by Larry Eder
CHERUIYOT FOR 3K
BIRMINGHAM
(GBR): Four-time World Champion Vivian Cheruiyot will run her only
indoor race this season at the Aviva Grand Prix on Saturday, as she
steps up preparations for Olympic gold. The Kenyan distance runner will
make her second appearance of 2012 (after CC in Spain), and only her
second since taking 5000m and 10,000m gold at the World Championships in
Daegu last summer, at the NIA, where she’ll line up against Aviva GB
& NI star Helen Clitheroe in a mouth-watering 3000m clash.
Cheruiyot, who also took the World Cross Country title in her dream
2011, was last week named Laureus’ Sportswoman of the Year and is hotly
tipped to pick up at least one Olympic title this summer’s Olympic
Games. Organisers are informing. Her main rivals from Ethiopia will be
tough Gelete Burka, in-shape Genzebe Dibaba, Sentayehu Ejigu and
Meselech Melkamu. Another top rival of the Kenyan Meseret Defar will run
the 1500 m.
ASIAN SHOT PUT RECORD
NANJING
(CHN, Feb 13): First day of National Indoor Grand Prix meet saw Asian
Games 2010 silver medalist Zhang Jun improving Asian indoor shot put
record to 20.16 m. Impressive results also in men´s long jump. World
junior 2006 medalist Zhang Xiaoyi leaped to 820, Yun Zhiming to 817 and
third Tang Gongchen to 803, for all three personal bests. Lao Yi won the
60 m in 6.65 and Jiang Fan the 60 m hurdles in 7.76. In women events to
note new national indoor record for Xue Fei with 4:09.71 in the 1500 m.
Liu Xiangrong was the best in the shot put (18.46).
OTHER NEWS
BRUSSELS
(BEL) : World bronze 400m medalist Kevin Borlée and world 400m hurdles
semi finalist Elodie Ouedraogo have received the ‘Golden Spike’ for
Belgium’s best male and female athlete of the year. Youth athlete
Marjolein Lindemans and junior Stef Vanhaeren were voted ‘revelation of
the year’. Decathlete Thomas Van der Plaetsen received a special throphy
for his victory at the European U23 championships in Ostrava.
KARLSRUHE (GER): Full house of 4500 spectators at the IHM
Meeting on Sunday was satisfied. The organizers already announced the
next version on February 2 in 2013 (the 29th edition).
BERLIN (GER): German 400m athlete Janin Lindenberg could be
suspended as she missed three out of competition doping tests within 18
months. The athlete, part of Germany’s European 4x400m silver medal
winning team, toldleichathletik.de that a suspension would be a personal disaster and is weighing heavy on her preparation for the London Olympic Games.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The organisers of the Tallinn 2011 European
Athletics Junior Championships have been recognised by the Estonian
government with a national sports prize. Estonian Athletic Association
President Erich Teigamägi, General Secretary Sirje Lippe and Tallinn
2011 General Coordinator Erik Pallase were honoured for their commitment
and devotion to producing a successful event reports European
Athletics.
PARIS (FRA): French heptathlete and European Indoor Champion
2011 Antoinette Nana Djimou is ending her indoor season due to an injury
on her right hamstring. Nana Djimou will have to rest for at least 3
weeks and is not allowed to run.
PARIS (FRA): European 200m champion Myriam Soumaré is making
her return to competition this week at the meeting Femina du Val d’Oise
on February 16. If all goes well, the French athlete will also compete
at the French national championships. However, after suffering an ankle
injury, Soumaré will not be traveling to Istanbul for the IAAF World
indoor championships.
PARIS (FRA) : At a press conference for the French bank Caisse
d’Epargne, Christophe Lemaître said that at this point he is not
considering to run the 200m at the European championships in Helsinki.
The sprinter added that his decision for the European championships does
not affect his decision whether to double or not at the London Olympic
Games.
MELBOURNE (AUS) : Long jump champion Mitchell Watt is expected
to compete for the first and only time this domestic season in
Melbourne at the national titles next month. The world championships
silver medallist, who has bypassed tour meetings in Brisbane, Adelaide
and Perth, is unlikely to jump in Sydney next week. Watt’s coach Gary
Bourne said he was in the midst of a heavy Olympics-focused track load
and was not quite ready to compete according to The Age.
ROME (ITA): Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti will make a
decision on whether Rome will bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics
after returning from the United States, where he has been visiting
President Barack Obama. Earlier this week 60 of the country’s best-known
sportsmen and women, including footballer Francesco Totti, and triple
Olympic skiing champion Deborah Compagnoni, had put their names to an
open letter published in eight newspapers appealing for Monti to back
the bid despite the economic crisis that has engulfed Italy writes
Insidethegames.
LONDON (GBR): Defending world indoor champion Jessica Ennis is
confident she could break the 20-year old world indoor pentathlon
record set by Irina Belova. Ennis’ personal best score is just 54 points
shy of the 4937 points record and with solid training behind her Ennis
now believes she could break the record when competing at the IAAF World
indoor championships in Istanbul she told The Telegraph.
KARLSRUHE (GER): US hurdles world leader Lolo Jones cancelled
her planned meetings in Lievin and Birmingham after she was already not
able to compete in Karlsruhe on Sunday. Jones fell at warm-up in Moscow
and is slightly injured since then on her legs. She went to Ireland for
treatment. Her participation at US Indoor Championships is still a
possibility.
BRATISLAVA (SVK): Impressive speed by Slovak hammer record
holder Martina Hrasnova (also world medalist 2009). At regional meet she
clocked twice under 8 seconds in the 60 m. First in heats 7.96 and then
as third in the finals 7.97.
DUSSELDORF (KEN): Kenyan top runners who won recently at
indoor meetings in Germany are planning to compete at World Indoors in
Istanbul. Bethwel Birgen in the 1500 m, Thomas Longosiwa in the 3000 m
along with Edwin Soi. Another choice would be Augustin Choge who can
also run the 1500 m.
MAINZ (GER): Another succesfull Athlete is planning to take
part in the TV-show Let´s Dance. German discus all-time hero Lars Riedel
will start in the middle of the March in the RTL station show. The
five-time world champion will have 22 years old Marta Arndt as partner.
FAYETTEVILLE (USA): Top sprinting field on Saturday at USATF
Classic saw out in heats former 200 m world medalist Wallace Spearmon.
He missed most of the 2011 because an injury. Spearmon returned with 60 m
personal best 6.66. Another top name and olympic finalist Churandy
Martina clocked 6.81 and injured himself. Also out in heats was former
olympic winner Shawn Crawford with 6.78.
BRNO (CZE): Special High Jump meets are continuing on Tuesday
in Brno with Brnenska Latka. This year the event moves to shopping
center Olympia. In the men competition home star Jaroslav Baba will meet
with world medalist Trevor Barry, Italian Filippo Campioli, Bulgarian
Viktor Ninov and mainly the Slovak revelation from Banska Bystrica
Michal Kabelka. In the women competition European medalist Venelina
Veneva is the top name with national record holders from Estonia (Anna
Iljustsenko), Turkey (Burcu Ayhan) and Romanian European U23 Champion
Esthera Petre.
MANAUS (BRA): Change in the leadership of Brazilian Athletics.
At a historic assembly of Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAT) Jose
Antonio Martins Fernandes (“Toninho”) was elected as new president and
Warlindo Carneiro da Silva as vice president for the period 2013-2016.
After more than two decades of intense and fruitful work Roberto Gesta
de Melo is leaving. He still remains president of the Consudatle and
IAAF Council member.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (USA): Track and Field News came quick after
Yohan Blake 400 m PR of 46.49 with an updated ranking of sprinters by
combination of 100-200-400 m bests. Blake is now number four ever with
total of 3714 points. Ahead of him only Usain Bolt 3893, Michael Johnson
3817 and Tyson Gay 3813.
BIBERACH (GER): Due to organisational difficulties the meeting
of Biberach will have this year only Shot Put on the programme on July
5.
SHEFFIELD (GBR): Dwain Chambers, who earned a
place in Britain’s team for next month’s IAAF World Indoor Championships
in Istanbul by winning the 60 metres gold today at the Aviva Indoor UK
Trials and Championships in Sheffield, has said he is prepared to take
up his chance of appearing at the London 2012 Games if the British
Olympic Association’s (BOA) bylaw is overturned next month. The hearing
is due to take place in London on March 12 but a decision is not
expected until late April. His next race is on Saturday in Gent,
Belgium.
RESULTS
BANGKOK
(THA, Feb 12): Kenyan wins at Standard Chartered Marathon which was
moved from November due to floods. Patrick Kipkemoi Rotich clocked
2:18:31 ahead of William Yegon 2:18:37. Elizabeth Chemweno was the best
woman in 2:41:37 beating Ruth Kutol 2:42:46.
JACKSONVILLE (USA, Feb 12): Russian Anzhelika Averkova won the
5th marathon here in 2:38:22 and earned 10 000 USD. Best male runner
was Kenyan Kennedy Kemei in 2:20:22. From RRW.
HAVANNA (CUB, Feb 10): At local meet as usual good triple jumping.
Erneste Reve 16.96 (+0.2) ahead of David Girat 16.78 (+0.4). In women
competition Josleidy Ribalta 14.20.
LEIPZIG (GER,
Feb 12): Christina Schwanitz achieved at a local meet here 19.15 in the
shot put. Alex Platini-Menga sprinted to 6.75 and 21.11.
CORRECTION
SHEFFIELD
(GBR): Nigel Levine’s time was 46.58 (not EL 46.28) and in the women 60
m it was Jodie Williams 2nd in 60m in 7.29 and Laura Turner third in
7.31.
