by Larry EderWith Yohan Blake being cautious, the 100 meters at the adidas Grand Prix will be Tyson Gay versus a strong field in the 100 meters at the adidas Grand Prix. Tyson expressed interest in little wind, no rain: nice, warm sprint weather. Would love to see that happen, so I will do the normally required homage to the weather gods: a goat on a spit, near Grand Central Station. My guess is that, it could provide quite the interest in the Big Apple.
SAFP is out, but still great duels
MANCHESTER (GBR): Unfortunately the clash of Allyson Felix with two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has been cancelled after the Jamaican superstar was forced to withdraw at short notice with a hamstring injury, after aggravating it at last Saturday’s Diamond League fixture in Shanghai. “We’re a little bit excited about this over 150m on the streets of Manchester,” tweeted Felix from the Chinese capital, where running well within her capabilities, she sped unchallenged to the second fastest 200m time in the world this year of 22.36. Felix, who was making her season debut at her speciality distance, added: “Had a great time competing at the Bird’s Nest tonight. First deuce (200m) of the season down.” In a field which also features Great Britain’s former World Junior 100m champion Jodie Williams, and Olympian Anyika Onuora, she is almost certain to attack on the world best performance of 16.50, posted by fellow American Carmelita Jeter two years ago in Newcastle. The men’s 150m also promises to be a highly competitive clash between Europe’s number one sprinter Christophe Lemaitre of France and Britain’s Dwain Chambers making his season debut, alongside fellow London Olympian James Ellington. Returning from an early season tour of the Far East which has taken him to Australia and China, Olympic winner Greg Rutherford faces arch-rival Chris Tomlinson and another Brit, UK Indoor champion Matthew Burton plus Bahamian Rudon Bastian. The charismatic Felix Sanchez – who emotionally regained the Olympic 400m hurdles title -will step down to half that distance, in a clash against World Championships bronze medallist LJ Van Zyl. Taking on the Dominican Republic and South African stars will be Great Britain’s Jack Green and Andy Turner. The women’s 200m hurdles features Russia’s Natalya Antyukh who snatched the Games 400m hurdles crown, along with Jamaica’s former World Championships silver medallist Delloreen Ennis. Great Britains top two performers, Perri Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child are also in the field. The men’s 110m hurdles will feature American Terrence Trammell, a former two-time Olympic runner-up, Hansle Parchment who claimed bronze with a Jamaican record in London and Will Sharman, the host nation’s Commonwealth silver medallist in opposition. The women’s 100m hurdles comprises an awesome field led by the USA duo of the 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 Olympic Silver medallist Dawn Harper plus Kellie Wells who grabbed bronze behind her colleague in the Olympic Park. UK record holder Tiffany Porter also competes. Kim Collins who was the surprise winner of the Commonwealth 100m title in Manchester 11 years ago before showing his class with a victory at the following year’s World Championships, faces GB’s two former World Junior champions Mark Lewis-Francis and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Raphael Holzdeppe the Olympic bronze medallist heads the pole vault line up against fellow Germans Malte Mohr and Karsten Dilla. Greek record holder Konstantinos Filippidis also competes with Great Britain’s Andy Sutcliffe given the opportunity to mix it with his more experienced European rivals. Organisers are informing.
Top Bowerman mile field
EUGENE (USA): Organizers of the Prefontaine Classic released the elite lineup for the annual Bowerman Mile, to be run on June 1 at the fourth IAAF Diamond League stop. Each of the 2012 Olympic medalists at 1500m are entered, as are a pair of 2008 Olympic medalists and three of America’s best milers. Leading the charge are each of the past two Olympic gold medalists at the metric mile, Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi (for his mile debut) and Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop. London Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano, 2011 World Championships bronze medalist Matthew Centrowitz, and two-time Olympian Lopez Lomong lead the American squad. Others taking to the line will be 2008 Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis –who was forced to skip Saturday’s adidas Grand Prix because of a fall he suffered at the Shanghai meet– as well as Morocco’s Abdelaati Iguider, who took home the London Olympic bronze medal at 1500m. Last year’s Bowerman Mile runner-up Mekonnen Gebremedhin will toe the line against a group of top Kenyans, including 2012 Diamond League titlist Silas Kiplagat, Bethwell Birgen, Nixon Chepseba, Collins Cheboi, and Caleb Ndiku. Rounding out the field is 20-year-old Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti, a national record holder at three distances, and two-time Pre Classic International Mile winner Ryan Gregson of Australia. Writes RRW.
Vivian is pregnant
NAIROBI (KEN): “I am very happy to announce that I will take some time off from athletics this year as I am pregnant with my first child,” double world champion Vivian Cheruiyot said through a statement provided by her agent, Ricky Simms. “I have been running for many years and at 29 feel that now is the right time to start a family. Unfortunately I will not be able to defend my World Championships 5000m and 10,000m titles in Moscow but I will be back for the 2014 season and the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. I have already spoken to some of my colleagues who had babies to get advice about when to return to training after giving birth,” she continued. “My long term goal is the 2016 Olympic Games in Beijing and to finally win Olympic gold.”
Gay vs. Jamaicans
NEW YORK (USA): Men sprints start lists were revealed for the adidas Grand Prix, third stop of IAAF Diamond League on Saturday. Tyson Gay runs the 100 m and olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir the 200 m. In the 100 m field heats and final will be staged. Other top sprinters entered in the 100 m are US Ryan Bailey, Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Jamaicans Kemar Bailey-Cole, Nesta Carter and Nickel Ashmeade.
OTHER NEWS
PORTLAND (USA): US distance sensation young Mary Cain will compete after Pre Classic a week later in Portland the Team Athena 5000 m, a distance she hasn’t raced on the track yet in her young career. “The question of who could be the most exciting athlete addition to the Portland Track Festival came up at a recent planning meeting. Mary Cain was definitely a pick in this fantasy track draft. Starting back during indoor, discussion of Cain’s most recent race often served as an opening to actual planning at these meetings,” said Team Athena President Laura Devine in a statement circulated to the media. “It only seemed fitting that word of Cain’s plan to compete in the Team Athena 5k came just days after her 4:04 Oxy 1500. As a race organizer I am honored to have Mary Cain compete. As a track fan, I really can’t wait to be track-side while she does.” Her coach Alberto Salazar told Flotrack.org that Cain’s racing schedule will include stops in Des Moines, Iowa, for the U.S. National Championships and on the European circuit.
BEIJING (CHN): The 100 m winner Justin Gatlin after 9.91 at Bird´s Nest said: “My hamstring is not 100% but I am a
ble to compete. I’m getting top notch physiotherapy and the therapy is giving me confidence to be able to run fast and be brave.” His next race is the Pre Classic in Eugene before heading to Rome to clash with world´s fastest Usain Bolt.
NANJING (CHN): Russia’s double Olympic pole-vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva has been unveiled as an official ambassador for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The announcement for the second Summer Youth Olympic Games means Isinbayeva will reprise her role as an ambassador for the competition having undertaken it at the inaugural edition of the event in Singapore in 2010. “I am very happy and honoured to continue in my role as a YOG Ambassador for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games,” said Isinbayeva, as she was given a tour of the Nanjing 2014 Athletics Stadium and gave a masterclass to young athletes. Nanjing 2014, which will be held onAugust 16-28 next year, is expected to attract more than 3,600 athletes aged between 15 and 18 years old to compete in the Chinese city.
GOTZIS (AUT): Despite US withdrawals Gotzis fields are boasting 20 decathletes with 8000+ personal bests and 20 women with 6000+ personal scores. Mainly European elite is well represented.
TAIPEI (TPE): Athletes from 13 nations including three Olympic medallists have confirmed participation in the Taiwan Open Athletics to be held at Taipei City Stadium on 27-28 May organised by Chinese Taipei Track and Field Association. Double Olympic champion Angelo Taylor of USA will compete in Men’s 400m Hurdles while London 2012 Long Jump bronze medallist Will Claye will be a headline act in the men’s long jump. Women’s 100m will feature American Jeneba Tarmoh whose personal best stand at 11.07s. Australian men’s sprint relay team will seek to crack World Championship qualification time.
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Olympic silver medallist and 2009 world champion Caster Semenya was a surprise exclusion from the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee’s (Sascoc) Operation Excellence (Opex) programme when the new list of athletes was released on Wednesday. Medallists and finalists from the 2012 Olympic Games, and athletes ranked in the top eight in the world in their events, were included in the Olympic body’s latest top-tier funding programme. However, Sascoc chief executive Tubby Reddy said Semenya, a former world 800 metres champion, did not qualify for the programme as she was not training and it was uncertain whether she would compete this year. Supersport.com informs.
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) chief executive Tubby Reddy said on Wednesdayhe did not believe Athletics SA (ASA) was in danger of being suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). In a letter to Reddy last week, Cheikh Thiare, director of the executive office of the IAAF president, said Sascoc had failed to inform the international athletics body that all 11 ASA board members had been suspended. He called on Sascoc to explain the suspensions. “I spoke to him about two weeks ago when he wanted clarity on the whole process,” Reddy said. “I’ve put that together with the input of Zola Majavu in terms of what is uncovered, what is paid for up to now, and the hosting of the African Junior Championships, which was also a concern when I spoke to him.” Majavu was appointed as the interim ASA administrator last month, with Sascoc giving him 120 days to assist the embattled federation in clearing up its mounting debt.
HENGELO (NED): Rens Blom and European indoor champion Eelco Sintnicolaas have confirmed their participation in the pole vault at the FBK Games on June 8th. Sintnicolaas first will focus on the IAAF World combined events meeting in Gotzis before heading to Hengelo, while Blom is working on his comeback.
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): Sue Humphrey had been replaced by Mike Conley as Chair of USATF’s High Performance Division. Sue Humphrey retains her position as Chair of the Women’s Track & Field Committee. The replacement occurred “within the last couple of weeks” per USATF . Per the USATF Governance Handbook, the Chair of the High Performance Division is selected (not nominated) according to the handbook. Informs runblogrun.
LONDON (GBR): British high jumper Samson Oni returned earlier this week finally home after underwenting surgery on his left knee in Doha, Qatar. He injured his knee during the IAAF Diamond League meet on May 10. His season is over, but the surgery went well and he is starting with first exercises in order to be ready for the 2014 season.
PRAHA (CZE): Disappointed from Shanghai Diamond League the European indoor and outdoor champion Pavel Maslak. He was disqualified after a false start. He explains: “I heard some sound very similar to the gun and started. But as it was clear later that came from spectators area and not from the starter.” The same happened to Briton Conrad Williams, so it was clear both runners heard other sound. Maslak starting reaction was -0.228 which confirms he was acting to something else.
EDMONTON (CAN): Warren Weir, the 2012 London Olympic Games bronze medalist from Jamaica is going up against Canada’s Olympians Jared Connaughton and Tremaine Harris at the Edmonton International Track Classic on June 29. “Competing in Edmonton will be my first chance to run in Canada,” says Weir. “I heard a lot about the event from Yohan, and I’m excited to join him there this year.” The fastest time in Canada was 20.03, set by Greece’s Konstadinos Kedéris at the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Edmonton.
BERLIN (GER): Carolin Nytra is ready for her return to competition after injuries have slowed her down in the last months. Nytra plans to compete locally at the end of May and later travel to Oslo for the IAAF Diamond League meeting. Nytra told leichtathletik.de she at one point considered retirement but now believes she still has the fire to do well internationally.
MONACO (MON): Over 120 nations of the 212 which make up the membership of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have now implemented IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics, the flagship project of the IAAF School / Youth programme. During 2013 a further 20 IAAF national Member Federations will activate the project within their territories, these include Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mozambique, New Z
ealand, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka.
GLASGOW (GBR): Athletics Weekly informs that Lee McConnell will not compete during the 2013 season as she has announced she is expecting her first child with husband Craig Bonthron in early November. The three-time Olympian has won more medals than any other Scottish athlete and has competed at every major championship since 2001, winning nine major championship medals during her 14-year career. The 34-year-old admitted the news came as a bit of a shock, but said that she will continue to train throughout the pregnancy with the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow remaining in her sights.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Japanese hammer Olympic gold medallist Koji Murofushi has lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to disqualify him from a place on its Athletes’ Commission. Insidethegames informs. The Athens 2004 hammer gold medallist and former world champion had his election blocked, along with that of Taiwanese taekwondo Olympic champion Chu Mu-Yen, after allegedly breaching the IOC’s strict campaign rules ahead of the election at London 2012, where 38-year-old Murofushi also won a bronze medal. Despite the ruling, the CAS stressed that Murofushi’s “reputation and sportsmanship were intact”. “The IOC welcomes the CAS decision and looks forward to working with Danka Barteková, James Tomkins, Kirsty Coventry and Tony Estanguet, who are expected to be proposed by the IOC EB for election at the July 2013 Extraordinary Session in Lausanne following expiry of the 28-day appeal period,” it read.
MADRID (ESP): 2009 steeple world champion Marta Dominguez of Spain returns to media in another doping case. The runner per Spanish media has received notification that a file is opened against her because of abnormal biological passport data. The news published by El Pais, would refer to the period between 2009 and 2010. Next steps in the situation are expected from Spanish Athletics Federation.
LONDON (GBR): Latest Pat Butcher blog at www.globerunner.org: New Haile Book with Jiro Mochizuki.
RESULTS
SREMSKA MITROVICA (SRB, May 18): Good discus shape by Dragana Tomasevic 63.04.
DOHA (QAT, May 21): The Arab Championship started in Doha with local star Mutaz Essa Barshim after winning the Diamond League in Shanghai clearing 230 cm. Second Mohamed Younis of Sudan 224. Meshari Suroor Saad of Kuweit won the shot put 19.37 and Tunisia´s Hassanine Sebei the 20 km walk 1:30:30. From women events to note15:48.59 in the 5000 m by Betlehem Desalegn from United Arab Emirates over Bahraini duo Tejitu Daba 15:53.17 and Shitaye Eshete15:54.95.
KYIV (UKR, May 20-22): Interesting results from National throwing cup at Olympic preparation center in Koncha-Zaspa near of Kyiv. Oleksiy Semenov won men discus with season best 64.19 over world junior record holder Mykyta Nesterenko 62.88m. Yevhen Vynogradov topped men hammer 77.65m. London Olympic 4th placer Oleksiy Sokyrskyy was second 77.38. 36-year-old Iryna Sekachova became the best in women hammer 70.00 over Iryna Novozhylova 69.30. Andriy Borodkin (19.34m) and Halyna Obleshchuk (18.77) won shot put events.
HAINFELD (AUT, May 22): Austrian discus thrower Gerhard Mayer achieved the Moscow standard at throwing meet here with 65.16 m. He missed his own Austrian record only by 8 cm.
BRANDBU (NOR, May 22): At the Hyundai GP meet 20-years old Sifan Hassan from Ethiopia who lives in Netherlands won the women 3000 m in good PB 8:57.71. Second Finland´s Sandra Eriksson 9:04.75 and third Karoline Grovdal 9:06.70. Cuban Yeimer Lopez won the 800 m in1:48.74. In windy hurdles (+3.9) Isabelle Pedersen got 13.06 over
