by Larry EderNote that, even with his 46.25 and number four ranking in South Africa, Oscar Pistorious, the Blade Runner, was not named to the South African team for Beijing….
SOBOLEVA QUALIFIED AND MUST NOT RUN THE FINALS
KAZAN (RUS, July 19): Russian 8/15 world leader Yelena Soboleva qualified today during third day at National Championships with 11th fastest 4:14.59 (but winning her race) from 1500 m heats. But she must not compete in the finals. The Russian head-coach Valentin Maslakov informed All-Sport that she can pass the final and will be selected anyway as she proved her shape enough with recent results. Yulia Fomenko was the fastest with 4:03.05 ahead of Anna Alminova 4:06.43 and 2005 world champion Tatyana Tomashova 4:06.81. Also qualified is 6th from 800 m Svetlana Cherkasova with her fastest since five years 4:07.36. In Sundays finals the athletes will fight for two remaining spots in this event. Yulia Chermonshanskaya (23.18) and former world champion Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (23.32) were the two fastest in 200 m heats. Kapachinskaya who qualified yesterday at 400 m so confirmed her intention to double at the Olympic Games. 40 years old Irina Privalova also advanced into semifinals (23.98). Roman Smirnov with 20.91 was the fastest in men´s 200 m heats.
ROBLES vs. OLIVER FOR SECOND TIME AT DN GALAN
PARIS (CUB): Cuban world record holder Dayron Robles very closely missed his own world record last night in Stade de France (official crowd 50 652) with second best ever 12.88. Nearly windless conditions (+0.5) and not the best start are supporting the idea that he can break the record once again even before the Olympic Games. His coach Santiago Antunez thinks all he needs is to calm down. „He is in great shape, but we need to keep all the excitement down. His main goal is the Olympics,” he said. Robles still plans two meetings before China in Stockholm and Monte Carlo. In both cases he will meet with US Trials winner David Oliver who is the only one this season who beat Robles at ISTAF in Berlin early June. Since then Robles goes with winning streak currently stopped at 7 races. He lost in Berlin by 0.01 and in Stockholm next Tuesday they will meet for the second time this summer.
TWELL SIXTH BEST EUROPEAN JUNIOR EVER
PARIS (GBR): World junior champion Stephanie Twell could have booked herself an Olympic 1500 meters place after the fastest time of her career in Friday’s AF Golden League meeting in Paris. She clocked great 4:05.83 as 8th what means sixth position in European junior all-time lists. Twell just six days after winning the world junior title showed no effects from that performance when tackling senior opposition in the Stade De France. Now it seems almost certain she will be included in Team GB when the second and final wave of the side is selected by UK Athletics on Saturday and announced by the British Olympic Association.
LOGAN NEW CEO OG USATF
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): USA Track & Field selected a former soccer executive, Doug Logan, as their new CEO. He replaces USATF president, Bill Roe, who was the acting CEO since Craig Masback left the job last January to take a position at Nike. The Cuban-born Logan is „a bilingual sports and entertainment leader with a proven track record of generating long-term sponsor partnerships, television outreach and high fan attendance,” read the press release from USATF. Informs Race Results Weekly.
SAMUELS CLOCKS SOLID 10.09
TOLUCA (MEX, July 18): Last year World champs participant J-Mee Samuels of USA clocked an impressive 10.09 (+0.3) 100 m win during first day of NACAC U23 Championships in Mexico. Second Evander Wells of USA achieved 10.15 and third Roland Palacios of Honduras with national record 10.22. Jamaican national champs finalist Schillonie Calvert dominated the women race in 11.24 (+0.3). Three other interesting US wins to note from technical events. Jordan Scott went over 550 in Pole Vault, Chris Hill achieved 80.51 in javelin and Matt Turner 796 in Long Jump.
SPRINT DOUBLE FOR BUCKLAND
CAGLIARI (ITA, July 18): In connection with Italian Championships (multi-events started on Friday, the other program during the weekend) the international meet „Terra Sarda” was held. Mauritius record holder Stephane Buckland registered a sprint double (10.32, +1.2 and 20.80, +1.8). Kenyan Gilbert Kipchoge achieved solid 1:47.17 at 800 m. Fast British sprinters were Emma Ania winning the 100 m (11.29, -0.8) and Anyika Onuora the 200 m (23.22, +1.6) beating Ania (23.25) and US Natalie Knight (23.39) who is seeking Irish citizenship.
HOLM´S WARM-UP
KIL (SWE, July 18): Olympic champion Stefan Holm had a great warm-up before DN Galan on Friday with new track record of 230 in Kil and three attempts at 233. On Tuesday he will face World Champion Donald Thomas of Bahamas who struggled so far with shape, spikes and technique and former world leader Dusty Jonas of USA.
RUSSIAN TEAM
KAZAN (RUS): After first two days of Russian Championships Olympic selections were confirmed in finished events. In women events 100 m will have only one entry and 100 m Hurdles only two, other events the expected three athletes. In men events single entry for 100 m, 10 000 m, 400 m Hurdles, two athletes are selected in 110 m Hurdles and provisionally two in 800 m as the third Yuriy Koldin needs to achieve the A-standard.
So far selected athletes
Women
100 m: Yevgeniya Polyakova, 400 m: Yulia Gushchina, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Tatyana Firova, for relay added Yelena Migunova, Lyudmila Litvinova and Tatyana Veshkurova, 800 m: Yelena Soboleva, Tatyana Andrianova, Svetlana Klyuka, 10 000 m: Inga Abitova, Mariya Konovalova, Tatyana Aryasova, 100 mH: Yulia Kondakova, Tatyana Degtyareva, 400mH:
Yekaterina Bikert, Iirina Obedina, Anastasiya Ott, 3000mSC: Gulnara Samitova-Galkina, Tatyana Petrova, Yekaterina Volkova, PV: Svetlana Feofanova, Yulia Golubchikova, Yelena Isinbayeva, SP: Irina Khudoroshkina, Olga Ivanova, Anna Omarova.
Men
100 m: Andrey Yepishin, 400 m: Denis Alekseyev, Maksim Dyldin, for relay Anton Kokorin, Vladislav Frolov, Konstantin Svechkar, Ivan Buzolin, 800 m: Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Dmitriy Bogdanov, 10 000 m: Sergey Ivanova, 110mH: Yevgeniy Borisov, Igor Peremota, 400 mH: Aleksandr Derevyagin, 3000mSC: Ildar Minshin, Roman Usov, Pavel Potapovich, SP: Ivan Yushkov, Pavel Sofyin, Anton Lyuboslavskiy
SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM (WITHOUT PISTORIUS)
JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Athletics South Africa announced the final composition of Olympic team which consists of 25 athletes. Latest addition was the javelin thrower Justine Robbeson who was injured early in the season. For the 4×400 m selected were top 3 flat runners Ofentse Mogawane, Sibusiso Sishi, Pieter Smith and hurdlers LJ van Zyl, Alwyn Myburgh and Ter de Villiers. That means Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius was not included despite his great improvement to 46.25 in Luzern. On the paper he was the fourth best SA runner this year at 400 m.
The Team Men:
200 m: Thuso Mpuang, 800 m: Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Samson Ngoepe, 1500 m: Juan Van Deventer, 3000 m SC: Ruben Ramolefi, 400mH: Pieter de Villiers, LJ Van Zyl, Alwyn Myburgh, LJ: Khotso Mokoena, JT: Robert Oostuizen, marathon: Norman Dlomo, Hendrick Ramaala, 4×100 m: Mpuang, Corne du Plessis, Sergio Mullins, Hannes Dreyer, Leigh Julius, Kagisho Kumbane, 4×400 m: van Zyl, de Villiers, Myburgh, Ofentse Mogawane, Sibusiso Sishi, Pieter Smith Women 200 m: Isabel Le Roux, 400 m: Tsholofelo Thipe, 1500 m: Rene Kalmer, DT: Elizna Naude, JT: Justine Robbeson
