D. PHILLIPS BACK IN TRAINING

ATLANTA (USA): Quadruple long jump world champion Dwight Phillips (35) is back in training since late September. He missed the 2012 season due to injury. Phillips hopes to compete in 2013 with the aim towards the World Championships in Moscow. As usual he will miss the indoor season as in past years. In last 8 years he competed only twice indoors in the long jump. The 874 cm jumper is currently without a coach as Rana Reider moved to UK. Informs his management.

FRIEDRICH HAD A SURGERY

FRANKFURT (GER): Top german high jumper Ariane Friedrich started with training for the indoor season. She underwent after the season a shoulder surgery. She injured her shoulder already in February during a weight-lifting session but went for surgery only after the summer season. „The shoulder is ok now. We are looking into the future with optimistic view,” said her coach and agent Gunter Eisinger.

ALEKNA BEATEN FOR NOC POST

VILNIUS (LTU): Lithuanian giant and one of the best ever discus throwers Virgilijus Alekna did not succeed in the elections for the National Olympic Committee president. He got 43 votes against the 57 of Daina Gudzineviciute (46), the olympic winner in shooting from 2000 in Sydney. There was a change in leadership after 24 years of Arturas Poviliunas heading the organisation. Alekna ended his career this year at age of 40 after winning two olympic and world gold medals.

BALCIUNAITE RETURNS

YOKOHAMA (JPN): Top entry for the Yokohama Women Marathon on November 18 is Kenyan Lydia Cheromei with 2:21:30 from this year Dubai marathon. Also in the field other Kenyan Philes Ongori (2:24:20, it will be her second marathon) and strong European group with Portugal´s Marisa Barros, Ukrainian Kateryna Stetsenko (2:27:51) and Briton Jo Pavey (2:28:24). Pavey ran her only two marathons in 2011. Returning from doping ban (ended early September) will be Lithuanian Zivile Balciunaite who was disqualified at European Championships 2010 in Barcelona as the winner. Home elite will be headed by Yukiko Akaba (2:24:09) and Remi Nakazato (2:24:28).

TAHRI SWITCH TO 5/10 K

METZ (FRA): European steeple record holder Bob Tahri of France was a guest at the Sunday´s Metz marathon. Because of an injury he was not able to compete at the London Games. Tahri said in this connection he plans to compete at the European Indoor Championships in Goteborg in the 3000 m and hopes for a medal. „In this terms I would need to start training soon and I will probably spend three weeks in Kenya in December,” said Tahri. He also informed he will run mainly 5000 m and 10 000 m in 2013 and will decide later on in which event he will compete in Moscow at the World Championships. Steeple still might be a possibility too. In long term he looks forward to move to marathon. „In case I will change to marathon I want to be among the best, that means to be able to run under 2:07. For that I need some years for the transition, first 10 000 m, then half-marathon,” Tahri was quoted as saying.

OPTIONS FOR BOLT UNTIL RIO

NEW YORK (USA): „It’s going to be harder, for sure,” says Usain Bolt about his future years for Sports Illustrated. „I’m older. My coach says my peak should be at 27, but I have to make sure to keep my back in check. I’m going to get somebody to work on it all the time. I have to stay really focused on it. I don’t want it to happen again.” That is the general plan. Better health and a 100-200 double in Rio. „Between now and Rio,” says his agent Ricky Simms, „we have to find challenges to keep him motivated and keep him getting out of his bed in the morning. There are a couple ways to do that. One, change to another event, like the long jump or the 400. Two, he’s always had to train for the 100 meters while also taking care of endurance for the 200. What about running the 60 meters indoors and trying to get down to 9.4 in the 100 outdoors after that? Three, concentrate just on the 200 and not do all that start work for the 100. Try to take the 200 record under 19 seconds. Those are the discussions we will be having.” Writes Sports Illustrated.

COE TO BECOME BOA CHAIRMAN

LONDON (GBR): IAAF Vice President Sebastian Coe will be elected chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) unopposed after his only opponent withdrew from the race. Informs the BBC. Richard Leman, boss of British hockey, had faced an almost impossible task against Lord Coe after the success of the London 2012 Games. The election to succeed Colin
Moynihan on top of the BOA will take place on 7 November. As legacy ambassador, Lord Coe has also been asked to advise Prime Minister David Cameron on how to best secure long-term benefits for the UK following the London Games. Adds the BBC.

OTHER NEWS

AMSTERDAM (NED): Former pole vault world champion Rens Blom will not continue as national pole vault coach in Netherlands. His contract which ends in 2012 will not be renewed. It is because there are no pole vaulters aiming to compete at 2016 Olympic Games in the country. The training center in Sittard will change from pole vault only to all jumping events orientation.

LEVERKUSEN (GER): Double world championships heptathlon medalist Jennifer Oeser ended her rehabilitation training after the achilles surgery. It lasted 6 weeks. Now she is heading for a holiday in USA and after that plans to start with regular training. She informs on her website.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): South African national sprint champion Tsholofelo Thipe has tested positive for a banned substance, Athletics SA (ASA) confirmed for home media. Thipe and male sprinter Rapula Sefenyatso (24), who has also tested positive, are the latest among 10 SA athletes who have failed tests for banned substances this season. Thipe tested positive at the African Athletics Championships in Benin in June and Sefenyatso, a promising men’s 200 meters specialist, tested positive at the Yellow Pages Meeting in Pretoria in April. Thipe was 4th in the 200 m and 5th in the 400 m and contributed to two relay 4th places at African Championships (4×100 m and 4×400 m). All this will be canceled now.

LONDON (GBR): UK media are writing that UK Athletics has yet to decide on a replacement for Charles van Commenee as head coach but has made a key appointment in enlisting the services of the man who was named coach of the year by United States Track and Field in 2011. Rana Reider moved from Florida to Britain at the end of last week to start work as a consultant. The Californian guided Christian Taylor to triple jump gold at the London Olympics and is also the coach of Tianna Madison, who ran the lead-off leg in the world record-breaking US women’s 4x100m relay team at the Games. Reider already coached British long jumper Shara Proctor and has been named as the new individual coach of sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. In other coaching development, Kevin Tyler, Van Commenee’s close colleague is overlooked for head coach role and is leaving UK Athletics. He will return to Canada in December.

NEW DELHI (IND): World record holder David Rudisha during his recent trip to India: „For me, I thought about going 1.40 and I am happy I achieved it this year. Running 1:40.91. I think it is just possible to do 1:40.5 — that is my target. But below that, I do not know whether it is possible to go. I think I can do 1:40.5. Maybe it is matter of time, I can try in the future.” Rudisha promoted the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. His coach and mentor Brother Colm O’Connell will travel this week to Dublin. Dublin City University has announced that it is to confer an honorary doctorate on O’Connell, who is widely regarded as the most successful coach of endurance running having trained five Olympic gold medallists and more than 20 world champions.

AHRENSBURG (GER): US decathlete Michael Morrison is currently staying in Ahrensburg, Germany. He followed his girl-friend who got a job in Hamburg. German media are informing. He will be coached by Christopher Hallmann. He is NCAA decathlon champion 2011 and has a best of 8118 points, in 2012 he was not competing. Morrison hopes to qualify for Moscow World Championships.

LONDON (GBR): European Hurdles champion 2010 Andy Turner will miss next year’s indoor season after undergoing surgery on both ankles. For Turner, 32, the operation on three tendons concludes an injury-hit and ultimately disappointing 2012 season. The surgery involved removing a plantaris tendon and having both of his Achilles tendons scraped, but Turner insisted: „It sounds a lot worse than it is. I should be back in full training by Christmas.”

LEXINGTON (USA): Kentucky.com writes that though he’s just a casual observer of Thoroughbred racing, Lexington native Tyson Gay, who won a relay silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, went to Keeneland on Sunday and said he could relate to the four-legged athletes on several levels. Before taking in a day of racing as Keeneland’s honored guest, Gay reflected on his multiple world championship titles, at finishing fourth in the 100 m finals at the recent London Olympics, and why he feels there is still an upside to his form at age 30. Gay reiterated he plans to stick around to compete in the Rio Olympics in 2016, a decision partially brought on by the fact he wasn’t in peak form when competing at the last two Olympic games.

NEW YORK (USA): The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia has renewed its position as the primary tourism destination sponsor of the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. In addition to sponsoring the ING New York City Marathon on 4th November, the Ministry will also sponsor the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Dash to the Finish Line 5K. The sponsorship is an extension of a deal first penned in 2011 reports SportsPro.

BOSTON (USA): The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has announced that the 2012 recipient of the Sidney Farber Medical Research Award is the Boston Athletic Association. Since 1989, the B.A.A. and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have collaborated to incorporate fundraising initiatives into B.A.A. programming. Since the partnership’s origin 24 years ago, the Jimmy Fund has raised more than USD 144 million.

AMSTERDAM (NED): Dutch sprinter Giovanni Codrington will lose the indoor season due to injury. The Sprinter underwent surgery on the groin and will be out for several months writeslosseveter.nl.

ZURICH (SUI): Swiss hurdles record holder Lisa Urech underwent last week succesfully a right hip surgery. The arthroscopic surgery on her right hip lasted nearly three hours. It was made by the famous specialist in orthopedics Michael Dienst in Munich. Urech will now take approximately four to six weeks rehabilitation process. She had to undergo a year ago such an operation on the left hip. Return to training and competition is open. Now she will concentrate on her studies.

RESULTS

AMMAN (JOR, Oct 11-12): The best results at the Jordan Club Championships by thrower Musab Al-Momani, who improved his national records in discus to 62.64 (first day) and shot put to 18.33 (second day).

ODAWARA (JPN, Oct 14): At 52nd Corporate team vs. College team match Seito Yamamoto cleared 565 PB in the pole vault. In women high jump Miyuki Fukumoto (35) went over 189 cm, her best result in last five years.

CORRECTIONS

KINGSTON (JAM): The coach of discus thrower Jason Morgan is not Russian but Ukrainian Andy Kokhanovskiy (44) who competed at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and has a best of 65.66 from 1992.