Sanya Richards won her 400 meter gold in London the old fashioned way: she earned it through some very tough years. Her anchor on the 4 x 400 meter relay was superb, and her team put the long relay out of reach. Now, two of my favorite ladies in sports, Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards Ross will be dueling over 400 meters. Would love to see someone like Proctor & Gamble sponsor an eight race series of duels over 400 meters! It would be like a Gillette series of 100m, 5,000m races for men. 

Sanya Richards, DN Galan, Stockholm, photo by PhotoRun.net

EME NEWS (NOV 17, 2012)

Sanya thinks until 2016

AUSTIN (USA): Olympic 400 m gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross confirmed she wants to continue her career until 2016. „Yes, now my main goal is to continue to lower my American Record and to see how close I can get to the World Record. It’s not something that I think is impossible.  I’ve won basically every title there is for me to win, so now I want to see just how fast I can go. I want to chip my way down on that all-time list in the 400 m. Honestly, I don’t see myself retiring any time soon. So I would tell people that I want to go all the way to Rio and then possibly transit into the next phase of my life and career, whatever those may look like,” she said in an interview with Track and Field News. Richards-Ross also plans a full 2013 season: „I fully intend to do a full season in ’13. I’m not sure if I’ll attempt the double or just concentrate on the 400. That will all depend on what coach Hart, myself and my dad decide. Then if Ross wants to start a family… we go back and forth if an off-year like ’14 is the perfect time or just go four more years straight. It’s a discussion we constantly have.”

Walcott first pro meet agreed for Ostrava

OSTRAVA (CZE): While Ostrava City Stadium is under reconstruction and looks currently like a big construction site the organisers of 52nd Ostrava Golden Spike meet (IAAF World Challenge) announced first top names for next June 27. Among them home stars and European champions Pavel Maslak for the 400 m and Vitezslav Vesely for javelin. Meeting director Jan Zelezny was specially happy that the biggest olympic athletics surprise Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad will come to the meet for his event. „It is always great opportunity to be able to compete along with the best in the world. Ostrava has historically been a place for many phenomenal feats on the track and in the field events. I expect this one in 2013 to be no different. A world class field and venue will produce some great performances and I am preparing for greatness. I am honored by the invitation of the best javelin thrower ever,” Walcott was quoted as saying. Ostrava is his first pro meet ever confirmed. Maslak hopes to have a top field in the 400 m which will attack the oldest meet record 44.70 by Alberto Juantorena from 1976. First top name under serious negotiation is world junior champion and silver London holder Luguelin Santos of Dominican Republic (was already 2nd this year in Ostrava). For Maslak this will be his 5th participation at the meet but first at the 400 m where he improved in his first year at the distance to 44.91. For first time after 22 years shot put women competition will be staged and first name confirmed is New Zealand´s star and double olympic winner Valerie Adams. „”It will be my first opportunity to compete in the Golden Spike of Ostrava, a meeting of great tradition and one that boasts a fabulous history in throwing events. Over the years there have been many great throwers come from this region and I might even get a chance to met the legendary Helena Fibingerova.” The meet moved the usual date by one month in order to give more time to finish the reconstruction works.

Kenyan wins

LOUISVILLE (USA, Nov 17): After timing problems, two protests and some tears, the women of the University of Oregon (114) and the men of Oklahoma State University (72) were declared NCAA Division I Cross Country Champions on a crisp, sunny day at E.P. ‘Tom’ Sawyer State Park.  Iowa State’s Betsy Saina and Texas Tech’s Kennedy Kithuka both from Kenya won the individual titles.Saina clocked 19:28 at 6 km ahead of Abbey D´Agostino 19:29 and Jordan Hasay 19:29. In teams second Providence 183 with Stanford third 198.Interesting to note German Mareike Schrulle as 7th (19:44). In men 10 km Kithuka got meet record 28:32 ahead of 3 more Kenyans Stephen Sambu 28:39, Lawi Lalang 28:52 and Anthony Rotich 29:14. Best US runner David Rooney as 7th (29:22) and from European students Briton Tom Farrell was 9th (29:27). Second best school was Wisconsin (135) ahead of Colorado (158). With help from Race Results Weekly.

Not only NCAA title but also Olympic Games results

BATON ROUGE (USA): The LSU Women’s Track and Field team will be required to vacate its 2012 NCAA Outdoor team championship due to a student-athlete’s use of a stimulant banned by the NCAA that is commonly found in over-the-counter nutritional supplements.  LSU’s senior sprinter Semoy Hackett from Trinidad tested positive for the NCAA banned stimulant Methylhexaneamine during the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  â€žI’ve been informed I tested positive for a banned stimulant at the NCAA Championships last year, which has resulted in the LSU team vacating the NCAA Championship,” Hackett said. „I want to express my apologies to my coaches, my teammates, LSU and our fans. Although this was unintentional, I’m deeply sorry this will have such a negative impact on my team and LSU.” Hackett had served a six-month ban earlier this year (from September 2011 until March 2012. She was tested positive last year in her native Trinidad  and Tobago. Informs LSU website. That means this would be her second offense and could face a higher ban. She also competed at London Games (100 m semifinal, 200 m 8th place, relay national record in heats), all this results could be deleted. Including the national record of 22.55 in the Olympic Games semifinal at the 200 m. 

OTHER NEWS

HELSINKI (FIN): Legendary hurdler Arto Bryggare  and Vesa Harmaakorpi are the two candidates for the position of Finnish Athletics Federation SUL president. Bryggare is now out of politics, remained vice president of Helsinki City Council and is also coaching improved long jumper Roni Ollikainen (6th at European Championships, 805 life-time best). Harmaakorpi is the professor of Lappeenranta University and chairman of Lahden Ahkera club from Lahti. Elections will be held on November 24.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Beijing olympic long jump´medalist Khotso Mokoena will be again coached by Jukka Harkonen from Finland. They worked together until July 2011 and now they again are putting things together. Mokoena was 8th in the Olympic final and had a season best of 829 cm in 2012.

LJUBLJANA (SLO): Slovenian Athletics Federation president Peter Kukovica announced for Slovenian media that he will not run for next four year termin in 2013. That means the federation will have a new president. Kukovica will possibly run for the president of national olympic committee.

LONDON (GBR): Mike Lee, the strategist involved in a series of bid victories, including London 2012, has given his full backing UK Sport’s Gold Event Series, which aims to bring over 70 of the world’s most prestigious sporting events to Britain in the coming years. The Gold Event Series, which was unveiled this week by UK Sport and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), is part of a plan to create a legacy from London 2012 by hosting major international sporting events, with 36 World and European Championships being targeted. The GBP 27 million National Lottery funded project will provide an opportunity for 2.5 million spectators to watch sport in Britain while it is estimated that the project will see approximately GBP 287 million additional expenditure in host cities and regions across the United Kingdom. Informs insidethegames.  The venues at the London 2012 Olympic Park in Stratford will be key in staging major sporting events in the UK in the coming years.

NAIROBI (KEN): Kenyan The Star informs that olympic 800 m winner David Rudisha and the two-time Olympic steeplechase star Ezekiel Kemboi tops the list of athletes for the third edition of the Athletics Kenya Gala night set for later this month. Other categories include coaches award, comeback award, athletes who have good record of corporate social responsibility award and press award among others. The event which will be held on November 30 at Nairobi Club grounds will be graced by Attorney General Githu Muigai.

MINSK (BLR): The new head-coach of Belarus athletics Aleksandr Troshchilo told in his interview about changes in national team. He underlined that only four athletes (they all are finalists of London Olympics – Nastassia Mironchik-Ivanova, Nataliya Koreyvo, Oksana Menkova and Pavel Lyzhyn) will have the possibility of individual preparation. All other members of national team will prepare for future season in centralized training camps. Troshchilo also informed that 400 m European bronze medalist from Helsinki 2012 Ilona Usovich and former shot put world champion  Andrei Mikhnevich will miss next indoor season. “Mikhnevich needs much more time to heal his back injury. Ilona Usovich didn’t want to go to the centralized training camp in Russian Kislovodsk and as
ked us to organize the individual practices in Ukrainian Yevpatoria. We didn’t make exception for he, she did not accept and refused to compete next winter,” Troshchilo said. He also announced that some changes in coaches’ structure of national Belarusian team will come later.

ALMATY (KAZ): Athletics Federation of Kazakhstan has completed its ranking of athletes for 2012. The list contains 82 athletes who competed at international level this year. Triple Jump Olympic Champion Olga Rypakova became the absolute leader of Kazakhstan ranking. Second place for 800 m Olympic semifinalist Margarita Mukasheva (clocked PB 1:59.20 in London) and 31 years old decathlete Dmitriy Karpov (18th place in London) is on the third positions.

KINGSTON (JAM): Trackalerts informs that JAAA presidential candidate and 1988 olympic medalist Grace Jackson, is not planning to run with a slate, but hopes to win as president and serve with the best candidates selected from other slates during the elections.  Jackson, currently the 1st vice president, speaking on TV, said she will this time run in the presidential capacity and hopes to gain winners from both Dr. Warren Blake and Lincoln Eatmon’s slates, to form the best JAAA executive possible. Jackson, who said she is ready to serve all those involved with Jamaica’s track and field period, will also like to have former top runners Neil Gardner, Cathy Rattray-Samuel and Maurice Wignall, within her group.

BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Athleticos.org published that top British 400 m runner Martyn Rooney changed his coach and the base. After seven years at the High Performance Centre in Loughborough with coach Nick Dakin he moved to Birmingham to be coached by Fuzz Ahmed. „I’m now based in Birmingham being coached by UKA coach Fuzz Ahmed, he’s prominently known as a High Jump coach with recent success coaching Robbie Grabarz to European Gold and Olympic Bronze. But having grown up being coached by Mike Smith and training alongside Roger Black, Kriss Akabusi, etc., he has great experience of working in my event and getting athletes to peak at the right time,” Rooney was quoted as saying. He also said about his future: „When I’m fit and healthy I know I can run the 400m in 44s and if I’m running 45s something isn’t right, who knows, if all goes well, I might drop a cheeky 800m! I never really had an athletics idol growing up but watching Rudisha sprinting down the back straight in London gave me goose bumps and I’d love to have a good go at the 800 at some stage over the next 4 years.”

LA PINE (USA): A major central Oregon highway will be named after a hometown hero. The La Pine City Council voted unanimously rename the portion of U.S. 97 within its city limits as Ashton Eaton Boulevard. City Manager Steve Hasson said the signs for Ashton Eaton Boulevard could be ready for installation by January. The council also designated the week of Nov. 11 as Ashton Easton week in La Pine. Local media are informing.

RESULTS

CAUCO (COL, Nov 16): Paul Villar won the 400 m hurdles at National Games of Colombia with 50.52 personal best. The London Games semifinalist at 110 m hurdles returned to one lap race for first time since 2006. National record holder Dairon Marquez won the javelin 76.91 m.

ISTANBUL (TUR, Nov 17): London Marathon olympian Ummu Kiraz won the 57th edition of Omar Besim CC race with 28:40 at 8 km. Second Senem Caglan 29:08. Hasan Pak won the men 10 km race in 30:49 ahead of Kemal Koyuncu 31:04. In the U23 races Cihat Ulus got 24:14 at 8 km and Esma Aydemir 20:51 in women 6 km.

KISII (KEN, Nov 17): Former world CC champion Emily Chebet won also the third leg of KCB/AK CC series at the Golf Course here with 29:11 at the 8 km. Second Stacy Nagwa 29:32 and third Phenecier Jemutai 30:20. In men 12 km top position for new name Richard Sigei 38:01 beating Philip Langat 38:13 and Charles Kibet 38:20. Junior winners Moses Mukono at 8 km in 24:13 ahead of Gilbert Kirui 24:20 and Roline Chepngetich 20:52 at girls 6 km with Faith Chepngetich second 21:08and Agnes Chebet third 21:11.

MT. OBUDU (NGR, Nov 17): Ethiopian track top runners won the Obudu Mountain Race in Nigeria. Abebe Dinkesa was the top man and Etenesh Diro Neda top woman ahead of Afera Godfay and Wude Ayalew.

BULLE (SUI, Nov 17): Former world champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain won the Corrida Bulloise at 6 km in 19:37. Second Kenyan Cynthia Jepchichir 19:44 and third another Kenyan Jane Muia19:44. Fourth top European Russian Mariya Konovalova 19:47. Ethiopian Tsegaye Mekonnen clocked 23:07< /a> to win the men 8 km race ahead of Patrick Ereng 23:11 and Abraham Tadesse 23:13. Top European Bruno Albuquerque of Portugal as 6th (23:27) and home star Viktor Rothlin was 13th (23:47).

CORRECTION

PARIS (FRA): Agent Rene Auguin points out that media information about retirement of Muriel Hurtis is not correct. She will continue in her career.