byLarry EderWe will be following up tomorrow with a marathon appraisal and an essay on the major moments of the Olympics. Today was a travel day for many, and while I travel tomorrow, my final assessments of the Games will come in tomorrow.
EME NEWS (AUG 25, 2008)
BEIJING: Usain Bolt donated 50 000 USD to Sechuan Fund.
CROATIA: High Jump world leader Blanka Vlasic is planning to finish the season on a high note with four more competitions. She is still in the race jackpot race in AF Golden League. Except of remaining two legs of the series (Zurich and Brussels) she plans also to compete at home Grand Prix in Zagreb on Sep 9 and to finish the year at IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.
CORRECTION: Final points of Olympic Games, 3. Kenya 135, 5. Ethiopia 76
BEIJING: Netherland Antiles appealed to CAS concerning the disqualification of 200 m runner Churandy Martina who initially finished second (19.83 national record). The arguments are based on the fact that the protest of the US team came far after the set time frame for protests (30 minutes after officially announcing the results).
LAUSANNE: Excellent Pole Vault with all three this years six metres jumpers is planned for Athletissima on Sep 2. Olympic winner Steven Hooker will clash with silver holder Yevgeniy Lukyanenko of Russia and world champion Brad Walker who failed to qualify.
BRUSSELS: Fresh Olympic high jump winner Tia Hellebaut announced that she will not defend her title in 2012 in London. She is not planning to continue her career for four years.
BEIJING: On the final day of the Olympic Games Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia wins the ninth medal for Global Sports Communication. The medal is the last of nine big successes, of which six gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal. Besides the medals the Global-athletes set three Olympic records as well. Global Sports Communication led by Jos Hermens is traditionally seen as a company specialised in middle- and long-distance running. These Olympic Games they proved that intensive support also works with athletes on technical disciplines. Global Sports Communication is proud to achieve a better result than in Athens with a smaller group of athletes. Gold medals: Bekele, Kipruto, Saladino, Maggi, Mbango.
RUSSIA: Former Olympic winner Yelena Slesarenko said after the final that she was jumping injured. She said that two weeks before Olympic competition she injured her leg during a training session. She was even considering not to jump at the Olympics. But she still plans to compete at post Olympic meetings.
ZURICH: Weltklasse of Zurich confirmed more stars for this Friday meeting. Not only Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva, but also Kenenisa Bekele, Dayron Robles, Pamela Jelimo, Nancy Lagat, Dawn Harper, Tia Hellebaut, LaShawn Merritt, Rashid Ramzi, Angelo Taylor and Andreas Thorkildsen to name the fresh Olympic winners. The Letzigrund Stadium is sold out, special evening is coming.
NORWAY: Katja Nyberg, member of the Norwegian handball team with gold medal in Beijing has a PB in Javelin with 44.57-2001. Also 45.74 with the old model as a Finnish citizen in 1995, informs Borre Lilloe.
(sorry, you can see that I made it during my return from Shanghai airport)
Used with permission of Alfons Juck.
