by Larry Eder
Ennis wins the award
LAUSANNE (SUI): Multi-events star Jessica Ennis of Great Britain has been voted the 2012 winner of the women’s European Athlete of the Year Award. Informs European Athletics. Five years ago Ennis picked up the inaugural European Athletics Rising Star Award and since then she has won European and world titles in the heptathlon but in 2012 she became an even bigger star in the sport by taking the Olympic title in her specialist event. Her achievement will be celebrated during the European Athletics Awards Night in St Julians, Malta, on Saturday 13 October alongside the men’s winner of the European Athlete of the Year award, to be announced on Friday. In positions 2-5 other olympic gold medalists. Second is Russian high jumper Anna Chicherova, third Czech javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova, fourth Croatian discus thrower Sandra Perkovic and fifth Russian 800 m runner Mariya Savinova. In the top ten as 6th popular face Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova, seventh position for French long jumper Eloyse Lesueur and as 8th another London winner Natalya Antyukh of Russia, top ten is completed by Dulce Felix of Portugal and Turkish 100 m hurdles European Champion Nevin Yanit. Russian steeple olympic winner Yurlia Zaripova is 11th ahead of Poland´s Anita Wlodarczyk. Ukrainian 200 m Euro winner Mariya Ryemyen is 13th ahead of triple jump olympic silver winner Olha Saladuha of Ukraine and Russian 20 km walk olympic winner and world record holder Yelena Lashmanova. Ennis is the third British female athlete to win the award after Sally Gunnell in 1993 and Kelly Holmes in 2004.
Innovation awards
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics announced the winners of the five categories of the 2012 European Athletics Innovation Awards, including the first-ever joint winners in the Promotion category. In the Coaching Category – “New Insights Into Sprint Biomechanics and Determinants of Elite 100m Performance” by Jean-Benoit Morin (FRA), Pierre Samozino (FRA), Pascal Edouard (FRA). In the Technology Category- “Automatic Race Start Detecting Signal for Hearing Impaired Athletes” by ValentÃn Rocandio (ESP), Antonio Cid (ESP). In the Sustainability Category – “Introducing, Developing, and Implementing of Sustainability Projects in Athletic Club Velenje” by Luka Steiner (SLO). In the Promotion Category (joint 1st place) – “Improving Competition Organisation Using Web Application” by Michele Fortunato (ITA) and “Young Leader – To create the Volunteers of Tomorrow” by Charlotte Svensen (NOR). In Open Category – “Running with Poles: An Efficient Training Method for Eliminating Overstraining of Athlete’s Feet” by AleÅ¡ TvrznÃk (CZE), Milan Kůtek (CZE). Each of the winning project teams will receive a cash prize of CHF 2000 and their entries will be eligible for the overall prize of CHF 10 000, which will be awarded at the European Athletics Awards Dinner in St Julians, Malta, on Saturday 13 October.
Jamal thinks marathon in future
MANAMA (BRN): Gulfweekly writes that olympic bronze winner at 1500 m and former world champion Maryam Jamal has hung up her running shoes for a month of well-deserved rest and relaxation. The middle distance star jump-started her vacation plans by taking some time off in the kingdom that she loves. “Right now I’m taking a month-long break and then I will restart my training for a road race in two months’ time in Switzerland.” Since crossing the finishing line in London, Maryam has been bombarded with wishes of goodwill and she also received a hero’s welcome upon her return to the kingdom. His Majesty King Hamad congratulated her on her Olympic achievement and thanked her for promoting Bahrain on the international sporting stage. Her future is still undetermined and while she enjoys running the 1500 m she is thinking further down the line of trying her hand at 5000m or even a marathon.
OTHER NEWS
MINSK (BLR): Belarus media are informing that the head coach of the national athletics team Anatoliy Baduev and team doctor Pavel Drinevsky have been released. The Belarussian Athletics Federation confirmed the release. No other comments were available. Both Baduev and Drinevsky were arrested this year by the State Security Committee because of suspicion of extortion of large sums needed for issues related to doping controls.
LOS ANGELES (USA): US hurdler Ginnie Crawford (29) who only barely missed her first olympic participation (4th at the trials) plans indoor racing next winter. On her website she said: “Bobby (coach Kersee) has us start at different times every year, but I’ll probably start around the beginning of November and I’m excited because I’m probably going to be running some indoor races before the outdoor season starts. As long as my body is feeling right and I feel like I can go out there and be competitive, then I’m definitely going to do it.” She had very solid season after the trials in Europe with four wins in Nancy, Luzern, Linz and Zagreb. Her best 12.45 is still from the year 2007.
KINGSTON (JAM): Swedish photographer Jimmy Wixtröm is auctioning off the famous camera Usain Bolt used during the Olympics. It was right after Usain Bolt, one of the world’s greatest athletes – and the fastest man in the world – had finished the 200 meter finals that the Sportbladet photographer lent him his camera. The pictures since then have traveled the world, Bolt first immortalized his compatriot Yohan Blake and then turned the lens towards the gigantic crowd. After he was done with taking photos, Bolt carved his name on the camera with a screwdriver – and thus made it unique. Informs Usain Bolt website.
COLORADO SPRINGS (USA): Double Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Edwin Moses has been elected as the new chairman of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The 57-year-old from Ohio, who claimed Olympic gold medals in Montreal in 1976 and Los Angeles in 1984, has long been an avid critic of doping in sport and in 1988, he designed and created amateur sports’ first random out-of-competition drug testing programme. Moses takes up the role from his position as USADA vice-chairman as he succeeds founding board member Dr Richard Cohen as head of the organisation, whose term on the board has now expired. Edwin Moses is also chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy
LONDON (GBR): Sir Clive Woodward is poised to leave his post as director of sport at the British Olympic Association (BOA) after six years with the body. insidethegames understands that an official announcement of the move, which is entirely amicable, is imminent. It is thought that the former World Cup-winning rugby coach will maintain ties to the BOA in an ambassadorial role. He is also expected to retain his seat on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Entourage Commission, which is chaired by former pole-vaulter and current IOC Executive Board member Sergey Bubka.
SPLIT (CRO): Based on informations from Croatian media high jump star Blanka Vlasic will begin her training period on October 15th with the aim to be ready to compete in the indoor season 2013. This weekend she will be the exclusive starter at the 21st Zagreb Marathon.
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): USATF announced that for the third year in a row, track and field fans have the opportunity to help select the annual Jesse Owens Awards winners. The honors going to the sport’s top athletes of the year is selected by a vote of the media and an online fan balloting accounting for 10 percent of the votes. Nominated athletes are Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, Chaunte Lowe, Brittney Reese, Sanya Richards-Ross and Jenn Suhr in the women’s category. The men’s category features Will
Claye, Ashton Eaton, Leo Manzano, Aries Merritt, Galen Rupp and Christian Taylor.
AUCKLAND (NZL): Eight New Zealand sprinters will be given a coaching master class by Usain Bolt. The Olympic star will be in Auckland for less than 24 hours to promote a sports drink and during that time, he’ll conduct a coaching clinic at AUT Millennium on Auckland’s North Shore confirms Athletics New Zealand.
TOKYO (JAP): Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has received a further boost after All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) signed up to become Tokyo 2020’s sixth official bid partner. The airline, one of the largest carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, will work with the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee and its other bid partners, Asics, Descente, JTB, Mizuno and Kinki Nippon Tourists, to bring the Games to Japan’s shores in eight years’ time confirms sportspromedia.com.
KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaica Observer writes that the cash-strapped Jamaican government, with combined state and private funds, has put together a little bit more than 57-million JAD to honour and celebrate the nation’s athletes to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. At a press launch of the Heroes’ Day weekend of activities, Jamaica’s Olympians will be fittingly saluted with a grand homecoming celebration that will include a church service to be held at East Queen Street Baptist Church at 10:00 am and a cocktail reception to be hosted by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller at Jamaica House at 6:00 pm on Sunday, October 14.
