by Larry EderTwo weeks after the World Indoors in Valencia, Spain, the outdoor season is about to erupt. The World Cross Country is about one week away and high school track is less than a month old in the US.
Bernard Lagat will be running the Payton Jordan Invitational on May 4 in Stanford, making their 5,000m, like the 10,000 m, huge races in the Stanford event. Former East German sprinter Marles Gohr, first women under 11 seconds for 100 meters and former world record holder at 400 meters, offers some concerns for athletes competing in Beijing….
EME NEWS (MAR 22, 2008)
EBUYA WANTS TO BEAT BEKELE
NAIROBI (KEN): Joseph Ebuya is a special person from Turkana, a community that is not renowned for producing athletics talent. Informs East African Standard. The athlete, who was born in Nyahururu District, hails from Barrkoi in Turkana District. „I am the only athlete from my district,” he jokes. The runner is confident of stopping five-time long race winner, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion, Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse, at the World Cross in Edinburgh, Scotland, next Sunday. Together with national cross-country champion, Gideon Ngatuny, and last year’s long race bronze medallist Bernard Kiprop, Ebuya is well poised to challenge for the podium. “He is in high spirits and it is evident he rates his chances of performing well highly. I expect him to deliver,” national team head coach, Julius Kirwa.”I want only gold,” the double medallist (silver, 10,000m and bronze, 5,000m) at the Beijing World Junior Athletics Championships in 2006 states his mission for next weekend. Coming from a very humble background – his parents could not even afford to send him to school – Ebuya has overcome many obstacles to become a star. After Ebuya’s upturn in fortune, he has bought his family a 10-acre farm in Nyahururu where he is constructing a house for them.
LAGAT TO RUN ONE 5000 m BEFORE TRIALS
TUCSON (USA): Double world champion Bernard Lagat plans three competitions before US Olympic Trials. Early May (4) he will run at Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational the 5000 m in order to achieve an Olympic A-qualifier. In last year his fastest was 13:30.73 and with expecting US Trials being a tactical race he needs the 13:21.5 in his records. Then he will compete at Carson Invitational on May 18 at 1500 m and 2 miles at Prefontaine Classic on June 8 in Eugene. Afterwards he will try to qualify in 1500 m and 5000 m for Beijing. Indoors he ran 4 races and won all of them.
MARLIES GOHR IS 50
JENA (GER): First sub 11 seconds auto-timed sprinter Marlies Gohr from former East Germany celebrated on Friday her 50th birthday. As Dobelner Allgemeine Zeitung informs that in recent discussions about boycott of Olympic Games she has a clear stance. “For me the boycott of 1984 Games was a catastrophe. And I think that would be the same for current athletes this year. We should really now differ between sports and politics and not only talk about it,” said Gohr who still has her competition weight (57 kg). Her sporting activities are skiing in winter and tennis in summer.
NAME CHANGE IN PLAN
STUTTGART (GER): All is set for changing the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium in Stuttgart to football-only arena. The latest infos that the football club VfB Stuttgart is going to sell together with the city the name of the stadium to a sponsor is a clear sign of this plan which should be approved in spring by the city representatives. The site of European Championships 1986 and World Championships 1993 will so have its farewell athletics event this September with IAAF World Athletics Final. Regional athletics federation (WLV) is against the change of the stadium name. There is no right for VfB to sell this name, says WLV.
EUROPEAN CUP GROUPINGS 2008
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics informs at its website about final composition of groups for this years European Cup during the weekend June 21-22. It will be the last edition in current format. Starting in 2009, the event will be called the European Team Champions and will be modernized to include 12 teams in the top divisions, combined men and women’s team scoring and a number of innovative new regulations designed to make the event more attractive. In 2008 the SPAR European Cup will take place in Annecy, France, while the three lower divisions will be held in Leiria, Portugal, Istanbul, Turkey, Tallin, Estonia and Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. There will be no relegation or promotion, but the composition of divisions in 2009 will be based on this years results.
The teams:
SPAR European Cup (Annecy, FRA) – men: FRA, GER, GBR, GRE, ITA, POL, RUS, ESP, wom: BLR, FRA, GER, GBR, ITA, POL, RUS, UKR
First League Group A (Leiria, POR) – men: AUT, BLR, BEL, CZE, FIN, NED, NOR, POR, wom: BEL, CZE, FIN, IRL, LTU, NED, POR, ESP
First League Group B (Istanbul, TUR) – men: CRO, HUN, ROM, SLO, SWE, SUI, TUR, UKR, wom: BUL, CRO, GRE, HUN, ROM, SLO, SWE, TUR
Second League Group A (Tallinn, EST) – men: BUL, DEN, EST, ISL, IRL, LAT, LTU, LUX, wom: AUT, DEN, EST, ISL, LAT, LUX, NOR, SUI
Second League Group B (Banska Bystrica, SVK) – men: Small States, ALB, AND, ARM, AZE, BIH, CYP, GEO, ISR, MKD, MDA, MNE, SRB, SVK, wom: Small States, ALB, AND, ARM, AZE, BIH, CYP, GEO, ISR, MKD, MDA, MNE, SRB, SVK
US RESULTS
TUCSON (Mar 21): Reigning Olympic 10 000 m champion Chinese Xing Huina is in US for Olympic preparation. At Willie Williams Classic she won the 5000 m in 16:50.42. Week before her 1500 m winning time in Eagle Rock was 4:32.24. New national record for Iran by shot putter Amin Nikfar with 19.58 m. He is volunteer assistant coach at Northern Arizona University.
CONWAY (Mar 21): One week after his silver at NCAA Championships hurdler Jason Richardson competed already outdoors and clocked solid 13.62 (+0.7) 110 m Hurdles time at Shamrock Invitational Meet. 2005 World Championships participant Amber Campbell started her season with good 68.49 m hammer mark.
TALLAHASSEE (Mar 21): US Champs silver holder from February Joe Allen attacked in Long Jump his PB with windy 803 (+3.6) at Snowbird Invitational. His legal best from 2004 is 806 cm.
LAKE BUENA VISTA (Mar 21): US hurdles champion David Oliver competed during first day of Walt Disney World Invitational and achieved 13.48 in the heats against -1.1 wind. In other heat Aubrey Herring (13.73, -1.9) beat Joel Brown (13.95). They will meet in Saturdays final. Chris Hargrett clocked good 10.31 at 100 m.
SCOTTSDALE (Mar 19): Last year Canadian decathlon champion Massimo Bertocchi improved at Multis Meet here to new PB 7963 points.
WINSTON SALEM (Mar 21): 26 years old Brian Chaput who competed last time at US Nationals 2006 in javelin (3rd place) achieved at Wake Forest Open his second best career mark 79.97 m. World junior best holder in indoor weight throw Walter Henning improved with senior hammer to 68.75 m and that is new US junior record with senior implement. Henning achieved US junior record last year with 6 kg hammer (73.59). The former one with mens hammer was by Jacob Freeman 65.89 in 1999.
OTHER RESULTS
MOMBASA (KEN, Mar 21): During Navy Championships 2002 Commonwealth gold medalist Wilberforce Talel won the 10 000 in 31:02.84. Richard Geemi was the best at 5000 m (14:59.0) and national record holder Tom Musinde achieved 10.5 at 100 m.
EME News is published on www.runblogrun.com courtesy of the publisher, Alfons Juck.
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