Ethiopian 5k trials in 0slo, June 7, by Alfonso Juck, note by Larry Eder

So, here is my question: does the Ethiopian federation want the best team that they can have or to just wear out the athletes? A killer 5,000m in Eugene is followed five days later by a killer 5,000m in Oslo. Kenenisa Bekele and his brother, Tariku, who won the Ethiopian 10,000m Trials, will also be racing. 

Renaud Lavillenie is being cautious with his back, but should compete in Oslo, and Lille, France. Lavillenie is also the talent in a video called home vaulting, where he vaults 4.90m on a short run up in his back yard, and then does a somersault into a small pool. 

Tirunesh Dibaba ran 30:24 this past weekend, in Eugene. Her agent, Mark Wetmore, told Eme news that Tirunesh Dibaba is going to look to the marathon. 

USATF has announced a free sub to a digital magazine titled Fast Forward, replacing, we presume, it’s print title. They also have decided, we are told, that the US Open, the replacement meet in Madison Square Gardens, will not happen in 2013.

 

 

ETHIOPIAN TRIALS AT 5K

OSLO (NOR): The men´s 5000 m at Thursday´s Exxon Mobil Bislett Games reads like Ethiopian trials. And in reality it is as the olympic team will be selected by best times. So far the rankings are headed by Kenenisa Bekele with 13:01.48 ahead of Yenew Alamirew 13:06.84 and surprise Shanghai winner Hagos Gebrhiwet 13:11.00. But that can change after Thursday. All three are running at famous Bislett track but with them also in-shape Tariku Bekele, Dejene Gebremeskel, experienced Sileshi Sihine and world medalist Imane Merga. Kenya will have in this big Ethiopian clash only one sub 13 runner Lucas Rotich. German Arne Gabius and home Sindre Buraas will be the European representatives here. In another news Phillips Idowu has pulled out as a ‚precaution’ after landing awkwardly on his third-round jump in Eugene on Friday. But world champion and world leader Christian Taylor will jump as top favorite against top European this year Russian Lyukman Adams. The biggest star Usain Bolt arrived already on Sunday and was training on Monday for his last race before the Jamaican Trials.

 

SAVITSKAYA 6681

CHEBOKSARY (RUS, Jun 3): Strong heptathlon improvement at Russian CE Championships by Kristina Savitskaya with 6681 points. It was her first 6+ result ever, second Olga Korban with 6528 also most probably qualified for London. The third place in the Russian team is given to world champion Tatyana Chernova who recieved a bye for the national championships. Third Yekaterina Bolshova with solid 6466 will most probably not be considered. No high quality results in men decathlon where athletes had problems with poles, bad weather and they ended with the 1500 m at 10.30 pm. Sergey Sviridov scored 8088 over Vasiliy Kharlamov 8059 and Ilya Shkurenev 8030. Combined events head coach Sergey Zhelanov confirmed he will propose Chernova, Savitskaya and Korban for London Games and Bolshova with Yana Panteleyeva and Aleksandra Butvina for European Championships in Helsinki. For decathlon he will propose for Helsinki Kharlamov, Shkurenev and world indoor medalist Artyom Lukyanenko who could not compete here due to slight injury. Sviridov will be proposed for the Olympic Games as he has the standard (8200) from early May.

 

FELIX AND MADISON VS. JETER

NEW YORK (USA): Allyson Felix and Tianna Madison, both of whom have exploded this season as surprise contenders to make the U.S. Olympic Team at 100 meters, have been added to the field for the adidas Grand Prix on Saturday, organizers have announced. They join a women’s 100-meter field that already includes American Carmelita Jeter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, and Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago. Also joining the field for the adidas Grand Prix are Nickel Ashmeade of Jamaica (200 meters), who finished fifth at the 2011 World Championships at 200 meters and last week notched a personal best of 9.93 at 100 meters in the Prefontaine Classic; Valerie Adams of New Zealand in the shot put, Fantu Magiso, the 19-year-old Ethiopian 800-meter sensation who has smashed her national record twice in the past three weeks by running 1:57.90 in Doha and then 1:57.56 in Rome and Yargelis Savigne of Cuba, a three-time World triple jump champion. Two athletes previously announced–Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (800 meters, injury) and Matthew Centrowitz (1500 meters, focusing on Olympic Trials preparation)–have withdrawn.

 

EUROPEAN U23 RECORD

BILBAO (ESP): The result of Turkish runner Polat Kemboi Arikan (former Kenyan) at European Cup 10 000 m 27:56.28 is not only his personal best but also new European U23 record. The former mark was held by Ukrainian Vasiliy Matviychuk with 28:18.18 in 2004.

 

TIRU FOR MARATHON

NEW YORK (USA): Tirunesh Dibaba’s manager, Mark Wetmore, confirms that the 26-year-old Dibaba, who won double gold at the 2008 Olympics at 5000 and 10,000 meters, will focus on the marathon distance after the 2012 London Games. “You will still see her on the track,” he said, “but she is definitely planning to concentrate on the World Marathon Majors races and then the Olympic Marathon in 2016.” Wetmore said that Dibaba’s marathon debut is planned for 2013, but he wouldn’t completely rule out a fall marathon this year reports competitor.com.

 

AHOURE TO RUN AGAIN AFTER ROME

MONTREUIL (FRA): French premium Meeting in Montreuil (also EA Premium) will have some top names competing on Tuesday. Sensational Rome DL 100 m winner Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast runs her event. Russian Kseniya Zadorina (with Jamaican Patricia Hall) and Belarus Mariya Arzamasava are the favorites in the 400 m and 800 m. 400 m hurdles should see a clash of Ukrainian Hanna Titimets and improved Briton Eilish Child (with US duo Harrison and Leach). German indoor record holder Silke Spiegelburg is the pole vault favorite as is home Tereza Nzola Meso and Slovak Dana Veldakova in the triple jump. Home win is expected by Melina Robert-Michon in discus. On the men side very strong hammer throw with world medalist Kristian Pars and improved Pawel Fajdek of Poland. Another Daegu medalist Aleksey Dmitrik is the star of men´s high jump (against for example Hanany, Bondarenko and Mudrov). Hurdles will have strong battle of Briton Lawrence Clarke and in-shape US Jeff Porter. Dwain Chambers returns to run there the 100 m, his main rival should be Jamaican Jacques Harvey. In the 800 m Kenyans Jackson Kivuva and David Mutua will have to deal with olympic medalist Ahmed Ismail of Sudan and young generation of French runners. In the 400 m hurdles US athletes Justin Gaymon and Michael Tinsley will face Britons Rhys Williams and Jack Green.

 

 

 

OTHER NEWS

 

 

MOSCOW (RUS): 800 m world champion Mariya Savinova after being third in Rome last weekend confirmed her next appearance will be at Moscow Challenge on June 11, IAAF World Challenge
meet. The European athlete of the year 2011 also confirmed that until Olympic Games she will not compete very often and plans no meetings abroad.

 

LONDON (GBR): The „Osaka Rule”, which bans athletes convicted of serious doping offences from competing in the next Olympic Games, is set to be resurrected under new plans drawn up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The controversial penalty – also known as „Rule 45″ – had been introduced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2007 but was challenged last year by the United States Olympic Committee on behalf of Beijing 2008 400 meters champion LaShawn Merritt, who had been banned in October 2010 for 21 months after testing positive for a banned a substance contained in an over-the-counter penis enlargement product. They successfully argued at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that it was unfair because it was a second punishment for the same offence. That, in turn, led to WADA challenging the British Olympic Association’s bylaw which bans any athlete convicted of a serious doping offence representing Team GB at the Olympics, leaving the way clear for convicted drugs cheats like sprinter Dwain Chambers and David Millar to compete at London 2012. But the CAS indicated that Rule 45 could be reintroduced if it was included as part of the WADA code. The new code is due to be approved in autumn 2013 at a meeting in Johannesburg and implemented in 2015. Informs insidethegames.

 

AMSTERDAM (NED) : Dutch decathlete Pelle Rietveld hopes to qualify for the European championships and the London Olympic Games when competing at the IAAF Combined events challenge of Kladno during the weekend. Rietveld could become the 3 rd Dutch decathlete to qualify for London reports losseveter.nl.

 

AMSTERDAM (NED): Dutch Yvonne Hak confirmed through twitter she will start her Olympic season at the IAAF World challenge meeting in Moscow on June 11 th. Hak hopes to qualify for the London Olympic Games even though an Achilles injury has postponed her season debut.

 

GENEVA (SUI): With 13.09 over 100m hurdles at the EAP meeting in Geneva former European 60m hurdles champion Eline Berings has qualified for the European Championships in Helsinki. Berings told Belgian media she is happy about her performance but is still hoping to improve her times in the hopes of qualifying for London.

 

PARIS (FRA): For athle.com Renaud Lavillenie confirmed he stopped jumping at the Rome Samsung Diamond League as a precautionary act to protect his back. Lavillenie started feeling pain in his back last Monday, just a few days before Rome. The French pole vaulter confirmed the pains are under control now and he will jump at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Oslo and the Athle Tour meeting of Lille.

 

BERLIN (GER): The German athletics federation DLV has announced that the 5000 fan cards available for the German national championships have been sold. German youngsters had the chance of buying a ‘Road to London’ Fan card that allows them to visit the German national championships on both days of the event. DLV called the action a success and is delighted over 5000 youngsters will attend the national event.

 

EUGENE (USA): Following his 12.87 win at the Prefontaine Classic Liu Xiang told the China Daily he needs to keep working hard. „If a 12.87-sec result doesn’t mean I’m back to my peak, it’s (too dishonest) „ Liu said after the race. „I’m happy with my results. Although I did well in Shanghai, with a good time of 12.97 sec, I just treated this race as a regular one and let myself perform each detail well. Actually, I’m strong in all aspects, but I still need to concentrate on every race.” He was quoted.

 

EUGENE (USA): Sanya Richards-Ross confirmed she is in the best shape of her life and will run fast throughout this season. “Like I said I think I have the best coach in the world and we are able to maintain our peak for the entire season. Running 49.39 means I will keep running this way and getting better” Richards-Ross was quoted after the Prefontaine Classic.

 

HUELVA (ESP): The 8th Meeting Iberoamericano in Huelva on Thursday is EA Classic event. Home fans will wait on first steeple by world champion 2009 Marta Dominguez since European Championships 2010. Barcelona gold medalist Manuel Olmedo is entered in the 1500 m race which is full of Spanish talent attacking the olympic A standard 3:35.50 (Ruiz, A. Rodriguez, Higuero, Abad, Bustos etc.). Kenyan olympic winner Nancy Lagat is returning here after an injury in the 1500 m. Her main rivals will be French runners Bouchra Ghezielle and Latifa Essarokh.

 

MOSCOW (RUS): Pole vault queen Yelena Isinbaeva was awarded within her 30th birthday with special award, the Nikolay Ozerov medal, by Russian sportsminister Vitaliy Mutko. The award is given for great sporting results, healthy life-style and example for the young generation.

 

EDMONTON (CAN): Four Olympic hopefuls are competing in the men’s 1500-meters at the National Track League’s Donovan Bailey Invitational (DBI). Canada’s best, Nate Brannen and Taylor Milne, will take on Dawit Wolde of Ethiopia and Peter van der Westhuizen of South Africa. Supporters can come and cheer on their Canadian athletes at Foote Field Saturday, June 16, between 1:30 – 4:30 PM. The biggest star of the meet will be Jamaican sprinter and 100 m world champion Yohan Blake.

 

LONDON (GBR): Fast teenager Adam Gemili showed he has the potential to lift next month’s IAAF World Championships junior title when flying to a personal best 100 meters time of 10.08 seconds in Germany at the weekend. Gemili posting the fastest performance by a British sprinter this weekend at the Sparkassen Cup in Regensburg sent a clear message to his rivals at the Championships in Barcelona from July 10-15, that he is a real contender for the gold medal with his Olympic Games ‚A’ qualifier. „When I crossed the line in 10.08 it was the most amazing feeling in the world,” said the 18-year-old coached by Michael Afilaka. „When I ran my heat and saw I’d ran 10.11 I jumped into the air whilst I was still slowing down, the physios told me to calm it down else I’d end up injuring myself.” Gemili and his coach will have a tough decision on deciding on the major priority, a problem they need to sort out. „If there is leeway to get us to the Olympics we’ll consider it, but right now the aim is stick to going to the World Juniors,” Afilaka told the Daily Telegraph. Informs David Martin. Behind Gemili in current world junior lists are US sprinters Hall and Hill and Jamaican Forte, all with 10.19.

 

 

 

RESULTS

 

 

HANIA (GRE, Jun 3): Konstadínos Douvalídis confirmed his excellent form this season by breaking his own 110m hurdles Greek record during an open meeting in the Cretan city, by clocking 13.41 (+0.1). In the same meet and just one day after setting a new national record in the neighbouring city of Iráklio, Cypriot Apostolos Parellis bettered his day-old mark four times during the discus event, culminating in an impressive 65.36. Stélla-Iró Ledáki, back in her hometown, cleared 440 in pole vault. Personal best for Cypriot Nectaria Panayi in the long jump with 6.47 (+2.0).