by Larry Eder
Nickel Ashmeade, photo by PhotoRun.netOut of the Herculis Monaco meeting, we see Nickel Ashmeade winning the 200 meters and giving Wallace Spearmon his first defeat of 2012. Asbel Kiprop told RBR, at the Nike Pre Classic, that he was focused on the London Olympics. His 3:28.81 showed that, giving us the fastest time in the world and putting Asbel in the drivers seat in the 1,500 meters in London.
Areva Paris 2011, 1,500m, photo by PhotoRun.net
Blessing Okagbare, who has won two 100 meter runs in a row, setting pbs in both, 10.99 in AVIVA London, and 10.96 in Herculis Monaco. Blessing Okagbare should be considered as a spoiler for London Olympics 2012.
HERCULIS SUMMARY: 4 world leads, 2 meet records, 2 continental record
MONACO (MON): Four world leads, two meet records, two continental records during an
excellent summer wind-less evening with 16 000 capacity crowd. Stars showed their
readiness before the Games, but also some sensations were registered and top all-time
junior marks. In the All-Athletics.com rankings Herculis is number three behind Eugene
and Rome.
Event by event review
Men
200 m: Non London participant Ashmeade wins in a nice race 20.02 over Dutch possible
Flagbearer Martina 20.07 and fast closing Spearmon 20.09.
400 m: Very deep field was ruled by Borlee twins, Jonathan won with 44.74 over world
champ James 44.76 and Kevin 44.94. Merritt limped after 220 m and did not finish.
800 m: Even when non-DL a superb race with all finishers going under 1:45. A. Rotich
Kenyan junior record 1:43.13 (third best junior ever) over team-mate Kosencha 1:43.40,
US Solomon 1:43.44 great PB and Spanish record for Kevin Lopez 1:43.74, also a European
leader 2012.
1500 m: Asbel Kiprop is the king of the milers currently. World lead and PB 3:28.88.
It is the 27th fastest time in the history, but the best since 2004. Chepseba gets
3:29.77 PB and Willis Oceanian record 3:30.35. Other four PB´s were registered.
Steeple: Conseslus Kipruto is the new bright star, despite still having lot of space to
improve his hurdling technique. He clocked second fastest ever by a junior 8:03.49.
Second Kipsiele Koech who was surprised by the winner 8:03.90 and third in best
non-Kenyan mark of the year and new US record Evan Jager 8:06.81.
110mH: Aries Merritt in wind-less conditions equaled his own world lead and achieved
meet record 12.93. Richardson in 13.07 just beat Eurowinner Shubenkov who equaled his
Russian record 13.09.
HJ: Jesse Williams over Robbie Grabarz with 233 on count back, Grabarz needed three
attempts at 226 and that decided. Both had good jumps at 236.
LJ: Watt first loss of the year 812, Saladino is back, in only his second meet of
the year won with 816.
JT: Pyatnytsa won after Paris again with 82.85, other three went over 80 meters.
4×100 m: Top US selection (Kimmons-Gatlin-Gay-Bailey) got world lead and meet record
37.61, second US with Rodgers-Mitchell-Patton-Demps also impressive 37.83, way back
Canada 38.60 ahead of France 38.73 and Italy 38.76.
Women
100 m: Nigerian long jumper Okagbare turns out to be even a better sprinter with life-time
best 10.96 over Madison 10.99, Tarmoh 11.09 and Stewart 11.11.
800 m: Non-London bound Kofanova wins in 1:58.41 over Burundi talent Francine Niyonsaba
1:58.68 (13th best junior ever), new senior record for her country. Semenya not a factor
as 9th 2:01.67.
3000 m: Another non-London athlete win for Mercy Cherono 8:38.51 life-time best. Second
Sylvia Kibet 8:39.14 over World junior champion Buze Diriba 8:39.65 (6th best junior
ever). In total 9 personal bests in this race. Russian Yulia Vasilyeva as 12th 8:51.62
European lead 2012.
400mH: Zuzana Hejnova after not winning a medal in Helsinki showed she is here with 54.12
first place over World champ Demus 54.26, oly winner Walker 54.44 and her main home rival
Rosolova 54.73.
PV: Isinbayeva no-heighted at 470 and Spiegelburg cleared German record and world leading
482 in second attempt. Everybody was there except Suhr.
TJ: Ibarguen showed his class with 14.85 when Jamaican Williams beat 14.50 another
favorite Rypakova 14.46.
DT: Perkovic won again over classy field with 65.29 and is first confirmed Diamond Race
winner with the last provision she must compete in the finals.
4×100 m: Top US team lost the baton between Tarmoh and Jeter at the last exchange and
so the B-team (L. Williams, Anderson, Gardener, Duncan) won with fast 42.24.
Merritt will be ok
MONACO (MON): LaShawn Merritt (stopped after about 220 m into the race) issue turned out
to be not serious. His management confirmed it was a crampt and he did not want to push it.
Rogge arrived to London
LONDON (GBR): IOC President Jacques Rogge will chair an IOC Executive Board meeting on 21
July and the 124th IOC Session from 24 to 26 July. He was greeted at the airport by
London Organising Committee Chairman Sebastian Coe and IOC member Sir Craig Reedie,
President Rogge told reporters he was confident London would stage fantastic Games
this summer. These will be the last Olympic Games of President Rogge’s 12-year term in
office, which began in 2001 and comes to a close at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos
Aires in September 2013. The venues of London 2012 are ready to host world’s greatest
athletes. For example the main Olympic Stadium with the flexible design means its
80,000 capacity can be reduced after the Games, when it will continue to host elite
level sport, such as the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships. IOC informs.
Moroccan team
RABAT (MAR): Moroccan team for Olympic Games has top names in middle and long distances.
The only exceptions ares sprinter Aziz Ouhadi selected for 100 m and 200 m and female
400 m hurdles runners Hayat Lambarki with Lamia Lhabze. Other team members are from
the mentioned events also with reserves. Men – 800 m: Amine El Manaoui, Mohcine El
Amine, 1500 m: Abdelaati Iguider, Amine Laalou, Mohamed Moustaoui, Yacine Bensghir,
5000 m: Aziz Lahbabi, Soufyan Bouqantar, Othmane Goumri, marathon: Abderrahim Bouramdane,
Ahmed Baday, Rachid Kisri, Adil Ennani, steeple: Hamid Ezzine, Hicham Seguini,
Brahim Taleb. Women – 800 m: Halima Hachlaf, Malika Akkaoui, 1500 m: Meryem Selsouli,
Btissam Lakhouad, Siham Hilali, Rabab Arafi, 5000 m: Nadia Noujani, steeple: Salima
Ouali, Keltoum Bousassriya, marathon: Samira Raif, Soumaya Laabani.
Makau for 10 miles
TILBURG (NED) : Marathon World record holder Patrick Makau has announced his
participation at the 25th edition of the Brabants Dagblad Tilburg Ten Miles on September
2nd. The 27-year old athlete is scheduled to run either in Chicago or New York later this
year and is running in Tilburg to test his fitness organizers announce.
OTHER NEWS
BRUSSELS (BEL): Defending Olympic high jump champion Tia Hellebaut told Belgian media it
would be a miracle to win a medal at the London Olympic Games. Hellebaut added she has
faced a lot of challenges since winning in Beijing but doesn’t exclude a miracle could
happen if she jumps two meters in London.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Coach G
lenn Mills told Jamaican media it is very unfortunate Ristananna
lenn Mills told Jamaican media it is very unfortunate Ristananna
Tracey missed out on qualifying for the London Olympic Games while adding the youngster
will bounce back to full fitness next year. Mills said Tracey needs “intense background
preparation” if she is to run fast consistently.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Usain Bolt is sleeping in a custom made orthopaedic bed at his training
camp to ensure he does not suffer further back problems which disrupted his preparations
to retain his Olympic crown. The world’s fastest man arrived at Jamaica’s training camp
at the University of Birmingham this week, but before he laid his head, the sprinter’s
coach, Glen Mills, asked for his bed to be replaced , reports The Daily Mail.
EUGENE (USA): Register Guard informs that a Eugene judge has swiftly tossed out as
baseless and bogus a complaint under the federal Whistleblower Act that accused
Olympics-bound Oregon runner Galen Rupp of steroid use and his longtime coach,
Alberto Salazar, of injecting him with them. In a motion arguing for expedited
dismissal of the case, lawyers for Rupp and Salazar charged the complaint was
likely the work of Jonathan Lee Riches, a former Pennsylvania federal prison
inmate infamous for using fake names and addresses and flooding courts with
unfounded complaints about celebrities according to the Register Guard.
PARIS (FRA): Noureddine Gezzar, who came fourth in the 3000 m steeple at the
European championships, has been provisionally suspended and will miss the
London Olympics after failing a dope test for erythropoietin (EPO). “Gezzar
tested positive for EPO on June 17 at the French Championships. Pending the
analysis of the B sample, the French athletics federation decided to provisionally
suspend Gezzar,” the federation said in a statement.
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics announced that French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie
and the Ukraine’s triple jump star Olha Saladuha have been voted as the European Athletes
of the Month for June. Lavillenie, the world indoor champion, lived up to his position as
favourite to retain his European pole vault title at the European Athletics Championships
in Helsinki. Saladuha, the defending European triple jump champion, not only retained her
title in Helsinki, she did so with a personal best of 14.99m, the best distance recorded
this year. Both Lavillenie and Saladuha were subsequently named by the International
Sports Press Association (AIPS) as the athletes of the championships for their
performances in the Finnish capital. Turkey’s Polat Kemboi Arikan, who followed up his
win at the European Cup 10,000m in Bilbao on 3 June by becoming the first Turkish man to
win at the European Athletics Championships when he unleashed a devastating 57.22 last
lap, was voted second in the men’s poll. French sprint sensation Christophe Lemaitre
successfully defended his European 100m title in Helsinki, clocking 10.04, and was voted
third. Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova, who stormed to a European-leading 11.06 in her heat and
then took the 100m gold medal with 11.28 in more difficult conditions at the Olympic
stadium in Helsinki, was voted second in the women’s poll ahead of Turkish hurdler
Nevin Yanit.
NEW YORK (USA): Race Results Weekly informs that Romanian Lidia Simon left her
Boulder home bound for the London Olympic Games and a date with history. On
August 5, Simon will become the first woman ever to compete in five Olympic
Marathons since the discipline was introduced to the Games for women in 1984
in Los Angeles. “Yes, I am proud of this accomplishment, because I don”t think
anybody else has been able to do it,” said Simon, 38, in a statement. “It is a
long time since 1996, and qualifying again this year is something I also wanted
to do for myself.”
BUDAPEST (HUN): Now it is confirmed. Hungarian discus thrower Robert Fazekas has
tested positive for a banned steroid in his B sample and he denies doping, his
lawyer said. Fazekas was removed from Hungary’s squad for the Olympic Games. His
lawyer claimed Fazekas has not been notified of the change. In 2004, Fazekas was
stripped of his gold medal at the Athens Olympics for a doping offense. Miklos Gyulai,
president of the Hungarian Athletics Association, said a hearing in the case would be
held on Tuesday by the disciplinary committee of the Hungarian Anti-Doping Group.
MARBURG (GER): The traditional combined events match USA vs Germany also named Jim
Thorpe Cup will have its 19th edition this weekend with olympians testing their
shape in selected events (for example Jan Felix Knoble or Jennifer Oeser on the
German side and US Ashton Eaton with Trey Hardee). 2008 Olympic decathlon gold
medalist Bryan Clay and two-time Thorpe Cup heptathlon champion Bettie Wade will
be among the deep men’s and women’s squads for the full event.
NAIROBI (KEN): AFP informs that fed up with the wet British summer, Kenya’s former
Olympic and two-time world 3000 metres steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi has
opted to return home after a week of pre-Olympic training in Bristol. Kemboi, who
is embroiled in a court case over the stabbing of a woman in the western Kenyan town of
Eldoret, had joined the first batch of the Kenyan Olympic team which has pitched camp in
Bristol, in the south west of England. Head coach Julius Kirwa said he was happy all the
29 athletes, including Kemboi had accepted to train together at the residential camp at
Kasarani in Nairobi before their departure for London.
MADRID (ESP): The case of Spanish steeple runner Angel Mullera had a next step. He
has been dropped from the Spanish Olympic team while an investigation into a possible
doping offence takes place. RFEA informs. The Spanish steeplechase champion from 2010
will be replaced by Sebastian Martos.
RESULTS
MONCHENGLADBACH (GER, Jul 20): During first day of German junior and youth championships
Patrick Domogala won the 100 m in 10.57 (0.0). In the youth shot put (5 kg) the win for
Henning Prufer 19.83.
LENS (FRA, Jul 20): Also French Junior and Youth championships started. Ken Romain
won the 100 m in 10.47 (+0.8). Fresh world junior champion Alexandra Tavernier won
the hammer (62.11).
