DOHA SHORT PREVIEW

Men

100 m: Gatlin is the favorite, but Rodgers comes with Tokyo win and Nesta Carter with Kim Collins are having enough experience. World lead would mean also meet record (9.86 and 9.85).

800 m: Rudisha against the clock or against Aman? Meet record1:43.00 possible, but world lead for sure.

1500 m: The only non-DL event has a great field topped by again healthy Kiprop. WL 3:31.94 might be the goal. MR is tough 3:29.63 from last year duel Kiprop-S.Kiplagat which will happen again. But Iguider is olympic medalist.

3000 m: Classic duel Kenya vs Ethiopia. Top names? I.Koech and Longosiwa against Gebrhiwot and Alamirew. Or somebody else? WL for sure, MR is tough 7:27.26 and WJR is 7:28.78 from Doha 2005 and the record holder Choge is competing.

400mH: Tinsley is the world leader, Batman comes from Japan win. Fredericks is the dark horse. Maybe world lead 48.55, meet record looks to be far away 48.11.

HJ: The crowd is waiting on home star Barshim, he wants to win. What about the Russians? (Mudrov, Dmitrik, Shustov). Grabarz is also among the favorites. MR 233, WL 234.

PV: Based on this year results Bjorn Otto should be the winner, but also depends how the wind will play. Meet record and world lead are the same 581.

TJ: Oly winner Taylor should be clear, can he attack 17.46 WL and 17.49 MR?

SP: Whiting already has two meets, Hoffa the same, but oly winner Majewski opens. World lead 21.74 and meet record 21.82 are in danger.

JT: Oly winner Walcott in his first world level one day meet ever, Thorkildsen is in Doha since April, Pitkamäki is the world leader, Vesely is the Diamond Race defender. World lead is a big possibility.

Women

200 m: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the clear choice, Okagbare is also fast and has the WL, but would be after the long jump. Both WL 22.31 and MR 22.35 can go.

400 m: Felix and her Doha winning streak. Ohuruogu had fastest opener last weekend in Kingston, but Montsho is the world leader 50.14.

1500 m: Female duel of the meet. Genzebe versus Aregawi, they want to run under 4 minutes, that would be MR and WL. And Aregawi should achieve also Swedish outdoor record 4:05.49.

SC: WL for sure (9:28.26), MR is also possible (9:16.44). Chemos, or Ghribi after 3000 m PB, or Assefa or Ayalew with top CC results. Only Russians are missing.

100 m Hurdles: US favorites Harper, Lolo, Harrison, Wells, can they attack MR 12.52 and WL 12.62 ?

LJ: All three olympic medalists here, Reese already won in Doha, but DeLoach-Soukup also looks good, Sokolova opens. Or surprise from the fastest in the field Okagbare? Meet record 702, world lead 691.

DT: Everybody expects clear win for Olympic gold medalist Perkovic. But it is her opener. Still meet record 66.42 and world lead 66.69 should go.

DOHA NEWS

DOHA (QAT): Qatar Athletics Federation president Dahlan Al-Hamad confirmed at the pre Diamond League opener press conference the desire of Qatar to bid for the 2019 World Championships. Doha was already bidding for 2017 and lost to London. IAAF President Lamine Diack informed the bidding process will start in 2014.

DOHA (QAT): They are both 19-year-old runners coming from Ethiopia and they have already experienced the pleasure of competing in an Olympic final, as well as the joy of breaking the world junior record. After such a spectacular 2012 season Mohamed Aman and Hagos Gebrhiwet traveled to Doha to officially open their 2013 Diamond Race adventure by entering the 800m and the 3000m races respectively. “I am always willing to become better and there is always room for improvement. I trained hard in my country Ethiopia and I feel confident ahead of the new season. Hopefully I will find the way to beat David Rudisha again. I have a plan but I am not going to reveal it. You will see me on track!” The fresh World CC junior champion Gebrhiwot said: “In Moscow I will run the 5000m and I trust I will succeed. It was difficult for me to adjust my training regime after the Cross Country, since the training for track races is much different but I will be in shape pretty soon.”

DOHA (QAT): Olympic winner Shelly-Ann Fraser confirmed she wants to qualify for both sprints 100 m and 200 m at Jamaican Trials for Moscow. „I m learning to love the event,” she said. Her US rival Allyson Felix said she is going to compete at US Championships in the 100 m and 200 m and for the moment does not plan more 400 m races than in Doha.

DOHA (QAT): “I aim to have a good start to the season,” says Mutaz Barshim, who warns against reading too much into early-season results. The most important thing for the jumper is to be able to regain full fitness. “I am overcoming the back problems that I developed in late 2011 and caused a stress fracture just one week before the Olympics. I am not rushing my recovery, though – I have time and it’s important I heal fully.” Said the Qatari olympic medalist.

DOHA (QAT): World record holder David Rudisha admitted he starts the season without the traditional early Australian appearances, but is fully healthy and satisfied with his preparation. His next goal is to get the second world title. „You need to begin your training day with the aim for something you do not have it,” he explained. “I haven’t cha
nged much in my approach to training and competing. It is obvious it works for me, so no big changes were required. I sat down with my coach and we planned this season: we are looking at perhaps one race at a slighter longer distance, 1000 m, a distance I have never run before.”

DOHA (QAT): Tomasz Majewski, the Polish shot put Olympic Champion, has never won in Doha in his four previous appearances and he now looks forward to tomorrow’s competition to get in the first place: “I hope Doha Diamond League will be the first step to a good season” says the “gentle giant” with a smile on his face. The Polish hero will compete in Doha after he passed the indoor season.

MATEBOR AND CHEROMEI

PRAHA (CZE): The best ever elite fields in the history of the event will be on the starting line of the 19th Volkswagen Prague Marathonthis Sunday. Seven men have personal bests of sub 2:10 while half a dozen women have done better than 2:25 so far. Kenyans Albert Matebor and Lydia Cheromei are the two with the fastest times. Their personal bests stand at 2:05:25 and 2:21:30. A record number of 9,500 athletes have entered the Czech Republic’s premier running event. With a runner like Albert Matebor competing on Sunday there is of course talk about the course record. Eliud Kiptanui (Kenya) established this mark in a sensational race in 2010, when he clocked 2:05:39. Main rivals for the favorites will be on the men side Mariko Kipchumba with 2:06:05 when he won the Reims Marathon in France in October 2012. The others are Benjamin Kiptoo (Kenya/2:06:31), Teshome Gelana (Ethiopia/2:07:37), Nicholas Kemboi (Qatar/2:08:01), Julius Karinga (Kenya/2:08:01) and Girmay Birhanu (Ethiopia/2:08:11). Another one who could do very well in his debut is Amanuel Mesel. The 22 year-old Eritrean was second in the Hervis Prague Half Marathon a month ago with 60:10.

FEOFANOVA AGAINST ISI

SHANGHAI (CHN): Double olympic medalist in the pole vault Svetlana Feofanova confirmed she will jump at Shanghai Diamond League meet on May 18. She confirmed that for the All-Sport Agency. „I m in good preparation, no injury or health worries,” said Feofanova. Her main rival in China should be the world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva who also plans to open her season 2013.

GAY TO RUN 200 M OVER THE WEEKEND

CLERMONT (USA): US record holder Tyson Gay confirmed in an video-interview with Milesplit he will compete this weekend in Clermont at a local meet in his first 200 m race of the year. Gay won last weekend the 100 m in Kingston with world leading 9.86. His next 100 m is planned for New York of Diamond League on May 25.

L. MERRITT FOR HIS FIRST 400 M

ST. MARTIN (FRA): The 7th international meet in St. Martin in Caribbean area will see on Saturday the first 400 m race of the year by 2008 Olympic winner LaShawn Merritt. Other interesting names are Tony McQuay who will run the 200 m, Olympic relay winner Michael Frater returns after injury with his first 100 m of the year. Tianna Bartoletta, the relay olympic winner is scheduled for both sprints in the 100 m and 200 m.

OTHER NEWS

SOPOT (POL): The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships expects to welcome 5000 fans to each of the five sessions in Sopot, Poland on7-9 March next year, and tickets are now available to buy as part of a package. In total, around 25,000 tickets will be available for the biggest global athletics event of 2014 with 26 disciplines and more than 400 competitors from 160 countries.

LONDON (GBR): Germany’s Thomas Bach is the first member to declare he is a candidate to succeed Jacques Rogge as president of the International Olympic Committee.

NEW YORK (USA): Some 20,000 runners–the most in the event’s history–will race in the 33rd annual Brooklyn Half on Saturday, May 18, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. The race takes runners on 13.1-mile journey through the heart of the country’s fourth largest city, traveling from the rolling hills of Prospect Park through Grand Army Plaza, and a myriad of historical communities to a one-of-a-kind finish on the world-famous Coney Island boardwalk. To add to the adventure, Team New Balance Athlete Kim Smith, a three-time Olympian from New Zealand, will headline the field.

ROMA (ITA): Italy announced a team of 18 walkers for the 10th European Cup in Dudince, Slovakia next week. Top names in women 20 km the 2008 olympic medalist Elisa Rigaudo, in the men 20 km Giorgio Rubino and in the 50 km late withdrawal is Marco De Luca due to injury. Italy will have full teams in all five races.

SOFIA (BUL): Legendary high jump world record Stefka Kostadinova was confirmed as President of Bulgarian Olympic Committee in the elections. It will be her third term already as she leads the Bulgarian NOC since 2005.

BANGALORE (IND): The TCS World 10K Bangalore to be held here May 19 will have a fast field of foreign athletes among the projected 23,000 runners, it was announced. Leading the field at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium’s start line will be the two newly crowned World Cross Country champions, Japhet Korir among men and double World Cross Country champion Emily Chebet on the women’s side. The other strong contenders in the women’s race will be the defending champion Helah Kiprop of Kenya and the course record holder Wude Ayalew. They will be up against Kenyans Pascalia Kipkoech, the second fastest girl over 10 km in 2012, and Lucy Kabuu, who many insiders believe is the strongest among long distance female runners at this moment. Also in the field will be the young Kenyan Valentine Kipketer. The men’s field includes 14 athletes who have run the 10 km below 28 minutes on either track or road circuit and pose a strong challenge to the existing course record. Korir will face competition from fellow-Kenyans Moses Masai, Daniel Salel, Silas Kipruto, Nicholas Kipkemboi and rising Ethiopian star Brihanu Legese, to name a few. Local media are informing.

SENDAI (JPN): In its second edition since being canceled after the 2011 tsunami, the May 12 Sendai International Half Marathon plays host to Moscow World Championships marathon team members Yuki Kawauchi and Mizuki Noguchi. Having moved to a mass-participation format with a scaled-back elite field that has largely moved to the new Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon a week later, Sendai nevertheless still presents Kawauchi with tough competition. Writes Brett Larner.

RESULTS

NAIROBI (KEN, May 9): Commonwealth Games 5000 m bronze medalist Mark Kiptoo won the 10 000 m at the 33rd Kenya Defence Forces Athletics Championships at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in 28:55.4. Second Leonard Oloitiptip 28:55.8 and third Kiprono Menjo 28:56.1. Former Africa 800m bronze medalist Jackson Kivuva (1:49.1) will lead the men’s 800m charges in semi-finals. In the women 5000 m Gladys Cherono won in 16:44.4 ahead of three-time world cross-country runner Lineth Chepkurui (16:45.1) and world championships marathon bronze medalist Sharon Cherop (16:46.1).

DNIPROPETROVSK (UKR, May 9): Ukrainian Half Marathon champions are Igor Russ 1:06:05 and on the women side Tetyana Vernigor 1:16:40.

LEIDSCHE RIJN (NED, May 9): Kenyan Sammy Kigen won the first DeLoopVanLeidscheRijn with 43:36 in the 15 km. Second James Mburugu 43:44 and third Dutch Khalid Choukoud 44:41. Kenyan Lucy Macharia was the women winner in 51:26 ahead of Moroccan Nazha Macrouch 51:44 and Ukrainian Olga Kotovska 52:25. 3000 runners competed.

ST. NIKLAAS (BEL, May 9): Dutch hurdler Koen Smet improved here at the international meet to 13.73 (+0.8) at the 110 m hurdles.

TEL AVIV (ISR, May 9): Tasama Mogas won the Isreali 10 000 m title in new national record 28:12.58.

NOTE

SAN DIEGO (USA): Garry Hill, editor of Track and Field News reports that the track at the Re-Run meet has no kerb and was not properly coned; he says that T&FN will not be carrying marks such as Brenda Martinez’s 1:59.59 in their lists.