by Larry Eder
Kara Goucher announced earlier this week to our friends at TFN, that she will be running the Berlin World Championships at the marathon distance. As Kara’s first year in the marathon has garnered her thirds in the ING New York and BAA Boston, she has captured the interest of the American running media. (Watch for some interviews with Kara in Seventeen.com, Shape and many other non-running publications).
In her debut, Kara showed her toughness, fighting back from a bad patch to run a tough third place. In her second marathon, Kara ran a tough race, in the battle until the very end. Her last 800 meters were a lesson learnt only by running and racing marathons, and while she might have not been completely satisfied, the marathon is a a race where experience counts.
Alfons Juck reports that Kara Goucher is running both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the US Championships in late June in Eugene, Oregon, per agency reports. No word that her focus on the Berlin WC marathon…
Photo by Photorun.net
EME NEWS (MAY 9, 2009) UPDATE
LATEST RESULTS
LISSE (NED, May 9): European 800 m champion Bram Som in his return from injury clocked solid track record 2:19.26 at 1000 m during the Ter Specke Bokaal Meet. Arnaud Okken was second as he is also returning from injury in 2:20.27. Guus Hoogmoed achieved 33.48 at 300 m ahead of Jamaican Pete Coley (33.72). In the strongest 150 m race Patrick Van Luijk got 15.63 (+1.9) in close race with Belgian Kristof Beyens (also 15.63). But European Junior finalist 2007 Giovanni Codrington was faster in previous heat with 15.62 (+0.9). Hurdler Marcel Van der Westen who was injured indoors got windy 13.87 (+2.5). Robbert Jansen cleared 550 in Pole Vault. 21-years old German Sorina Nwachukwu won the 300 m in excellent 37.34 what was the best female result of the meeting.
FUENLABRADA (ESP, May 9): During first day of Spanish University Championships javelin thrower Mercedes Chilla achieved meet record and B-standard for Berlin 59.95 m.
ANDORF (AUT, May 9): Austrian 10 000 m track champions are Michael Schmid (29:27.53) and Renate Reingruber (36:57.85).
TREVISO (ITA, May 9): Italian sprinter Jacques Riparelli clocked 8.50 (+0.6) at 80 m. Last week Fabio Cerutti achieved Italian best 8.46 at the distance.
WINTERTHUR (SUI, May 8): Swiss record holder in javelin Stefan Muller started the season with excellent 81.07 m. But he still needs to qualify for Berlin, as the time period to achieve the standards starts in Switzerland next week.
TALLAHASSEE (USA, May 8): During first day of Seminole Twilight Zimbabwean Brian Chibudu improved to 805 (+1.9) in Long Jump. Olympic fourth placer Ngoni Makusha also of Zimbabwe returned after injury from indoor 60 m with 773 (+1.5) as third.
SEWARD (USA, May 8): At Concordia Twilight meet Natalie Willer again improved US junior pole vault record to 438 cm. Olympian Dusty Jonas cleared 224 in High Jump.
GRAND RAPIDS (USA, May 9): 2004 Olympian Dan Browne won his third U.S. 25 km title in rainy Grand Rapids. This marks the 16th year that the championships have been hosted by the Fifth Third River Bank Run, writes Track and Field News. Browne clocked 1:15:56, but the overall winner was Kenyan Isaac Kimaiyo (1:15:36). Sally Meyerhoff was the US champs winner in 1:27:28, but also here Kenyan Genoveva Kigen was faster (1:27:16) for the overall title. Due to local flooding, race officials were forced to use an alternate course that had significantly more hills than the traditional course, which had most of the top athletes talking about a more conservative approach to the early miles.
ELDORET (KEN, May 9): World CC Champion Florence Kiplagat won the 1500 m at Kenyan circuit meet in 4:22.8. She afterwards explained that her target for summer will be 10 000 m. “I’m happy to have won today’s race and I’m now taking 10,000 metres race as my priority for the World Championships in Berlin because the 5,000 metres will be so crowded and too competitive,†she was quoted. The men’s races were not short of upsets either as rookie Silas Kiplagat floored seasoned runners and pre-race favourites Joseph Ebuya, Sammy Kitwara and Nicholas Kemboi to win the 1500m final in 3:45.0. Writes IAAF. Silas Kosgei, running for the Administration Police team clocked 9:04.3 to win the competitive 3000 m steeplechase ahead of Hillary Yegon of Sikowet Club (9:07.1) and David Kilimo (9:07.4), who entered the race as an individual. Another Administration Police runner, Wilson Kiprop, took the 10,000m title in 29:24 with Peterson Wachira of Isiolo Club and Kenneth Mutai of Golazo Club following in second and third placed in 29:45.4 and 29:49.0 respectively.
DESENZANO (ITA, May 9): British Jessica Ennis is registering a great comeback to competitions at 22nd Multistars Meeting (part of IAAF Combined Events Challenge) with 4003 points after first day. She started with excellent 12.98 at 100 m Hurdles (+0.7, just 0.01 shy of her PB) followed by 13.19 in Shot Put, 190 in High Jump and 23.49 (-0.5) at 200 m. Ukrainian Hanna Melnychenko is second with 3716 points ahead of Uzbekistan’s Yuliya Tarasova (3631 points) and Yvonne Wisse from the Netherlands (3628 points). Czech Pavel Baar is surprise decathlon leader with 4033 points (10.91-709-13.54-195-49.04). The fight for first place is wide open with South African William Coertsen in second place with 4022 points, just 11 points behind Baar. One of the favourites, Jake Arnold of the USA and the 2007 NCAA champion, is in third with 4020 points. Stanislav Sajdok from Czech Republic and Daniel Awde from Great Britain round out the top five respectively with 4013 and 4001 points in what promises to be a very close and hard-fought competition during the second day of competition. Confirms IAAF.
ADDITION
OSAKA (JPN): 21,300 spectators saw the Japan Grand Prix at Nagai Stadium in around 25 degrees and 47 percent of humidity.
OTHER NEWS
HENGELO (NED): The announced duel of top two from Olympic Games in shot put at FBK Games on June 1 will be without home star Rutger Smith. As Atletiek Unie website informs, he still not ready to compete after his injury. Tomasz Majewski and Christian Cantwell will fight for top honours without him.
MADRID (ESP): Spanish media are informing about the supposed doping case of hurdles record holder Josephine Onyia. She was positive last September, but the Spanish Federation did not found her guilty. But IAAF appealed the decision and the case is now with CAS. The date for a hearing is not set yet. She was competing in September 2008 in Lausanne, Brussels, Paris and Stuttgart. It is not known where the positive test was carried. She even competed during the indoor season, but only in Spain. Then travelled to Torino to European Indoor Championships, but did not run saying she is sick, writes Marca. The Spanish Athletics Federation RFEA did not name officially the athlete who has a pending case at CAS.
YAOUNDE (CMR): Olympic triple jump winner Françoise Mbango is pressing charges against her cousin, sprinter Félicité Engomé for alleged theft of precious sporting gear. Engome is in jail, informs africathle twitter.
EUGENE (USA): Agencies are reporting that US runner Kara Goucher will compete at US Nationals at 5000 m and 10 000 m. But her aim for World Championships is to run the marathon where she is already qualified.
SAD NEWS
BRUSSELS (BEL): Former top 400 m runner Fons Brydenbach died at age of 54 due to cancer. He competed in two Olympic finals (fourth in 1976 and fifth in 1980) and was double European Indoor Champion (1974 and 1977), he also clocked world indoor record at 400 m 45.9 in 1974 in Sofia. His 45.04 400 m national record from 1976 lasted until 2003.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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