by Larry Eder
I am off to Boston press conference on a rainy Thursday
Kenenisa for 10 km on the road
DUBLIN (IRL): On a jam-packed weekend of road racing led by the Boston,
Paris and Rotterdam Marathons (also Vienna, Milano and Nagano),
three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele should draw some attention
to Sunday’s SPAR Great Ireland Run 10-K in Dublin. Bekele rarely runs on
the roads. He’s run only two road 10-K’s in his career: 28:54 at La
Courneuve in France in 2001 (7th place), and 28:50 in Scicli in Italy in
2003 (first). His most recent road race was a 15-K in the Netherlands
back in 2008, and he has only raced once so far this year: placing 11th
at a cross country race in Scotland last January. Challenging Bekele on
the two-loop course in Phoenix Park will be Spaniards Jesus España, the
defending race champion and 2010 European Championships silver medalist
at 5000m, and Ayad Lamdassem, the 2010 and 2011 European Cross Country
Championships silver medalist. Britain’s Hellen Clitheroe leads the
women’s entry list. The 2011 European Indoor Championships 3000m gold
medalist will battle Ireland’s Linda Byrne, compatriot Charlotte Purdue
(the defending champion), France’s Christelle Daunay, and Italy’s
Rosaria Console. Informs RRW.
Hooker trains in railway workshop
PERTH (AUS): Olympic pole vault winner Steven Hooker is reported to
start to compete again at Shanghai Diamond League meet on May 19.
Informs perthnow.com.au. Last three months he has been locked away in
his “Bat Cave”, a converted railway workshop in suburban Perth. After
pulling out of the domestic season Hooker has been able to get his mojo
back thanks to the state-of-the-art facility that was constructed for
him by his major sponsor Red Bull. “I love it out here,” Hooker said
yesterday. “It really couldn’t have turned out any better.”
Jeter and Dix to open at MtSAC
WALNUT (USA): US top sprinters Walter Dix and Carmelita Jeter (both
coached by John Smith) will open their individual racing seasons at
MtSAC Relays in Walnut on April 21. Jeter is then announced for Kingston
and Shanghai, Dix should run Doha 200 m and Daegu 100 m afterwards. In
MtSAC male 100 m field also from ban returning Mike Rodgers, coming from
injury Ryan Bailey and interesting European entries Jaisuma Saidy Ndure
of Norway and Slovenian record holder Matic Osovnikar. Nigerian
Blessing Okagbare and Briton Laura Turner are top foreign names in the
women 100 m.
Clarke for Penn
PHILADELPHIA (USA): Jamaican indoor record holder Lerone Clarke will
open the outdoor season at Penn Relays running for Jamaica the 4×100 m.
It will be on April 28 in the USA vs. The World match. He is later
scheduled for Doha and Ostrava 100 m races.
Rudisha for Doha
ITEN (KEN): World record holder and world champion David Rudisha
confirmed his next race at the 800 m (after running 400 m and 800 m in
Australia earlier) for Doha Samsung Diamond League opener on May 11.
“Even in Kenya, we have to make the team, first,” Rudisha reminded
reporters on an international conference call on Wednesday about his
status for Olympic Games. Speaking from his training base in Iten he
added: “In Kenya it’s quite difficult. There is no guarantee, of
course. I cannot depend on the selection.” Rudisha was vague about his
competition plans between Doha and the Olympic Games, saying he would
run between one and three races. He did, however, confirm his interest
in running enough Diamond League events in order to win his third
consecutive Diamond League points title. In Doha the 800 m for men is an
additional event not scoring towards the SDL. “To run sub-1:40 is
quite tough,” Rudisha said with a laugh. “I will say in the beginning
to do under 1:41 is possible, but to do sub-1:40, I still don’t know. I
don’t know who can do that.” Informs Race Results Weekly. Already
earlier confirmed for the 800 m in Doha were Moroccan Amine Laalou and Kenyan Alfred Kirwa
Yego. His Sudanese rival Abubaker Kaki will run the 1500 m. Other new top names
for Doha are long jump world champion Dwight Phillips (against Khotso
Mokoena) and javelin world record holder Barbora Spotakova.
Boston names
BOSTON (USA): The oldest marathon in the world, the 116th Boston
confirmed their full elite fields for Monday’s race. Men are headed by
defending champion Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya (2:03:02 fastest ever under
any conditions). Other top Kenyans Levi Matebo, Wilson Chebet and Robert
Kiprono Cheruiyot all with sub 2:06 bests. Ethiopian group leader is
former World CC Champion Gebre Gebremariam with Tadese Tola. Fastest US
entry is Jason Hartmann and best European Dutch Michel Butter. In total
24 runners with sub 2:20 best time. In women race 16 athletes with sub
2:30. Also here defending champion Caroline Kilel of Kenya is back, best
European is Russian Galina Bogomolova and best Ethiopians Mamitu Daska
with Ashu Kasim and Firehiwot Dado. From Kenyans to note Sharon Cherop
the world medalist from Daegu and Rita Jeptoo. Inaugural women Olympic
gold medalist Joan Samuelson has entered this year’s Boston Marathon and
will run on Monday. Samuelson won the 1979 and 1983 Boston Marathons
before winning Olympic Games Marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. Samuelson
also ran the 2011 Boston Marathon, finishing in 2:51:29.
The B.A.A. will honor the 40th anniversary of the 76th Boston Marathon
in 1972, the first year women were officially allowed to compete in the
historic race. Nina Kuscsik, who won in 1972, will be joined by fellow
pioneers and members of the 1972 women’s field Kathrine Switzer, Pat
Barrett, Sara Mae Berman, and Valerie Rogosheske. Additionally, American
Meb Keflezighi will serve as the grand marshal for the 2012 Boston
Marathon.
OTHER NEWS
DOHA (QAT): Female sprinter Noor al-Malki is included into the Qatar
Olympic team. “We are absolutely delighted that we have been able to
secure another place for one of our young female athletes at London
2012,” Qatar Olympic Committee general secretary Sheikh Saoud bin
Abdulrahman al-Thani said in a statement. “We are grateful to the IOC
(International Olympic Committee) for their support in helping make this
happen.” Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Brunei have never before sent women
athletes to an Olympics although the Saudis are in discussions with the
IOC. As part of its olympic bid Qatar plans to build a high-performance
training centre for female athletes in Doha.
ZURICH (SUI): 37-years old long distance runner Tesfaye Eticha from
Ethiopia is now eligible to compete for Switzerland. He got the
citizenship last December and now also the green light from the IAAF. He
lives in Switzerland for more than 13 years and has marathon PB
2:10:05. His aim is to qualify for London Olympic marathon and for that
needs to run 2:14. Currently Eticha has health problems after infection
he got at training camp in Ethiopia in winter.
PARIS (FRA): Announced marathon debut of half world leader Atsede Tsegay
will not hapen this Sunday in Paris. His agent Wellay Amare explains
that he is now in preparation for 10 000 m where he would seek the
olympic qualification. Ethiopian federation will have a possibility to
stage a trials race for men at the 10 000 m end of May in Europe. The
place will be announced later.
COLUMBUS (USA): Ohio State men’s track and field and cross country coach
Robert Gary (39) is no longer with the university. Assistant director
of athletics communications Adam Widman confirmed that Gary, a 1995
graduate of OSU, has departed the university. “Coach Gary is no longer
at OSU,” Widman said in a text message. “We cannot comment any further
on personnel matters at this time.” Gary was named the coach of the
men’s track and field team in July 2006, having already served as an
assistant coach for nine years. A steeple runner with 8:19.26 best was
1996 and 2004 olympian.
SAO PAULO (BRA): Nigerian sub 11 sprinter Oludamola Osayomi is the
latest announcement for the Brazilian Athletics Tour 2012. The relay
olympic medalist from Beijing clocked last year in Sao Paulo her best of
10.99. She is confirmed for all five meetings of the series starting in
Belem on May 6 and ending in Rio de Janeiro on May 20.
BERLIN (GER) : Martina Strutz, world silver pole vault medalist in
Daegu, will continue her preparation for the London Olympic Games in
Neubrandenburg. The facility where Strutz normally trains burned down,
leaving Strutz no other option then to move her training to
Neubrandenburg where her coach joins her two or three times a week
reports leichtathletik.de.
LAUSANNE (SUI): World indoor silver 1500m medalist Tanui Özbilen wants
to go one better at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki
this summer then at the World indoor championships in his home country.
“I would be very happy if I can get a gold medal, I will try my best. I
hope they crowd there will cheer me like at the World Indoor
Championships, that gave me strength,” reflects Tanui Özbilen for
European Athletics.
LAWRENCE (USA): Top US milers have confirmed for the prestigious Glenn
Cunningham Mile at the 2012 Kansas on April 18 th through 21st.
Headlining the field will be Olympian Nick Symmonds, Will Leer and A.J.
Acosta. Also in the fiels is South African Peter Van der Westhuizen,
Jordan McNamara, Michael Cole, Lee Emanuel and Russell Brown. Matt
Scherer has signed on to be the pace runner to assist the athletes in
breaking the four-minute barrier organizers have confirmed.
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): The USA Track & Field Foundation has created a
bonus pool of 50,000 dollar that will be divided amongst prior elite
athlete grant recipients who qualify, and represent Team USA at the 2012
London Olympic Games this summer, announced Foundation Executive
Director Tom Jackovic and Chairman Bob Greifeld.
ATLANTA (USA): Former Olympic 400m hurdles champion and record holder,
Kevin Young has urged Team Nigeria athletes at their Atlanta, USA
training camp to continue to train hard and set goals in order to
realise their dreams of making the podium at the London Olympic Games
this summer. Young, now a motivational speaker, who normally charges at
least 25,000 dollars to speak at events, gave the advice without a fee
at the Team Nigeria camp in Atlanta due to his relationship with
National Track & Field Coach, Innocent Egbunike reports
allafrica.com.
BAKU (AZE): Russia will support Baku’s bid during election of the
capital of summer Olympics 2020 reports Russian news paper Izvestiya.
The move is done out of solidarity as former USSR countries usually vote
for each other. There is also a geographical viewpoint as it is more
comfortable for Russian sportsmen to compete in comparatively familiar
conditions.
LONDON (GBR): A row has broken out in South Africa after it was revealed
that Chinese company Erke are to sponsor and manufacture the team’s kit
for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Local pressure groups in
the country are furious with the deal but the South African Sports
Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) claim that they were forced
to look abroad because no-one in the country would sponsor them. Long
jumper Khotso Mokoena and Oscar Pistorius where among those athletes
that showed the gear at the official launch reports insidethegames. The
deal was worth about 4 million dollar.
OTTAWA (CAN): The National Track League (NTL) announced that the entire 2012 series will be carried live on FloTrack.
The 2012 NTL series will begin in Vancouver on June 10 and make
stops in Victoria (June 13), Edmonton (June 16, here Yohan Blake running the 100 m), Moncton (July 5),
Halifax (July 8) and conclude in Toronto on July 11. By overlapping
the Olympic/Paralympic Track & Field Trials (June 27-30), NTL
2012 will provide athletes with three great standard opportunities
followed by three opportunities to sharpen performances leading into
the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The Swiss Samsung Diamond League meet Athletissima of
Lausanne is organising for the first time on the occasion of the meet a
drawing competition for kids aged 7 to 12 years. The best authors will
get tickets for the event and t-shirts signed by Usain Bolt. The
drawings must be linked to athletics. Special jury composed from
organisers and world athletes will chose 3 best ones in each category
and the winners will get their awards at this years meet on August 23.
RESULTS
AL KUWAIT (KUW, Apr 6): At Gulf Junior Championships new Qatari national
junior record in hammer by Mohamed Ashraf Amiad 79.67 (6 kg).
GUERNSEY (GBR, Apr 9): British runner and former track world junior
champion Steph Twell won the Easter Half Marathon here in 1:12:39.
