byLarry EderThe Penn Relays broadcast last weekend on ESPN 2 is the unofficial start of the elite season in the US. The relays are fun to watch and the teams are competitive. Even the distance medley was exciting this year!
Roman Sebrle is injured again. The multi event Leviathan has a shoulder problem while training in Sout Africa. Sebrle has paid a huge price in injuries over his long and illustrious career at the decathlon. We wish him a speedy recovery.
This coming weekends’ Stanford Invitaitonal, the Payton Jordan Distance Classic should prove to be one hot night of racing. Watch for Lagat in the 5,000 meters and two very stacked men and women’s 10,000 meter races.
The legendary Michael Johnson thinks his athlete, Jeremy Wariner can break his world record at 400 meters! Wariner sure looks the part, and his early season running is progressing well.
The season is long, and elite athletes have to be very careful this year. Beijing is just 100 days away!
EME NEWS (APR 29, 2008)
SEBRLE AGAIN INJURED
PRAHA (CZE): Decathlon world record holder and reigning Olympic winner Roman Sebrle is again injured. During his training camp in South Africa the hamstring injury which bothered him in Valencia at World Indoor Championships was back again. He returned from Potchefstroom some days earlier as planned, first doctors examinations showed that he would need to have a break for some days. It is not immediately known when he will return back to training, but his Olympic participation is not in danger. On the other hand he is forced to cancel the Gotzis Meet in Austria end of May and hopes to compete end of June at Czech international decathlon fixture in Kladno (TNT Fortuna Meeting). Czech Athletics Federation is ready to give him a wild card for Olympic games in any case as he has the standard from last year.
P. JOHNSON WINDY 10.18
HIROSHIMA (JPN, Apr 29): Australian sprinter Patrick Johnson won the 100 m at Hiroshima International Meet with windy 10.18 (+2.7) and could not celebrate an Olympic A-qualifier. We hope to add more results later.
WHAT IS WITH TONIQUE WILLIAMS-DARLING?
NASSAU (BAH): Bahamian media are asking what is with reigning 400 m Olympic winner Tonique Williams-Darling. Since September 2006 when she ran 50.11 at meet in Shanghai, China she was not competing at all. The Bahama Journal has tried to reach Tonique on a few occasions over the last days, in order to put to rest the number of unanswered questions about her that are circulating the sporting community. But did not get the answers.
KHANAFEYEVA CLEARED
MOSCOW (RUS): Former hammer world record holder and European medalist 2006 Gulfiya Khanafeyeva was officially cleared from doping allegations in connection with her positive test at World Military Games in India last October. The representatives of World military sports council CISM sent a letter to Russian Athletics Federation where they are informing about the fact that all allegations against her were dismissed. Informs All-Sport agency.
CHEBOKSARY UPDATE
MONTE CARLO: A total of 367 500 USD is on offer for the senior races – men’s 50km and men’s and women’s 20km – from the IAAF as prize money at the 23rd IAAF World Race Walking Cup, Cheboksary, Russia planned for Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May. Top individual will get 30 000 USD, the sixth 3000 USD. Winning team 15 000 and sixth 3000 USD. Also 50 000 USD world record bonus is ready for senior athletes and in case of home women team very possible.
CHEBOKSARY: First team already arrived to Cheboksary, the walkers from Colombia. Next to follow are China and Romania. On Tuesday is the final entries deadline, it is expected that about 600 athletes from more than 60 countries will compete.
LISBOA (POR): Portugal is going to send to Cheboksary full senior teams and junior individuals. Susana Feitor, Ana Cabecinha and Ines Henriques are the top female names along with European 2006 medalist Joao Vieira for 20 km race.
HELSINKI (FIN): Finland sends full 50 km team headed by Jani Lehtinen who has the best mark 3:53:36 and Antti Kempas (3:57:59) who was last year 11th in Osaka at World Championships. Two junior boys will contest the 10 km race.
SESTO SAN GIOVANNI (ITA): Last top walking event before World Cup will be this Thursday (May 1) the traditional Sesto San Giovanni event, part of IAAF Race Walking Challenge. The 20 km race favorite is world champion Jefferson Perez of Ecuador but against him 50 km world champion Nathan Deakes of Australia (will compete at 20 km also in Cheboksary), Olympic winner Ivano Brugnetti and Norway´s Erik Tysse who won the Rio Maior IAAF Challenge race this year. In women´s 20 km field reigning Olympic winner Athanasia Tsoumeleka from Greece is the main name along with Kjersti Tysse-Plätzer of Norway who is unbeaten so far this year and Claudia Stef of Romania.
AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE
ADDIS ABABA (ETH): Uganda´s team to the Africa Athletics Championships will finally come after getting a boost from Crown Beverages. The bottlers of Pepsi Cola and Mirinda products have catered for the tickets of the seven athletes. South African athletes had a big reception before they started the travel. The conditions expected are hot and windy with temperatures close to 30 degrees. First day on Wednesday has three final events, men shot put and women hammer and much anticipated 10 000 m for men with running star Kenenisa Bekele.
OTHER NEWS
MEXICO CITY (MEX): New president of Mexican Athletics Federation FMA is Antonio Lozano. He was voted unopposed for the next four years until 2012 after disputes and scandals around the sport which also resulted to Ana Guevera retirement. New president also offered to Guevera the possibility to cooperate with new leaders.
TOA BAJA (PUR, Apr 27): Ethiopian Terefe Maregu won the 23rd International road 10 km in Puerto-Rico and will cash 8000 USD. He clocked 28:48. Zenaida Maldonado was the best woman with 35:06 what is new national road record for Puerto-Rico.
FRANKFURT (GER): The 2008 European Athletics CEO Conference entitled ‘Moving Forward Together’ took place in Frankfurt last weekend. A record 44 Member Federations were represented at the event, where delegates were tasked with debating and discussing three key strategies being driven forward by European Athletics. The theme of change and readiness to embrace new ideas permeated discussions throughout the weekend. Senior Vice President Jose Luis de Carlos led an informative afternoon session, presenting on European Athletics competition restructure – looking particularly at the new SPAR European Team Championships and the plan to make the European Championships a biennial event. On day two of the conference delegates heard from European Athletics Vice President Svein Arne Hansen who presented on the ongoing work to develop European Athletics health, wellbeing and education initiatives, he was joined by Kristen Felde, Director General of the Norwegian Ski Federation, and European Athletics Council Member Sylvia Barlag, who presented on the issue of involving more women in administrative and voluntary positions in our sport.
DESSAU (GER): Russian javelin thrower and former world champion Sergey Makarov is the headliner of Anhalt 2008 meet in Dessau, Germany (EA Permit) to be held on May 30. Makarov is the meet record holder with 90.86 from 2002. Many of the home stars already confirmed their participation, for example discus world champion Franka Dietzsch, hurdler Thomas Blaschek or pole vaulters Tim Lobinger with Danny Ecker.
PRAHA (CZE): Group of international runners will compete at Volkswagen Marathon Prague with the aim to achieve Olympic qualification time. As the organizers are informing for May 11 for example double winner from the past Russian Alina Ivanova (also former successful walker), Brazilian Sirlene de Pinho and Nicole Klinger from Liechtenstein who is also a successful competitor in duathlon and triathlon. In the men category Russian Lenar Khusnutdinov, Australian Philip Sly and British Kassa Tadesse who has 2:15:09 from 2005 London Marathon.
AUBURN (USA): High Jump world champion Donald Thomas informed via IAAF diaries that minor injuries from indoor season are behind him. About his plans he said: „ I’m not going to compete too much before the Beijing Olympic Games. After Prefontaine, I’ll jump in a few European meets, then head back home for the final Bahamas Olympic Trials, where I’ll only have to demonstrate my fitness.”
OSLO (USA): World and Olympic winner and record holder Michael Johnson said in IAAF live chat that despite being difficult Jeremy Wariner might break his 400 m world record. It can come this year or in five years time, he said. He also pointed out that LaShawn Merritt will challenge Wariner this year, but will not be able to beat him. Tyson Gay is based on his opinion the only candidate to come close to his 200 m world record, but thinks there is no way he can be included into the US 4×400 m relay team in Beijing. Johnson had a press conference today as Bislett Games promotion along with the fastest European Jaisuma Saidy Ndure.
BOULDER (USA): Austrain top runner Gunther Weidlinger is going to attack the Olympic standard at 10 000 m (28:10) during this weekend at Cardinal Invitational in California. He is since early April in Colorado having training camp in Boulder. He tested himself at the Boulder Distance Carnival route of 8.045 km and achieved course best 24:30 at 1650 m altitude. „I was satisfied with this test, I m ready for a good result during the weekend,” he was quoted by OLV website.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Sweden stars informed about their first competitions. World indoor record holder Susanna Kallur plans to open the season at FBK Games in Hengelo on May 24 at 100 m Hurdles. Heptathlon great Carolina Kluft plans her debut for triple jump on June 8 in Vaxjo.
LONDON (GBR): Peter Matthews informs that his famous ATHLETICS 2008  The International Athletics Annual would be ready soon for sale. He finished early April the editing of 608 pages with all the usual features of this definitive reference work for our sport  results, records, articles, biographical profiles of 784 top world athletes, 50-deep all-time lists, 150-200 deep lists for 2007, indexes etc.
MOSCOW (RUS): Silver medalist from World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh Kenyan Leonard Komon is another top name for jubilee 50th Znamensky Memorial in Zhukovskiy near Moscow on June 15. He will run 5000 m there along with his team-mate Moses Mosop who is bronze holder from Helsinki 2005 10 000 m race. The aim would be to achieve first ever sub 13 minutes in Russia. Already before announced was the participation of top European sprinter Matic Osovnikar from Slovenia, Bulgarian sprinters Ivet Lalova and Tedzhan Naumova along with High jump World champion Blanka Vlasic and World indoor champion Olusoji Fasuba from Nigeria.
NAME CHANGES
Changes of names in the hurdles area. British Osaka finalist at 400 m Hurdles legally changed her name from Natasha to Tasha Smith. Olympic Finalist in the same event Sheena Johnson is now Sheena Tosta.
PREVIEW
This week will see growing outdoor track activity and decreasing marathon activity. However still on Sunday races in Trieste, Dusseldorf, Vancouver, Krakow along with Berlin 25 km will build some interesting headlines. African Championships from Wednesday until Sunday with likes of Bekele brothers, Defar and Dibaba are of course the top event. Jamaican Kingston meet on Saturday with many top stars is also to note (Gay, Campbell-Brown, S. Richards, Bolt). On Thursday IAAF Race Walking Challenge event in Italy (Sesto San Giovanni) is part of international calendar. Caribbean meets are also having an international fixture on French territory on May 1 at Baie Mahault (Guadeloupe). Japan season continues on Saturday with Shizuoka meet. US season will have Cardinal Invitational (Bernard Lagat at 5000 m), Jesse Owens and Steve Scott Invitationals and many more.
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