called “terrible,” accusing the country’s
sports authorities of a lack of support.
HERZOGENAURACH (GER): Sports brand adidas posts record profits for 2011
and expects boost from Euro 2012 and Olympics. Agencies are informing.
MOSCOW (RUS): RIA news agency informs that the Moscow city government
will spend 235 million rubles (8 million USD) to ready the Luzhniki
stadium to host the 2013 World Athletics Championships, the Russian
state procurement agency said Thursday. The state procurement agency
will hold an online auction April 9 for the rights to resurface the
athletics track, as well as the areas for the hammer, javelin, discus
and shot put events. Luzhniki was built in 1956, and hosted the Olympic
games in 1980. The stadium was significantly upgraded to host the 2008
Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United, and will
also be one of the stadia for the 2018 World Cup.
