by Larry EderHrysopyi Devetzi cleared a windy 14.67m as a guest in the Ukranian championships, her top legal mark was 14.18. It is a good indication that her health is back…Wilfred Bungei of Kenya is still suffering from an ankle injury….
DEVETZI 14.67, BUT +2.5
YALTA (UKR, June 5): Greek best female athlete jumper Hrysopyi Devetzi competed as guest at Ukrainian Cup and achieved on Friday a triple jump win with 14.67. Unfortunately aided by +2.5, her only other legal mark was 14.18 (0.0). She was also 5th in long jump on Thursday (637). That confirms that fitness of Devetzi after injuries is good and she will compete next on June 10 in Thessaloniki at EA Premium Meeting. Second in triple jump was European U22 Champion 2007 Lilya Kulyk with 14.27 (+1.3). Men´s triple jump winner Mykola Savolainen registered 17.03 (+1.6). Oksana Sklyarenko won the 10 000 m in 33:42.18 and Ukrainian national team sprinted to 43.80 in women category.
BUNGEI STILL OUT
NAIROBI (KEN): Olympic 800 m champion Wilfred Bungei is still out with slight foot injury. His management confirmed that he plans to be back on the circuit end of June or early July.
KEMBOI ADDED
EUGENE (USA): Latest addition into start list of 35th Prefontaine Classic on Sunday is world leader and former olympic winner Ezekiel Kemboi in steeple. The surprise sub 8 minutes runner from Doha in May will again face Paul Kipsiele Koech. They plan to attack the US all-comers 8:01.85 best held by Koech. In the pole vault Yevgeniy Lukyanenko of Russia, the World indoor champion, will not compete due to injury.
EUROPEAN CUP 10k
RIBEIRA BRAVA (POR): The 13th edition of European Cup 10 000 m on Saturday in the Portuguese town of Ribeira Brava will be staged for first time in new time frame early June. The past 12 editions were held in April. In entry lists 17 women (full teams from Great Britain and Portugal) and 34 men (full teams of Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Russia). The figures are at level of previous years (2008 27 women and 30 men, 2007 20 women and 26 men finishing). As EA informs, the athletes have an additional incentive as the top three finishers in both the men‘s and women‘s categories will earn direct qualification to the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona in 2010. Defending champions Russia are back with a strong quartet led by Sergey Ivanov, whose personal best stands at an impressive 27:53.12 minutes, accompanied by Sergey Yemelyanov, and the Rybakov twins, Yevgeniy and Anatoliy. Spain, Italy and France, as usual, will be forces to reckon with. The presence of aces such as José Manuel MartÃnez (27:30.56), Daniele Caimmi (27:48.64) and Driss El Himer (27:48.00), respectively, ensures a very high standard. In the women‘s category, Portugal will once again be the top contender for the team title for the eighth time. They don‘t just boast the biggest contingent but the quality of the home team led by veteran Fernanda Ribeiro is high. Apart from the Portuguese athletes, Serbian Olivera Jevtic (31:29.65) and Christelle Daunay of France (31:57.40) will be the frontrunners for the women‘s individual title. In order to ensure a high quality level, the organisers have allowed the participation of African athletes as pacemakers, writes EA.
UKHOV IN GREECE AGAIN
THESSALONIKI (GRE): Russian European indoor champion Ivan Ukhov will return next week to the country where he achieved his first 240 jump in winter. He will compete at Thessaloniki European Athletics Premium meet on June 10. His main rival will be world medalist Kyriakos Ioannou of Cyprus, along with Czech olympic medalist 2004 Jaroslav Baba and Serbian veteran Dragutin Topic.
FIRST CLASH PITKAMÄKI-THORKILDSEN
SEINAJOKI (FIN): Saturday´s javelin competition in Seinajoki will see first this years duel of reigning world champion Tero Pitkamäki (his opening) and olympic winner Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. Also in the field five more home throwers with 80+ bests and US Mike Hazle with South African Gerbrandt Grobler. The rivalry Pitkamäki-Thorkildsen will continue through the summer as both signed for the whole AF Golden League series.
OTHER NEWS
DUNFERMLINE (GBR): Benita Johnson, the Australian national marathon record holder and Beijing Olympian, will race in the 5000m at the Scottish National Championships, supported by McCain, at Pitreavie Athletics Centre, Dunfermline on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June. Johnson, a three-times Australian national 5000m champion with a best of 14:47.60 set in Berlin (2002), is also a former IAAF World Cross Country champion (Brussels 2004). A total prize purse of Å6,800 is on offer, with prizes for the first, second and third placed finalist in every event:
NAIROBI (KEN): Two Olympic and World champions will miss Friday’s Kenya Police Athletics championships as they head to the US for contractual engagements at Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. Olympic 800m champion Pamela Jelimo, her World Championship counterpart Janeth Jepkosgei, World champion Alfred Kirwa and 1,500m silver medallist Asbel Kiprop are among elite Police athletes that will miss the force’s sporting event at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday. The Nation informs. Commonwealth Games 800m champion Alex Kipchirchir is back after a long layoff after suffering a left foot injury after the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
ZURICH (SUI): Best Swiss runner Viktor Rothlin is after illness back in training. The 34 years old runner after two pneumonary embolies was able last week to run in total 100 km. He was able to achieve 3:20 km pace. “I want to be back, but there is no guarantee,†he was quoted.
WARSZAWA (POL): Men´s high jump will be another highlight of 55th Janusz Kusocinski Memorial. Sweden´s Linus Thornblad will open the summer season in duel with World indoor medalist Andrey Tereshin of Russia added by Briton Samson Oni who was third last night in Torino.
FRANKFURT (GER): Joachim Schulz, long jump coach of Sebastian Bayer, confirmed in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, that he was part of the East German doping system. The 54-year-old said that he gave performance enhancing drugs to athletes and tried it also himself: ‚But since 1990 this is no longer an issue for me.‘ Schulz informed his athlete Sebastian Bayer three years ago about this. Bayer stated:‘ I know that doping was ordered from the state. What happened in the past – whether in East or West Germany – has happened. It is no longer an issue now. Today is a different time.‘
RATINGEN (GER): The women‘s field for the combined events meeting in Ratingen on June 20th and 21st (IAAF Challenge) is now complete: Olympic bronze medallist Russian Tatyana Chernova with Rebecca Wardell from New Zealand, Ida Marcussen from Norway and Louise Hazel from Great Britain and of course the Germans headed by Lilli Schwartzkopf.
MADRID (ESP): Spain announced its race walking team for the World Championships. The top stars will be ‚Paquillo‘ Fernandez, Maria Vasco and Jesus Angel Garcia. Six men and two women will travel to Berlin. Men‘s 20K: ‚Paquillo‘ Fernandez, Juan Manuel Molina, Benjamin Sanchez, men‘s 50K: Jesus Angel Garcia, Mikel Odriozola, Alejandro Cambil and women‘s 20K: Maria Vasco, Beatriz Pascual.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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