NOTE:
Little bit later today, special day for EME NEWS as the compiler (PB´s 11.3 at
100 m, 23.2 at 200 m, 51.41 at 400 m and 56.65 at 400 m Hurdles) is celebrating
a special birthday starting with a 5 for first time.

CHICHEROV
200, SHUSTOV 230

CHELYABINSK
(RUS, Jan 9): World champion Anna Chicherova started excellent into the indoor
season with 2 meters clearance at Lukashevich-Seryodkin Memorial meet. She
cleared all heights in first attempt and only had misses at Russian record
level of 205 cm. Her next competition will be in Antwerp at Golden High Jump
meet on January 28. „I already jumped two meters in training, but competition
is always different so I must be satisfied with the result. I have no
specific goals in the indoor season, just to keep the competition practice. But
with two meters opener I think I can go significantly higher later,”
she was quoted as saying. European Champion 2010 Aleksandr Shustov also showed
top shape with second 230 result within few days. It happened in third attempt
and he tried once at 236. Second Andrey Patrakov improved to 226 cm. In the
men´s pole vault Sergey Kucheryanu with 560 beat recently improved Dmitriy
Starodubtsev 550 and former champion Igor Pavlov 520. To note the junior winner
Dmitriy Sokolov with 530 cm.

VIVIAN
AGAINST LINET

SEVILLA
(ESP): The jubilee 30th Italica CC race (IAAF Permit) on Sunday in Santiponce,
part of Seville will see in women´s 8 km a top clash of Kenyan world
champions. Vivian Cheruiyot will compete against Linet Masai. They last time
clashed in cross country at the World Championships in Punta Umbria in 2011
where Cheruiyot won ahead of Masai by nine seconds. Also in the race other
Kenyans Priscah Jepleting, Pauline Korikwiang, Mercy Cherono. European
challenge will be headed by European Champion from Velenje Fionnuala Britton of
Ireland. For the men´s race the top names are Kenyans Leonard Komon and Vincent
Chepkok along with reigning World CC Champion Imane Merga of Ethiopia. Home
runners will be topped by Juan Carlos Higuero, Chema Martinez and Alessandra
Aguilar.

SOI
SWITCHING TO INDOORS

MILANO
(ITA): In shape competing Kenyan runner Edwin Soi is switching from road and
cross to indoor. „I am planning the Indoor season with a couple of
meetings in February. I won in Bolzano in 2008 and then I took the
Olympic bronze medal in Beijing. I hope to repeat this feat in London,” he
said. He so far competed in five indoor races in his career. Three in 2008 and
two in 2010, all at the 3000 m. Soi ended fourth in Valencia at World Indoors
2008 and his indoor best is 7:36.70.

CANTWELL
AND OESER ADDED

KARLSRUHE
(GER): Two top names are added into roster for Indoor meet IHM in Karlsruhe on
February 12 (IAAF Permit). Shot put will see reigning world indoor champion
Christian Cantwell in duel with home 2011 World champ David Storl. Heptathlon
world medalist German Jennifer Oeser will run the 60 m hurdles to attack her PB
of 8.57.

BEKELE
REMAINS CALM

EDINBURGH
(GBR): Kenenisa Bekele despite his surprise defeat and lowly position at the
Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday is adamant he will be in mint
condition before the Olympic Games get underway in the summer. „I must put the
race behind me and look towards the rest of the year,” said the 29-year-old star
still to reveal what distances he will target at the London Olympics. „Today I wanted
to run well but there was nothing there from the very beginning. The defeat is
not a problem for me. I had just started training properly before
Edinburgh and there is much more to do.” Bekele with no races planned for the
immediate future, added: „I don’t want to get into great shape too early. The
Olympics are a long way away and that is when I must be at my very
best. That remains the most important thing for me. I have no injuries and
now I am ready to do some hard work.” Informs David Martin.

OTHER NEWS

PARIS
(FRA): The athletics website of the French athletics federation (FFA) www.athle.com has revealed its figures of the
year 2011. Last year there have been over 8700000 connections, with an average
of 24000 visitors and 218000 pages read per day. Compared to 2010 there is an
increase of 16.7% more connections and 15% more pages read.

LONDON
(GBR): London 2012 are due to take control of the Olympic Park from the Olympic
Delivery Authority (ODA) this week as it marks 200 days until the Opening
Ceremony on July 27 writes Insidethegames. „This will be a seamless
transition, so you probably wouldn’t even realise there were new people in
charge,” writes Dennis Hone, the chief executive of the ODA.

JOHANNESBURG
(RSA): Former world 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi is back in action after an
Achilles tendon injury grounded him for seven months. The injury resulted in
Mulaudzi failing to defend the World Championships 800m event in Daegu last
August. „It’s good to be back,” says Mulaudzi while going through his paces at
the University of Johannesburg athletics stadium. „The injury has healed
properly, which allows me to train without having to worry about pains,” he
says. Mulaudzi has decided to start competing in Europe and the US at the IAAF
indoor meetings next month which he will use to sharpen himself up for the IAAF
World indoor championships in Istanbul according to Sunday World.

GLASGOW
(GBR): World and reigning European bronze medallist Jenny Meadows has set her
sights on dual major titles this year after announcing her intentions to
compete at both the Aviva International Match and Aviva Grand Prix. Meadows,
who is affectionately known as the ‘Pocket Rocket’, will kick-start her 2012
season at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall on 28 January – an event she has won for the
last four years – before traveling south of the border to the West Midlands to
compete at Birmingham’s NIA on 18 February. Meadows, who is also expected to
compete at the Aviva Indoor UK Trials and Championships on 11-12 February.

RESULTS

INDOOR

GENT
(BEL, Jan 7) : European U23 decathlon champion Thomas Van der Plaetsen has
opened his indoor season with a very solid 213 in the high jump and 7.24
in the 60m. Fellow decathlete and Universiade 4th placer Cedric Nolf clocked
7.11 over 60m.

HANNOVER
(GER, Jan 8) : German sprinter Alexander Kosenkow has made a succesful
return to the track. In Hannover Kosenkow clocked 6.83 over 60m and is hopeful
that his Achilles injury and other injuries are finally behind him writes
leichathletik.de.

AULNAY
SOUS BOIS (FRA, Jan 7): French pole vault series continued with wins for Damiel
Dossevi 548 and young Briton Katie Byres who improved the national junior
record to 436 cm (she was 4th in Tallinn).

SABADELL
(ESP, Jan 8): In Spain boys national junior pole vault record by Didac Salas
with 535 cm clearance.

BIRMINGHAM
(GBR, Jan 7): A good start to the year from Robbie Grabarz who high jumped
a personal best 229 cm here.

SHEFFIELD
(GBR, Jan 8): National champs for combined events had Daniel Gardiner as
heptathlon winner with 5512 points score.

ETON
(GBR, Jan 8): Greg Cackett a newcomer to the sport ran a big PB of
6.70 for 60 m.

CARDIFF (GBR,
Jan 8): Quick 1500 m race was won by Steve Davies in 3:42.39 ahead of Steve
Mitchell 3:43.65 (indoor PB).

OUTDOOR

TOYKO
(JPN, Jan 8): Kaori Yoshida won the Mari Tanigawa Half Marathon in 1:11:16. In
men´s race Kazuyoshi Tokumoto achieved 1:05:36 ahead of Yuki Kawauchi 1:06:19
(he is in preparation for Tokyo marathon).

FARO
(POR, Jan 7): Foreign wins at 41st Grande Premio dos Reis road race at 6.3 km.
Finland´s Jussi Utriainen was the best male in 18:46 and Russian Mariya
Kovaleva the best woman (21:15) ahead of Johanna Lehtinen of Finland 21:28 and
Daegu 7th placer in walking Ana Cabecinha 21:59.

HILTON
(RSA, Jan 8): RRW informs that former world class runner Zola Pieterse at age
of 45 won the 16 km road race here in 1:09:50. She has announced that she is
planning to run the Comrades ultramarathon this year for the first time.

ADANA
(TUR, Jan 8): Rainy Adana Half-marathon winners were Mert Girmalegese 1:08:04
and Bahar Dogan in 1:16:18.

STATS

LOS
ANGELES (USA): Ken Nakamura compiled the list of progression of top 10 averages
for the marathon races in order of improvement. Heading the list is Frankfurt
marathon, improved the most from 2008 to 2011. From 2:08:18 to 2:05:45 what is
2:33 min. Second is Dubai with 2:03 (2:08:55 to 2:06:52) and third Boston 2:01
(2:07:40 to 2:05:39).