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Athletics News - 20.02.

High Jumpers in Novi Sad NOVI SAD (SER): Former european high jump champion Dragutin Topic together with other former jumper Stevan Zoric continues in organising for third year in a row the special HJ Meet called EUROTOP in Serbian city Novi Sad. On Thursday some top jumpers will compete for the first place prize of 4000 USD. Also another 1000 USD is available for new meet record which is for the moment 231 by Italian Nicola Ciotti last year. Topic himself won the first edition in 2005 with 230 cm. Ciotti is scheduled to compete again as is Helsinki world championships medallist Victor Moya from Cuba. Russian strength is represented by in-form Vyacheslav Voronin (see below) and another former champion Sergey Klyugin. Canadian Mark Boswell is also remembering duels with Topic from the past. In the start list also finish Oskari Frosen and world junior championships medallist Niki Palli from Israel. Voronin jumps 232 YEKATERINBURG (RUS, Feb 18): As Sergey Tikhonov reports 1999 World Champion Vyacheslav Voronin is back in shape. At „Finpromko“ meet in Yekaterinburg he went on Sunday over 232 cm. World leader Ivan Ukhov was second with only 223 cm. Fourty years old Irina Khabarova won the 60 m in 7.30 (in heats 7.28) and Yekaterina Savchenko was the women high jump winner going over 192 cm. Anastasiya Ovchinnikova achieved 500 m european lead of the season 1:09.85. Hurdler Tatyana Pavliy nominated for Birmingham lost against Irina Pepelyayeva (8.07 and 8.06) and high jumper Tatyana Kivimiagi who should also compete for European medals achieved only 182 cm. Vili starts with 18.32 CHRISTCHURCH (NZL, Feb 21): At Area Permit Meet the world number two ranked shot putter (by IAAF) Valerie Vili started the season with 18.32 m mark. US thrower Kristin Heaston was second (16.85). Another local star and former discus world champion Beatrice Faumuina won her event with solid 62.20 m. The meet was already third from Oceanian area permits (Canberra in January and Sydney last week) where athletes could obtain points for IAAF World Athletics Tour (top four – 6,4,2,1 points). Next week the Oceanian season will climax with Melbourne IAAF Grand Prix meet where points for top eight will be at stake. Other top results – 1500 m: 1. Abdi,AUS 3:41.43, DT: 1. Martin,AUS 61.65, 4x100 m: 1. NZL 39.68 US goes for WR YOKOHAMA (JPN): According to some reports US team for female Ekiden (road relay at marathon distance) next Sunday in Yokohama,JPN is having the goal to attack the current World Record held by Chinese team 2:11:41 back in 1998 in Beijing. The team is led by elite marathon runner and olympic bronze medallist Deena Kastor and includes also Elva Dryer, Katie McGregor, Jen Rhines, Amy Rudolph, Sara Slattery and Jenny Crain. Also competing are home team, Russia, Great Britain (top runner Mara Yamauchi). It is considered to be the overall top female ekiden race. Balakhnichev goes for IAAF post MOSCOW (RUS): EAA vicepresident and boss of Russian Athletics Federation Valentin Balakhnichev said for the agency Allsport that he no longer will bid for the post within EAA next April at congress in Cannes but will go for the world governing body IAAF Council position in august elections during the congress in Osaka. But he will send another russian into the ballot Vadim Zelichonok who is heading the IAAF Regional Development Center in Moscow. For two vicepresident spots there are six candidates. Apart of Zelichonok the roster is headed by current one Agoston Schulek from Hungary, current EAA Council members Jose Luis de Carlos from Spain, Janez Aljancic from Slovenia and Philippe Lamblin from France and newly the boss of famous Bislett Games and Norwegian federation Svein Arne Hansen. Hansen was even considering to bid for president post. There are two candidates for the number one position – apart from the current leader Hansjorg Wirz from Switzerland also Sprints Olympic Champion 1972 Valeriy Borzov from Ukraine. Peter Norman Memorial MELBOURNE (AUS): Next weeks first meet of IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007 in Melbourne (Mar 2) will have a special event in the programme. The Peter Norman Memorial at 200 m on behalf of the 1968 Olympic Games silver medallist who died in October last year. Olympic champion Shawn Crawford from USA against the quickest Australian Joshua Ross and added by 400 m specialist John Steffensen should be the main entries. CC Trials this weekend NAIROBI (KEN): Chinese agency Xinhua website reports that nearly 300 runners so far confirmed participation in the national trials to be held on Saturday in Mombasa, the site of next World CC Championships in March. Alltogether Kenya will have 35 team members and most of the names will be decided based on trials results. Athletics Kenya Secretary David Okeyo said athletes who will make the national team will proceed to residential camp in Embu, eastern Kenya next Monday. "In the 12 km race, the first six across the line will be selected, but in the other three categories, it will be the first four across the line with the other two being picked either through wild card or through deliberations by the coaches," Okeyo said. He also pointed out that for the first time in Kenya's history, the trials would be held in the afternoon as opposed to its traditional morning schedule so that athletes can acclimatize to the weather conditions expected during the world championships. Som not running in Birmingham STOCKHOLM: Despite achieving the european fastest 800 m time of the season in Stockholm last night the European Champion Bram Som will not compete for medals in Birmingham. As Wilmar Kotleever says he considers himself a bit behind in training and wants to focus on the World Championships in Osaka. That means that the current lists for Birmingham are headed by another Dutch runner Arnaud Okken who lost against Som in Sweden but was better at national championships last weekend. IAAF looks into the future MONTE CARLO: IAAF informed via press release that it launched the biggest, most in-depth survey of the sport of track and field athletics ever conducted, in partnership with one of the world's leading companies in its field, Sponsorship Intelligence. The gathered informations about the current status of Olympic sport number one should help to build strategies for future, mainly orientated towards commercial potential.

Alfons Juck