by Larry Eder
Rollins superb 7.78 at 60 m hurdles
CLEMSON (USA, Jan 11): 21-years old NCAA 2011 indoor champion Brianna Rollins achieved so far the best result of the starting indoor season. The 6th placer from Olympic Trials last year with 12.70 summer best established an NCAA record as she ran to a time of 7.78 to win the 60 m hurdles at the Tiger Challenge. It is also 13th best performer mark ever, since 2008 only two faster times were registered both winning times at last World Indoors in Doha and Istanbul. Her previous best was 7.93 from last year NCAA Championships. Former NCAA record of Ginnie Crawford was 7.84 from 2006. “I didn’t expect to run that fast, but the hard work I’ve been putting in is paying off,” Rollins said. “I’m trying to stay strong and be a leader for this team. I was very emotional after the race, but I have to move forward so my teammates will follow my lead. It was an awesome day, I was just so proud of everyone that came out and competed,” she was quoted by her school website. Another school record by Dezerea Bryant with 7.19 at 60 m ahead of Lakya Brookins 7.32. Bryant also won the 200 m in 23.52. Tevin Hester born in 1994 won the 60 m in 6.68 PB and Ed Wright with Torian Ware cleared 226 in the high jump.
MORE US INDOOR ON FRIDAY (JAN 11)
NEW YORK: At Gotham Cup fast 500 m by Jamaican Sophie Smellie 1:10.08 what is second fastest ever indoors by a Jamaican. Second LaTavia Thomas 1:10.41 and third 800 m World junior champion Ajee Wilson 1:10.79. In the 1000 m another junior Kelsey Margey achieved 2:43.89. Canadian Flings Owusu-Agyapong won the 60 m in 7.32 and Jeremy Bascom of Guayana men´s race in 6.75. In the hurdles Jarrett Eaton 7.77 and Jacob Freeman 23.37 in the weight throw.
FAYETTEVILLE: NCAA and Jamaican Champs finalist at 400 m Akeem Gauntlett won the 200 m in 20.84 at a dual meet. Russian Anton Kokorin clocked 47.56 in the 400 m and Jamaican Keiron Stewart posted 7.74 over the hurdles. Bahamian olympian and last summer NCAA bronze winner Raymond Higgs leaped to 795 cm in the long jump.
LAWRENCE: Sub 10 sprinter Mark Jelks continued in his comeback with 6.71 at 60 m during the Jayhawk Challenge. Fast 600 y times by Kyle Clemons 1:09.77 and Diamond Dixon 1:22.69.
COLUMBUS: Michael Hartfield leaped to 798 life-time best in the long jump at Buckeye Classic. Hurdler Christina Manning achieved 8.18 in heats of 60 m hurdles and 7.43 in the heats of flat 60 m. Winner here Madison McNary 7.36.
BIRMINGHAM: Olympic 200 m finalist Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa clocked high quality indoor best 20.65 at the 200 m during the Blazer Invitational. D´Angelo Cherry won the 60 m in 6.66 ahead of Brent Lee 6.67.
PROVO: Swedish discus indoor battle with Nick Arrhenius winning with 58.82 over Leif Arrhenius 58.50 and Daniel Stahl 56.86. In the 60 m Ghana´s Allah Laryea-Akrong clocked 6.69 personal best in the 60 m.
EUROPEAN INDOOR RESULTS
KYIV (UKR, Jan 11-12): On first day of all-Ukrainian Indoor meeting Christmas Starts heptathlete Anastasiya Mokhnyuk leaped to 662 overall personal best in the long jump. 17-year-old Maryna Bekh equalled her indoor PB 634. Liudmyla Olyanovska showed impressive speed in race walk. 19-year-old World Junior Championships 4th placer clocked 12:38.43 at the 3000 m distance. Ihor Hlavan won 5000 m men’s race walk with 19:24.37. Second day best result in women triple jump Ruslana Tsykhotska 13.69 m.
MOSCOW (RUS, Jan 11): At Christmas Cup indoor meet Russian long jump star Darya Klishina with 666 lost to European finalist Svetlana Denyayeva who improved to overall best 675 cm. 21-years old Anna Shchagina improved to 2:38.38 in the 1000 m and should be so next candidate to break 2 minutes in the 800 m. Second Ayvika Malanova 2:38.95. In the 2000 m Svetlana Podosyonova clocked 5:52.93 and in the 500 m Kseniya Prytkova 1:10.26. European 400 m hurdles champion Irina Davydova won her 500 m heat in 1:11.55. In the 60 m races Yekaterina Filatova 7.32 and Svetlana Topylina 8.15. Irina Tarasova was the best in the shot put 17.51. Top male results 6.73 by Aleksandr Shpayer in the 60 m, Pavel Karavayev improved to 795 in the long jump (also 6.80 in the 60 m) and Aleksey Fyodorov got 16.60 in the triple jump.
VILNIUS (LTU, Jan 10): Lina Grincikaite posted 7.42 in the 60 m here.
EAUBONNE (FRA, Jan 11): Alice Decaux was timed with 8.18 at the 60 m hurdles here.
BARDEJOV (SVK, Jan 11): Slovak Peter Horak won here special high jump meet with 221 clearance and tried at Goteborg standard 226 cm.
OTHER NEWS
HOUSTON (USA): The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon elite fields are set for Sunday and despite a 70% chance of rain forecasted, the athletes aren’t giving the conditions much thought. Bazu Worku, of Ethiopia, leads the men’s field with a 2:05:25 best, set in Paris in 2010. Since then the 22-year-old was part of the Ethiopian assault on the Dubai Marathon last January, where after a 62:21 first half, finished 13th (11th among his countrymen) in 2:07:48. Three months later he was 12th in London. Chief among his rivals will be Debebe Tolossa and Teferi Balcha, both of Ethiopia. In the women’s race, Bizunesh Deba, the runner-up in the 2011 New York City Marathon (and entrant to the 2012 NYC race before its cancellation), should provide a close battle with 20-year-old Merima Mohammed. Leading the men’s half marathon is Atsedu Tsegay of Ethiopia, who became the fourth-fastest man ever at the distance at the 2012 Prague Half Marathon with his 58:47 win. Close on his heels are compatriots Feyisa Lilesa, who won the half in Houston in 2012, and Deriba Merga. Meb Keflizighi, fourth in the 2012 Olympic Marathon, intended to lead the domestic field, but announced his withdrawal at the race press conference due to an illness that interrupted training. In the women’s field, 31-year-old Caroline Kilel, the winner of the 2011 Boston Marathon with a 68:16 best, leads the field. From Runblogrun.com.
MONACO (MON): The IAAF announced the conclusion of a broadcasting deal in Germany for the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. The agreement was concluded between Sport A, the sports buying rights agency of German public service broadcasters ARD/ZDF, and IEC in Sports, the IAAF’s exclusive media agency for European and African rights for the IAAF World Athletics Series of which the biennial IAAF World Championships are its jewel. Under the terms ARD/ZDF will televise the nine day IAAF World Championships in Moscow which take place from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 August 2013, guaranteeing to transmit live coverage from all evening sessions.
TIBERIAS (ISR): French 2012 Tiberias Marahton winner Patrick Tambwe declared himself injured and did not board the plane to Israel. That means he was at the end of the day not running there on Thursday.
VILNIUS (LTU): Heptathlete Austra Skujyte and discus legend Virgilijus Alekna were among top ten best sports persons of 2012 in Lithuania. Alekna was 9th and Skujyte 10th.
LONDON (GBR): UK media are informing that the man who threw a plastic beer bottle on to the track at the start of the men’s Olympic 100m final has been found guilty of public order offences. Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, of South Milford, North Yorkshire, was arrested at the Olympic Stadium on 5 August last year. His lawyers had said he was suffering from a “manic episode” at the time. District Judge Ashworth said he would limit the maximum sentence to a community-based penalty and granted Gill-Web conditional bail until the sentencing.
KINGSTON (JAM): Sprinters ruled at RJR Sports Awards of the Year. Usain Bolt claimed his fourth RJR Sportsman of the Year award, while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce walked away with her first Sports
woman of the Year prize at a ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. Bolt, who also won the island’s top sporting honour in 2011, 2009 and 2008, now ranks third among male recipients, behind boxing great Mike McCallum, who has seven awards, and sprinting legend Donald Quarrie, with five of his own. Fraser-Pryce’s recognition also extends a 36-year streak of track and field dominance of the National Sportswoman of the Year Award, as one would have to look back to 1976, for the last time the accolade was given to an individual from another sport. Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Vivalyn Latty-Scott was the recipient in 1976. Yohan Blake, Bolt’s training partner and main rival through 2012, like he did at the Olympic Games, finished as runner-up in the race for the Sportsman of the Year honours. Writes Jamaica Gleaner. Behind Blake cricketers Marlon Samuels and Christopher Gayle, World Boxing Association Featherweight champion Nicholas Walters, and fellow athletes Hansle Parchment, Warren Weir and Nickel Ashmeade. Olympic 200 m breaststroke finalist Alia Atkinson, who also won the People’s Choice Award, was voted runner-up ahead of the field of contenders which included 100m bronze medallist and many-time winner Veronica Campbell Brown and 400m hurdles Diamond League champion Kaliese Spencer.
CHELYABINSK (RUS): Pole Vault World junior champion 2004 and London Olympic 4th placer Dmitriy Starodubtsev informed “All sport” agency he has decided to miss the indoor season 2013. “It’s time to heal all old injuries I have accumulated in past years. Now I can train with 30% of my usual loadings. That’s why I decided to make the necessary treatment and begin my preparation for future only after that,” Starodubtsev explained. The current leader of Russian men pole vault is ready even to sacrifice World Athletics Championships in Moscow in case he would need more time for full recovery. “I have a goal to perform at two future Olympic Games and I don’t want to aggravate all injuries I have for now. Certainly I hope my health will be enough good even next spring and I’ll be on time to prepare both for World Universiade and World Championships” added the 27-years old Russian.
ZAPORIZHYA (UKR): Reigning European Indoor Champion at 60 m Olesya Povh will not defend her title in Gothenburg 2013. “I like indoor competitions very much. 60m is my favorite distance but after exhausting Olympic season I definitely have been tired. After short discussion with my coach we decided to miss this indoor season. I need a little break to prepare for summer and World Championships in Moscow,” said the 25-years old Ukrainian in her quotes to national media. A reliable source informed EME News that Povh had successful surgery on achilles tendon last fall.
BUDAPEST (HUN): All-Athletics.com announced as World Road Runners of the Year 2012 Eritrean Zersenay Tadese and Kenyan Joyce Chepkirui. As Marathon Runners of the Year 2012 in the World Kenyans Wilson Kipsang with Mary Keitany. At All-Athletics.com website you can also find the best road runners and marathon runners 2012 in different continents. In Europe for example best road runners Italians Daniele Meucci with Valeria Straneo and best marathoners Henryk Szost of Poland and Ukrainian Tetyana Gamera.
