by Larry Eder
MILLS EXPECTS MORE FROM WEIR AND KBC
KINGSTON (JAM): Running in heats for the winning Jamaican team in London Kemar Bailey-Cole showed he is the next man for top sprinting. Later in Brussels at Van Damme Memorial he dipped for first time in his career under 10 seconds (9.97). His coach Glen Mills made special mention of 200 m bronze medalist Warren Weir and Bailey-Cole. „For me, I don’t get surprised, because I coach them, and so I have a good idea what to expect, but certainly Weir’s performance would probably shock the world, but we knew that he was capable,” said Mills. „Last year he was injured twice and didn’t get a chance to show the development he had made. Bailey-Cole, we think the world of him, and we think that he is possibly the next big one, and I think he is going to run fast in a hurry … . It continues and we have a few more to come,” Mills added for Jamaican media. Weir had in 2010 as best 21.52, improved last year to 20.43 and this year to 19.84. Bailey-Cole had in 2010 10.53, improved last year to 10.28 and this year to 9.97.
GABRIEL SAYS IAAF IN GOOD SHAPE
MONACO (MON): Sportbusiness.com writes that IAAF general secretary Essar Gabriel has admitted that athletics can take measures to improve its standing in the global marketplace, but has knocked back suggestions the sport needs a major repackaging. Gabriel’s comments come after top Nike executive Charlie Denson last month said the company would seek to play a “large part” in an athletics series modeled on cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL). With the London Olympics now over, attention has again turned to how athletics can maintain the interest levels generated by the exploits of stars such as Usain Bolt and Mo Farah in between Games. However, Gabriel has maintained that the viewing figures generated by the IAAF’s elite events demonstrate that the organisation’s strategy is working. “The World Championships in Athletics, the jewel in our crown, they attracted above five billion TV viewers in Daegu, which could be argued was not in the most attractive time zone. In Berlin 2009 we were around eight billion and these are figures that are constantly delivered on a biennial basis and place the World Championships as the third biggest event in terms of live television audience, after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.” He added: “Can we do better in terms of the Diamond League? Yes we can, but by the same token the Diamond League can also be classed today as a success. When we look at the audience figures and talk with IMG, the agency who’s selling those rights, we are above what we expected when we first formed the Diamond League. Sometimes I hear people compare the Diamond League with the Golden League, or even before that the Golden Four, and the cumulative audience figures for the Diamond League is much higher than the Golden League.”
NO LONG JUMPING NEXT YEAR
KINGSTON (JAM): Usain Bolt per Jamaican media still has desires of doing the long jump, while his coach, Glen Mills, wants him to attempt the 400m, but it won’t happen next season. „I think for 2013 the long jump will definitely be out,” Bolt said. „I was at an interview and someone pointed out why not try it at the Commonwealth (Games), which would be less problems, much easier and that would be an experiment year, and I thought that made much more sense. So if I am going to try the long jump it wouldn’t be next season, but the season after,” he added. Writes Jamaica Gleaner.
ATHLETISSIMA IS THE NUMBER ONE IN RANKINGS
BUDAPEST (HUN): With one day meeting season over in the All-Athletics.com rankings for 2012 number one is Athletissima of Lausanne. Their best position since 2001 was until this year twice 3rd place in 2006 and 2010. Second despite rain is Weltklasse of Zurich, third Prefontaine Classic of Eugene, fourth Van Damme Memorial of Brussels and top five is completed by Golden Gala of Rome. Last year top meet per this rankings Herculis of Monaco is sixth. Best Asian meet Doha is 7th, best non-US American is Kingston (19th), best African Rabat (21st), best South American Rio de Janeiro (42nd) and best Oceanian Sydney (47th). As per categories of meetings top 13 places are taken by Samsung Diamond League meetings, followed by top two from IAAF World Challenge circuit Berlin (14th) and Ostrava (15th). Third best Challenge meet is Zagreb (17th). From European Athletics meetings top 3 are from the lower Classic category: Luzern (22), Linz (24) and Dubnica (26). Top 3 EA Premium meetings are Lille (28), Reims (32) and Szczecin (33). The best non-category event is Decanation in France as 29th. The scoring takes into account results at the meeting per IAAF scoring tables and quality of participants. More at www.all-athletics.com.
OTHER NEWS
PHILADELPHIA (USA): Out from Philadelphia Rock´n´Roll Half Marathon on Sunday are Meseret Defar and Firehiwot Dado. Still top names remaining in the start list with Sharon Cherop and Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya with Ethiopians Mare Dibaba and Bizunesh Daba.
NEWCASTLE (GBR): Great North City Games (track on the street, GBR vs USA match) will see some interesting clashes on Saturday. Darvis Patton will run against Dwain Chambers the 100 m, in the 150 m Wallace Spearmon will run against Ryan Bailey, in the 110 m hurdles Jason Richardson with Ryan Wilson. Very special the long jump with home duo Greg Rutherford and Chris Tomlinson against Christian Taylor and Will Claye. In the women races Bianca Knight is in the 100 m, Charonda Williams and Jeneba Tarmoh in the 150 m and Holly Bleasdale in the pole vault.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Russian long jumper Aleksandr Menkov has no doubts about what he is going to do in the winter season and announced he is going to use the European Indoor championships as a springboard to summer success. „Without winter competition, it will be hard in the summer. I am definitely going to take part in two meetings, the European indoor championships and Russian Winter,” Menkov told Russia’s AllSport.
KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaica Observer writes that 1983 World Champion Bertland Cameron has resigned from his duties as 400m coach for the celebrated Racers Track Club. In a release to the media Cameron said he had taken the decision to move on with his life and pursue others goals in Track and Field. “It’s time to begin a new chapter of my life,” Cameron said adding that he hoped the announcement will put to rest rumors regarding his departure from the University of the West Indies Athletics club which boasts stars such as triple world record holder Usain Bolt and Yohan ‚the Beast’ Blake. „My time spent with Racers Track Club was memorable, myself and head coach – Glen Mills had an exceptional working relationship as we both share a passion for excellence and a common purpose – the desire for Jamaican athletes to excel on the world stage,” he added.
LONDON (GBR): Nike is significantly stepping up its association with the Olympic Movement by taking over from Mizuno as official clothing supplier of the IOC. In its new role Nike will supply garments to the most powerful club in world sport until the end of 2016. Japan’s Mizuno had been performing the function since 1995 reports Insidethegames.
LONDON (GBR): IOC director general Christophe De Kepper says the Olympic Games will never compromise its principles by allowing sponsorship branding or perimeter advertising at its events writes Insidethegames. Speaking at the International Centre for Sports Security’s (ICSS) Integrity Symposium, De Kepper claimed the IOC had no plans to review their policy.
LOS ANGELES (USA): Carmelita Jeter made an appearance at the Ellen Degeneres show where she was asked to run head to head with film and tv star Allison Janney. The feat was set up to show the true speed of elite athletes.
TALAHASSEE (USA): Jamaican shot putter Dorian Scott (21.45 CAC record in 2008) has been appointed as the Florida State University throws coach. A two-time Olympian representing Jamaica in the shot put, and a former All-American for the Seminoles, Scott jumped at the chance to return to Tallahassee after one season as the throws coach at San Diego State.
LONDON (GBR): The London Marathon raised more money for charity than ever before and broke the fund-raising world record for the sixth straight year, organisers said according to Reuters. Marathon runners raised 52.8 million pounds, one million more than last year, bringing the total raised since the race began in 1981 to 610.7 million pounds. „We are extremely pleased to announce another amazing record amount of money raised for charities by London Marathon runners,” race director Hugh Brasher said in a statement.
MONACO (MON): The IAAF Centenary Historic Exhibition, boasting the greatest collection of athletics memorabilia ever assembled, will open to the public in one months’ time. One of the highlights of the year-long IAAF Centenary celebrations, the IAAF Centenary Historic Exhibition takes place in the ‘Museu OlÃmpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch’, Barcelona, Spain from Saturday 13 October to Sunday 25 November 2012. Built on and around a specially laid Mondo track, the main 8 displays, which appropriately for this exhibition are called ‘lanes’, cover the history of the IAAF and Athletics, in text, photographs and video. Linking these displays together are numerous glass display cabinets stacked with over 300 items of Athletics memorabilia very kindly loaned to the IAAF by athletes, museums and private collections from around the world, including an historic athletics shoe display from IAAF Partner adidas. Medals from each Olympics Games (1896-2008) and the 13 editions of the IAAF World Championships (1983-2011), along with clothing, equipment, statues, medals, programmes which celebrate legends including Nurmi, Owens, Blankers-Koen, Zatopek, Oerter…through to Bubka, Coe, Lewis, Johnson, Gebrselassie, Zelezny, Szewinska, Mutola… to the present day of Bekele, Bolt, Rudisha, Cheruiyot, Dibaba… make this the greatest collection of athletics memorabilia ever to be assembled.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): UK Athletics revealed on Thursday that they have appointed Neil Black as their performance director and will announce the replacement for head coach Charles van Commenee within the next few weeks. Black, until recently head of sports science and medicine for UK Athletics, will take over part of Van Commenee’s role after the Olympic head coach revealed he will quit in December after failing to hit his medal target at the London Games. But the 53-year-old, who personally managed the support programmes for gold medallists Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah, will also be charged with selecting Van Commenee’s successor.
KINGSTON (JAM): Trackalerts informs that the date for the JAAA Presidential elections is set for Tuesday, November 27. Dr. Warren Blake, who took over from the late Howard Aris, will be seeking his own mandate. First Vice President Grace Jackson, Ian Forbes and Alfred Francis could also enter the race.
NEW DELHI (IND): Runnersworld.com informs that Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on September 30 will have some top entries with possibilities for fast times. Atsedu Tsegay of Ethiopia, a 21-year-old who ran 58:47 at the windy Prague Half Marathon in March, could have the conditions he requires in Delhi to take aim at Eritrean Zersenay Tadese’s world record of 58:23. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon course is flat, and there’s a heat-beating 6:30 a.m. start at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Tsegay will be joined in Delhi by fellow Ethiopians Lelisa Desisa, who won the race in 2011 in 59:30, and Deriba Merga, who set the course record of 59:15 in 2008. There’s also Kenya’s Ezekiel Chebii, who won this year’s Lille Half Marathon in France in 59:05. Caroline Kilel, the 2011 Boston Marathon champ with best of 1:08:16, is in Delhi’s women’s race along with fellow Kenyan Helah Kiprop, who has broken 1:10:00 three times in 2012, and their countrywomen Helen Kimutai and Irene Mogaka. Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia, who has won this race twice, will try for a third victory. The women’s course record is Mary Keitany’s 1:06:54. Writes runnersworld.com.
TALENCE (FRA): Not only javelin specialist Barbora Spotakova will be the special entry at Decastar in Talence this weekend in the heptathlon. Triple jump Olympic Games 6th placer Benjamin Compaore will contest the decathlon. The 25-years old athletes ha personal bests 10.96 at the 100 m, 788 in the long jump and 17.31 in the triple jump. He will compete only on the first day.
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): South African Federation website informs that Athletics South Africa’s office in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg was burgled in the early hours of last week Thursday morning after the robbers allegedly tied up the security guard to gain access to the premises. The burglars allegedly entered the house through the roof on the second storey and the alarm was deactivated giving them the ability to move around freely in the house. Some stolen items include most of the computers, official South African clothing and shoes as well as replica Olympic and Championships medals in a display cabinet.
LAUSANNE (SUI): This Saturday will also see at two places top European junior clubs competing in the European Champion Clubs Cup junior category. Ljubljana will organise the A Group. In boys category title defenders Playas de Castellon of Spain will compete against Enka Spor Kulubu from Turkey (competing instead of last year 2nd Fenerbahce) and last year 3rd placers Shaftesbury Barnet of Great Britain. Last year girls winner Audacia Record Atletica from Italy is not competing, instead of them Atletica Vicentina. But second Fenerbahce and third Blackheath and Bromley Harriers will be there. In Portugal city of Leiria the B group will be held with 8 boys and 9 girls teams, top two fighting for the promotion.
RESULTS
OLOMOUC (CZE, Sep 12): At exhibition high jump meet in city square Jaroslav Baba won with 220 clearance on count-back over Piotr Sleboda of Poland (also 220). Both tried at 224 afterwards.
TOKYO (JPN, Sep 9-12): At Japan National Collegiate Championships in National Stadium Keisuke Nozawa won the 400 m hurdles in 49.59 (faster 49.49 in semifinals) ahead of Tetsuya Tateno 49.89. Fast 4×100 m 39.19 by Waseda University beating Josai University 39.22 and Chuo University 39.33. The 100 m final was affected by -2.9 wind and won in 10.71 by Shota Iizuka. In the seminfinals Ryota Yamagata clocked 10.31 (-1.7). In the 200 m also faster time in semis by winner Ryo Motoshio 20.89 (+0.1), in the final 20.93 (0.0). Hiroyuki Sato won the 110 m hurdles in 13.78 (+2.0) and solid also the 40:57.05 in the track 10 000 m walk achieved by Hayato Katsuki.
KLAVERBLAD (NED, Sep 9): Botswana´s Kabelo Kgosiemang won the special high jump meet here with 220 ahead of Briton Samson Oni (220) and Rozle Prezelj of Slovenia (217). Belgian Hannelore Desmet was the best woman (187).
ERDOS (CHN, Sep 13): Tilastopaja informs that the walking days in Inner Mongolia, part of China, started on Thursday with national GP race. Only 17-years old Li Tianlei won in superb 1:22:04 the 20 km ahead of Niu Wenbin who improved to 1:22:13. On Friday the IAAF Race Walking Challenge final race will be held.
TIANJIN (CHN, Sep 13): Another event from Tilastopaja results service is the National Student Games in China. From first day to note fast 100 m semifinal time by Zhang Peimeng 10.28 (+0.4) and women discus win by Jiang Fengjing (60.47).
CORRECTION
PHILADELPHIA (USA): It is Stanley Biwott in Philadelphia (Paris Marathon winner) and not Simon Biwott (who is retired). Thanks to David Monti.
