Christian Taylor, photo by PhotoRun.net

Fascinating to me that UK Athletics continues to see how fantastic coaches are in the US. Most recent case in point is Rana Reider, who has moved to Loughborough and will be coaching a group of British athletes as well as gold medalist Christian Taylor, the US triple jumper.

The way it works in our sport is that coaches, who have spent most of their adult lives learning their crafts, work with talented, dedicated athletes, help those athletes develop the skills to compete on the global track & field stage. All the accolades, all of the medals come from the success that coaches and athletes have in communicating, 345 days a year (20 days off), two hours a day, for ten to fifteen years. Nothing in this sport comes easy.

Making it look easy, whether on TV, or in print or digital media, is a disservice to the sport, coaches and athletes. Telling the story is difficult, unless someone knows what they are talking about, and can describe the process, the work, the competition to the reader.

A former CEO spouted out a few years that 30 medals would be a strong goal for Olympic and World Championships for the US team. The 29 medals that came in 2012 was due lots of hard work, and that was from athletes, coaches, trainers and officials. Sometimes the smartest thing is to stay the hell out of the way, one seasoned coach told me.

Rana Reider was Nike’s Coach of the Year recently. Nice to see that UK Athletics appreciates Mr. Reider’s value. Sure hope that USATF sees that we are exporting great coaches before it is too late.

CCTV WITH NEW IAAF DEAL

BEIJING (CHN): On the last day of his visit to Beijing, IAAF President Lamine Diack visited the headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) to make a new broadcasting agreement in the world’s most populous country, China. President Diack signed the agreement with Controller of Sports Jiang Heping in CCTV Tower, the recently completed 53 floor skyscraper that is now one of Beijing’s landmark buildings and will serve as base for 20,000 staff. CCTV has been appointed by Dentsu Inc., the IAAF’s exclusive agency for marketing rights worldwide and for media rights outside Europe and Africa, for a six year period from 2014-2019. The agreement covers three editions of the IAAF World Championships, which include the venues of the last two Olympic Games, Beijing 2015 and London 2017, as well as the 2019 World Championships. CCTV will also have the right to broadcast the following events of the IAAF World Athletics Series in this period, including the IAAF World Indoor Championships, the IAAF Continental Cup, the IAAF World Junior Championships, the IAAF World Youth Championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the recently created IAAF World Relays. Informs IAAF.

OTTO AND SPOTAKOVA

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics announced that German pole vaulter BjÃ¶rn Otto and the Czech Republic’s Barbora Å potÃ¡kovÃ¡ have been voted as the European Athletes of the Month for September. Belgium’s Hans van Alphen, fourth-place finisher at the Olympic Games, won the decathlon title at the famous Talence multi-events meeting in France with 8293 points on 16 September and was voted second in the men’s poll. British sprints prodigy Adam Gemili, the 2012 World Junior Championships 100m winner, ran 20.38 in Derby on 9 September, the fastest time by a European junior since 2009, and followed van Alphen in the men’s poll. European and Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia extended her winning streak to six competitions this season with a throw of 65.79m in Zagreb on 4 September and for her performance she was voted second in the women’s poll ahead of high jumper Svetlana Shkolina of Russia. The 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist jumped 2.01m to win in Rieti, Italy, on 4 September and three days later cleared 2.00m to win at the Samsung Diamond League final in Brussels.

TAYLOR AND OKPARAEBO TO FOLLOW REIDER

LONDON (GBR): British media are informing about the move of triple jump world and olympic winner Christian Taylor to Loughborough for certain time to be close to his coach Rana Reider. He was recently appointed as a consultant coach by UK Athletics. The Telegraph writes that normally, foreign coaches hired to work in Britain are required to sever their links with their overseas athletes but, as part of the deal he negotiated with UK Athletics, Reider has been allowed to continue working with Taylor. UK Athletics insisted Taylor would be paying to access the Loughborough facilities and there was no question of him benefiting from public or UK Athletics funds. Reider, who only arrived in Britain a fortnight ago, writes Simon Hart of the The Telegraph, has already been announced as the new coach of former world junior 100meters champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and world indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Tiffany Porter. He already coaches British long jumper Shara Proctor, the world indoor bronze medallist, who will also be leaving her current Florida base and following Taylor to Loughborough. Also moving to Loughborough will be another athlete coached by Reider, the Norwegian 100 m record holder Ezinne Okparaebo, confirms European Athletics.

KEMBOI CHARGES DROPPED

ELDORET (KEN): Reuters informs that an assault charge against Kenyan steeple world and olympic gold medalist Ezekiel Kemboi has been dropped after his accuser withdrew the case, saying she had â€žforgiven” the athlete. Kemboi was facing charges of assaulting Ann Njeri, who said in June that the runner attacked her with a knife when she declined his advances after they had been drinking together. Kemboi rejected the accusation, saying he was innocent.

OTHER NEWS

BEIJING (CHN): A delegation led by President Lamine Diack and including Council Member Helmut Digel, General Secretary Essar Gabriel, Deputy General Secretary Nick Davies and marketing consultant Papa Massata Diack visited Beijing, host of the 2015 IAAF World Championships. The IAAF delegation revisited the Olympic Stadium, scene of so many wonderful performances during the Beijing Olympic Games, and followed up with meetings with the Acting Mayor of Beijing Wang Anshun, China’s Sports Minister Liu Peng and with Xu Bin, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of IAAF Partner Sinopec (China Petrochemical Corporation). It was also the occasion to catch up with key members of the Chinese Athletics Association led by President Duan Shijie.

NAIROBI (KEN): East Standard informs that Athletics Kenya will introduce doping control at the 2012/2013 Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) National Cross Country Series set to begin on November 3 in Central region. AK president Isaiah Kiplagat has also said the association will used part of the Sh10.6m sponsorship from KCB for this season’s cross country to purchase an anti-doping kit. KCB has increased its sponsorship for the season from Sh7.2m last year to Sh10.6 million. KCB has also set aside Sh1.4 million for the KCB National Cross Country Championships.

ATHENS (GRE): Organizers of Athens Marathon scheduled for November 11 announced that Hollywood star Stacy Keibler will take part in the accompanying 5 km race.

PORT OF SPAIN (TRI): TrindadÂ´s Olympic gold medallists Keshorn Walcott and Hasely Crawford were among the list of honorees at the 30th Commonwealth Sports Awards at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port- of-Spain. Walcott copped the “Outstanding Youth Achiever Award” for his performances during the period of July 2011 to June 2012. The 19-year-old who stunned the world when winning the gold medal in the javelin event at the London Olympics in August. Walcott beat out Singapore swimmer Joseph Isaac Schooling and English diver Tom Daley. Crawford, this country’s first Olympic champion, was among four recipients of Lifetime Achievements Awards. Dr Iva Gloudon and Jamaican sprint legends Merlene Ottey and Don Quarrie, were the other awardees. Other winners on the night were Grenada’s World and Olympic men’s 400m champion Kirani James, double World Champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, Paralympic athletes Eleanor Simmonds of England and Jamaican Alphanso Cummingham and former Commonwealth Games Federation head Mike Fennell (Jamaica). James was absent for the awards, as he is preparing for examinations at the Alabama University in the United States. Aaron Moses, first vice-president of the Grenada Athletic Association represented him. Cheruiyot landed the World titles in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m gold medals in Daegu to take the Female Award ahead of Sally Pearson and Veronica Campbell-Brown.

KINGTSON (JAM): Jamaican websitethemalaika.com reports that Amita Webb, who is a host/producer of the local popular entertainment show “FIWI Choice”, gave birth to a healthy baby girl Argentina over the weekend. The baby is reportedly the daughter of former 100 meter world record holder Asafa Powell.

GRAY (USA): Management agency Flynn Sports Inc. announced that Sheila Reid and Cameron Levins have signed multiple year agreements with Nike USA, Inc. Reid (22) is a five-time NCAA champion and Cameron Levins (22) is the 2012 double NCAA outdoor champion at 5000m and 10000m.

KINGSTON (JAM): Olympic silver medallist, Yohan Blake wants to heal the world. He made this very clear in an eight-minute video posted on his Twitter page. In the video, the Jamaican 22-year-old track and field star made a passionate appeal for more attention to be paid to eradicating poverty. Blake vowed to use some of the money he received from the Government of Jamaica as a reward for his track success at the 2012 Olympic Games to build up his new foundation YBafraid, and another part, he will take to the inner-city ghettos where he would divide it among the people according to The Guardian.

PORTLAND (USA): Alan Webb confirmed he has returned from Virginia to Portland with the aim of training with some of his old team mates. Webb, who is a new father, added that he might move up to the longer distances next season writes Armorytrack.com.

LONDON (GBR): A new initiative for attracting sponsorship to British sport is set to be launched early in the New Year, if National Governing Bodies and other key organisations give it their blessing writes Insidethegames. The British Sports Marketing Bureau (BSMB) would act as a consulting service for companies thinking about using British sport to help them boost their commercial performance.

LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames informs that top sports psychiatrist Steve Peters, the man who has moulded the minds of Britain’s all-conquering cyclists over the last decade, has joined UK Athletics. Peters is the first significant hire under the leadership of UK Athletics’ performance director Neil Black, who took over the post when Charles van Commenee stepped down last month.

BYDGOSZCZ (POL): The course of March IAAF World CC Championships was tested last weekend at the 4th Cross Bydgoski. In good weather the runners were satisfied. Among the participants also known Polish actor Przemyslaw Cypryanski. In the guest stands IAAF Delegation led by competitions director Paul Hardy. More than 500 runners competed in all races.

FRANKFURT (GER): German Athletics federation decided to award its Media Award 2012 to veteran track and olympic journalist Gustav Schwenk (88). He will recieve the award during the German Indoor Championships to be held on February 23-24 in Dortmund. Former Secretary General of the AIPS Athletics Commission Schwenk was also honou
red at a special ceremony held during the London Olympic Games and attended by LOCOG Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe, IAAF President Lamine Diack, LOCOG Head of Press Operations Jayne Pearce and AIPS President Gianni Merlo.

FRANKFURT (GER): German indoor junior record in shot put of Heidi Krieger 20.51 from 1984 was canceled by the German Athletics Federation (DLV). In a letter current Andreas Krieger (former Heidi Krieger) asked DLV to cancel his/her name from record books. As it is widely known Krieger was a victim of state Doping policy in former East Germany. Her mark 20.51 still remains IAAF World Indoor Junior record.

ROMA (ITA): FIDAL website informs that following the temporary incapacity (illness) of the President Franco Arese, his functions and powers will be performed by the vice-president Alberto Morini, who will lead the Federation until the return of the President.

RESULTS

ELDORET (KEN, Oct 21): Gladys Chemweno and new cross-country name Isaack Korir blew away a crowded field to win this year’s Chepkoilel University College cross-country in Eldoret. Chemweno got 26:33 at 8 km ahead of Stacy Ndiwa 26:45 and Gladys Kemboi 27:25. Korir was timed with 34:15 at 12 km over John Chepkwony 34:27

ITAMI (JPN, Oct 21): Yuzo Kanemaru clocked 33.72 at 300 m during a challenge national meet. National record holder Kayoko Fukushi won the 5000 m in 15:37.70.

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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