by Larry EderWell, the Russian team has been picked and, do they have some medal prospects for Berlin! Anna Alminova, who ran world best at 800 meters, and number two time at 1,500 meters last weekend, will focus on the 1,500 meters. Svetlana Feofanova, the Russian pole vaulter, is not on the team, as of this time, as she is injured.
Ivan Ukhov, shown here at Nike Pre Classic, June 7, 2009, photo courtesy of PhotoRun.net.
RUSSIAN TEAM FOR BERLIN, ALMINOVA ONLY AT 1500 m, LEBEDEVA IN BOTH
CHEBOKSARY (RUS): After national championships the Russian Team for World Championships was provisionally confirmed. Final selection will be announced on August 2 after the Russian Cup meet in Tula (Aug 1-2). As head-coach Valentin Maslakov said, question mark remains, for example, in women´s Pole Vault where Yelena Isinbayeva as title defender and national champion Yulia Golubchikova are clear. For two remaining places four candidates are Anastasiya Shvedova, Aleksandra Kiryashova, Tatyana Polnova and injured Svetlana Feofanova.
Maslakov also said for All-Sport that Shvedova plans to apply for Belarus citizenship which will open the door for her for Berlin. Another open events are men 200 m, long jump and triple jump and women 100 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles and hammer. It is now clear that world leader Anna Alminova will not run the 800 m and will just concentrate on the 1500 m.
Tatyana Lebedeva is provisionally named not only in long jump, but also the triple jump. Interesting the return of hammer throw world record holder Tatyana Lysenko who achieved the qualificiation in hammer just in time. From individual Beijing Olympic medalists all are included except of two injured jumpers (Andrey Silnov in High Jump and Yevgeniy Lukyanenko in pole vault) who are passing the summer season, not certain is Svetlana Feofanova in pole vault.
The team
Men: 200 m: one participant to be determined (candidates Teplykh and Smirnov), 400 m: Dyldin, 4×400 m relay. Dyldin, Svechkar, Kruglyakov, Kokorin, 800 m: Borzakovskiy, 10 000 m: A. Rybakov, 400 m Hurdles: Derevyagin, steeple: Minshin, marathon: Kulkov, Abramov, Rygin, Lemayev, high jump: Ukhov, Rybakov, Tereshin, pole vault: Chistyakov, Gripich, Pavlov, long jump: one participant to be determined (one of the candidates is also European junior champion Menkov), triple jump: Spasovkhodskiy and one more to be named (second placer from national Moyseyenko just arrived from Uzbekistan, needs to clear his citizenship, other candidate Plotnir), shot put: Sidorov, Sofyin, Kokoyev, discus. Pishchalnikov, Seyduk, hammer: Zagorniy, javelin: Makarov, Korotkov, Ivanov, decathlon: Sysoyev, Pogorelov, Kharlamov, 20 km walk: Borchin, Trofimov, Krivov, 50 km walk: Nizhegorodov, Kirdyapkin, Andronov.
Women: 100 m: Polyakova, Geflikh, 200 m: Gushchina, Bolsun, Zaytseva, 4×100 m: Polyakova, Gushchina, Rusakova, Chermoshanskaya, Fedoriva, 400 m: Krivoshapka, Kapachinskaya, Litvinova, 4×400 m: additionally to individual runners Nazarova, Firova, Antyukh, 800 m: Savinova, Klyuka, Kofanova, 1500 m: Alminova, Yevdokimova, Zbrozhek, 5000 m: Grechishnikova, Popkova, 10 000 m: Shobukhova, Konovalova, Agafonova, steeple: Volkova, Samitova-Galkina, Zarudneva, Sidorchenkova, 100mhurdles: Kondakova, Dektyareva, one more to be determined (Shtepa needs a fast time at Russian Cup), 400 m hurdles: Pechonkina, two to be determined (Ott, Churakova candidates), marathon: Zakharova, Yulamanova, Glok, Biktimirova, Morgunova, high jump: Chicherova, Slesarenko, Shkolina, pole vault: Isinbayeva, Golubchikova, two more to be named, long jump: Lebedeva, Sokolova, Meleshina-Simagina, Kucherenko, triple jump: Lebedeva, Alekhina, Pyatykh, shot put: Avdeyeva, discus: Sadova, Saykina, hammer: Lysenko, one more to be named, javelin: Zabruskova, Abakumova, heptathlon: Chernova, 20 km walk: Kaniskina, Kirdyapkina, Sokolova, Yemelyanova
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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