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Athletics News - 21.03. |
MOMBASA
Three days before the first official IAAF championships on Kenyan soil local media are reporting about race against time despite work at the Mombasa Golf Club. Technical director John Velzian: "We have to work day and night to recover the two days we lacked power." Contractors on site have completed the construction of the VIP pavillion. The other stands are in the foundation stage but since all the woodwork materials is on hand the workers are confident of finishing the work on time. One thing is for sure -the paint work may not have dried by Saturday and this is a bit worrisome for Velzian who said they would have to work under floodlights. One area which must be completed in time is the press tribune and the media sub centre to serve over 200 accredited media. The TV crew too have already constructed TV stands.The IAAF have flown in TV equipment weighing over five tonnes which is on sight and is guarded day and night by armed policemen. When complete, the Mombasa course overlooking the Indian Ocean will serve the interests of spectators, runners and global TV. Cross-country experts have said the Mombasa course is the best ever.
CC Legend Paul Tergat is thinking that cross country running should be an olympic event in future. On site already also IAAF President Lamine Diack. In the men previews of IAAF in the junior race Ethiopians Cherkose Feleke (World Youth track champion 2005) and Ibrahim Jeylan (World junior track champion 2006) are mentioned. For the senior race who would question the position of „the king“ Kenenisa Bekele. Local team headed by Moses Mosop and supported by 20 000 spectators wants to do a miracle. Who else? Maybe road world champion Zersenay Tadesse from Eritrea or Boniface Kiprop from Uganda. Also in Mombasa already arrived the US Team. Interesting is Australian junior 18-years old Ben Guest who has spent the last three weeks in Kenya’s Rift Valley, training with locals at high altitude. Watch out also for women race and Meselech Melkamu, from her camp promising news are coming. She could well challenge Tirunesh Dibaba as she did indoors to Meseret Defar in Stuttgart.
BIDS 2011 and 2013
Barcelona bid will have as athletes in its delegation to Mombasa 1992 1500 m olympic champion Fermin Cacho and European Champion 2006 Martha Dominguez. As already announced in Moscow bid team should be olympic champions Yelena Isinbayeva and Yuriy Borzakovskiy.
DUDINCE
First of six EAA Permit walking meets of the year will be held this Saturday in Slovakian Spa place Dudince. It is already the 26th time that “Dudinska patdesiatka” will be organised and the interest is very high. 62 walkers from 22 countries are entered and this is despite an IAAF Challenge event is held during the same weekend in China. Russian Dmitriy Yesipchuk (1:18:05 20 km PB) and Ireland´s Colin Griffin (2:13:16 at 30 km in March) will debut at the 50 km distance, the main event. Also in the field bronze medallist from last years Commonwealth Games Chris Erickson from Australia (best of 3:58:22). From Slovakian team Milos Batovsky will try to achieve the standard for Osaka as many others which is 4 hours. The best home walker Matej Toth will also compete but more as training and help to his teammates and is not planning to go for the full distance. Still open is the entry of last year winner Grzegorz Sudol from Poland. The event is also SVK, CZE and HUN champs at 50 km distance. Silver medallist from World Champs 2003 Gillian O´Sullivan from Ireland (1:27:22) is the main name in women 20 km event along with Russian Antonina Petrova (1:27:14). Local girls Zuzana Malikova (three times winner in the past and national record holder) and Maria Galikova will be also pushing for fast times.
Wanjiru plans marathon for end of the season
MOMBASA: Agent Federico Rosa confirmed that three time world record holder at halfmarathon Samuel Wanjiru will debut at marathon distance end of this year. The place is not yet known. In summer he will concentrate on the track with the goal to qualify and compete well at World Championships in Osaka at 10 000 m distance. He is planning to start his track season in July, probably at the Rome Golden League leg with a 5000 m race. He was last time running a race on track back in 2005 at Van Damme Memorial (Aug 26) where he achieved as third 10 000 m world junior record 26:41.75.
Other news
ROTTERDAM: As atletiek.nl reports last year winner of Rotterdam Marathon Kenyan Sammy Korir (2:06:38, but PB 2:04:56) will not come this year because he is not yet fully recovered from his injury. Still in the start list of 27th edition of the race on April 15 are 4 runners with sub 2:07 best times – French Benoit Zwierzchlewski (co-holder of European record) and Kenyans William Kipsang, Wilson Onsare and Charles Kibiwott. Other four Kenyans have sub 2:08 times (Rodgers Rop, Patrick Ivuti, Jimmy Muindi and Joseph Ngolepus). Best woman in the field is Malgorzata Sobanska from Poland (2:26:08).
LONDON: Agencies are reporting that Kenyan-born but Bahrain citizen Mushir Salem Jawher (formerly Leonard Mucheru) is still in stateless position and so will miss not only Mombasa WCC Champs but most probably also London Marathon. He has no document with which he could travel. “I m considering defecting back to Kenya,” he was quoted.
BRATISLAVA (SVK): The slovak capitol city is continuing in marathon race which started last year as “Tatra Banka City Marathon.” The second edition will be held on Sunday April 1. Currently more than 750 runners from 16 countries are entered including halfmarathon. Top Slovak runners (Vladislav Lipovsky, Dana Janeckova) will compete, the first prize for best male runner is 70 000 Slovak Crowns (approx.- 2200 E). New course is having two loops (21,1) and start with finish in the old center of the city. For future the organisers are thinking about inviting international athletes.
MONTE CARLO: IAAF published a list of all athletes who were members of IAAF Testing Pool in 2006 and so submitted their whereabouts informations and were subject to possible doping testing on not announced and out of competition basis . Top three tested countries were Russia, Kenya and USA. The pool contains of athletes from 75 countries and the tests were conducted in 57 countries.
BIRMINGHAM: Hungarian national records statistician expert Gyorgy Csiki points out that he found 37 national indoor records during European Indoor Championships. It is clearly more than official release at the end of championships showed (29).
JABLONEC: Former high jumper Jan Janku (bests of 230 indoors and 229 outdoors) became a father. He is currently an organiser and agent. Interesting is that the mother of boy Jan is Katerina Babova, the sister of high jump olympic bronze medallist Jaroslav Baba.
MOUNTAIN VIEW: Track and Field news reports in its march issue that long jump world champion Tianna Madison is now coached by legendary Bob Kersee. Her best is 689 cm while winning the world title back in 2005 in Helsinki. She was not competing this indoors.
PARIS: Agencies are reporting that that IOC President Jacques Rogge plans to launch Youth Olympic Games. Rogge was quoted by L´Equipe that it would feature athletes 14-18 years old and anticipated participation is 3500 in nearly the same sports as Olympic Games. IOC executive board will discuss the proposal during its April Meeting in Beijing. If agreed it could start by 2010. European Olympic Festival for this age category is already held and the global version of this event is a logical next step. IAAF has its World Youth and World Junior Championships in odd and even years, for 2010 the World Juniors are planned. Back in 1998 World Youth Games were held in Moscow’ and pole vault winner was Yelena Isinbayeva (400 cm).
BEIJING: During second day of National Indoor Grand Prix meet Zheng Xingyuan registered new asian junior indoor record in High jump going over 192 cm. Young shot putter Gong Lijiao (only 16 years old) confirmed her great shape with 18.73. Last week she achieved in Shanghai new Asian indoor junior record 19.07 m. Shi Dongpeng was the fastest at 60mHurdles clocking 7.73. Olympic champion Liu Xiang is not competing in the series.
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Alfons Juck
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