by Larry Eder
Pitkamäki 86.13, Bledman 10.09
KUORTANE (FIN, Aug 3): At Finnish elite meet the home stars confirmed top javelin shape. Tero Pitkamaki returning from a surgery achieved 86.13 ahead of Olympic medalist Antti Ruuskanen 85.70. Swedish Kim Amb was third 83.36 with Ari Mannio fourth 82.57. Olympic winner Keshorn Walcott comes into shape with 82.24 ahead of previous two time olympic gold medalist Andreas Thorkildsen 81.34. In women javelin Oona Sormunen improved to 60.56 and second Sanni Utriainen achieved Finnish U23 record 59.35. Trinidad sprinters registered interesting wins. Keston Bledman men 100 m in 10.09 (+1.1), Jarrin Solomon 400 m in 45.58, Reyane Thomas in women 200 m 23.23 (+0.4) and Shawna Fermin in women 400 m 52.62 PB. Russian wins for Yekaterina Galitskaya over the hurdles 13.14 (+1.1) and Yevgeniya Kononova 190 in the high jump. Latvian Dmitrijs Jurkevics won the 3000 m in national record 7:52.08. Aleksandr Linnik of Belarus won the hurdles in 13.68 (+1.1). In good long jump field South African Khotso Mokoena won with 800 (+0.6) over Mexican world leader Luis Rivera 799 (+1.0) and Swedish star Michel Torneus 789 (+1.5). Ukrainian Oleksandr Sokyrskyy topped the hammer 76.54.
Collins no for Moscow
PARIS (FRA): L´Équipe informs that Kim Collins is not entered for the World Championships. Despite all the efforts, despite the petition. The oldest sub 10 sprinter, World Champion 2003 and bronze winner in 2011 will not run in Moscow. The management company of the athlete confirmed that for the French paper.
OTHER NEWS
HANOVER (USA): Former NCAA champion Sam Chelanga has left Oregon Track Club Elite and will now train with Ben True on the East Coast of America, according to Flotrack.org. True who has set a personal best of 13:11.59 this year, is coached by Dartmouth Coach Mark Coogan. Chelanga is currently Kenyan but is set to gain US citizenship in 2015.
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): South African marathoner Hendrick Ramaala will count Moscow as his 6th World Championships, reports Supersport. The 41 year old says that he still feels 20 and credits this to the young athletes that he currently coaches that keep him “young at heart and passionate”. Ramaala made his World Championships debut in 1995 in Gothenburg running the 10 000 m. His last appearance at the championships was in the marathon in 2009. A former New York Marathon winner, Ramaala qualified for the World Championships with a 2:12.12 run in Dubai. He feels that he is capable of a top 10 finish on the streets of Moscow.
ZAGREB (CRO): High Jump star, Blanka Vlasic will not compete any more this season but says that this is not the end of her career, reports supersport. Vlasic said that she will still jump for a long time and that the end of her career is not nearing. The two time World High Jump Champion decided to end her season following pain in her foot. Also ending the season earlier were Yohan Blake, Jessica Ennis-Hill and most probably also David Rudisha from other superstars.
LONDON (GBR): Double Olympic Champion Mo Farah has said that he is excited for the upcoming World Championships in Moscow, reports Supersport. Farah will try and match the double victory he achieved at last year’s Olympics, a feat he has yet to accomplish at an IAAF World Championships. Farah said that it is hardest “being at the top because…everybody wants to knock you down”. The 30 year old said that his rivals must “come up with something” to test him if they want to beat him.
LONDON (GBR): False starting is no longer a concern to multi Olympic Gold medallist Usain Bolt, reports Reuters. At the London Diamond League the Jamaican said that his coach Glen Mills has kept reminding him that he is not a good starter but that he must not worry about it. Bolt false started in the 100m final of the Worlds in Daegu but says that he has figured out what he did wrong and is no longer affected by it following such a successful Olympics last year.
MOSCOW (RUS): Jon Mulkeen previews the World Championships from a different perspective on jonmulkeen.com. Married couples who hope to win 2 medals between them include multi eventers Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen and Javelin throwers Maria Abakumova and Dmitri Tarabin. There are three sets of twins competing in the race walks Joao and Sergio Vieira, Edward and Yerko Araya and Ayman and Sholpan Kozhakhmetova. Belgian twins Kevin and Jonathan Borlee will run the 400m and will be joined by their brother Dylan in the 4x400m in what is the first ever time that three brothers will contest the same event at the World Championships. Other twins that are competing include Slovakian jumpers Jana and Dana Veldakova and runners Jake and Zane Robertson from New Zealand. Jesus Angel Garcia will compete in his 11th World Championships, an outright record for male participant. Blessing Okagbare could become the first ever medallist in the 100m, 200m and the long jump in a single World Championships. If Usain Bolt medals in all three of his events he will equal Carl Lewis’ record for the most World Championships medals ever won by a male athlete. That record currently stands at 10.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Toni Minichiello, coach of Jess Ennis-Hill, has said the decision to withdraw the Olympic heptathlon champion from the World Championships in Moscow had to be made with the long-term in mind, with recovery now geared towards a return for the indoor season in 2014. Looking to the future, Minichiello highlighted further medal opportunities and explained any recovery process should allow Ennis-Hill to return fully fit to compete indoors next year. “I’ve had to consider if competing at the world championships would cause further damage, making any rehab more difficult,” he said. “There are nine global medals up for grabs over the next three years not including Moscow. So a long term view has been taken. The next aim will be to unload the Achilles for a week or so and during this time gather more opinions about all possible recovery strategies.” Informs Athletics Weekly.
KAMPALA (UGA): Uganda will have 12 athletes in Moscow, including olympic marathon winner Stephen Kiprotich. The athletes making the team include Moses Kipsiro (5000m/10,000m), Philip Kipyego (5000m), Timothy Toroitich (3000m steeplechase (SC)/10,000m), Thomas Ayeko (10,000m), Jacob Araptany (3000m Steeplechase) Benjamin Kiplagat (3000m SC), Stephen Kiprotich (Marathon), Jackson Kiprop (marathon), Abraham Kiplimo (Marathon), Ronald Musagala (800 m) and women – Sarah Nambawa (Triple jump) and Juliet Chekwel (10,000m). The last one is 800 m runner Missing out on the team is former 3000m SC world champion Dorcus Inzikuru who is ruled out by injury.
WINDHOEK (NAM): Namibia will be represented by six athletes in Moscow. A team of five female athletes and one male athlete accompanied by a team leader and coach will
carry Namibia’s hopes on their shoulders as they make their final preparations to compete against the world’s best athletes. 2012 Olympians Helalia Johannes and Beata Naigambo qualified for the women’s marathon while Tjipekapora Herunga qualified for the women’s 400m event. Alina Armas and Nangula Ekandjo qualified for the marathon after meeting the qualification standards at the Mangyongdae Marathon and the Steinmetz Gaborone Marathon respectively. Hitjivirue Kaanjuka completes the team as Namibia’s best overall male athlete and will compete in the men’s 200m sprint.
NAIROBI (KEN): The Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has promised the government will fully support a Kenyan staging of the World Youth or World Juniors Athletics Championships, reports the Kenyan Star. The president said that the governments manifesto outlines that they will improve the sports infrastructure and the accommodation of athletes and athletics events. He urged Athletics Kenya to bid for one of the global athletics events. The president of Athletics Kenya, Isaiah Kiplagat, welcomed these remarks and said that he will make “the country’s intentions known” at the IAAF Council meeting in Moscow next week.
KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaican 400m runner Akheem Gauntlett has withdrawn from the Jamaican World Championships squad citing “personal reasons”, reports the Jamaican Gleaner. The 22 year old clocked 45.48 for third place at the Jamaican trials. A-standard runners are Javere Bell and young Javon Francis. Gauntlette was third at the Trials with the right to be selected with the B-standard. In the mean-time Rusheen McDonald who was 6th at the trials clocked A-standard. Also in good shape is 5th placer at the Trials Edino Steele from Racers TC. The decision who will run the individual event and the relay remains with the team management in Moscow.
DORTMUND (GER): German female sprinter Katharina Grompe injured herself in Weinheim on Friday and will not be able to compete in Moscow. In Russia she was to participate in the 4×100 m relay.
SINGAPUR (SIN): Two Asian countries are sending only one athlete to Moscow. Iraq the female 200 m sprinter Dana Hussein Abdulrazzak and Malaysia the male 110 m hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian.
RESULTS
PORT ELIZABETH (USA, Aug 3): Kenyan Olympic medalist Micah Kogo won the 16th Beach to Beacon 10 km road race in Maine in rain after 28:03. Second Silas Kipruto 28:08 and third Emmanuel Mutai 28:21 ahead of Stephen Kibet 28:27. Best US Meb Keflezighi fifth 28:37, only 10th Ryan Hall 29:43. Kenyan Joyce Chepkirui was the best in the women field in 31:23 over Briton Gemma Steel 31:35 and Ethiopians Sula Utura 31:37 and Yebrugal Melese 31:39. Fifth Kenyan Linet Masai 32:03 and 7th US Deena Kastor 32:28.
GENT (BEL, Aug 3): Olympic medalist from Beijing Walter Dix in his come-back won the 200 m at the Flanders Cup RC Gent meet in 20.43 (+3.4) just ahead of Briton Danny Talbot 20.45. In the women 200 m US Deedee Trotter clocked 22.87 (+3.7) with Kelly Proper of Ireland second 22.96. Kenyan Felix Kitur won the 800 m in 1:45.97, French Christine Bardelle the 1500 m 4:09.64 and Italian-Cuban Aramis Diaz the 400 m hurdles 50.35. Canadian Nicole Sifuentes clocked 2:01.84 in the women 800 m and Mexican Edgar Rivera cleared 225 in the high jump.
MOLNDAL (SWE, Aug 3): Olympic medalist Luguelin Santos of Dominican Republic won two events at the Folksam Challenge meet 20.89 (+1.1) the 200 m and 32.57 the 300 m. In women sprints Muna Lee of USA topped the 100 m in 11.47 (+0.1) over Mariely Sanchez of Dominican Republic 11.48. In the 200 m Sanchez clocked 23.32 (-0.6) ahead of Lee 23.37.
SEASIDE HEIGHTS (USA, Aug 2): April Steiner-Bennett won a pole vault beach competition here with 441 clearance.
GDANSK (POL, Aug 3): Kenyan Samuel Rutto won the 20th Run of St. Dominic in 29:01 at the 10 km, second David Metto 29:07 and third Marcin Chabowski winning Polish national road title in 29:19 ahead of Radoslaw Kleczek 29:46.
WARSZAWA (POL, Aug 3): Olympic winner Tomasz Majewski achieved at a local meet solid 20.62 in the shot put. Second Rafal Kownatke 20.13 PB.
HAVANA (CUB, Aug 3): Another sub 2 minutes 800 m by Rose Almanza 1:59.87 at a local meet here.
FRANKISCH-CRUMBACH (GER, Aug 2): Chinese female throwers tested their shape here. Li Ling 19.15 in the shot put and Tan Jian high quality 64.40 in discus.
