by Larry Eder
CHERNOVA GETS MEET RECORD 6773 POINTS
KLADNO (CZE, Jun
16): Russian Tatyana Chernova highlighted the 5th TNT-Fortuna meeting
(IAAF CE Challenge) with superb personal best and second best of 2011
6773 points. The result which is also meeting record belongs to top 20
performers of all-time. She achieved 659, 52.00 and 2:10.62 during second day. “I
wanted to achieve world lead. But in long jump I was not able to find
the right approach. Fortunately I gave everything in javelin and 800 m
and improved my best,” she was quoted. Second
Karolina Tyminska of Poland also got life-time best 6516 points (658,
40.17 and 2:08.33). Aige Grabuste of Latvia had 6252 (long jump PB 665)
as third with Czech Katerina Cachova fourth 5897 beating Iceland´s
record holder Helga Thorsteinsdottir 5856 and Dutch Jolanda Keizer 5804.
Cuban world medalist Leonel Suarez managed during second day of decathlon
14.67, 45.66, 500, 67.18 and 4:27.98 and that was enough to win in
dramatic end with final score of 8231 points. Second Belgian Hans Van
Alphen improved to 8120 score and missed the national record only by 22
points. Third South African record holder Willem Coertzen achieved 8094
still beating Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan who was leading after discus
(51.18) and had also good 510 in pole vault but weak 51.82 in javelin
and 4:52.73 in the 1500 m. Three more achieved 8+ results. Brazilian
Carlos Chinin for first time in his career went over 8000 with 8068,
sixth Yordanis Garcia of Cuba 8067 and seventh European champion Romain
Barras 8010. Overnight leader Darius Draudvila was 10th (7734). All-time
hero Roman Sebrle struggled with right shape and health issues but
bravely ended the event with 7343 as 18th.
(SUI): The 36th edition of Athletissima (part of Samsung Diamond
League) announced that against David Rudisha competing in the 800 m will
be the reigning world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and reigning European
Champion Marcin Lewandowski. The confrontation between the Ethiopians
Imane Merga and Tariku Bekele against the Kenyan quintet Chepkok, Choge,
Kiptoo, Rotich and Soi will be exciting to follow in the 5000 m. In the
400 m Hurdles the world elite will be present, number one LJ Van Zyl
with Kerron Clement, Javier Culson, Dai Greene and Bershawn Jackson.
Dayron Robles is the star of 110 m hurdles and world champion Brittney
Reese in women long jump. In women 1500 m world champion and home
resident Maryam Jamal runs against Gelete Burka and Ibtissam Lakhouad of
Morocco.
KRAVCHENKO OUT OF DAEGU
KLADNO
(CZE): Decathlon olympic silver winner Andrey Kravchenko of Belarus
after long jump in Kladno suffered pain in achilles, his long standing
problem. He was quoted as saying in Kladno that the season is over for
him and has no chances to compete in Daegu at World Championships.
GREENE FOR UK MEETS
BIRMINGHAM
(GBR): European and Commonwealth champion hurdler Dai Greene has set
his sights on becoming British record holder this summer, with two big
opportunities on home soil when he lines up at the Aviva Birmingham
Grand Prix and Aviva London Grand Prix as part of his preparations for
World Championships glory. The 25-year-old will look to stamp his
authority on the track ahead of this year’s IAAF World Championships by
breaking the British Record that has stood for almost 20 years. Greene
will have his first chance at Kriss Akabusi’s long-standing British
benchmark of 47.82, set in August 1992, when he lines up at Birmingham
Alexander Stadium on 10 July, before returning for a second attempt at
the record at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre four weeks later as
part of his final preparations for the World Championships in Daegu,
South Korea later in August.
HOOKER AIMS FOR HERCULIS RETURN
MONACO
(MON) : World Champion Steve Hooker is aiming to return to competing on
July 22nd in Monaco at the Herculis meet part of Samsung Diamond League
after a nine month lay-off. Hooker took a long resting period during
the winter and is hoping to gradually improve throughout the season.
“Physically, now, I’m feeling really good. The last two months have been
really solid. I’ve got a large block of training done and I’m in good
shape” Hooker was quoted in his IAAF online diary. It is still an option
that the Australian pole vaulter starts competing in Paris on July 8th.
ZVEREVA THINKS ABOUT 2012 GAMES AT AGE OF 50+
MINSK
(BLR): Belarus discus thrower Elina Zvereva already at age of 50 plans
to compete at London Olympic Games 2012. It could be her 6th games since
1988 when missing only the 1992 edition of Barcelona. The best placing
was the win in Sydney 2000. “I never was regretting to choose discus.
Athletics is part of my life, that is my secret to compete so long,” she
was quoted. Her daughter Alena Bochina might have the chance to compete
with her at the games.
OTHER NEWS
LILLE
(FRA): New Zealander Jacko Gill, 16 years of age, dreams of being the
World Youth Champion in a few weeks’ time. The appearance of the
prodigious shot-putter, the youngest junior World Champion in the
history of the World Junior Championships in Moncton (Canada) last year,
is much awaited in Villeneuve d’Ascq.
NEWCASTLE (GBR): Asics steps up to sponsor UK’s Great Run Series.
EBERSTADT (GER) :
The duel between German athletes Raul Spank and Eike Onnen is announced
to be the highlight of the Eberstadt high jump meeting on July 17th.
Spank holds a season’s best of 232 while Onnen has jumped 231 this year.
Both athletes have already competed against each other 12 times and
they have each won 6 times. Also jumping are indoor world champion Ivan
Ukhov, world leader Aleksey Dmitrik, Czech European indoor silver winner
Jaroslav Baba and US number one Jesse Williams.
LEVERKUSEN
(GER): After a year and a half of injury problems Danny Ecker is making
his return to competition at a special pole vault event in Leverkusen
this weekend. The German indoor record holder has suffered from long
term back problems and anticipates to make a moderate return. Also
competing are Tim Lobinger, Hendrik Gruber and Raphael Holzdeppe.
ADDIS
ABABA (ETH): The organizers of the Great Ethiopian Run 10K road race
has announced that the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has become the
title sponsor for the 11th edition of the Great Ethiopian Run on
November 27th. In the past 10 years dkt-Ethiopia, Total, Toyota and
Ethiopian Airlines have been sponsors of the event.
LOS
ANGELES (USA): Former Olympian and Gilroy high school track coach Alvin
Harrison has pleaded guilty to felony DUI charges in an Orange County
courtroom and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 3 years probation.
Harrison was at the steering wheel of the high school track team’s van
when returning from a local competition and caused an accident when
under influence of alcohol.
TOKYO
(JAP): Japan sends out a 89 strong team to the 2011 Asian Championships
in Kobe in July. 49 male athletes and 40 female athletes will represent
the country. Best known names are javelin world medalist Yukifumi
Murakami and pole vault national record holder Daichi Sawano.
RIO DE JANEIRO
(BRA): Carlos Nuzman, the President of Rio 2016, has been taken to
hospital after suffering from heart problems. Rio’s Organising Committee
said in a statement that the 69-year-old Nuzman, a member of the
International Olympic Committee, had checked himself into a hospital
late Tuesday after a routine health exam showed an abnormal heart rhythm
writes Insidethegames.
TOKYO
(JAP): Japanese Olympic officials expect to know within weeks if Tokyo
will bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.”We expect a decision will be in
late June or early July,” Japan Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu
Takeda told The Associated Press. “Tokyo had a great plan for 2016, and
has excellent financing.”
BUDAPEST
(HUN): Samsung Diamond League meetings, in Oslo and in New York, have
strongly contributed to lots of changes in the All-Athletics.com World
Rankings, which are published each Wednesday. However there are only a
few changes in the Nr.1 positions in the different events. One of these
“new” leaders is Paul Kipsiele Koech who had been in the second position
only for three weeks and now regained the top spot in the Men’s 3000m
Steeplechase from Brimin Kiprop Kipruto. Another Oslo-winner, Fabiana
Murer is also an old-new ranking leader. She had been the number one
until March 15, but then Svetlana Feofanova took the lead. Since
yesterday it’s the Brazilian again who can call herself the world’s
leading female pole vaulter. Yargelis Savigne is not a brand new event
leader either. The Cuban has already been in the top position for a
total of 107 weeks in her career, but the last time she was leading was
back in late August last year. In the latest rankings she has regained
the lead in the Women’s Triple Jump.
KINGSTON
(JAM): World and olympic winner at 100 m Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
confirmed for Track Alerts she will double at National Championships
next week.”I’m doing OK, I’m doing nothing outside the ordinary”, she
went on further to say “I’m gonna go back home and continue my training
in preparation for the National Championships.”
VOLGOGRAD
(RUS): Jumping legend Tatyana Lebedeva plans to start her preparation in
autumn for the 2012 season with the aim to compete at London 2012
Games. “We already agreed with my coach that in fall we will start to
hard work and train. I want to jump already in winter,” said double
mother Lebedeva.
EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS
FRANCE:
France has modified its team for the European Team championships in
Stockholm in three places. World triple jump record holder Teddy Tamgho
is replaced by Karl Taillepierre, Heni Kechi takes the place of Adrien
Clemenceau in the 400m hurdles and in the javelin Jerome Haeffler is
being replaced by Killian Durechou. They also release more information
on Teddy Tamgho’s injury and explained that team doctor Jean-Michel
Serra urged Tamgho not to compete following pain on his right ankle
which started hurting during his last jump at the New York Adidas Grand
Prix. Tamgho should be fit to return to action in Laussane at the end of
the month.
GERMANY:
Sebastian Ernst will not be available for Germany at the 200 m due to
bronchitis. German team hopes for third place as in last year.
TV: The
Stockholm 2011 SPAR European Team Championships is set to receive 50
hours of live television coverage on the continent, according to the
latest broadcast intentions for the biggest team athletics event of the
year. The international broadcasters’ intentions received by European
Athletics show there will be at least 54 hours of free-to-air television
coverage in Europe of the 18-19 June championships, with 50 hours of
live coverage. National broadcasters from 11 European countries have so
far confirmed their plans for coverage of the event. In addition,
pan-European channel Eurosport plans to show the majority of the
championships live across its 59 territories. Outside of Europe,
Eurosport Asia, Dubai Sports Channel and ESPN Star will broadcast the
event.
PREVIEWS (with help from EA website)
STOCKHOLM
(SWE): Great Britain’s head coach Charles van Commenee and British
team captain David Greene believe that they can have the Russians
looking over their shoulder at the SPAR European Team Championships in
Stockholm this weekend. Germany hopes to defend their third place from
last year. Last year, Russia scored 379.5 points across the two days in
the Norwegian city of Bergen, winning from Great Britain by a massive
62.5 points. Nevertheless, Britain – whose men’s team were winners of
the former European Cup on several occasions – impressed when moving up a
spot from third place at the inaugural Championships in 2009. According
to Athletics Weekly’s calculations based on current form, the overall
final team standings could have Russia winning with 353 points over
Germany 344 and France 320. Ukraine should be fourth (311), Great
Britain fifth (309), Poland sixth (272) ahead of Italy (252), Spain
(224) and Czech Republic (224). Relegation for Belarus (202), Portugal
(170) and Sweden (140). Top names in nearly all teams with number of
Barcelona winners. Special to see Christophe Lemaitre of France doubling
in sprints.
IZMIR (TUR):
Greece, Norway and Finland were relegated from the SPAR Team
Championships last year but they were given the perfect example of how
to respond to that sort of disappointment by Czech Republic, Sweden and
Portugal at the 2010 European Team Championships First League in
Budapest. All three returned immediately to the top flight of the
Championships just a year after they all went down following the
inaugural SPAR Team Championships in 2009. Last year’s relegated teams
all have personnel in their ranks who could help them finish in the
three promotion places in the Turkish city of Izmir. Greece are strong
in the field events thanks to men like high jumper Konstadinos Baniótis
and pole vaulter Konstadinos FilippÃdis, as well as the ever-consistent
2006 European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles gold medallist
PeriklÃs Iakovákis. Norway counst on hurdler Christina Vukicevic and
sprinter Ezinne Okparaebo. However, pushing this trio for the promotion
places should be Romania, Hungary and The Netherlands. Romanian star is
2010 European Athletics Championships men’s triple jump silver
medallist Marian Oprea. Hungary will have hammer thrower Krisztián Pars
looking for his third consecutive First league win and although The
Netherlands may have few star names in their team, apart from
middle-distance runner Yvonne Hak, historically they have a high level
of all round consistency.
NOVI SAD
(SRB): The Second League will see home Serbia the team which just missed
out on promotion to the European Team Championships First League last
year, finishing fourth on home soil in Belgrade to attack the promotion.
Women long jump with improved Lauma Griva and home star Ivana Spanovic
will be one of the highlights. Almost none of the other seven nations:
Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia can
be counted out. Estonia and Lithuania were relegated from the First
League 12 months ago and will be bidding to regain their status
immediately. Estonia should have national record holder Marek Niit
coming from US NCAA season in sprints and Mart Israel in discus.
Bulgaria is having European leaders Ivet Lalova at 100 m and Vania
Stambolova at 400 m hurdles (and she will also run the 400 m) along
with high jumper Venelina Veneva. Slovakia has top names European
champion Libor Charfreitag in hammer, world medalist Martina Hrasnova in
hammer, European indoor medalist Dana Veldakova in triple jump and
Barcelona fourth placer at 800 m Lucia Klocova. As well as the battle
for promotion, there will also be a fierce fight to avoid going down
with Denmark and Latvia being the most likely candidates. Another top
athlete competing will be the javelin world leader Vadim Vasilevskis of
Latvia.
REYKJAVIK
(ISL): No less than 15 teams will make their way to the Icelandic
capital of Reykjavik for the 2011 European Team Championships Third
League. Israel and Moldova were relegated from the Second League in 2010
but will start as favourites to make an immediate return. High jumpers
Dmitriy Kroyter and Danielle Frenkel should help Israel considerably,
although the latter could face some strong competition from Montenegro’s
2010 world junior champion Marija Vuković. Pole vaulters Yevgeniy
Olkhovskiy and Jillian Schwartz also have a very good chance of taking
maximum points for Israel. Moldova will be primarily looking to its
distance runners to provide a lot of points. Cyprus were relegated from
the Second League in 2009 and, having just missed out on getting
promoted last year, they will not want to fall short again, despite the
absence of two-time World Championships medallist Kyriakos Iaonnou.
Perhaps one dark horse might be Azerbaijan, who have a stable of
excellent distance runners although their weakness in the field events
might tell against them over the course of two days of competition.
RESULTS
NAIROBI (KEN,
Jun 15): Former World Cross country champion Edna Kimaiyo during final
day of the Administration Police championships at Nyayo National Stadium
won the 10 000 m event in 35:11.9 and then claimed the women’s 3000 m
steeplechase in 11:22.5 and capped a successful day with the women 5000 m
title in 17:32.5. Collins Cheboi got the 1500 m in fast 3:36.9 ahead of
Bethwel Birgen 3:40.7.
OSTERODE (GER,
Jun 15): Markus Munch achieved here Daegu standard in discus with 65.19
m. Second Martin Wierig 64.32 and third Australian Ben Harradine 63.45.
In women shot put Christina Schwanitz got 18.38.
AVELLINO (ITA,
Jun 15): Cuban hurdler Omar Cisneros won the flat 400 m here at the
25th Trofeo Citta di Avellino in 47.14. Senegal´s Fatou Souma won the
400 m in 52.70.
TALENCE (FRA, Jun 15): Junior pole vaulter Kevin Menaldo cleared here 535 cm.
PODOLSK (RUS, Jun 16): Hammer champions of Moscow Region were Sergey Litvinov (78.63) and Mariya Bespalova (67.83).
DONETSK (UKR,
Jun 16): 15-years old Maryna Bekh (born 1995) leaped to superb 647
(+1.6) long jump life-time best during second day of Ukrainian Junior
Championships. Also to note 187 in high jump of Irina Gerashchenko and
23.63 (+0.4) in the 200 m by Mariya Shmidova.
