by Larry Eder
Adam Nelson is one of my favorite athletes. His enthusiasm, his drive, his ability to dig into those recesses of the soul where one must go to get that extra centimeter, was always fascinating. One has to be without a heart to not get into a competitive shot put. Nelson’s medals were hard earned, with athletes throwing a sixteen pound ball of steel as far as their body could will, on that day.
Nelson plans farewell tour
ATLANTA (USA): Former shot put world champion Adam Nelson plans 2013 as his farewell year. He will compete on limited bases, but not during the indoor season. After he recieved the news he is Olympic gold medalist from 2004 he decided this year will be his last one. At age of 37 he made 3 olympic and 6 world championships teams. Nelson also won silver at World Indoors 2001. Informs his agent Paul Doyle. Nelson is also one of the sport’s great thinkers, and the vice president of the Track & Field Athletes Association. He believes the sport needs major structural reform. Adds Spikes.
Kitwara for Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM (NED): Top Kenyan runner Sammy Kitwara confirmed his second marathon. After finishing his first in Chicago last October with 2:05:54 as fourth he will run next the ABN AMRO Marathon Rotterdam on April 14. He already tried Rotterdam last year but gave up because of an calf injury after 27 km. Dutch media are presenting his Rotterdam 2013 as his first real race here with aim to attack the 2:04 barrier. In his preparation he will run on Sunday the Egmond Half Marathon. After that on February 24 the Worlds best 10 km in San Juan, Puerto Rico is the next race for Moses Kiptanui coached athlete. Also top Dutch Michel Butter was confirmed for Rotterdam Marathon and he wants to be first home runner who can achieve sub 2:10 in this race.
Smirnov sub 7:50
YEKATERINBURG (RUS, Jan 7): Yalamov Memorial was the real start of Russian Indoor international activity. World University Games 2011 medalist Valentin Smirnov achieved top male result with 7:48.94 improvement at the 3000 m. Second Yegor Nikolayev got 7:51.42 and third Kenyan Salomon Barngetuny 7:55.04. 2004 Olympic winner Yuriy Borzakovskiy won the 1000 m in 2:24.27, Pavel Trenikhin the 500 m in 1:02.34 and Aleksey Kenig the 300 m in 33.69. Two guest wins for Nigerian Patrick Chinedu in the 60 m (6.75) and Sergey Zasimovich of Kazakhstan cleared 224 in the high jump. In women distances also top marks by Russians. Olympic 800 m medalist Yekaterina Poistogova posted 2:39.61 in the 1000 m, Svetlana Kireyeva very good 5:44.08 in the 2000 m ahead of top miler Yelena Soboleva 5:46.36. 21-years old Natalya Danilova is new name to watch after she won the 500 m in 1:10.91 ahead of world medalist Olesya Krasnomovets 1:11.20. Barcelona 2010 400 m silver winner Kseniya Ustalova won the 300 m in good 36.76. In short sprints wins for Nadezhda Paleyeva 7.38 and Svetlana Topylina 8.17 over the hurdles.
Chambers plans indoor season
LONDON (GBR): 2010 World Indoor Champion at 60 m Dwain Chambers plans solid indoor season for 2013. He is opening at the International match in Glasgow on the 26th January, then Russian Winter in Moscow on the 3rd and UK trials in Sheffield the following week. “He has worked very hard in the off season in Loughborough and is physically and mentally in top condition,” says his agent Siza Agha. In his non-track activities he is continuing working closely with two charities – “SFK” which is an educational charity teaching “life skills” for children through a curriculum based course. And “Teens unite”, a teenage cancer charity (founded by the fashion designer Karen Millen). Amongst his activities with the teens included a training fun day that was attended by Karen Millen and staff to help them prepare for a charity bike ride in Cambodia and also about 15 teens, 5 of whom came directly from UCH cancer unit hospital. “One of them was a young man called Bola who has been an inpatient for 4 years and literally hadn’t been out of his bed for 5 months. His carrier said to me that when Bola heard they were invited to meet Dwain he just changed and was determined to make himself well enough to come along and join in where he could. Bola wrote a really touching letter to Dwain afterwards,” added Agha.
Watt for Hunter Track Classic
NEWCASTLE (AUS): The Hunter Sports Centre at Glendale is getting ready to host one of the most high profile athletes ever to set foot on it’s track. Olympic and World Championships silver medallist Mitchell Watt has confirmed his intentions to compete at the Hunter Track Classic on February 2, hosted by Athletics New South Wales, for the first time. Watt, commenting on his upcoming season, said: “Things have got off to a lot better start. The first three months of training have been great. I’m back to where I was at the start of the 2011 season.” Watt is keen to make up for missing last year’s domestic season and plans to jump at Hunter Track Classic (2nd Feb), Adelaide Track Classic (16th Feb), Sydney Track Classic (9th March) Brisbane Track Classic (23rd March), indicating he also hopes to run the 100m at a couple of these events. Informs Athletics Australia.
Pyrek retiring
SZCZECIN (POL): Multiple world and European medalist in pole vault Poland´s Monika Pyrek confirmed at age of 32 for home media her retirement. On January 12 she will marry her agent and partner for many years Norbert Rokita. In summer they are also expecting a family. Official retirement ceremony will be staged in Szczecin Theatre on January 11.
Suhr, Rupp and Ethiopians
BOSTON (USA): Olympic Pole Vault Champion Jenn Suhr and 10 000 m Olympic Silver Medalist Galen Rupp lead the latest list of stars coming to the 2013 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Feb. 2, organizers announced. They join previously announced olympic winner Aries Merritt as the event’s 2013 headliners. Rupp will not compete unchallenged in the 3000 m. Organizers also announced that the 2012 Olympic silver medalist at 5000 m Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel and Hagos Gebrhiwet, the World Junior Record-holder at 5000 m and the world’s second-fastest man at the distance in 2012 has been added to the field.
OTHER NEWS
CHEMNITZ (GER): The 17th edition of the indoor meet of Chemnitz will not be staged this winter on January 25. Club Chairman and former top 400 m runner Thomas Schonlebe confirmed for local media. Main reason is that the budget was not fully covered and also the biggest local star shot put world champion David Storl is not competing this indoor season.
SYDNEY (AUS): Olympic champion Allyson Felix has spent the best part of the past week in Sydney on holidays. On the hunt for training facilities, Athletics Australia has worked with her management to provide access to the great facilities at Sydney Olympic Park. Felix also provided some of Australia’s best up and coming junior female sprinters with an opportunity to take part in a meet and greet with her following a training session. Informs Athletics Australia.
WILLEMSTAD (CUR) : The hearing of Dutch sprinter Brian Mariano has been postponed until February 4th. A nervous Mariano said he does not know how the drugs came in his luggage and added he is innocent according to The Telegraaf.
LONDON (GBR): British distance runner Stephanie Twell told media she is on her way back to top performances and is happy with the position she is in. Twell fractured her ankle two years ago and has since suffered with injury and missed the London Olympic Games. Twell, who is now working along with training professionally, is now looking forward to competing at the IAAF World championships in Moscow and to being back at her best for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
PORT OF SPAIN (TRI): Trinidad and Tobago Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott is focused on doing well for his country in next year’s World Championships in Moscow, Russia in August. According to Walcott, the reality of his achievements have now sunk in, and he is looking ahead to 2013. “I am coming to terms with what I have accomplished and I am looking towards the future,” he said to Thetrinidadexpress.com. So far he confirmed from European meets the 52nd Ostrava Golden Spike on June 27.
MONTE CARLO (MON): In her IAAF online diary entry Jamaican female sprinting star Veronica Campbell Brown confirmed she will not be competing during the indoor season. Campbell Brown wrote she is training very well but is nonetheless skipping the possibility of running indoors.
LAGOS (NIG): Nigeria’s athletics chief coach to the London 2012 Olympics, Innocent Egbunike has called on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN and the National Sports Commission, NSC to close ranks and begin to kick start an enduring programme that will put Nigeria’s name on the medals table at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Egbunike stated to Allafrica.com that he has already put down a road map that will lead Nigeria to achieving glory, but he added that the country must have to start something now.
VIENNA (AUT): Austrian top sprinter Ryan Moseley announced he will not compete in 2013. He lives currently in London and wants to focus on his professional development.
LONDON (GBR): Tokyo 2020 would host an Olympics and Paralympics that the world would “marvel at”, claimed chief executive Masato Mizuno as they delivered its Candidature file. Mizuno’s optimism seemed to be shared by bookmakers, who installed the Japanese capital as the odds-on favourites after they had lodged their master plan with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “It’s a superb, compact plan that utilizes civic energy and operational know-how to produce an Olympic Games the world will marvel at,” said Mizuno according to Insidethegames.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Former sprinter Christian Malcolm will serve a four year term on the BOA Athletes’ Commission after being elected from a group of 21 candidates voted for by gold and silver BOA Passport Scheme holders and Olympians who have competed at a summer or winter Games since Sydney 2000. Javelin record holder Goldie Sayers will also stay on the Commission for a further two years until December 2014 after there were votes for six of the previous 12 members to remain on the group. Informs UK Athletics.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): The 2013 England Athletics Championships will be integrated into the British Athletics World Trials & UK Championships in Birmingham on July 12-14. Only English athletes will be eligible for the England Athletics national medals. Writes Athletics International.
SHEFFIELD (GBR): Dailymail.co.uk writes that olympic winner in heptathlon Jessica Ennis has no plans to leave Sheffield even if the city’s Don Valley Stadium is demolished, according to her coach Toni Minichiello. Olympic heptathlon champion Ennis shares her training between the outdoor Don Valley Stadium and the indoor English Institute of Sport nearby. A council document says it could save GBP 500 000 per year if the stadium closed, but the council insist that is only one of hundreds of possible money-saving options.
REHLINGEN (GER): Top German long jumper Bianca Kappler will not compete in 2013. She expects a baby and is currently in fifth month of her second pregnancy.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The highlight of December was the 2012 SPAR European Cross Country Championships which were held just outside the Hungarian capital Budapest in the town of Szentendre, on 9 December. All six winners there, in bitterly cold conditions with snow and ice underfoot, are among the nominees for the last European Athlete of the Month of 2012. In addition, the year came to a close with a number of other high level road and cross country races around the continent. European Athletics is consequently pleased to announce that athletes from 14 different countries have been nominated for the December award. The voting will close on 18 January.
SINGAPORE (SIN): Asian Athletics Association informs about its new website:http://athleticsasia.
RESULTS
ETON (GBR, Jan 6): Greg Cackett set a new PB over 60m of 6.67 here. Then an the same time in race two.
LEE VALLEY (GBR, Jan 6): In second 60 m race Montell Douglas clocked 7.36. Cyle Carty won the men 60 m with 6.70.
ST. PETERBURG (RUS, Jan 6): At Indoor Cup top triple jump by Irina Gumenyuk 14.48 ahead of Viktoriya Dolgacheva 14.19 and London Olympian Veronika Mosina 13.98. Aleksandra Butvina improved in pentathlon to top mark of 4610 points. Second Yunna Dmitriyeva also good 4349.
YAROSLAVL (RUS, Dec 29): 2009 World champion Yaroslav Rybakov cleared at City Championships 221 in the high jump. He also won the long jump with 686 cm.
MIYAZAKI (JPN, Jan 5): National record holder Kayoko Fukushi won the Himuka Ladies Trials with 33:04.91 at the 10 000 m.
GENT (BEL, Jan 6): Fast 800 m at a local meet when Jan Van den Broeck clocked 1:48.46 in the 800 m ahead of Hans Omey 1:49.10.
FARO (POR, Jan 5): At 42nd Grande Prémio dos Reis road race German Andre Pollmacher won the 7.5 km in 22:31. Portugal top walker Ana Cabecinha was the best woman in 4.7 km with 15:56. Informs RRW.
NORTHFIELD (USA, Jan 6): At indoor marathon staged on the indoor recreational jogging track (not the competition track) at St. Olaf’s College where, at this time of year, it is extremely cold outside. Athletes run 150 laps, changing direction every 30 minutes to try to avoid blisters and other one-directional running injuries. Despite getting a massive blister on her right foot, Nichole Porath clocked 2:57:34, an ARRS world record for an indoor marathon. Race Results Weekly informs.
PRAHA (CZE, Jan 6): Only 12 years old Anna Kerbachova clocked U14 national indoor record with 40.19 in the girls 300 m.
OMSK (RUS, Jan 7): At Christmas Half Marathon in Siberia staged in the coldest conditions concerning international races around the world Yevgeniya Danilova clocked 1:22:10 and Artyom Yekimov 1:08:30 as winners.
CHELYABINSK (RUS, Jan 6): At Yelena Rodionova Memorial in indoor walking 16-years Olga Shargina posted 12:38 in the junior girls 3000 m race. It is one of top marks by a U17 walker in the indoor history. Natalya Makarova won the women 5000 m in 21:52, Yuriy Andronov was the top male walker at 5000 m in 19:44.8.
NASSAU (BAH, Jan 5): Jamaal Moss clocked 33.69 at the 300 m during the Odd Distance Track meet. 17-years old Janeko Cartwright won the 150 m in 15.56.
SAD NEWS
LAGOS (NGR): Sad news for Nigerian athletics: coach Samuel Akinyemi – aka Erin – passed away on Monday. He discovered and nurtured to stardom sprinters Fatima Yusuf, Seun Ogunkoya and more recently Damola Osayomi. African Athletics facebook informs.
