by Larry Eder
Yelena Isinbayeva, Stockholm Diamond League, Photo by Photorun.net
We know several things about Yelena Isinbayeva right now. We know that she is fit, coming off her win at Sotteville-sur-les Rouens. We know that she Is aggressive once again.
We also know that she has competition again…
EME NEWS (JUL 10, 2012)
YELENA 475 FOR BEGIN, MERRITT 45.51
SOTTEVILLE (FRA, Jul 10): At Meeting Sotteville-les-Rouen (part of French series Pro Athle Tour) Russian star Yelena Isinbaeva opened her summer campaign with 475 win over Holly Bleasdale 470 and 2009 World Champion Anna Rogowska who also started impressive into the season with 470. Fourth Anastasiya Savchenko 460. The pole vault world record holder started with a miss at 470 and went to 475 where she was right in first succesfull. Then she tried at 485 without clearing the bar. The next and only one meet for Isinbaeva before the Games is the Herculis Samsung Diamond League of Monaco on July 20. Kim Collins beat a solid field in the 100 m (10.11, +0.6) that included Marc Burns of Trinidad 10.27 as second. Olympic winner LaShawn Merritt in his first meet since US Trials won the 400 m in 45.51 over Calvin Smith 45.65. Leonel Manzano started his European campaign with 1:46.79 800 m win. Top 3 went sub 7:50 in the 3000 m, all Africans. John Kipkoech 7:48.17 over junior Cornelius Kangogo 7:48.28 and Moroccan Jamal Hitrane 7:48.51. Cuban Alexis Copello this team beat with 17.12 (+0.1) Bahamian Paris DL winner Leevan Sands 17.08 (+1.3). Dale Stevenson of Australia was the best in the shot put 19.67. In women events Laverne Jones-Ferrette showed increased shape with 22.67 (+0.9) 200 m win beating Charonda Williams 22.69 and French Nelly Banco 22.98 PB. Tatyana Markelova won after Madrid also here the 800 m in 2:01.07, second Yusneysi Santiusti of Cuba 2:01.36. Fast steeple saw Ethiopian olympic alternate Zemzem Ahmed winning in 9:25.85 with second Polina Jelizarova clocking Latvian record 9:32.71. Lolo Jones also another win after Madrid at 100 m hurdles 12.74 (+0.7). She beat other Americans Kristi Castlin 12.82 and Christina Manning 12.87. Nigerian Joke Odumosu won the 400 m hurdles in her fastest of 2012 54.75. Russian Viktoriya Sudarushkina won the javelin with life time best 60.59.
G. KIRUI BEATEN, GERMAN SP SENSATION
BARCELONA (ESP, Jul 10): IAAF World Junior Championships started with three finals. In shot put women gold for German Shanice Craft with 17.15 WL in first final-throw in ahead of Chinese Yang Gao in 16.57m and other Chinese Ka Bian 16.48. The German girl was able to throw in the morning 16.41 to qualify with PB and added another one in the final. Eleven PB´s in 3000m women final was a spectacular race. Specially British Emelia Gorecka pushed hard last two laps to let the Africans tired. In the last 200m the amazing sprint of Mercy Chebwogen made her a winner in 9:08.88 while Ethiopian Gebrekidan takings the silver 9:09.27 over Gorecka 9:09.43. The third gold was the real surprise of the day with Geoffrey Kirui losing. The race was controlled by Kenyans until the sixth kilometer with an halfway pace of 14:12.83. In last km Ethiopian Demelash took the lead and pushed hard and later won with 28:16.07 PB. Other medal positions for Kenyans Philemon Cheboi in 28:23.98 and Geoffrey Kirui in 28:30.47. In 100 m heats impressive race by British Adam Gemili in 10.37 (-2,5) and US Tyreek Hill in same time (-2,3). In long jump qualification to mention Russian world junior record holder Sergey Morgunov able also this time to jump 801. After first day of decathlon american Gunnar Nixon is leading with 4164 points in front of Dutch Tim Dekker who has 10 point less. In heats of 800m for women fastest by Briton Jessica Judd 2:02.71 and men 1500 m Qatari Hamza Driouch 3:38.06.
OLYMPIC TEAM NEWS
PRAGUE (CZE): Final Czech Olympic selection has 31 athletes. Among them legendary Roman Sebrle the 2004 Athens gold medalist going for his fourth games. Olympic champion 2008 is javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova. Fresh European champions and medalists Vitezslav Vesely, Pavel Maslak, Jirina Ptacnikova and Denisa Rosolova. Jaroslav Baba won olympic bronze back in 2004. The team – men (14): 200 m, 400 m: Maslak, 800 m: Holusa, mar: Kreisinger, 400mH: Prorok, HJ: Baba, PV: Kudlicka, LJ: Novotny, Wagner, SP: Zalsky, HT: Melich, JT: Frydrych, Vadlejch, Vesely, Dec: Sebrle. Women (17): 100 m: Cechova, 800: Masna, 1500 m: Capkova, mar: Sekyrova, 100mH: Skrobakova, 400mH: Hejnova, Rosolova, HJ: Maresova, PV: Ptacnikova, DT: Cechlova, HT: Safrankova, JT: Spotakova, Klimesova, hep: Klucinova, 20kmw: Pelantova, 4×400 m: Hejnova, Rosolova, Bartonickova, Bergrova, Masna.
CALGARY (CAN): Canadian media are informing that olympic heptathlete and hurdler Jessica Zelinka almost had her Olympic medal hopes derailed by a small, stinging insect earlier this week. Zelinka spent a night in a Calgary hospital after a wasp sting Sunday led to a severe allergic reaction. She’s expected to be fine for the start of the Olympics and even joked about the incident on Twitter. „Got my butt royally kicked by a wasp today. I like to spend my days off in the hospital :(,” she tweeted. Zelinka returned to practice Tuesday.
MELBOURNE (AUS): Australia have added two men’s relay teams to their athletics squad for London 2012, with John Steffenson, one of the Australian quartet that won a surprise 4×400 metres silver at the 2004 Athens Games, among the nine runners named. Based on the average of their best times, the 4×400 men were ranked 13th and the 4x100m men 15th. The Australian women’s 4x100m team narrowly missed out on an Olympic berth, finishing 18th. Junior Steven Solomon is joined in the 4x400m squad by Steffenson and two other experienced campaigners in Joel Milburn and Ben Offereins. Five men have also been named for the 4x100m relay including Joshua Ross, Andrew McCabe, Anthony Alozie, Tim Leathart (pictured above) and Isaac Ntiamoah.
BRUSSELS (BEL): The Belgian Olympic Committee is sending out 12 athletes and the 4x400m relay team to the London Olympic Games. Tia Hellebaut and the Borlée twins are the strong holders of the team that also includes Svetlana Bolshakova, Eline Berings, Sara Aerts, Adrien Deghelt and Michael Bultheel who all were added to the team even though they did not manage the national standard reports sporza.be.
TEL AVIV (ISR): Donald Sanford was added to Israel’s Olympic delegation for the 2012 games after the exceptions committee ruled his recent achievements were at an extremely high level. Sanford (of US origin) was .09 seconds short of a medal at the European Championships in Helsinki, where he placed fourth in the 400 meter in 45.91. His result caused the Israeli Olympic committee to add him to the delegation flying to London.
LONDON (GBR): Phillips Idowu looks set to put his injury concerns to one side after being confirmed on the entry list for the triple jump at this weekend’s Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace. There had been fears that Idowu, one of Team GB’s brightest hopes for a medal inside the Olympic Stadium this summer, would be forced to miss London 2012 after UK Athletics chief Charles van Commenee revealed at the announcement of his Olympic selection that the 33-year-old was suffering with a mystery injury.
ADDIS ABABA (ETH): Ethiopian team for Olympic Games was confirmed with 17 men (and 4 substitutes) and 16 women (also 4 athletes beeing ready to replace). Kenenisa Bekele is selected for the 10 000 m and is the replacement for the 5000 m. The team – men – 400 m: Desta, 800 m: Aman, 1500 m: Gebremedhin, Wolde, Dirirsa (Wote), 5000 m: Gebremeskel, Gebrehiwot, Alamirew (K. Bekele), 10 000 m: K. Bekele, T. Bekele, Gebremariam (Desisa), steeple: Gari, Getahun, Mesfin, mar: Abshero, Sefir, Feleke (Tola). Women – 800 m: Magiso, 1500 m: Aregawi, G. Dibaba, M. Assefa, 5000 m: Defar, Burka, Yalew (T. Dibaba), 10 000 m: T. Dibaba, Oljira, W. Kidane (Kebede), steeple: S. Assefa, Ayalew, Diro (Ahmed), mar: Gelana
, Mergia, M. Dibaba (B. Bekele).
LJUBLJANA (SLO): Slovenian Olympic Committee rejected the seletcion of steeple runner Bostjan Buc and long jumper Nina Kolaric. They have standards from last year.
LISBON (POR): Portugal is sending 21 athletes to the Games in London. Two of them are still subject of good shape. Sprinter Arnaldo Abrantes in the 200 m and female hammer thrower Vania Silva. Also selected – men – 110mH: Almeida, 400mH: Paula, mar: Rui Pedro Silva, PV: Maia, LJ: Chuva, SP: Fortes, 20km and 50 kmw: Vieira. Women – 5000 m and 10 000 m: Moreira, SC: Cruz, 400mH: Barbosa, mar: Augusto, Felix, Barros, PV: Tavares, TJ: Mamona, DT: Rodrigues, 20 km w: Cabecinha, Henriques, Santos.
ATHENS (GRE): In the Greek olympic selection hammer thrower Aléxandros PapadimitrÃou is about to participate in his fifth Olympic Games, an absolute record by any Greek track & field athlete. His first appearance was in Atlanta (1996), but he only reached the final once, in Sydney (2000), where he placed 12th. Paraskevà PatoulÃdou was entered in five Games (1988-2004), but in Athens 2004 she was only an honorary member of the 4x100m relay team and did not really run. PeriklÃs Iakovákis will make his fourth Olympic appearance in London. 14 out of the 25 members (Tsákonas, Poúlios, Hondrokoúkis, FilippÃdis, Lebésis, PapamihaÃl, Belibasáki, Filándra, Kefalá, StefanÃdi, Ledáki, PapahrÃstou, Panétta and IfantÃdou) will be competing for the first time in an Olympic Games, while the remaining 11 athletes had all competed in Beijing. Loúis Tsátoumas decided to join the Olympic team, after jumping in the Venizélia meeting on July 4 without feeling any pains. The team – men: 200 m: Tsakonas, mar: Poulios, 110mH: Douvalidis, 400mH: Iakovakis, HJ: Hondrokoukis, Baniotis, PV: Filippidis, LJ: Tsatoumas, SP: Stamatoyannis, HT: Papadimitriou, JT: Lebesis, 20 km and 50 km w: Papamihail. Women – 100 m and 200 m: Belibasaki, 800 m: Filandra, mar: Kefala, HJ: Steryiou, PV: Kiriakopoulou, Stefanidi, Ledaki, TJ: Perra, Papahristou, Panetta, JT: Lika, 20 km w: Zapounidou, hep: Ifantidou.
NICOSIA (CYP): Cyprus is sending 4 athletes for London Games. High jumper Kyriakos Ioannou is the top name. Also selected Apostolos Parellis for discus and Constatinos Stathelakos for hammer. The only woman is Eleni Artymata for the 200 m.
OTHER NEWS
OXFORD (GBR): Athletics legend Sir Roger Bannister returned to the site of his greatest sporting achievement as he started the daily journey of the Olympic flame. Sir Roger was joined by London 2012 chairman Lord Coe at the Iffley Road track in Oxford to begin day 53 of the torch’s journey. At the track, now renamed in honour of the famous middle distance runner, the athlete broke the magical four-minute mile barrier on May 6, 1954 writes The Telegraph.
BERLIN (GER): Geoffrey Mutai, who produced the fastest Marathon ever last year in Boston, will be returning to the BMW Berlin Marathon on 30 September organizers announced. In April 2011, Mutai won the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:03:02, covering the 42.195 km distance faster than anyone in history. After his victory in Boston, Mutai ran the ING New York City Marathon in 2:05:06, winning the race and crushing the former course record of 2:07:43 (2001). Mutai was second in Berlin in 2010 in 2:05:10.
EATONTOWN (USA): On Saturday, July 28 the new Belmar Chase 5K, presented by Circle BMW of Eatontown, will be staged. Celebrating the first day of competition at the 2012 Olympic Games, the flat, fast 5K (3.1-mile) race will begin on Ocean Avenue near the Taylor Pavilion, run around Lake Como and finish back on Ocean Avenue near the starting line. There’s a $3500 prize purse for the top three men and women, with each winner taking home $1000.
JOHNSON CITY (USA): Led by 2011 World Champions Carmelita Jeter and Jason Richardson, and 2011 World no. 1 Dylan Armstrong, Total Sports Management US announced the list of their clients competing in the 2012 Olympic Games. 25 athletes will compete in London, including representation from thirteen different countries. Of the 25 athletes competing, ten athletes are currently ranked in the world Top 10 in their respective events.
AMSTERDAM (NED): CEO of Amsterdam 2016 European Championships Rien van Haperen explained the news recently published in local newspapers about less subsidy from regional government to the 2016 event. „This message in the newspaper is a misunderstanding. Indeed, the City of Amsterdam, hoped on a higher subsidy from the provence but it was not in the budget as presented in the bidbook for this Championships. The Elderman, Mr. Eric van der Burg, explained this case later by several occasions,” says van Haperen.
BARCELONA (ESP): This Day of Nigeria informs that Nigeria’s junior athletes, who were scheduled to travel out of the country Monday night for the IAAF World Junior Championships starting Tuesday morning in Barcelona, Monday protested the treatment they have been subjected to at the Spanish Embassy in Lagos. Due to the non issuance of the entry visas, Nigeria missed the first day of action.
MONTREAL (CAN): The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency urged drug cheats to withdraw from their Olympic teams and stay away from the London Games. WADA President John Fahey said athletes will face the strictest ant-doping program in Olympic history and stand only a small chance of escaping detection. Fahey noted that anti-doping bodies around the world are seeking to catch cheats before the games, and the IOC and London organizers will be carrying out up to 6,250 tests during the games. Athletes suspected of doping are being targeted and will be tested at training camps before the games. Writes Vancouver Sun.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): The world’s best senior female pole vaulter will meet the world’s best junior at the upcoming DN Galan in Stockholm, on 17 August. Also the world junior champion happens to be the local favourite Angelica Bengtsson with a seasonal best of 4.58. Brazilian Fabiana Murer, winner of the World championships in Daegu last year, is hoping to arrive to Stockholm as a Olympic gold medallist. 
 Bengtsson goes this week into the World Junior Championships in Barcelona as the current world champion. Both Fabiana Murer and the Swedish pole vaulting star will be competing at the Olympics in London in August. DN Galan is the first Samsung Diamond League meeting to follow the London Games.
TORONTO (CAN): The 2012 National Track League (NTL) Finale takes place on Wednesday evening at Varsity Stadium in Toronto with the staging of the Toronto International Track + Field Games (TITFG). The TITFG are the sixth and final stop on the 2012 National Track League circuit. Previous events were held in Burnaby, Victoria, Edmonton, Moncton, and Halifax. The TITFG will feature 17 newly minted track and field Olympians competing for the last time on home soil before heading off for training camps and competitions abroad in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games.
BARCELONA (ESP): Interesting note from World Junior Championships background. Norway’s Filip Ingebrigsen qualified for the 1500m final as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers in a personal best of 3:44.04. And ran so over two seconds faster than his older brother Henrik did to win the European title in Helsinki (3:46.14 in heat, 3:46.20 in final).
RESULTS
BIBERACH (GER, Jul 10): World Champion David Storl repeated his last year win at Shot Put meet in Biberach with 21.22 last attempt. At historical square of the city before some 1000 spectators second Marco Fortes of Portugal 20.22 and third Ralf Bartels 20.00. This year the track meet here will not be staged.
USTI NAD LABEM (CZE, Jul 10): At City
Grand Prix meet solid shot put with Bulgarian Georgi Ivanov winning with 20.09 over Argentinian champion German Lauro 19.89 and US Joe Kovacs 19.87. In women 100 m US Alexandria Anderson posted 11.32 (+0.1) over Jamaican Aileen Bailey 11.46.
NEMBRO (ITA, Jul 10): At 16th edition of the city meet here Jacques Riparelli clocked excellent 10.21 (+1.6) to win the 100 m.
LEMESOS (CYP, Jul 5): Late addition from Cyprus National U18 Championships. As guest Nina Serbezova-Mitkova (former Bulgarian) achieved 13.94 (0.0) senior Cyprus record. She recieved the citizenship of Cyprus at the end of June. This was is her first competition for the new country.
