KENENISA
RETURNS TO THE TRACK

DOHA
(QAT): The opening meet of 3rd year of Samsung Diamond League announced its
first names. In Doha on May 11 season debuts are announced for double world
champion from Daegu Vivian Cheruiyot at 3000 m, Pamela Jelimo in the 800 m and
another world indoor champion from Istanbul Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia (most
probably at the 3000 m also). Special will be the appearance of double olympic
winner Kenenisa Bekele at 3000 m. It will be his Doha debut and also first
early season meeting since 2009. Also confirmed were Sudan’s two-time World
Indoor 800m champion Abubaker Kaki who was a silver medallist last month
in Doha, who will battle against Kenyan Alfred Kirwa Yego, 2007 World champion
and Moroccan record holder Amine Laalou. In the women’s 800m, 22-year-old
Indian record holder (1:59.17) and Daegu semi-finalist Tintu Luka will take on
Jelimo.

GILL
PREFERS BARCELONA OVER LONDON

AUCKLAND
(NZL): Super shot put talent Jacko Gill will not try to qualify to the London
2012 Olympics, instead he will focus on the world junior record with 6 kg and
defence of his world junior title from Moncton 2010 in Barcelona 2012. The
timing of the two events London and Barcelona makes it difficult to shift focus
from the 6kg junior shot to the open 7.26kg shot. After not being named in the
initial group of track and field athletes selected for the London Olympics last
week, Gill has decided that he will instead focus on the world junior
championships to be held in Barcelona mid-July. At a meeting on Saturday
at the Gill family home, Athletics New Zealand High Performance Director Scott
Goodman worked through the decision with Jacko and his father Walter, a former
national shot put champion. He will remain in New Zealand until June before
embarking on a series of warm-up meets through Europe prior to the world
junior championships. Informs NZ media.

TSEGAY
TO DEBUT IN PARIS

PARIS
(FRA): The new world half marathon star Atsedu Tsegay will debut in marathon in
Paris in two weeks on April 15. That was confirmed by his agent Wellay Amare.
Last Saturday despite cold and windy weather Tsegay at age of 20 improved the
Ethiopian half marathon record to 58:47. He also plans to attack a fast 10
000 m track time in order to try to qualify for the London Games. In marathon
he would need to be faster than 2:04:54 what is currently the third best
Ethiopian time in 2012.

SANYA
PLANS FIRST 400 M FOR KINGSTON

AUSTIN
(USA): „I know when my speed is on, my 400 gets a lot easier, so I’m
really excited about the rest of the season,” said Sanya Richards-Ross, who
clocked windy sub 11 in the 100 m at Texas Relays and was cheered on by her
husband, former Longhorn cornerback Aaron Ross, a two-time Super Bowl
champion with the New York Giants who recently signed with Jacksonville. Her
first individual 400 m race is planned for Kingston Invitational on May 5 in
Jamaica (IAAF World Challenge). Agencies are informing.

OTHER NEWS

AUSTIN
(USA): Agencies are informing that Texas junior Marquise Goodwin, the current
US long jump champion, withdrew from the Texas Relays on Saturday with school
officials citing an unspecified injury. Track coach Bubba Thornton refused to
provide details on the injury or when it happened, but noted he wanted Goodwin
to get well in time for the Big 12 championships in May. The Olympic trials
begin June 22. Goodwin ran in the 100 meter preliminaries on Friday but had a poor
race (10.66) and did not make the final. He was supposed to compete in the
4×100 m relay and the long jump on Saturday.

AUSTIN
(USA): Decathlon double world champion Trey Hardee showed during Texas Relays
that he is already early in the season in good shape. On Friday at Texas Relays
he achieved 729 in the long jump and 48.86 in discus. And on Saturday was fast
on the track with new personal best 13.61 at 110 m hurdles. His only decathlon
before the Olympic Games will be at US Olympic Trials.

REGENSBURG
(GER): The German city of Regensburg is not continuing in the bid for the 2015
European U23 Championships. The final date of the bid confirmation (Sep 30)
gives not enough time for a serious preparation, specially in the Stadium
more rebuilding work would be needed.

ROTTERDAM
(NED): The 32nd ABN AMRO Rotterdam marathon will have high quality Ethiopian
debutants on April 15. Both are 22 years old. Tilahun Regassa won in 2010 the
Abu Dhabi half in 59:19 and Lelisa Desisa clocked 59:37 as fourth in Den Haag
2011. Another top debutant will be Kenyan Sammy Kitwara. Added into the elite
list is Kenyan Stephen Chemlany who as pacemaker finished last year Berlin in
lifetime best 2:07:55. Start was moved to 10.30 am and main favorite will be
Moses Mosop the holder of the second fastest time ever 2:03:06. Ethiopian women
are leading the female field with Tiki Gelana, Merima Hasen and Yeshimebet
Tadesse. Italian Valeria Straneo is the top European entry. On the home side
Miranda Boonstra and Koen Raymaekers will try to achieve olympic qualification.
Dutch sources are informing.

MOSCOW
(RUS): Last year Russian 1500 m champion Yekaterina Martynova decided she will
focus on the 1500 m in her build-up towards 2012 season. The European indoor
bronze winner 2011 has also sub 2 minutes in the 800 m (1:59:17 last year). She
is starting training camp in Kislovodsk this week after training in her
hometown of Bryansk until now. Before that she was at another training camp in
Portugal. Martynova who was Daegu semifinalist plans to open her season end of
May at All-Russian meet in Sochi.

JOHANNESBURG
(RSA): Sam Ramsamy, South Africa’s International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Executive Board member, has revealed that his country is set to bid for the
2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The IOC have been vocal in their desire to
take the Games to the continent of Africa for the first time, but were left
disappointed when South Africa announced they would not bid for the 2020
Olympic and Paralympics despite intense speculation that they would. But
Ramsamy, one of the most respected figures in the IOC, said that a 2024
bid is now imminent, with his native Durban the most likely Applicant City.

VILNIUS
(LTU): Lithuania’s marathon runner Zivile Balciunaite (33), has lost a legal
challenge to her two-year ban for doping that has sidelined her for the London
Olympics (and due to which she also lost her European gold from Barcelona
2010). The Lithuanian Athletics Federation said on Monday that the Swiss-based
Court of Arbitration for Sport had dismissed Balciunaite’s appeal against its
ban. It will end on September 6, that is after the London Games. Agencies are
informing.

RESULTS

CARLSBAD
(USA, Apr 1): Dejen Gebremeskel and Tirunesh Dibaba scored a double for
Ethiopia when winning their respective races in the 27th staging of the
Carlsbad 5000. Gebremeskel defending his title won a tight race in 13:11
with his 17-year-old fellow countryman Hagos Gebrehiwet outdipping former
champion Eliud Kipchoge for second place, both sharing the same time of 13:14.
They were followed home by Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia who clocked 13:16 while
sixth finisher Irishman Alistair Cragg posted a European all-time best on
the road 13:26. Dibaba regained the women’s title she last clinched seven years
previously with a time of 15:01. She finished 12 seconds and well clear of
Ethiopian teammate Werknesh Kidane with Pauline Korikwiang of Kenya third in
15:22. Here the best European was Briton Julia Bleasdale in 15:47 as 6th. “I’m
happy about the race,” said the reigning Olympic 5000m and 10,000 title holder,
“but I didn’t run a fast time because of the wind.” With the help
from David Martin.

MEDAVY
(FRA, Apr 1): At 39th edition of the 15.4 km race here Kenyan wins for Ladan
Wanjiku 47:11 and Mercyline Ondieki 56:40.

INCHEON
(KOR, Apr 1): Paul Kipkemoi won the Incheon International Half Marathon in
1:04:29. From RRW.

PORT OF
SPAIN (TRI, Apr 1): Keshorn Walcott saved his best for last at the Hasely
Crawford Stadium producing a huge 77.53 m in the javelin and smashed so
his own CAC junior record during second day of Falcon Games. Jehue Gordon who
is 400 m hurdles specialist won the 110 m hurdles in 13.81. Emmanuel Calendar
won the men´s 100 m in 10.22 with Moriba Morain clocking 10.35 as second.

BUENOS
AIRES (ARG, Mar 31): Carlos Layoy cleared new national U23 record in the high jump
here with 223 cm clearance.

BERLIN
(GER, Apr 1): It should be noted that the 59:14 of Denis Koech at Berlin Half
Marathon is the second fastest ever by a junior. The unofficial world
record is held by Kenyan Kenneth Kipkemoi with 59:11 in Den Haag, 2012.

AUSTIN
(USA, Mar 31): Dexter Faulk achieved running under protest 13.24 (+1.7) at 110
m hurdles in the second invitational race, unfortunately the protest was not
succesful. Also to note that Wallace Spearmon was the anchor in the 4×100 m
relay for the Speed United team which won the invitational 4×100 m in 38.64.

TSYURUPINSK
(UKR, Mar 30-31): Ukrainian CC Championships saw Viktoriya Pohoryelska winning
the U23 races at 4 km (13:53) and 8 km (28:49). In the senior races the wins
for Natalya Barak (14:01) and Oksana Simenova (28:58) both slower than her. In
the men senior races wins for Oleksandr Zhulinskiy (4 km, 12:04) and Bohdan
Semenovych (10 km, 31:14).

SANTO
DOMINGO (DOM, Mar 30): Fast 100 m by Carlos Jorge 10.28 at the local Military
Games.