Adam Nelson is one of my favorite athletes. I like the entire group of shot putters, and it is due to several reasons. The ones that I can articulate is that there is something honest about getting out there, putting a line in the dirt and throwing a sixteen pound ball and see who throws the farthest. Nelson is enthralling to watch because of his pre throw ritual-he uses what Mike Durkin, the 1,500 meter stud from the seventies used to call, "controlled aggression". When Adam is on, he is on, and with two silver Olympic medals, the guy knows how to peak.
Reese Hoffa was on the Jay Leno show last week and he did a nice job. The story of his early life is fascinating and his throwing, character and approach to the shot gives him a totally different approach to the shot than Nelson. Reese is very good at handling the pressure of a last throw.
Then you have Christian Cantwell. Cantwell is the giant. He is also the guy who broke his bad luck and made this Olympic team. The Olympic Trials is tough on the athlete no matter how much experience they have.
More on the throwers as we get closer to Beijing...
EME NEWS (JULY 21, 2008) UPDATE
Nelson wins
STOCKHOLM (SWE, Jul 21): 2005 world champion Adam Nelson won the inaugural Big Shot at Kungstradgarden in center of city as part of IAAF Grand Prix with final throw 20.75 m. World indoor champion Christian Cantwell was second with best in last round also (20.35). Jamaican record holder Dorian Scott was third (20.32). In women competition world leader Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus achieved new meet record 20.33 ahead of Cleopatra Borel-Brown of Trinidad (18.87) and German Nadine Kleinert (18.68).
OTHER NEWS AND RESULTS
TOYOTA (JPN, Jul 21): Olympic champion Koji Murofushi is having growing shape as Olympics are nearing. At local meet in Toyota he achieved in five attempts 80+ marks (80.77-80.88-81.87-f-80.71-80.87). The best 81.87 is third best mark of the current season.
STEENWIJK (NED, Jul 18): Apparently running alone, Peninah Arusei of Kenya ran a hand-timed 30:57.8 for 10,000m (all three timers had the same time). According to her manager, Gerard van de Veen, Arusei was trying to claim a spot on the Kenyan Olympic Team. She had finished second at the Trials in 32:19.3, but lacked the Olympic Games "A" qualifying standard of 31:45.00. Athletics Kenya chose Lucy Wangui Kabuu, the Trials winner, third place Grace Momanyi and sixth place Linet Masai for the team. Arusei hopes that she will be added to the team in light of this performance. Informs Race Results Weekly.
LUXEMBURG (LUX, Jul 19): French hammer thrower Jerome Bortoluzzi improved here to solid 77.33 m.
AVILA (ESP, Jul 20): Spanish long jumper Concepcion Montaner who is European indoor 2007 medalist improved her season best to good 689 (+0.5). Interesting shot put battle won by the Cuban Misleidys Gonzalez (19.30) beating another Cuban Maylin Vargas (18.89), world junior champion Natalia Duco of Chile (17.74) and reigning Olympic winner Yumileidi Cumba (17.73).
HAVANA (CUB, Jul 19): Excellent triple jump at another of local meeting series. Alexis Copello achieved 17.50 (+1.9) what is the second best mark of the year behind 17.58 of Briton Philips Idowu. Second Hector Fuentes also high quality 17.43 (+1.3). Andy Gonzalez achieved 1:46.3 at 800 m and national record holder Lazaro Borges went over 556 in Pole Vault and tried for new national record 573. Jerris Vizcaino clocked three fast hand times at 100 m with 9.9, 10.0 and 10.0. Virgen Benavides was similarly fast with 10.8 and 10.9 in women´s 100 m. Young Susana Clement (19) improved to 51.7 at 400 m. Yarianna Martinez achieved 14.28 (+0.8) in triple jump ahead of Mabel Gay (14.22, +0.3). In Estadio Panamericano in throws Carlos Veliz got 20.56 in shot put beating Reinaldo Proenza (20.30).
BOGOTA (COL, Jul 19-20): Good 100 m at South American Grand Prix meeting as Brazilian Emilio Demoraes clocked 10.27 (+0.9) beating home national record holder Daniel Grueso (10.28). Nery Brenes of Costarica achieved 45.82 at 400 m. In women events Johana Moreno improved the Colombian hammer record to 68.00 m. Catrina Ibarguen leaped to 654 (+1.5) in Long Jump and 20 years old Yomara Hinestroza improved to 11.34 (+1.2) at 100 m.
MONTE CARLO: IAAF confirmed the relay teams for Olympic Games. Since the deadline on July 16 only two qualified teams did not confirmed their participation. At 4x100 m men from Australia are not going and included is 17th squad in the rankings, the Netherlands. In women 4x100 m Cuba is not traveling so the spot goes to Thailand. In both 4x400 m relay all 16 qualified teams confirmed their participation in Beijing.
LJUBLJANA (SLO): IAAF will pursue the doping case of Slovenian distance runner Helena Javornik at the Court of Arbitration for sport, leaving the 42-year-old marathoner's Olympic appearance in doubt. Informs Bob Ramsak. Javornik, the national record holder in all events from the mile to the marathon, tested positive for EPO after the LCC Eisbarlauf Half-Marathon in Vienna in March, but she was cleared by the Slovenian Athletics Federation (AZS) June 19. The decision by the IAAF to appeal the federation's ruling means that Javornik will remain provisionally suspended until the case runs its course, which in all likelihood will keep her from competing in the marathon in Beijing.
OLYMPIC TEAMS
PORTUGAL: European champion Francis Obikwelu, world champion Nelson Evora and world indoor champion Naide Gomes are the top names in 26 names strong squad as informed by Arons Carvalho.
MEN (12): Francis Obikwelu (100, 200 m), Arnaldo Abrantes (200 m), Rui Pedro Silva (10000 m), Edivaldo Monteiro (400 h), Nelson Évora (TJ), Marco Fortes (SP), João Vieira (20 km W), Sérgio Vieira (20 km W), António Pereira (50 km W), Augusto Cardoso (50 km W), Paulo Gomes (marathon), Helder Ornelas (marathon)
WOMEN (14): Carmo Tavares (800 m), Jessica Augusto (3000 st, 5000 m), Sara Moreira (3000 st), Clarisse Cruz (3000 st), Sandra Tavares (PV), Naide Gomes (LJ), Vânia Silva (HT), Sílvia Cruz (JT), Susana Feitor (20 km W), Vera Santos (20 km W), Ana Cabecinha (20 km W), Inês Monteiro (marathon), Ana Dias (marathon), Marisa Barros (marathon)
LITHUANIA: The headliner is reigning olympic winner Virgilijus Alekna in discus. Lithuania sends 12 women and 6 men.
The team
Women: Lina Grinčikaitė (100 m), Eglė Balčiūnaitė (800 m), Živilė Balčiūnaitė (marathon), Rasa Drazdauskaitė (marathon), Rasa Troup (3000 m SC), Karina Vnukova (high jump), Zinaida Sendriūtė (discus), Indrė Jakubaitytė or Inga Stasiulionytė (javelin), Austra Skujytė (heptathlon), 10.Viktorija Žemaitytė (heptathlon), Sonata Milušauskaitė (20 km walk), Kristina Saltanovič (20 km walk)
Men: Vitalij Kozlov (800 m), Virgilijus Alekna (discus), 15.Marius Žiūkas (20 km walk), Donatas Škarnulis (50 km walk), Tadas Šuškevičius (50 km walk), Darius Škarnulis (50 km walk)
OBITUARY
FRANKFURT (GER): At age of 91 years died respected German statistician and ATFS member Fritz Steinmetz, informs Gustav Schwenk.
Used with permission of Alfons Juck, publisher of EME News.
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