by Larry EderThe most prestigious sports awards in the globe, the Laureus World Sports awards were announced, and the sport of atheltics, of course, led the way. Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis were the World Sportsmen and Sportswomen Awards of the Year. Felix Sanchez was the Laureus Comeback of the Year award with his brilliant win over the 400m hurdles, adding to his victory in 2004. Lord Sebastian Coe was the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award, for his thoughtful leadership of the London 2012 Olympics.
BOLT, ENNIS, SANCHEZ, COE
RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA): The winners of the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards have been unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. Among the highlights were a third Laureus Award for Jamaican sprint giant Usain Bolt, and the Sportswoman of the Year award for Jessica Ennis. The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. The majority of the winners came from the highly successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Another outstanding track Olympic champion, the Dominican Republic’s Felix Sanchez, received the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award after winning the Olympic 400 meters hurdles gold medal in London, eight years after he won it for the first time in Athens in 2004. Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the highly successful London Olympic and Paralympic Games, received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award. The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during 2012, were announced at the Awards Ceremony at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, which was hosted by Hollywood stars Morgan Freeman and Eva Longoria. The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present were from track athletes Sebastian Coe, Cathy Freeman, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel and Daley Thompson. Other sports guests included: from world of athletics Jessica Ennis, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Kirani James, Felix Sanchez.
OTHER NEWS
DAKAR (SEN): African Confederation confirmed the top events for this year. The 1st Youth African Championships will be held in Warri, Nigeria from 28th to 31st March. The African Junior Championships will be held in Pretoria from 27th to 30 June 2013.
STAWELL (AUS): Josh Ross will return to Central Park this Easter with his eye on an unprecedented third Australia Post Stawell Gift crown. Ross will join former world record holder Asafa Powell on the start line for one of the most anticipated Gift’s in the long history of Australia’s richest and most famous footrace. The current Australian 100m champion, Ross will seek to become the first man in 132 editions to win the Gift three times. „Going for my third Stawell Gift is special – and certainly achievable because I am in the best shape of my life as shown by my 200 on Saturday night in Sydney,” he said. The 132nd Australia Post Stawell Gift carnival will be staged during the Easter long weekend from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April 2013.
SHEFFIELD (GBR): Athletics Weekly reported at the beginning of March that the demolition of Don Valley Stadium had been confirmed by Sheffield City Council. Now further plans to redevelop the site into a “sports and wellbeing park” have been announced, with facilities for rugby, gymnastics, basketball and snooker outlined in the plans, together with the refurbishment of the nearby Woodbourn Road facility for athletics. Informs AW. The multi-use Don Valley Stadium, which is used by Jessica Ennis and has hosted televised grand prix meetings, is Britain’s second-biggest athletics stadium, seating 25,000. However, the facility, which also includes a public gym and hosts live concerts, operates at a massive loss for the council and will close in September to help meet the needed GBP 500 millions budget cuts.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): Home media are informing that the 800 m 2009 world champion Caster Semenya has resumed her training for the IAAF World Championships to be held in Moscow later this year. Her coach Maria Mutola said Semenya is taking it easy in her build up to the European season, which she will use as a precursor to the Moscow championships. “Training with Caster is good. She’s a very dedicated athlete and she knows where she wants to be and how long it will take her to get there. She wants to be successful at athletics, and so far so good”.
AMSTERDAM (NED): Discus thrower Eric Cadée is the only Dutch athlete to travel to the European winter throwing cup in Castellon, Spain. Last year, The Netherlands had sent a full team to the event. Cadée feel good about the competition which will be the opening of his season.
PARIS (FRA): Athle.com talked to French decathlete Kevin Mayer about his surprise silver medal at the European indoor championships in Goteborg and the 21-year old confirmed he was surprised with his score and medal after suffering
small physical and mental setbacks in the last months. The young athlete confessed to have arrived in Goteborg with only little training. Mayer is aiming for the European U23 championships this summer, which is the only young medal he has not yet won, and also hopes to confirm his personal best score at the IAAF World championships in Moscow this summer where he could place top five.
MANCHESTER (GBR): Veteran runner Helen Clitheroe will return to the stage of one of her greatest career successes, when she bids to regain this year’s Bupa Great Manchester Run title on 26 May. Two years ago Clitheroe stunned a world-class 10km field with her outstanding victory, which included former World Championships 10,000m gold medallist Berhane Adere and Commonwealth champion Grace Momyani of Kenya. Now the 39-year-old Preston Harrier, who took the decision after winning last month’s 3000 m trial race not to compete at the European Indoor Championships, will concentrate on her road racing career, with her focus firmly set on another success in Manchester. Clitheroe will be making her much-awaited marathon debut this spring. Organizers are informing in a release.
VIENNA (AUT): The Vienna City Marathon announced for its 30th edition on 14th April the defending champion and course record holder Henry Sugut. The Kenyan will be up against tough opposition: Among them is Jafred Kipchumba, who features a personal best of 2:05:48. With this time the Kenyan will be the fastest runner ever entered into the marathon race. Adding other running events organisers expect a record number of more than 38,000 runners to take part. A year ago Sugut improved the course record to 2:06:58. Two more Kenyans could do well: Peter Kamais is the winner of the Xiamen Marathon 2012. He clocked his personal best of 2:07:37 in China. Geoffrey Ndungu took the Dublin Marathon in 2011 with a PB of 2:08:35. He had been seventh in last year’s Vienna City Marathon with a time of 2:10:00. From Europeans Mustafa Mohamed of Sweden could be the name to watch. Organizers are saying in a release.
BRATISLAVA (SVK): The 8th CSOB Bratislava Marathon will be staged on March 24 on a new flat city course with the aim to improve the course records. For all races already 6872 runners from 49 countries are entered. Kenyans should improve the event best 2:19:42, top names are Isaac Cheruiyot with 2:12:32 from 2009, Robert Kirui 2:13:31 from 2010 and Peter Wanjiru with 2:12:21 from last year Krakow win. Lilian Koech who won in Bratislava in 2010 and 2011 is the top female name.
NEW ORLEANS (USA): The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announces the National Athlete of the Year award winners for 2013 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field season as chosen by the nation’s coaches. Arizona’s runner Lawi Lalang of Kenya, Indiana’s Canadian high jumper Derek Drouin, Dartmouth’s long distance runner Abbey D’Agostino, and Kansas’ triple and long jumper Andrea Geubelle claimed honors as National Athletes of the Year.
NAIROBI (KEN): East Standard informs that more than 1600 runners are expected at the first National Bank of Kenya/Athletics Kenya track and field meeting this weekend. The meet, which will be held on Friday and Saturday, will be used to pick a team to Penn Relays in Philadelphia in April. But the local federation has canceled selection of team to inaugural Africa Youth Athletics Championships to Warri, Nigeria. “The meeting will go on as planned but we are still looking out for a venue within Nairobi. as Nyayo Stadium and Moi Sports Centre, Kasarani, are booked,” said Barnaba Korir.
NEW YORK (USA): Citing tightness in his calves, Meb Keflezighi has withdrawn from Sunday’s NYC Half 2013, it was announced by New York Road Runners. Keflezighi, the 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion, has been battling the tightness for about a week. Although he has been able to maintain his aerobic fitness through cross-training on a bike, he and longtime coach Bob Larsen alerted NYRR last night that they felt he should withdraw from the race to avoid the risk of further injury. Keflezighi is scheduled to compete in the Boston Marathon on April 15.
WORLD CC TEAMS
BYDGOSZCZ (POL): Organising country Poland selected for the World CC Championships all four teams. Junior men and women and senior men and women. Junior girls: Ennaoui, Rutkowska, Konieczek, Slezak, Pawlowska, Wiera. Junior boys: Matuszczak, Bielawiec, Topolnicki, Pankratow, Kusmierz and Rudnik. In senior women team the national champion Katarzyna Kowalska as the leader. Also selected: Mierzejewska, Napieraj, Kopciewska, Necka and miler Angelika Cichocka. In the men team Brzezinski, Gardzielewski, Szymkowiak, Kujawski, Zalewski, Zebrowski.
MADRID (ESP): Spain is sending to Bydgoszcz also all four teams. The men squad has Carles Castil
lejo, Jose Espana, Antonio Jimenez, Antonio Nunez and fresh national champion Sergio Sanchez. In the women team Gema Barrachina, Sonia Bejarano, Azucena Diaz, Diana Martin and Teresa Urbina. Junior boys are Marc Alcala, Raul Celada, Mohamed Jelloul, Jonathan Romeo and junior girls Beatriz Alvarez, Diana Del Ser, Cristina Espejo and Adriana Gutierrez.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): After topping the medal table at the European Cross Country Championships in December, a 23-strong GB & NI team has been named for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Emelia Gorecka will be looking to continue her impressive record in the junior ranks after winning team gold and individual silver in Budapest last year. The 19 year old overcame illness to record an impressive victory at the McCain World Trials in Birmingham on the weekend to confirm her selection. In the men senior team Phil Nicholls, Michael Skinner, Jonathan Taylor, Frank Tickner and Steve Vernon. Women team has Elle Baker, Louise Damen, Lauren Howarth, Gemma Steel, Stephanie Twell and Emily Wicks. The remaining junior squads: boys – Gordon Benson, Michael Callegari, Jonathan Davies, Lewis Lloyd, William Paulson, Michael Ward. The girls: Alex Clay, Bobby Clay, Emelia Gorecka, Amy-Eloise Neale, Georgina Taylor-Brown and Rebecca Weston.
DUBLIN (IRL): European CC Champion Fionnuala Britton and Mary Cullen will lead the Irish team for the IAAF World CC Championships in Bydgoszcz. The Irish team also includes Linda Byrne, Lizzie Lee and Ava Hutchinson who were all scoring members of the 2012 Gold Medal winning European Cross Country Championship team.
PRAHA (CZE): The only representative of Czech Republic will be Milan Kocourek for the men senior race.
RESULTS
PERTH (AUS, Mar 12): The host state of Western Australia has delivered two of the highlights on Day 1 at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships as Nina Kennedy and Amy McCormick confirmed their automatic selection to the IAAF World Youth Championships. Kennedy cleared a meet record in girls pole vault 431 and McCormick clocked 6:39.58 in girls 2000 m steeple. Matt Denny set a new meet record of 66.40m to win the boy’s under 18 discus and become the first athlete from the Australian Junior Athletics Championships guaranteed a spot on the Australian team for the IAAF World Youth Championships later this year.
SAN JOSE (CRC, Mar 11): Olympic winner Irving Saladino won the long jump with 799 (-0.4) for Panama at the Central American Games. Second also for Panama Jamal Bowen with 788 (+2.1).
