by Larry EderEach day, as we get closer to Beijing, new athletes emerge, new teams are named, and veteran athletes show their game plans. Today is no different. The Spanish Marathon team-Julio Rey, Chemea Martinez and Jose Rios should be tough on the streets of
Beijing…..
EME NEWS (MAY 7, 2008)
SPANISH MARATHON TEAM NAMED
MADRID (ESP): Spanish Athletics Federation RFEA named the marathon teams for Olympic Games. Male trio will be national record holder Julio Rey, Madrid marathon winner Chema Martinez and fastest in this year Jose Rios. Three women will be fastest in the lists Alessandra Aguilar, fourth from Hamburg Yesenia Centeno and national champion Maria Jose Pueyo.
GREAT 200 m IN DOHA
DOHA (QAT): Friday´s Qatar Grand Prix in Doha is proud to have a great 200 m race for men. Fastest European in last year Jaisuma Saidy Ndure of Norway will open his individual season against top two US athletes but from 400 m. One lap specialists and Osaka gold and silver holders Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt will build up a special opposition for him. First legal sub 20 seconds of 2008 could be expected. Saidy will be doubling on Friday as he is scheduled to run the 100 m too. As Asafa Powell is not there because of his chest injury, the main rivals will be fresh African Champion and world indoor title holder Olusoji Fasuba of Nigeria, Jamaican world medalist Michael Frater, Trinidad´s Darrell Brown and French Ronald Pognon.
KAKI PULLS OUT
DOHA (QAT): World indoor champion Abubaker Kaki of Sudan pulled out from Doha 800 m race after his relay outings at African Championships in Ethiopia. Still three top Kenyans in the race are building the base for very fast time. World leader David Rudisha, current world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego and former world indoor champion Wilfred Bungei will face each other.
CHEBOKSARY UPDATE: PLÄTZER AND CIVALLERO OUT
CHEBOKSARY (RUS): After Australian world champion Nathan Deakes also Norway´s Olympic medalist and winner of three challenge races this year Kjersti Plätzer will not compete due to injury at IAAF Race Walking World Cup. In Italian male 20 km team Lorenzo Civallero is out because of muscle injury. Top names in the team are Olympic winner Ivano Brugnetti for 20 km and world championships bronze holder Alex Schwazer for 50 km. The opening ceremony on Friday in the local stadium is sold out and 15 000 spectators are expected. As announced 450 athletes from 55 countries will compete. On Thursday the main arrivals day three charter flights will be organised from Moscow to Cheboksary. Also IAAF President Lamine Diack is scheduled to come on Thursday.
COMBINED EVENTS CHALLENGE STARTS WITH KARPOV
DESENZANO (ITA): IAAF Combined Events Challenge starts its 11th edition in Italy during the weekend at 21st Multistars Meeting in Desenzano del Garda. In Olympic year the possibility to qualify for Beijing makes for the fact that more than 30 athletes will compete in each event. Italian William Frullani has this aim as A-qualifier is 8000 points. The main name is Olympic and world medalist Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan, US Jake Arnold and Russian Arkadiy Vasilyev. For women the 6000 points are the Olympic norm. Here the top names are French veteran Marie Collonville, US Diana Pickler, Irina Naumenko of Kazakhstan and Dutch Laurine Hoss. Meeting records are 8339 by Jiri Ryba of Czech Republic in 2000 and 6565 of Romanian Liliana Nastase in 1992.
KANTER AGAINST ALEKNA IN TURNOV
TURNOV (CZE): World Champion Gerd Kanter of Estonia will compete for first time in Europe after his stay in USA at Ludvik Danek Memorial on May 20 in Turnov, Czech Republic. Last week Kanter as first this year went over 70 metres in Chula Vista, California. At this meet which is honouring the former Olympic winner and world record holder in discus Ludvik Danek and is organised by another great discus thrower and first world champion in 1983 Imrich Bugar the first his this years clash with Olympic winner Virgilijus Alekna will happen. The participation of the Lithuanian giant is also confirmed. Also Olympic medalist Zoltan Kovago of Hungary will come. In women javelin the world champion Barbora Spotakova will have her first this years competition.
SALADINO AGAINST PHILLIPS IN BERLIN
BERLIN (GER): World champion 2007 Irving Saladino of Panama will fight against World Champion 2005 (and olympic winner) Dwight Phillips of USA in Long Jump at first this years AF Golden League meeting on June 1 in Berlin. Long Jump is one of ten jackpot events. Also in the field other top US jumpers Brian Johnson (830 already this year) and Miguel Pate (818 in 2008). South African World Indoor Champion Khotso Mokoena (825 this year outdoors) will make it tough for them. Saladino will open his season on May 24 in Hengelo at FBK Games.
WORLD CHAMPIONS TO MANCHESTER
MANCHESTER (GBR): Organizers of the BUPA Great Manchester Run on May 18 announced that reigning world marathon champions Luke Kibet and Catherine Ndereba will headline their fields.The top British entrants are Dan Robinson and Tomas Abyu, said the event’s elite athletes manager Andy Caine.
The Manchester course is very fast and legal for record-setting, informs Race Results Weekly. Last year Kenyan Micah Kogo set a British all-comers record when he won at Manchester in 27:21. The fastest women’s time is 31:07 set by Berhane Adere of Ethiopia in 2006.
TUVALU IS NUMBER 213
MONTE CARLO: The IAAF announced that Tuvalu (TUV) has joined the IAAF, bringing the total membership to a record 213. In accordance with Article 4.4 of the IAAF Constitution, the IAAF Council has provisionally granted IAAF Membership to the Tuvalu Athletics Association, with full rights and obligations. Tuvalu’s affiliation must be confirmed by a Special Majority at the next IAAF Congress which takes place in Berlin, Germany, in August 2009.
Located in Oceania, Tuvalu is an island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia. It has been an independent country since 1978.
PAULA RADCLIFFE WELL ON SCHEDULE FOR BEJING
LONDON (GBR) After an injury to the big toe on her right foot, the 34-year-old world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe is now confident despite the setback of her preparations for this summer: „Things are going well and it’s just building towards Beijing now.” Informs David Martin. Paula Radcliffe had picked up the injury during an altitude training spell in Albuquerque, New Mexico in February. The problem was aggravated by her heavy training programme there. As a visit to specialist Dr. Hans Mueller-Wohlfahrt did not produce an instant solution, Paula Radcliffe missed two weeks´ training and withdrew from last month´s Flora London Marathon. She plans to do other races, but nothing is concrete yet: „If I see a break in my training I will come out if I want to race.”
CAUTION IS STEFFI NERIUS´ MOTTO FOR 2008
LEVERKUSEN (GER): Germany´s European Javelin champion Steffi Nerius has become more cautious. The 35-year-old javelin thrower took a long break after last year´s season which made her troubles with heel spurs and in her arm disappear. She started her general training only in January and began with specific exercise units in March. “I have to pay attention on my health.” She therefore plans only four to five competitions. Her first appearance will be on June 6th at the Askina meeting in Kassel, other confirmed dates are the National Championships in Nuremberg on July 5th and 6th and the 14th Bayer meeting in Leverkusen (July 30th).
KIGALI WANTS TO ATTRACT MORE INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
KIGALI (RWA): Winners of the 4th edition of the Kigali International Marathon (Rwanda) set for May 11 are expected to bag cash prizes worth $23.200, Times Sport exclusively reports. The aim is to attract more participants from across the globe. The winner in the marathon event receives $ 2000 and in the half marathon event $1600. The organizers of the international peace marathon want to attract over 3000 participants. Last year´s edition was won by Kenyan Daniel Rotich.
LEL AND MIKITENKO TO RETURN TO LONDON TO CONTEST 10km ROAD RACE
LONDON (GBR): London Marathon champions Martin Lel and Irina Mikitenko return to the British capital on May 26th to take part in the inaugural ‘BUPA London 10,000’. The 29-year-old Kenyan and the 35-year-old Kazakhstan-born German are full of confidence that they can win this brand new road race using the proposed route of the London 2012 Olympic marathons. The marathon champions will face some stiff opposition, however, as they attempt to triumph, namely world road champion Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea, 21-year-old Kenyan Micah Kogo who was the world’s fastest 10km road racer last year after running 27:07 in Brunssum, multiple European CC champion Sergiy Lebid from Ukraine, Viktor Röthlin from Switzerland, Spain´s José Manuel Martinéz as well as Britain´s Mo Farah. In the women’s race Mikitenko will face the Latvian Jelena Prokopcuka, Aniko Kalovics from Hungary and Portugal’s Jessica Augusto. British opposition will come from Japan-based athleted Mara Yamauchi.
RESULTS
TRAFFORD (GBR, May 6): Britain’s top 800m runner Michael Rimmer opened his 2008 outdoor season with an excellent victory over 1000 m in the BMC meeting in Trafford. The 22 year old clocked world leading 2:19.76. Rimmer will run the IAAF Golden League meetings in Berlin and Oslo as preparation for the AVIVA Olympic Trials in July.
LIVORNO (ITA, May 3): Former Olympic hammer medalist Nicola Vizzoni achieved 78.15 in his season opener.
PRAHA (CZE, May 5): Solid 300 m times at local meet as Rudolf Gotz clocked 33.37 and Jiri Vojtik 33.48. 20 years old Josef Prorok achieved good 300 m Hurdles 36.37.
WIEN (AUT): Austrian Athletics Federation OLV ratified new marathon record of Eva-Maria Gradwohl at Linz Marathon in April 2:30:51 (April 13) and also proposed her inclusion into the Olympic team. Her doping control after the event was negative, discussions about possible not allowed help of male pacemakers was clarified along with drinks she used during the race.
CLARIFICATION
ZURICH (SUI): The announced special bonus for women 200 m and 400 m combination held at this years Weltklasse Meet on Aug 29 is 0.5 kg gold. The details of this races will be announced later. But as the organizers informed at their Press Conference, Sanya Richards and Allyson Felix should compete for the prize.
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