by Larry Eder
BLAKE FOR DOHA
DOHA (QAT): Jamaican Yohan Blake, the World 100m champion, will open his 2013 Samsung Diamond League campaign at the Doha 2013 meeting on Friday 10 May. Blake is the first headline announcement by the organisers of Doha 2013. 23-year-old Blake, who is tied on the all-time lists with Tyson Gay as the second fastest ever 100m runner (9.69), commented that “this will be my first time in Qatar and I am looking forward to going to Doha, for my first Diamond League appearance on the Asian continent. I have heard about the fast track in Doha and I hope to break the meeting record (9.85 sec, Olusoji Fasuba, 2006). I always want to surprise the audience, everywhere I go,” he was quoted as saying.
WHITING 21.80, WARINER 45.82, CHERRY 6.49
ALBUQUERQUE (USA, Mar 3): Highlight of second day of US Championships was world leading shot put for World indoor champion Ryan Whiting 21.80. Second Cory Martin 20.93 and third Kurt Roberts 20.89. Good to see back in winning ways Jeremy Wariner 45.82 in the 400 m over Marcus Boyd 46.54. Only 0.01 behind the world leading time from European Indoors was the 60 m win of D´Angelo Cherry in 6.49. Second Reggie Dixon 6.54 and third Jeremy Dodson 6.58. Hurdles drama involved two false start disqualification, fall of Jeff Porter (7.62 winning his heat) and win for Omo Osaghae 7.62 (faster 7.59 in heats). Fast also women 60 m won by Barbara Pierre 7.08 over Lekeisha Lawson 7.10 and Shayla Mahan 7.19. Nia Ali clocked 7.93 over Kristin Castlin 7.97 in the hurdles. Third long jump winner Janay DeLoach Soukup 8.00 with Queen Harrison fourth with the same 8.00. Ebonie Floyd posted 52.02 400 m win. Impressive display of shape by 16 year-old Mary Cain in the mile. Coming off of a dawdling pace of 2:55.8 at 880y –to some extent necessitated by Albuquerque’s thin air– Cain unleashed a 59.1-second final 440y to get the win in 5:05.68. Unsponsored Erik Sowinski won the men’s 800 m (1:47.09 over Robby Andrews 1:47.13, Tyler Mulder 1:47.43 and Matt Centrowitz 1:47.82). Junior (but professional with adidas) Ajee’ Wilson won the women’s 800m in 2:02.64 ahead of Chanelle Price 2:02.93. Finally, Will Leer won the 3000m on Saturday –albeit in a four-man field– then came back to win the mile on Sunday (3:58.79). In technical events Michelle Carter got the shot put (19.41, 2nd best mark in the world 2013), Inika McPherson the high jump (189) and Jordan Scott the pole vault (560, with Brad Walker in tie for 8th 535). Walking winners Tim Seaman 12:08.65 and Maria Michta 13:07.07.
OTHER NEWS
LINZ (AUT): The US Team for World Championships in Moscow will have its training camp in Linz, Austria. They plan to come after London Diamond League meet and stay there from July 27 until August 5. It is expected the team will have around 130 members. Informs the “Kronen Zeitung” newspaper. In Indianapolis it was announced that 2012 London Olympic coaches Amy Deem and Andrew Valmon have been named Team USA relay coaches for Moscow.
LONDON (GBR): Simon Hart of The Telegraph writes that a number of leading athletes who competed at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki are set to be exposed as drug cheats after urine samples that have been held in frozen storage were re-tested by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Nick Davies, the IAAF deputy general secretary, confirmed that “hundreds” of re-tests had been carried out on samples provided at the championships, resulting in several positive cases. He promised a “big announcement” in the near future when the identities of the athletes will be revealed, though two Russian women have already been unmasked by the Russian anti-doping agency.
Olga Kuzenkova, who won gold in the hammer in Helsinki but who has since retired from athletics, faces being stripped of her title while long jumper Tatiana Kotova could forfeit her silver medal.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Agencies are informing that CAS informed that Jamaican sprinter Steve Mullings has lost his appeal against a lifetime ban imposed in November 2011 for a second doping offense. He tested positive for testosterone in 2004 and for the banned diuretic furosemide in 2011. Mullings questioned the methods which led to the results of both tests, but CAS rejected his arguments.
NAIROBI (KEN): Flotrack writes that Wesley Korir, 2012 John Hancock Boston Marathon winner, has taken the MP-seat for Cherangany-county in Kenya as a member of parliament. According to Kenyan political source, Sylvia Chelimo, Wesley Korir won an independent seat, as many feel Korir will serve a beneficial role in providing a rebuilding for the country of Kenya. Korir will be making his way over to the U.S. soon as he looks to defend his marathon title in Boston. Also elected was Chris Cheboiboch as County Representative in Elgeyo Marakwet. He ran 2:08:17 marathon best as second in New York in 2002.
EUROPEAN INDOORS
GOTEBORG (SWE): Insidethegames writes that nev
er has a gold medallist been more wretched. Never has a man whose performance stands clear as the best in the world list been more frustrated. Renaud Lavillenie, France’s Olympic pole vault champion, cleared 6.01 metres, the best height recorded this year, in winning his third consecutive European Athletics Indoor title, but at the end of the competition he sank onto the track in despair after what he had been convinced was a successful last-attempt clearance of 6.07m – four centimetres further than his best and closer than any other man has managed to get to Sergey Bubka’s 1993 world record of 6.15m — was ruled ineligible. “I am very sad about the rules,” he said afterwards. “Everyone saw that the bar was still up.” The International Association of Athletics Federation regulation which operated in this case was Rule 182.2.a, which states that a vault shall be declared ineligible if “the bar does not remain on both pegs because of the action of the athlete”.
GOTEBORG (SWE): Russia maintained their habitual domination of the European Athletics Indoor Championships as they finished top of the medal table for the fifth time in the last seven stagings of the event, matching the total of 14 medals they won at the 2011 Championships in Paris as they collected four golds, seven silvers and three bronzes. But it could be argued that the host nation will finish these championships the happiest, given that they have earned sixth place in the table – with one gold, two silvers and three bronzes – having finished 21st two years ago in Paris with just a solitary bronze. Writes European Athletics.
INTERESTING FIGURES:
Best reaction times – 60 m: Emmanuel Biron 0.132 in semifinal, Verena Sailer 0.125 in heats, 60 m hurdles: Vladimir Vukicevic 0.129 in semifinal and Sharona Bakker 0.108 in semifinal.
Youngest – Men – winner and medalist: Jimmy Vicaut (27092), Women – winner and medalist: Holly Bleasdale (021191).
Oldest – Men – winner: Asmir Kolasinac (151084), medalist: Bjorn Otto (161077), Women – winner and medalist: Ruth Beitia (010479)
False starts disqualification: only one, women 60 m hurdles (Alice Decaux in heats)
EA Countries not competing: Montenegro, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, the participating 47 countries is new record (46 were in Paris 2011)
First ever medals for: Serbia and Bosnia, first ever gold for: Azerbaijan
Countries which never won medals: Albania, Andorra, Georgia, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Monaco, Malta, San Marino (11)
Biggest number of athletes: Russia 48, Italy 40, Sweden 38, on the other end 6 countries with one athlete
Additional European leading mark: 3:05.78 GBR in 4×400 m (total of 11)
RESULTS
KINGSTON (JAM, Mar 3): During last day of Jamaican CARIFTA Trials Michael Ohara won the 200 m in windy 20.78 (+4.7) and Jovan Francis the 400 m in 46.55. Discus thrower Fredrick Dacres won both throws 17.82 (6 kg) shot put and 58.26 (1.75) discus. Shericka Jackson despite wind was impressive 200 m girls winner in 23.06 (+2.7).
MAYAGUEZ (PUR, Mar 2): Jamaican Allan Burton clocked here 10.35 (+1.3) in the 100 m.
PORT OF SPAIN (TRI, Mar 3): During second day of Trinidad CARIFTA Trials Jereem Richards won the 200 m in 20.95 against -1.5 wind.
RUD (NOR, Mar 3): A new indoor Arena called Barum Idrettspark was opened here. It has 6 lanes Mondo track. Katarina Mogenburg cleared 180 in the opening competition in the high jump.
BOSTON (USA, Mar 3): Jamaican Andre Walsh improved to 20.88 in the 200 m at the IC4A Championships. George Empty clocked 1:01:24 in the 500 m.
MURCIA (ESP, Mar 3): Fast times at Spanish Walking Championships. Julia Takacs won the women 20 km in 1:28:44 PB what is fourth best perfomer all-time in Spain. Personal bests also for second Raquel Gonzalez 1:31:16 and third Lorena Luaces 1:31:32.
PTUJ (SLO, Mar 3): Martina Ratej achieved 59.54 in javelin at Slovenian Winter Throwing Championships.
LEVERKUSEN (GER, Mar 3): Sabrina Mockenhaupt won the 32nd 10 km road race here in 32:01. Top male runner was Kenyan Bernard Kiplagat in 28:53.
TACHIKAWA (JPN, Mar 3): The Tachikawa Akishima Half-Marathon winners Shogo Nakamura clocked 1:02:41 ahead of Toshikatsu Ebina 1:02:49 and Hiroki Yamaguchi 1:02:51.
TAMANA (JPN, Mar 3): Daichi Kato won the 64th Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half-Marathon in 1:03:01.
TORREON (MEX, Mar 3): Winners of 25th Maratón Internacional Lala were Kenyans Isaac Kimayio 2:13:56 and Truphena Tarus 2:37:03. Second Mexicans Alejandro Suarez 2:14:29 and Vianey Rojas 2:37:30.
COIMBRA (POR, Mar 2): Rui Silva won the Portugal short course CC Championships at 4 km in 10:39. Second Alberto Paulo 10:41 and third Tiago Costa 10:43. In women 4 km Carla Rocha was the best in 12:01 over Catarina Ribeiro 12:02.
BOTOSANI (ROU, Mar 2): Romanian CC Champions Marius Ionescu at 10 km, Cristiana Fromuz in women 8 km, the official results are not giving times.
DUDINGEN (SUI, Mar 3): Swiss CC Champions Adriano Engelhardt at 10 km 31:54 and Livia Burri 29:16 in women 8 km. Mario Bachtiger won the short course at 3 km (8:56), the same for Fabienne Schlumpf (10:27).
CORRECTIONS
ANCONA (ITA): Sprinter Desalu is the Italian Junior Champion. He is not from Great Britain.
SAO CAETANO DO SUL (BRA): Augusto Dutra da Silva with his 571 achieved new South American indoor record.
