by Larry Eder
EME NEWS (DEC 29, 2012)
Bolt is on top by sports journalists
LAUSANNE (SUI): A panel of 450 sports journalists from 100 countries have deemed self-proclaimed Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt to be the world’s top male athlete of 2012. Bolt, with 33.62% of the vote and a total of 1381 points was streets ahead of US Michael Phelps 11.43% and 468 points, and World No. 1 tennis star, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic who garnered 10.26% of the poll and a total of 422 points. This year’s poll was conducted in for the first time in collaboration with Europe’s leading television sports network Eurosport which ran a “Fans’ Choice” vote on its Facebook page attracting more than 63,000 votes. The results for the AIPS top female athletes of 2012 were much closer than their male counterparts. Serena Williams received 15.78% of the vote and 635 points ahead of London 2012 heptathlon superstar Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis 545 points and 13.55% of the poll. London 2012 200m gold medalist Allyson Felix from the USA came a close third with 525 Points and 13.17% of votes cast. Jayne Pearce and her team at London 2012 Press Operations will be thrilled to know that London 2012 Olympic Games took out the AIPS Best Press Facilities Award with 1296 point and 38.45% of the vote, well ahead of the Euro 2012 Football tournament 550 points and 16.25%, and Wimbledon Tennis Championships – 509 points and 15.04% of the total vote. In the Eurosport Fans’ Choice Awards Usain Bolt dominated the men’s category of the poll, receiving 40.81% of votes ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (16.71%) and Yannick Agnel (9.53%). British heroine Jessica Ennis, winner of heptathlon gold in her home Olympics, scored 38.21% in the women’s category, edging out Serena Williams (30.61%) and Marit Bjoergen (10.73%). Informs the AIPS.
Also by L´Équipe
PARIS (FRA): Usain Bolt is Champion des Champions in the World in 2012 by French sports daily L´Équipe. He got 1036 points and won this award for third time after 2008 and 2009. From athletes David Rudisha is 6th (184) and Mo Farah 8th (95). Top woman is tennis player Serena Williams (850) from track athletes Allyson Felix 3rd (545) and Jessica Ennis 6th (142).
CBE for Farah and Ennis
LONDON (GBR): Mo Farah is among those associated with the sucess of London 2012 rewarded in the Queen’s New Year Honours List published. Mo Farah becomes a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) after he won the 5000 and 10 000 metres at London 2012 as does Jessica Ennis, who won the Olympic heptathlon. All of Britain’s other Olympic and Paralympic champions are honoured with the Member of the British Empire (MBE). London 2012 officials have also been honoured with chairman Sebastian Coe – who was already a Lord – being awarded a Companion of Honour. Cherry Alexander
, Head of Competition and International Relations at UK Athletics, joins Sheila Carey in receiving an MBE. Alexander, who has worked in athletics for over 30 years and is a driving force at UKA, receives her MBE for services to sport, while Carey, who reached the finals of the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games and now works with disabled athletes, receives hers for services to disability athletics. From insidethegames and Athletics Weekly.
OTHER NEWS
HOUILLES (FRA): The 41st edition of the French road race Corrida de Houilles on Sunday will have Kenyans Edwin Soi, Micah Kogo, Milton Rotich Kiplagat and Isaac Mukundi as top favorites. From Ethiopians Kinde Atanaw and Berhanu Legesse and Eritrean Abar Osmam Adem. In women section Ethiopians Ruti Aga and Afera Godfay are topping the field.
MOSCOW (RUS): Usain Bolt was voted Sportsman of the Year 2012 in the world by Russian Agency ITAR-TASS. Behind him Lionel Messi and Michael Phelps. Top Sports Personality of the Year in Russia is high jump olympic winner Anna Chicherova ahead of diver Ilya Zakharov and ice-hockey player Yevgeniy Malkin.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (USA): Track and Field News announced as performances of the Year 2012 the 800 m world record of David Rudisha 1:40.90 and on the women side the 21.69 in the 200 m by Allyson Felix.
BOLZANO (ITA): One Olympic and three World Championships medalists will highlight the 38th edition of the Boclassic, the international New Year’s Eve Run in Bolzano. Cross Country world champion Imane Merga, the Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa as well as world double vice champion Sylvia Kibet are the big stars. The women’s (5km) and men’s (10km) elite road races are broadcasted by RAI Sport 1 from 2.45 pm onwards. Muktar Edris, Junior World champion over 5000 m with Ukrainian CC star Sergiy Lebid and Kenyan Silas Kipruto, fourth in the world half marathon 2010 are other top names. The field for the women’s race is as glamorous as for the men’s race: runners like last year’s silver medallist Afera Godfay from Ethiopia, last year’s bronze medallist Silvia Weissteiner, world silver medallist Sylvia Kibet, Btissam Lakhouad, who finished fourth in Daegu, the young Ethiopian Worknesh Degefa Debela and a few Europeans will put up a good fight.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (USA): Ashton Eaton and Allyson Felix are US Athletes of the Year per the expert vote organised by magazine Track and Field News. Eaton got 249 points just ahead of Aries Merritt 245. Third and fourth jumping colleagues Christian Taylor 197 and Will Claye 152. Fifth place for long distance runner Galen Rupp (136), sixth shot putter Reese Hoffa (122), seventh Jason Richardson (102). A tie for 8th Trey Hardee and Justin Gatlin (77) and tenth the first non olympic medalist Evan Jager (32). Felix was more clear winner with 259 points ahead of Sany Richards-Ross 225 and Jenn Suhr 198. Fourth Brittney Reese 177 with Carmelita Jeter fifth (158) and Dawn Harper sixth (147). Distant 7th Lashinda Demus (85), with Brigetta Barrett (61), Chaunte Lowe (50) and Kellie Wells (32) closing the top ten.
BOSTON (USA): Olympic marathoner Desiree Davila has withdrawn from the 2013 Boston Marathon, organizers said. Davila (29) has been dealing with a “slow-healing femoral stress fracture of the right leg,” according to a joint statement released by the Boston Athletic Association, which owns and manages the race, and John Hancock Financial, which funds the elite field. This is the same injury which forced Davila to drop out of the London Olympic Marathon before the 5-K mark in her first Olympic appearance.
BANSKA BYSTRICA (SVK): Top Slovak walker Matej Toth plans for next year World Championships in Moscow only the 50 km distance. “No more doubles like in 2011 in Daegu, in London I was competing only in one event and the result was satisfactory with the 8th position,” said Toth. At the European Cup in Dudince, Slovakia he plans to compete in the 20 km.
NAIROBI (KEN): 28-years old Kenyan 800 m runner Abraham Kiplagat is back in athletics, focusing on outdoor 2013. He said on his twitter. He came from nowhere in 2010 and clocked 1:43.77 and won bronze at Commonwealth Games in India. Unfortunately he tore his Achilles in January 2011 when he fell in the shower and missed the entire 2011 and 2012 seasons. He had surgery in Munich and has been back to Europe several times for treatment and rehab (Munich and UK). He seems to be back to full training now and is hopeful of competing outdoors this year. Informs Pace Sports Management.
KINGSTON (JAM): MVP Track Club of coach Stephen Francis announced on its twitter that some of the club athletes will race indoors 2013. The twitter message says including one athlete who has never raced indoors. That could be well the 100 m olympic winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who so far never competed indoors. Let´s wait for official confirmation of the names.
TRIER (GER): Trier and Bietigheim will be th
e top Silvester Races in Germany on Monday. Around 100 races will be staged on the day through the country. Top Germans will run in Trier at the 23rd edition of the race with Sabrina Mockenhaupt and Arne Gabius.
PEUERBACH (AUT): The Peuerbach Silvesterlauf in Austria will have for the men 6.8 km top Kenyan names Leonard Komon and Geoffrey Kirui attacking the course record of 18:46.09 achieved by Richard Limo in 1999. Komon returns as title defender. Also running Turkish 10 000 m European Champion Polat Arikan with other Kenyans Cornelius Kangogo and Amos Mitei. From home elite Gunther Weidlinger and Andreas Vojta as the top names. Falk Cierpinski and Wolfram Muller are heading the German runners, from Poland Lukasz Parsczynski and Mateusz Demczyszak will be running. Women course record at 5.1 km is 15:55.71, in the field Irina Mikitenko, Susanne Hahn and Antje Moldner-Schmidt from Germany, Andrea Mayr leads the Austrians. Sonja Stolic and fresh European junior CC Champion Amela Terzic are coming from Serbia, Dutch Miranda Boonstra and Slovak olympian in marathon Katarina Beresova are also in the field.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Olympic fourth placer and European medalist from Helsinki Long jumper Michel Torneus is the Swedish Athlete of the Year 2012. Second high jumper Emma Green Tregaro ahead of the 400 m runner Moa Hjelmer. Torneus is the first long jumper winning this award.
RESULTS
LISBOA (POR, Dec 29): Former middle distance olympic medalist Rui Silva won the 5th Sao Silvestre de Lisboa with 29:26 at the 10 km. He so won also the war of sexes as women started 2:39 minutes ahead of men. Joao Pereira was second in 29:29 and third at the finish line was top woman Sara Moreira 32:19. In the men ranking third Luis Feiteira 30:13 ahead of Ricardo Ribas 30:26. In women result second Dulce Felix 32:39 and third Salome Rocha 33:06.
FUNCHAL (POR, Dec 28): Portugal´s Jose Rocha in 16:06 won the 54th edition of the Corrida de Sao Silvestre de Madeira. Second Alberto Paulo 16:19 and third Moses Kibet of Uganda 16:46. In women category Eritrean Nazaret Weldu achieved 19:37 clearly over Daniela Sousa 21:03 and Helena Fagundes 21:34. In total 1603 runners is new participation record.
OMSK (RUS, Dec 25): At Bulatovs Memorial indoor meet Nadezhda Paleyeva at age of 27 equalled her best at 60 m from 2005 with 7.30 win. 30-years old former World University Games winner Yelena Bolsun won the 300 m in 38.55. Yelena Kobeleva was the best in the 600 m (1:29.16) and 2011 European indoor medalist Olesya Syreva topped the 2000 m in 5:55.35 ahead of Svetlana Kireyeva 5:56.57 and versatile runner Yelena Zadorozhnaya 5:59.19. On the men side Ivan Tukhtachev clocked 5:13.48 in the 2000 m, Dmitriy Buryak 34.00 in the 300 m. Anton Ivakin cleared 550 in the pole vault.
BRYANSK (RUS, Dec 23): Yevgeniy Korshunov cleared life-time best 221 to win the high jump at the Sinyaev Memorial indoor meeting. Kyrghizstan national champion Alesya Paklina was the top woman with 183 cm.
