by Larry EderYelena Isinbayeva, the 27 time world record holder at the women’s pole vault, who took the bronze in London, will be opening her season indoors on February 3, at the Russian Winter event, held in Moscow.
EME NEWS (NOV 30, 2012)
Isinbayeva sets season opener for Moscow
MOSCOW (RUS): In total 13 events were approved for the main program of the IAAF Indoor Permit meeting “Russian Winter” which will be held in Moscow on February 3. Schedule of 22th edition includes Women’s Pole Vault what is the clear sign that one of the most popular female faces of world of athletics Yelena Isinbayeva should compete. Informs Rusathletics.com. That would mean also season opener of the pole vault multiple world record holder Already confirmed also the 60 m World Indoor champion from Doha 2010 Briton Dwain Chambers and 100 m World champion from 2003 Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis. Very strong field with 2004 800m Olympic Champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy is expected in the men´s 600 m race which the ambition to attack the world indoor all-time best 1:15.12 of German Nico Motchebon since 1999.
Dr. Blake retained
KINGSTON (JAM): Dr Warren Blake scored a resounding victory over his rivals at the National Arena to retain the presidency of the powerful Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA). Informs Jamaica Gleaner. Blake, a medical doctor, tallied 177 votes to turn back the challenges of lawyer Lincoln Eatmon, 121, and Olympian-turned-sports administrator Grace Jackson, 28 votes, at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM). Several past athletes and coaches from overseas were present. These included Olympians Winthrop Graham, Davian Clarke, Lacena Golding Clarke and Nikole Mitchell. The current athletes present included Olympians Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Nester Carter, Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson, Shericka Williams, Christine Day, Kaliese Spencer, Shereefa Lloyd, Jermaine Gonzales and Edino Steele. Lennox Graham and Mark Elliot were two of the overseas coaches present. “I am not surprised with my easy win tonight as we have done the work and Jamaica has had one of its most successful years at both the junior and senior levels,” said Blake. World and olympic gold medalist sprinter Michael Frater was elected as one of the Vice-Presidents.
Pearson thinks WR
BARCELONA (ESP): Hurdles olympic and world winner Sally Pearson was among the guests at IAAF Centenary Gala. She was quoted as saying: “I think I’ve got the potential to break the WR.” Pearson is expected to run some races during the Australian season next year and then come to Europe for preparation towards the World Championships in Moscow.
OTHER NEWS
ST. PETERBURG (RUS): 400m Hurdles Olympic Champion Nataliya Antyukh informed Russian media she isn’t going to compete during indoor season 2013. “I wanted to perform this winter but after discussions with my coach we decided to refuse this idea because of some problems with my back. We cannot take any chances in preparation for the World Championships in Moscow. In my situation steep curves in Indoor arenas can lead to injuries” Antyukh said. 31-years old 4-times 4x400m relay’s World Champion (1 out and 3 indoor) also confirmed that she definitely will stay in athletics till Moscow World Championships and only then will make decision about continuation of her career.
GLASGOW (GBR): The Scotsman writes that after two injury-ravaged years, runner Stephanie Twell is increasingly confident that she is now on the way back to reclaiming her best form. Having missed so much top-level competition, the 23-year-old hopes to qualify for the World and European Indoor championships next year. But the event she has really set her sights on is Glasgow 2014. Twell won 1500 m bronze at the last Commonwealth Games, in Delhi two years ago, in her first major outing in a Scotland vest. That third place showed that the former world junior champion could also compete at world level on the senior stage. But then came a severe ankle injury during a cross-country race in February 2011, and another this June ruled her out of the Olympics.
KARLSRUHE (GER): First top two names announced for the Indoor Meeting of Karlsruhe (IAAF Permit on February 2) are pole vault olympic medalists Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe. Other events confirmed are men shot put, and races over 800 m, 1500 m and 3000 m. The 60 m sprint is still open. On the women side long jump, 60 m, 60 m hurdles, 1500 m and 3000 m.
PARIS (FRA) : At 33, French runner Bouabdellah Tahri told athle.comhe is not yet thinking about retirement. Tahri missed out on competing at this summer’s Olympic Games due to injury but confirmed he is back in full training for the 2013 season. Tahri confirmed he wants to compete at the European indoor championships in March and will begin the outdoor season with a 10.000m race. Whether he will run the steeple chase, 5000m or 10.000m during the summer is yet to be decided.
BERLIN (GER): Silke Spiegelburg told leichtathletik.de she has mixed feelings about the past season. With a new personal best and German pole vault record the 26 year old should be happy, but considering she finished fourth in every major championships she is still disappointed. Spiegelburg confirmed she will take it slowly during the indoor season and is fully focusing on the outdoor season. The German will also complete her full preparation at home in Leverkusen and will not travel around for warm weather training camps.
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz met with Republic of Serbia President Tomislav Nikolic on Thursday in Belgrade to discuss the development of athletics in the region reports European Athletics. During the reception President Wirz also discussed the 2013 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, which will take place in December next year.
AMSTERDAM (NED): Dutch Athletics federation KNAU has selected Dutch city Kerkrade to host the 2015 Dutch national cross country championships on the third Sunday of January.
SEATTLE (USA): Hurdler Ginnie Crawford has announced the opening of her new store Sip and Ship in Seattle. The consignment Boutique opens on December first.
HEERENBERG (NED): The organization of the Pfixx Solar Montferland Run will have a rematch of the two fastest marathon runners of 2012 – Geoffrey Mutai (2.04.15) and Dennis Kimetto (2.04.16) – this Sunday. Those two Kenyans participate in the Pfixx Solar Montferland, an popular 15 km road race. Other important names on the start list of this 17th edition are: Getu Feleke (ranked 7th on the marathon year list with 2.04.50), Dutch marathon champion Patrick Stitzinger and course record holder Philip Langat who last year he broke the course record set by Haile Gebrselassie in 2007 with 42:34. the strong Atsede Baysa (she won the Chicago Marathon 2012). On the women side the top name is Atsede Baysa, the winner of this years Chicago Marathon.
BARCELONA (ESP): Legendary Ethiopian double 10 000 m olympic winner Tirunesh Dibaba revealed for German magazine Leichtathletik she is not planning to run at the World CC Championships in Bydgoszcz in Poland, but instead marathon debut is in her spring schedule. The place for that first marathon is not yet confirmed, but observers are speaking either about Rotterdam or about London, writes Leichtathletik. She also confirmed she is not thinking about thw world record but would be happy with an sub 2:20 debut. Dibaba also said in summer she will be back on track with main event to be the 10 000 m.
DAYTONA BEACH (USA): USA Track & Field members gathered at the Daytona Beach Hilton Thursday as the Opening Session kicked off the organization’s 2012 annual meeting. The State of the Sport address from USATF Chief Executive Officer Max Siegel, recog
nition of dozens of 2012 Team USA Olympians and an athlete panel featuring London Olympic gold medalists Allyson Felix, Aries Merritt and Ashton Eaton highlighted the evening’s events. Informs USATF website. Siegel examined numbers from the past year and laid out nine “Smart Goals” that will be the focus as USA Track & Field continues to move forward. The evening was started with Charles Clark singing the national anthem. Clark (bests 20.22 at the 200 m and 45.30 at the 400 m) was a 10-time NCAA All-American and three-time NCAA champion while competing for Florida State University.
EUROPEAN CC NEWS
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics informs that a record number of athletes are set to compete at the 2012 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Budapest on 9 December. After the deadline for final entries closed at midnight on Thursday, 539 athletes had been registered (562 including reserves athletes) by 35 Member Federations to compete at this year’s Championships. The current record number of competitors is the 468 athletes that started at the 2006, 2008 and 2010 SPAR European Cross Country Championships. The previous highest number of countries to participate in the SPAR European Cross Country Championships was 34 nations that made the trip to the town of Albufeira on Portugal’s Algarve coast in 2010.
WARSZAWA (POL): Poland is sending 10 runners to European CC Champs in Budapest. The only senior will be Blazej Brzezinski in the men race. In the U23 category Marek Kowalski for the men and Aleksandra Brzezinska for the women race. Two junior girls will run (Katarzyna Rutkowska and Anna Wojcik). The only team will be junior boys with Szymon Kulka, Andrzej Rogiewicz, Marcin Żychski, Paweł Szostak and Dominik Czaja.
BUDAPEST (HUN): Host country for the European CC event selected four out of six possible teams. Senior, U23 and junior all male added by junior girls. Individuals will run in women senior race (Krisztina Papp with Zsofia Erdelyi) and women U23 (Reka Czebei). Men team is having Barnabas Bene, Albert Minczer, Gabor Faldum, Gabor Jozsa and Gyorgy Horvath. Men U23 is composed by Sandor Szabo, Aron Dani, Daniel Kallay, Gaspar Csere and Dariusz Farkas and junior boys with Csaba Matko, Istvan Szogi, Istvan Kiraly, Aron Toth, Sandor Szabo and Benjamin Kovacs. From them Szogi and Kovacs are only 17 years old. Junior girls squad runners are Krisztina Koszas, Dorottya Varga, Mercesz Marton (17) and Lili Vaczi.
CORRECTION
BRATISLAVA (SVK): Correct the first name of the only Slovak participant at European CC Championships, it is junior female runner Lucia Janeckova.
