by Larry Eder
Sub 19 a goal
KINGSTON (JAM): Sprinting star Usain Bolt confirms he resumed training on November 5. “Usually I start in October but I was pretty good at the Olympics so my coach gave me two-three weeks more,” Bolt said for L´Equipe. “2013 will be a season of speed records with the aim to see how far I can push my limits before you get too old. I want to be the first man under 19 at the 200 m so that people wille remember it. This is not a joke. The coach has intensified the program. No longer distances, but more series,” explains Bolt.
Storl not competing in winter
CHEMNITZ (GER): Shot put world champion David Storl will pass the indoor season 2013. His priority is the preparation for the Moscow World Championships where he wants to defend his title from Daegu. His coach Sven Lang explained there are more reasons for that decision. Storl underwent three months Police training and plans also a skin surgery. So he did not had enough time to prepare well for the indoor competitions.
Ukhov and Shkolina to open at Moravia Tour
PRAHA (CZE): Top high jumpers will again compete at the 9th Moravia High Jump Tour series in Czech Republic next January. Olympic winner Ivan Ukhov confirmed his participation at both meetings of the series and will start here his season (Hustopece on January 26 and Trinec on January 29). Ukhov is a regular at this meetings, competed in Moravian part of Czech Republic already 12 times since 2006. Has meet records at both events (238 in Hustopece in 2011 and 234 in Trinec in 2010). “I m looking forward to my fans in Czech again, it is for me already a must at the begin of each season. This time they will see me for first time as olympic winner, that will be special. I cannot predict any results but as always will try for the best possible,” said Ukhov who in Hustopece 2011 had good tries at world indoor record 244 cm when Javier Sotomayor directly observed him as guest of honour beeing in the hall. Italian talent Gianmarco Tamberi or French European medalist Mickael Hanany are among already confirmed jumpers. For the women competition olympic bronze holder Svetlana Shkolina signed for the first event in Hustopece and will be defending her win from last year. Shkolina hopes to attack the meet record of Ariane Friedrich which is 200 cm from 2009. She might be the top jumper from Olympic Games competing indoors in Europe as Anna Chicherova is passing indoors and Brigitta Barrett is still under NCAA belt. Also confirmed Italian World junior champion Alessia Trost, new Estonian name Eleriin Haas and European bronze winner from Ukraine Olena Holosha. Organisers are still negotiating with other top jumpers. Tour overall winner will be based on the sum of the two results from both meets. Last edition winners were Ukhov (463 cm) and Shkolina (391 cm).
Murer plans indoor
SAO PAULO (BRA): Pole vault world champion Fabiana Murer plans with full energy for the 2013 seasons, informs Brazilian federation website. Her main goal is the World Championships in Moscow and to improve her South American record of 485 cm. At age of 31 she resumed training in October in Sao Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, and has plans to compete in January at Pole Vault special event in Reno, USA. Then starts in Europe should follow. “Im developing my technique, I know I can jump 490 to 500,” she says. Murer was disappointed at London Games where she did not qualify for the final with 450 cm.
Aregawi wants to run Euroindoors
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Fresh Swedish athlete and world class miler Abeba Aregawi wants to run for her new country at European Indoor Championships in Goteborg. It was confirmed by her husband Henok Weldegebriel for TV 4 Sports. Also her club Hammarby confirmed she is aiming to run in the March event. The Ethiopian native Aregawi is currently having training camp in Ethiopia.
Lemaitre returns from holiday
AIX LES BAINS (FRA): European 100 m champion Christophe Lemaitre just returned from a vacation in Guayana and will start to prepare for the indoor season. Informs L´Equipe. He has a plan which includes meetings in Dusseldorf, Gent and Val du Reuil with French Championships. His agent Rene Auguin says nothing is confirmed yet. European indoor championships in Goteborg are currently not included.
Klocova is Slovak AOY (and pregnant)
BRATISLAVA (SVK): Slovak Athlete of the Year is 1500 m national record holder and olympic 8th placer Lucia Klocova. She was awarded during the Slovak Athletics Gala evening on Friday and also informed the attendance that she will miss the 2013 year because of pregnancy. Her first child should be born end of June. “I m happy that we expect the baby with my friend and also looking forward to return for 2014. I just started with my new event the 1500 m and I think there is still lot of potential in me for this distance,” she said. Klocova got 453 points in the poll organised by Slovak Athletics Federation ahead of hammer European silver winner Martina Hrasnova (408) and olympic 8th placer in 50 km walk Matej Toth (398). Fourth place for olympic, European and World indoor finalist in triple jump Dana Veldakova (305) and fifth European 800 m finalist Jozef Repcik (202). Pavel Slouka who is guiding Klocova was awarded with the Coach of the Year trophy. Young athlete of the Year is heptathlon World Juniors 6th placer Lucia Mokrasova and her coach Milan Sulety was the Coach of the Year for junior athletes. Mokrasova also won the Revelation of the Year Award and sprinter Vladimir Vybostok (world records in 65+ category in 60 m 7.81 and 100 m 12.37) is the Masters Athlete of the Year.
OTHER NEWS
NORDHAUSEN (GER): The 13th edition of Nordhausen Shot Put meet (January 18) will be organised as Europe vs USA challenge in men competition. For USA world champions Reese Hoffa and Ryan Whiting along with Cory Martin will be throwing. For Europe home Ralf Bartels, Russian Maksim Sidorov and Marco Fortes of Portugal. Due to expected surgery David Storl will not compete but is expected to be on site as special guest. Women competition will not have foreign athletes, will be headed by Nadine Kleinert, Christina Schwanitz and Josephine Terlecki.
LJUBLJANA (SLO): Bad luck for Slovenian triple jump record holder Marija Sestak. During her training camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa she injured her foot and will for sure miss the indoor season 2013. Damaged tendons was the first diagnosis, more will be known in next days after her return from Africa. She was 11th placer at London Olympic Games.
OSLO (NOR): Fresh European CC winner in the U23 category Henrik Ingebrigtsen said he is not sure about competing indoors in 2013. In this calendar year he has hung round his neck not only European track gold but cross country gold too. Was this a good way to end the season on? “Not a bit of it,” he said, “This is the start of the 2013 season.” As for comparisons between this medal and Helsinki gold, he insisted that “all medals are equally good. They had a finish tape here and it was just as good to break it. When you have the feeling I had here over eight kilometres, that good feeling lasts a long time.” Writes European Athletics. He won the gold in Szentendre with a mustache supposed to bring enough luck. Ingebrigtsen confirmed for Aftenposten now it will be shaved. Now he expects quiet days in Sadnes where he lives and will reduce until Christmas his training volume by 10 percent. His next training camp starts on December 27 in South Africa.
BRUSSELS (BEL): European CC Champion 2011 Atelaw Bekele (25) is facing on Monday the Flemish Doping Tribunal (VDT). That was confirmed by the VDT on Friday. The hearing was originally scheduled for November 20 but at the request of his lawyer was postponed. Discussion goes around
three failures within the whereabouts system, at least one is not agreed by Bekele as he switched hotels while in preparation in his former country Ethiopia. He came to Belgium in 2004 as political refugee and got the citizenship in 2008. At last weekend European CC event he finished only as 58th.
BLOEMFONTEIN (RSA): South African Federation website informs that a a Free State student who is also an athlete at his university rushed into a burning truck wreck and saved the trapped and unconscious driver. Witnesses said first-year University of the Free State student Thomas Jonda, 22, a 400m athlete from Welkom, was fearless as he ran across the road to help the man, reported Volksblad. Varsity athletics coach Sarina Cronjé said they were heading back in two busses from an athletics trip in Oudtshoorn when the accident happened on the road between Hanover and Richmond in the Northern Cape.
ROMA (ITA): Fresh European CC Champion Andrea Lalli informs he will run the We Run Rome event on December 31 and plans also for Maratona di Roma his marathon debut for March 17 next year. Lalli confirmed he was one month before European CC event in Iten, Kenya and prepared in the De Madonna Management group training camp. He will return to Africa early January but will return to run for his club Fiamme Gialle at the European Champion Clubs Cup cross country which will be held on February 3 in Castellon, Spain. “I will still run some track in summer, but it is clear also for my coach Luciano Di Pardo my future is in the road racing,” said Lalli for FIDAL website.
NEUSS (GER): German sports news agency SID published list of top earners in sports. According to SID leading is boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather with 65 millions Euro. Top athletics representative Usain Bolt is 52nd with estimated 17 millions Euro per year. Best German in athletics Robert Harting is estimated with 500 000 Euro earnings.
HIGH JUMP WORLD: More names to confirm not jumping during the coming indoor season. Because of foot injury Ukrainian Champion and Olympic 9th placer Andriy Protsenko and because of giving priority to summer Turkish women record holder and also olympic finalist Burcu Ayhan.
VAL DU REUIL (FRA): The Meeting National Indoor in Val de Reuil in France will have bigger importance and possibility to invite top athletes due to the fact that the IAAF Permit of Lievin was cancelled. Val de Reuil will be organised on Lievin date February 12 next year. They will stage the French indoor speciality men 400 m Hurdles.
SYDNEY (AUS): Video of 12 years old sprinter James Gallaugher from Australia made its trip around the world. The video shows the youngster’s remarkable speed as he chases down a rival 20m ahead of him to win his school the 4x100m New South Wales primary schools championships. He so far clocked impressive 11.72 in the 100 m. Four of Australia’s big professional rugby league clubs have already expressed an interest in him as has Michael Johnson’s Spire Athletics Institute in Ohio in America. His coach Scott Richardson certainly expects big things from the native of the small Australian coastal town of Ulladulla.
MOSCOW (RUS): Latest retesting doping case is Olympic 2004 hammer gold medalist Olga Kuzenkova of Russia. She is under investigation by the IAAF after failing a drugs test at World Championships 2005 in Helsinki, the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA said on Friday. The 42-year-old, who has denied any wrongdoing, retired shortly after failing to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, agencies are informing. The sample was collected on August 12, 2005 in Helsinki that is after her hammer win at the world championships with 75.10. The sample was retested. RUSADA says that Olga Kuzenkova has been informed about the situation and her rights. When confirmed she will be stripped of the gold medal, and new results will have Yipsi Moreno from Cuba as winner, silver will got to another Russian Tatyana Lysenko and bronze to French Manuela Montebrun.
KINGSTON (JAM): Double relay olympic gold medalist Michael Frater says he will be spending the next few months focussing more on his rehabilitation from recent knee surgery than on finding himself a new training home following his split from the Stephen Francis-coached MVP Track and Field Club. Writes Jamaica Observer. Frater underwent orthoscopic surgery on his knee in Miami, Florida a few weeks ago and told the Jamaica Observer that he was given six to eight weeks to recover from surgery but that he will need at least six months before his knee will be back to full strength.
LUSAKA (ZAM): Expert statistician Heinrich Hubelling points out that the times from Lusaka African zone six event are most probably hand times but shown in thousands of seconds. That means no top junior auto-times or even South African junior record for Akani Simbini 10.19 which is in reality 10.2.
RESULTS
BUCURESTI (ROU, Dec 7-8): Solid junior results at indoor meet, Florentina Marincu with 16 years achieved 645 in the girls long jump.
METZ (FRA, Dec 14): New Luxemburg shot put record from France. Bob Bertemes got 18.10 m.
DUBAI (UAE, Dec 14): Olympic bronze medalist and Qatar star athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim cleared meet record 232 cm at the 2nd West Asian Championships. He then tried at 235 cm. Second Rashid Al-Mannai 225 cm and third with 220 Iranian record holder Keivan Ghanbarzadegh.
