by Larry EderDavid Rudisha is out of the 800 meters, as he will not be ready for Moscow. Yohan Blake, the 2011 World Champion, is out of the 100 meters in Moscow, due to injury. This comes after Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell were announced to have positive tests on the same day, Sunday, July 14. It has been a brutally tough few days for the sport of track and field.
EME NEWS (JUL 16, 2013)
RUDISHA OUT
NAIROBI (KEN): David Rudisha will not compete at the World Championships in Moscow. He first felt pain in his right knee at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York in May. Rudisha’s coach, Colm O’Connell, revealed the injury may have occurred several weeks before New York when Rudisha was running on rough ground in Kenya. He had been receiving specialist treatment in Germany. O’Connell said: “Doctors in Germany said it may take three weeks for him to recover and we thought he would have seven weeks of training. We held back hoping for improvement, and he has improved quite a lot, but we didn’t want to do a crash course between now and the World Championships, which may aggravate the injury.” Writes the BBC. There is no comment on his future meets.
BLAKE OUT
LUZERN (SUI): What was in the air for some weeks is now confirmed. Also top sprinter and 100 m title defender Yohan Blake will not compete in Moscow. He injured right thigh in April and will not recover in time for the World Championships. His agent Cubie Seegobin confirmed.
SEMENYA RETURNS
LAHTI (FIN): The 2009 800 m world champion Caster Semenya will return to competition this year in Finland. At the international meet in Lahti she will on Wednesday the 800 m, her first race since London Olympic Games where she won the silver medal. “We expect an easy run after overseas travel at2:02 level,” said her agent Jukka Harkonen. She is back from an knee injury from last year. “I know people have been saying all sorts of things about Caster’s fitness, but she is going to silence them,” her coach Maria Mutola was quoted a week ago in South African media.
BUBKA WARNS
KYIV (UKR): IOC Entourage Commission Chairman Sergey Bubka has urged all athletes to take extra care when selecting members of their coaching and support teams after the latest positive drug tests of high profile competitors. Bubka, who is also IAAF Vice President, has urged all elite athletes to ensure the integrity of their entourage to prevent any risks of taking substances unwittingly that may prove to be prohibited. Bubka said: “Even though I undertook an individual sport, I relied on having a great team around me as coaches, advisors and friends. I firmly believe that coaches should get more recognition for the work that they do supporting sport from grassroots to elite level. But it is imperative that all athletes take total care and responsibility for what food, drink and other supplements they are given. When I was competing, I would never drink from a bottle with an open seal and I was absolutely fastidious to ensure that I never took anything that was prohibited.” He also added: “Doping and corruption are two of the biggest challenges facing the Olympic Movement and we must do all we can to stay one step ahead of those who seek to threaten the purity of sport. The fact that there have been so many positive tests in recent weeks is a good thing. It means that anyone who is caught using banned substances is one less athlete able to compete and gain an unfair advantage.”
IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE NEWS
MONACO (MON): The Herculis leg of IAAF Diamond League on Friday lost another top sprinter. European champion Christophe Lemaitre decided not to compete and wants to use the remaining days until Moscow with training. In the 100 m start list currently all three US entries for Moscow (Gatlin, Rodgers and Silmon), Jamaican has young generation Bailey-Cole with Ashmeade, improved Jimmy Vicaut and every-young and ever ready for sub 10 Kim Collins.
PARIS (FRA): Renaud Lavillenie will be ready to jump at the IAAF Diamond League meeting of Monaco this week. The Frenchman hurt his hand when falling on the bar when attempting his first jump on 605 at the French national championships. Lavillenie confirmed he will not be slowed in his preparations for Moscow and retu
rns to competition in Monaco reports athle.com.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): British Athletics has named a 60 strong team for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Informs British Athletics website. Leading the charge for medals in Russia will be Double Olympic Champion Mo Farah in the 5000 m and 10 000 m who receives an automatic place in the men’s 5000m as defending IAAF world champion. Farah will be attempting to become the first Briton to retain a world title whilst Olympic silver medalist and Sainsbury’s British Championships 400m winner Christine Ohuruogu will look to regain the title she won in 2007. Ohuruogu’s sister Victoria is also named as a member of the 4x400m squad making them the first sisters to feature together in a world championship team. Olympic Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis will be looking to claim back the gold she won in Berlin in 2009. Other Championships winners from the weekend are also automatically selected under the IAAF rules: Olympic men’s high jump bronze medalist Robbie Grabarz also receives an automatic place following his 2012 Diamond League victory, as does defending world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene. In the battle for places in the men’s 100m, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and James Dasaolu join Championship winner Dwain Chambers (Reider) on the flight to Moscow, and Adam Gemili lines up alongside James Ellington over 200 m. In the men’s long jump, UKA Performance director Neil Black has opted to use Performance Director’s discretion to take a further period of time to decide on the athlete selection. This decision will be announced on the 30th July. In the women’s 800m, joining Sainsbury’s British Championships winner Marilyn Okoro are youngsters Jessica Judd and European Indoor Championships 1500m representative Laura Muir. Judd, who had been named for the GB & NI team for the European Juniors in Rieti, Italy this week has withdrawn from the age group championships to concentrate on her preparations for Moscow.
BASSETERRE (SKN): Athletes from St Kitts and Nevis are threatening to boycott the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Athletics set for Moscow, Russia, after their national body asked them to pay to compete at the championships.
With twenty six days to go before the start of the biggest track and field event this year, athletes and administrators from the tiny eastern Caribbean island are currently at loggerheads after the governing body – the St Kitts and Nevis Amateur Athletics Association (SKNAAA)- demanded that athletes pay over 20 percent of their earnings and bonuses from the August 10 – 18championships. Writes Jamaica Gleaner.
MOSCOW (RUS): On Monday begins Russian Championships in Luzhniki. Head coach Valentin Maslakov confirmed that all Daegu winners are pre-selected for the World Championships and will not be forced to compete at the nationals. Additionally also Diamond League winners 2012 long jumpers Aleksandr Menkov and Yelena Sokolova. Some wild card holders will still compete, for example Yulia Zaripova but in the 1500 m. Also pre-selected based on European Team Championships and Universiade are Dmitriy Tarabin in javelin, Yekaterina Sharmina in the 1500 m, Vladimir Krasnov in the 400 m, Darya Klishina long jump, Sergey Shubenkov 110 m hurdles, Yekaterina Koneva triple, Aleksandr Lesnoy shot and Aleksey Fyodorov triple. The final number of athletes who will be pre-selected will be confirmed just before the championships. To this group belongs also pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva but she still wants to jump at the nationals. The same goes for Natalya Antyukh and Ivan Ukhov who need to confirm A-standard for the federation.
FRANKFURT (GER): German Athletics Federation selected in the first wave 55 athletes for the World Championships (29 women and 26 men). Leaders are title defenders Robert Harting and David Storl. Youngest is female sprinter Anna-Lena Freese (19) and oldest pole vaulter Bjorn Otto (36). The second wave of selections is expeted for July 29, but top female high jumper Ariane Friedrich is not aiming for the selection. The team – men – 100 m and 200 m: Reus, 5000 m: Gabius, 400 m hurdles. Schirrmeister, 50 km walk: Linke, pole vault: Otto, Holzdeppe, Mohr, long jump: Reif, Camara, shot: Storl, discus: Harting, Wierig, javelin: Rohler, decathlon: Behrenbruch, Freimuth, Schrader. 4×100 m: Reus, Keller, Knipphals, Jakubczyk plus two later named sprinters, 4×400 m: Gollnow, Plass, Kruger, Schneider, Rigau. Women – 100 m: Sailer, Pinto, 10 000 m: Mockenhaupt, 100mh: Hildebrand, Steeple. Moldner-Schmidt, Krause, high jump: Jungfleisch, pole vault: Strutz, Spiegelburg, Hingst, Gadschiew, long jump: Moguenara, Malkus, shot: Schwanitz, discus: Muller, Ruh, Fischer, hammer: Heidler, Klaas, javelin: Obergfoll, Stahl, Molitor, hept: Machtig, Rath, K. Biesenbach, 4×100 m: Sailder, Kwadwo, Pinto, Weit, Grompe, Freese.
PARIS (FRA): French atletics federation FFA has announced a first list of athletes selected for the IAAF World championships in August. So far the list includes 17 women and 23 men and names athletes such as Christophe Lemaitre, Renaud Lavillenie, Jimmy Vicaut, Kevin Mayer, Yohann Diniz and Teddy Tamgho on the men’s side and Antoinette Nana Djimou, Eloyse Leseur and Myriam Soumare on the women’s side.
OTHER NEWS
TALLINN (EST): Decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton will prepare for World Championships in Moscow in Tallinn, Estonia. He will arrive on July 21with his wife Canadian heptathlete Brianne Theisen and coach Harry Marra. Estonian federation president Erich Teigamagi: “It is a great honor for us to offer training opportunities for the world record holder and Olympic champion.” Also in Tallinn in preparation German Pascal Behrenbruch under the guidance of Andrei Nazarov.
BRUSSELS (BEL): Belgian coach Jacques Borlée believes punishment for athletes caught on drugs should be more severe than it is now and is pleading for life bans and a return of all the money earned by the athlete. Borlée commented in Belgian media following the positive tests of Powell and Gay.
LIGNANO (ITA): Agencies are informing with several stories about the situation in Lignano where MVP Club is having its European base. It says Italian police have raided the hotel where Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson are staying. Udine police captain Antonio Pisapia tells The Associated Press that rooms of the athletes and physical trainer Christopher Xuereb of Canada were searched and drugs were confiscated. Pisapia says it is unclear whether the drugs are illegal and that the substances are being analysed. Pisapia says no arrests have been made in the raid early Monday morning at the Fra i Pini hotel in Lignano Sabbiadoro in northeastern Italy, and that nobody has been placed under investigation. Xuereb left on Monday and Powell with Simpson on Tuesday to Jamaica. Powell and MVP teammate Simpson, who also claim to have been given the identical substance, contacted WADA and requested a police raid on the hotel. Coach of the sprinters Stephen Francis says his research on the supplements the athletes were taking does not indicate that they contain the banned stimulant oxilofrine.
LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames informs that sportswear brand adidas has moved to suspend its contract with Tyson Gay, the US sprinter, as sports administrators began to react today to the latest body blow to hit the flagship Olympic sport of athletics. In comments following the disclosure of the cases Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, said he was “naturally disappointed”. But, in a statement to The Associated Press, the soon-to-retire IOC leader reiterated the body’s zero-tolerance policy against doping. “Clearly, the fight against doping can never be totally won, but these cases do once again show the effectiveness of the strong, sophisticated and continually evolving battle against doping in sport being waged by the International Olympic Committee and its partners in the Olympic Movement,” Rogge said.
RIETI (ITA): In the Italian city Rieti known for its great track specially for middle distances will host this week the best junior athletes of Europe. Among the young top names are home hurdler Lorenzo Perini, German Patrick Zwicker and Bulgarian sprinter Denis Dimitrov. On the girls side for the 22nd European Athletics Junior Championships Swedish javelin star Sophie Flink is to be mentioned while crowds will focus on the pole vault where local favorite Roberta Bruni seeks a medal.
MADRID (ESP): US 800 m champion and Moscow bound Alysia Montano failed to finish on Saturday at the IAAF World Challenge meet in Madrid due to a tight hamstring.
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics announced that Ukrainian high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko and Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova have been voted as European Athletes of the Month for June. On the men side second Vitezslav Vesely and third Mo Farah. On the women side second Zuzana Hejnova and third Sandra Perkovic.
KINGSTON (JAM): At a time when she felt that, despite a plethora of career threatening injuries, she would be sharpening up for her last trip to the pinnacle of the sport, Jamaican veteran sprint hurdler, Delloreen Ennis (38, formerly Ennis-London) has pulled the curtain on an outstanding career. She retired. Looking back at her career, she said “I think everyone has their destiny cut out before we know it, so honestly, I don’t think I would have changed anything. All the situations that happen in my life looking back, I take the good and the bad and learn from them and they make me a better person today.” Writes Trackalerts. She is now in search of a coaching job. “Well I would like to give back so I’m trying to find a coaching job and go from there. Abilene is a small town and after volunteering for 2yrs there, I didn’t get a job, so I will be moving away not sure where as yet but will see by now and before the year ends.” Her best remains 12.50 from bronze medal race at World Championships 2007 in Osaka. She won another bronze at Worlds in 2009 in Berlin.
HAVANA (CUB): Cuban high jump legend and world record holder Javier Sotomayor has launched a sports bar named for the height of his world record high jump. An Olympic volleyball champion has opened a swanky new Italian restaurant, and salsa star Hugo Morejon has a first-rate automotive repair shop. Writes Idahostatesman.com.
OTTAWA (CAN): Athletics Canada announced that Dylan Armstrong and Jessica Zelinka earned 2013 National Track League (NTL) overall series top athlete honours. As a result Armstrong and Zelinka each will get 5000 CAD. Second places, and 2500 CAD cash prizes, went to middle distance runners Nate Brannen and Melissa Bishop.
RESULTS
MOSCOW (RUS, Jul 15): Russian athletes are coming into shape before the World Championships in their home country. At the traditional Vladimir Kuts Memorial Antonina Krivoshapka won the 400 m in world leading 49.57 ahead of until now world leader Kseniya Ryzhova 50.65. In second race Tatyana Firova posted 50.93. New 7 meters long jumper is Oksana Zhukovskaya with 702 (+2.0) improvement. Olympic medalist Yekaterina Poistogova won the 800 m in 1:59.81 just over Yelena Soboleva 2:00.17. Great hammer throwing as Sergey Litvinov achieved 80.89 ahead of Denis Lukyanov 79.61 PB, Aleksey Zagorniy 79.26 and Anatoliy Pozdnyakov 79.06 PB. Also in women category Yelena Rigert improved to 75.09 PB (former best 71.92 from 2008) beating Gulfiya Khanafeyeva 75.02 and Anna Bulgakova 74.22 PB. Shot put olympic medalist Yevgeniya Kolodko won with 19.38, Svetlana Saykina 61.09 discus and 56.01 400 m hurdles by Anastasiya Ott. 2008 Olympic winner Andrey Silnov returned to competition since last August with 218 clearance and third place, winner Lev Missirov 226 PB. Vladimir Antmanis clocked 49.93 at 400 m hurdles.
LIGNANO (ITA, Jul 16): The 24th edition of Sport Solidarieta Meet had mostly US participants. Shalonda Solomon clocked 11.15 (-0.7) in the 100 m, olympic medalist Kellie Wells on her birthday won the hurdles in 12.85 (-1.4), Funmi Jimoh long jump 644 (-0.1). On the men side Elijah Greer the 800 mm1:46.38, Ben Blankenship the 1500 m 3:37.03 PB, Omo Osaghae the hurdles 13.47 (-0.8) and Jeff Henderson 786 (+0.4) in the long jump. In women distances Heather Kampf clocked 2:00.04 PB in the 800 m ahead of Phoebe Wright 2:00.20 and Lea Wallace 2:00.30 PB. In the 1500 m also life-time best for Kate Grace 4:07.04 with Sarah Brown 4:07.70 second and Slovenian Sonja Roman third 4:07.95. Fourth long distance runner Molly Huddle 4:08.09 life-time best. Italian Libania Grenot won the 400 m in 51.53 season best and Jamaican wins for Jacques Harvey in the 100 m 10.11 (-0.2) and Rusheen McDonald 45.28 in the 400 m (exactly A standard for the World Championships) ahead of US Arman Hall 45.56.
UTRECHT (NED, Jul 15-16): During first two days of European Youth Olympic Festival (athletes born 1997 and 1998 competing) Hungarian Zsofia Bacskay got meet record in girls hammer 68.56. Her team-mate Lili Toth won girls 2000 m steeple in 6:45.45. In the 100 m sprints wins for French Keny Blecourt 10.75 (+2.5) and Paraskevi Andreou from Cyprus 11.76 (+1.5). The top favorite Kristoffer Hari of Denmark was not competing.
LAHTI (FIN, Jul 15): Jere Bergius cleared here 560 in the pole vault, his top mark of the season.
MARIBOR (SLO, Jul 16): Rozle Prezelj cleared 222 to win the high jump at the meet here. Second Slovak Peter Horak 219.
CORRECTION
UTICA (USA): This place is not in New Jersey, but New York State.
