FARAH PLANS TO RUN ON CHRISTMAS DAY

BELFAST (GBR): Belfasttelegraph.co.uk writes that double olympic winner Mo Farah will not be slumped on the sofa on Christmas Day, he will be running almost 20 miles. The athlete covers 70 miles – and will be stepping up the distance to 120 every week. When he is not running, the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year nominee says he is changing nappies and feeding his twin girls, who were born in August. Asked about his wishes for next year, he said: „To win gold at next summer’s world championships. In both events. And I want a baby boy. I can take him to football matches. I’m looking forward to a boy who can play for the Gunners.”

PISTORIUS BEATS A HORSE

DOHA (QAT): Agencies are informing that Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, who became the first disabled runner to compete in the Olympics when he ran in the 400 metres, beat Arab horse Maserati in the ‚run like the wind’ race on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre blades he runs on after having his legs amputated below the knee before he was aged one because of a congenital condition, beat the horse over 200 metres.

SUHR AND REESE FOR MILLROSE GAMES

NEW YORK (USA): Two of the US Olympic golden girsl pole vaulter Jenn Suhr and long jumper Brittney Reese will be returning to a grand stage at the 106th Millrose Games on Feb. 16 at The Armory. „It is very exciting that we can showcase the London gold medal winners right here at The Armory during the Millrose Games,” said Dr. Norbert Sander, executive director of The Armory Foundation.

LALLI PLANS SPRING MARATHON

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics writes that senior men winner Andrea Lalli apart from an injury free period, there was another facet to his preparation that gave him the confidence he would become the first man to lift all three European age-group titles. He had just come down from a month in Iten, Kenya, where he has been training for the last two years with Gianni Di Madonna’s group. „It was quiet and it was decisive,” said the 25-year-old. „As the days passed I became more and more convinced that I was going to win. Kenya is now my second home. I have got everything I need there: good training companions, ideal conditions at 2,400m altitude and a lot of friends. It is not all about athletics.” Lalli’s next visit to Africa comes in January when he will start to prepare for his first marathon. In March, he set a lifetime best of 61:11 over the half distance when he finished second in the Stramilano.

OTHER NEWS

SAO PAULO (BRA): Brazilian Athletics Federation CBAT informed about the dates for its traditional May Tour of International meetings for 2013. It will start on May 5 in Belem, continue on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro (IAAF World Challenge), May 15 in Uberlandia and May 19 in Sao Paulo.

KINGSTON (JAM): Trackalerts informs that the change of dates for Jamaica’s Senior Trials next year has not come as any surprise. It is now scheduled for June 19-23 the same weekend as US Trials but also Kenyan or Trinidad Championships. Europe will stage during that weekend its Team Championships.

BYDGOSZCZ (POL): The 9th Pedros Cup indoor meeting in Bydgoszcz changed its initial date from February 6 to February 12 by one week. The current events to be staged at this special meet are both pole vault competitions (men and women) and men shot put.

LONDON (GBR): London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe claims more major sports events must be taken round the world in order to improve the infrastructure and enhance the wellbeing of fans in developing nations. „You are going to need to share our big s
porting moments,” Coe told delegates in Doha at Doha Goals event. Later at a media briefing, Coe said the African continent was the last great unchartered territory for the Olympics, just as it was for the FIFA World Cup before 2010.

COLOMBO (SRI): AIPS website informs the latest victim of using performance enhancing drugs in the history of Sri Lankan athletics was prosecuted. Sri Lanka’s best 100 metre runner in the year 2012, Himasha Eshan (born 1995), has been banned from competing in athletic meets for one year after being found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs during the Sri Lanka’s National Athletics Championship This was revealed by Sri Lanka’s Sports Medicine Unit Director General, Professor Arjuna de Silva, at a press briefing held at the Sports Medicine Unit, Colombo. The 18-year-old athlete tested positive for methylhexamine from the random urine ‘B’ sample taken just after the sprinter emerged winner of the 100m final at the 90th National Athletic Championship in 10.50 (+1.6), held on November 11 at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

BRUSSELS (BEL) : Belgian decathlete Hans Van Alphen is among the three nominees to be awarded the athlete of the year award in Belgium. On Sunday Van Alphen is taking on cyclists Tom Boonen en Phillippe Gilbert, however the Flemish public could already cast its vote and selected Van Alphen to win the trophy. On Sunday, the vote of sports journalists will decide who wins the award according tosporza.be.

BRUSSELS (BEL): Following her fourth place at the European cross country championships, Belgian runner Almensh Belete confirmed she will aim for the IAAF World Cross Country championships in March. Belete’s coach Henri Salavarda told Nieuwswereld his pupil will run just a few cross country races in the next weeks in order to prepare decently for the world championships and the outdoor season.

KINGSTON (JAM): Sixteen days of sports allows for a lot of tweets, specifically, 150 million in the case of the 2012 Summer Olympics writes Trackalerts.com. Usain Bolt (@UsainBolt) was the most tweeted athlete with 80,000 TPM following his 200-meter victory.

NAIROBI (KEN): Kenya’s world marathon champion Abel Kirui and Florence Kiplagat have confirmed their intentions to defend their titles during the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Russia confirmsnzweek.com. Both athletes were expected to wrest the Olympic gold medal in London, but failed, and are now looking forward to defending their world championships medals.

LONDON (GBR): Jessica Ennis is back in training for the 2013 season but also told Athletics Weekly she is trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible and is juggling training with other commitments. The Olympics golden girl also added she might not compete indoors as she doesn’t want to rush back into competition.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Google has announced its annual Zeitgeist, offering a unique perspective on this year’s major events and hottest trends based on searches conducted in South Africa. The late Whitney Houston takes the number one spot on the list of overall trending people in SA, followed closely by international athletics star, Caster Semenya and newsmaking social celebrity, Khanyi Mbau according to iafrica.com.

LONDON (GBR): Usain Bolt is to star in the new TV ad for Virgin Media, continuing the relationship which began with DDB, the brand’s former ad agency. Sources close to Virgin Media said members of the company’s marketing team flew out to Jamaica in late November to shoot a Bartle Bogle Hegarty-created TV ad with Bolt.

INDIANAPOLIS (USA): The USA Track & Field Foundation Chairman Bob Greifeld and Executive Director Tom Jackovic announced it has awarded 9 youth grants to track & field clubs throughout the country. The grants assist young male and female athletes with expenses such as travel to meets, equipment, uniforms, awards and facility rental.

BOULDER (USA): Jenny Simpson confirmed on her website she is moving back to Boulder to train under her old coaches Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs. Simpson spent the last three years at the Air Force Academy under the guidance of Juli Benson.

RESULTS

LUSAKA (ZAM, Dec 11): South African Akani Simbini clocked new national junior record with 10.19 (+1.3) at the African Sports Zone Six Games. Second Siphelo Ndlobu 10.33. Simbini was second in Spring of 2012 at SA Junior Champs with windy 10.43.