by Larry Eder
Bryan Clay is out of the decathlon with a hamstring injury in his left leg, meaning that the 2008 Olympic champion will not be in Berlin. Andrew Wheating did not start his 800 meter heat this evening either…..
CLAY OUT OF DECATHLON
EUGENE (USA, June 25): Just over an hour before the first day’s action was scheduled to start at the US Championships, Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay withdrew from competition due to a strained right hamstring. Clay had arrived in Eugene on Tuesday, and went to Hayward Field for a light training session after a five-hour automobile ride from Seattle. While jogging on the long jump runway, Clay sensed some pain. “I felt two little pops in my left hamstring. I wasn’t right at the start of training. It was on about my fourth sprint,†he explained. The severity of the injury was not immediately apparent to Clay. “I didn’t feel bad at first. But then I got back on the runway and felt tight.†Eventually, Clay’s team would enlist a hyperbaric (decompression) chamber, accupunture, and further massage in attempt to salvage this week’s competition. “Time was not on my side with this injury,†Clay admitted. “If this had happened a week ago, I could probably hobble through the two days and make the team, after which I would have six weeks to recover. I came here with the feeling I was in mid-8600 shape,†he continued. “I was quite surprised how quickly I recovered from the rigours of the Beijing Olympics. My coaches and I will try to figure out the rest of the season,†he said with a air of resignation. “My ultimate goals in the coming years are to get the world record indoors, as well as the world record outdoors. And I’d like to be the only American to win medals at three Olympic Games [after silver in Athens and gold in Beijing],†said Clay as Ed Gordon reports. After three events the leader Trey Hardee has 2657 points (10.43 +3.6, 741, 14.38).
KANTER WORLD LEADING 71.64 IN DISCUS
KOHILA (EST, June 25): World and olympic discus winner Gerd Kanter is continuing his unbeaten streak with 19 finals since July last year. At third leg of Estonian series BIGBANK Kuldliiga his best mark from fourth round was a world leading 71.64 metres. It is also fourth best mark of his career. Another 70+ throw in last round 70.92 (full series: f-69.93-f-71.64-68.03-70.92). European indoor champion Mikk Pahapill improved his discus best to 49.51 as fifth here. Solid marks by Estonian women. Anna Iljustsenko went over 190 in high jump, Sirka-Liisa Kivine leaped to 658 (+0.2) in long jump and Lembi Vaher improved the national pole vault record to 409 cm. Fourth round of the series will be held on July 26 in Kose.
KAKI GOES SUB 3:40
SOLLENTUNA (SWE, June 25): Sudanese runners dominated the European Athletics Classic meeting in Stockholm´s suburb Sollentuna. It was also part of Swedish Folksam Grand Prix series. Olympic medalist Ahmed Ismail won the 800 m in 1:46.65 and world junior record holder and world leader Abubaker Kaki went one distance higher and clocked second career sub 3:40 with 3:39.89. African champion Ali Nagmeldin won the 400 m with solid 46.24. Russian Beijing bronze winner Yaroslav Rybakov ruled in the high jump as he cleared 230 in third and won. Home hero Linus Thornblad was able to manage 222 for second this time. But Alhaji Jeng made the fans happy with 555 pole vault first place. Briton Greg Rutherford was the best in long jump (798, -0.4) and Egyptian Omar El Ghazaly came close to his national record (66.58) with second best of the career 66.34. Fastest Dutch sprinter Patrik Van Luijk won the 100 m (10.44, +0.6). Rare defeat by home hurdler for Robert Kronberg at 110 m hurdles (13.81, -0.3) as Philip Nosmy was faster by 0.01 (13.80). Finland´s Jussi Heikkila won the 400 m hurdles (50.07) and Australian Kaila McKnight improved her life-time best to 4:10.01 to win the 1500 m. Personal bests also for top two in women´s 800 m. Morrocan Malika Akkaoui clocked 2:02.18 and Sudan´s U17 athlete Alwya Maki improved to 2:03.66 as second.
KIPCHOGE WORLD LEADING 12:56.46 AT 5000 m
MILANO (ITA, June 25): 10th Notturna di Milano International meeting was highlighted by new world leading 5000 m of olympic medalist and former world champion Eliud Kipchoge who achieved 12:56.46. Great debut at the distance for world indoor champion Derese Mekonnen with 13:07.75 as second. Interesting PB for best European in the race home Daniele Meucci who as 7th got 13:26.09. Another eagerly awaited event was the men´s 400 m won by Irish David Gillick (45.51) ahead of Briton Tim Benjamin (45.54) with Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius very solid 6th in 47.24 (his PB from last year is 46.25). Former world record holder Svetlana Feofanova cleared 461 to win the pole vault ahead of European indoor champion Yulia Golubchikova (451). Home star Elisa Cusma beat a decent field at 800 m with 1:59.53 as olympic medalist Hasna Benhassi of Morroco was second (2:00.17), former world champion Zulia Calatayud of Cuba third (2:00.70), world leader Yulia Krevsun of Ukraine fourth (2:01.11) and olympic 1500 m medalist Iryna Lischinska sixth (2:01.40, her fastest since 2006). 2001 World Champion Amy Mbacke Thiam won the 400 m in 50.86 what is her fastest since September 2007. Italian record holder Libania Grenot was second (51.22). Two good Cuban wins as Yeimer Lopez achieved 1:45.27 at 800 m and Alexis Copello in triple jump (17.12, -3.9). Russian Aleksandr Shustov cleared 228 to win the high jump and Romanian Anca Heltne improved her outdoor best to 18.94 and was the best in shot put. British Craig Pickering posted 10.32 at 100 m against -1.7 wind and Israel´s Irina Lenskiy won the 100 m hurdles (13.01, +0.9). 2004 Olympic winner Ivano Brugnetti improved his PB at 5000 m outdoor track walk to 18.38.45 what is also world´s fastest of the year. Beijing 50k medalist Alex Schwazer was second but clearly with 19:51.68.
YEGO AND RUDISHA NO PROBLEMS
NAIROBI (KEN, June 25): Kenyan Championships started with heats, but in the steeple chase the first round was cancelled due to problems with water-barrier (Kemboi, P. Koech and Mateelong are entered). Pamela Jelimo is entered at 400 m and Janeth Jepkosgei watched the action from the stands. In men´s 800 m heats world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego (1:48.75) and David Rudisha got their heats (1:48.7). The third heat winner was Jackson Kivuna (1:48.7). In women´s 1500 m olympic winner Nancy Lagat is not competing and long distance specialist Vivian Cheruiyot won her heat in 4:17.4. In 5000 m heats Joseph Ebuya won his race in 13:49.6 and police runner Joseph Kitur toppped the other one (13:40.7). The absence of African champion Haron Keitany and Olympic silver medallist Asbel Kiprop allowed Gideon Gathimba (3:45.4) to lead the qualifiers in men´s 1500 m heats.
OTHER NEWS
PARIS (FRA): French world leader Renaud Lavillenie will meet for first time this summer Australian olympic winner Steven Hooker in Lausanne on July 7. „He‘s the man to beat after what he achieved during the indoor season and in Beijing. It will be the first chance I‘ve had to see where I stand alongside him, to take the temperature. I feel a bit like a sprinter who is trying to beat Usain Bolt. There are huge expectations of this duel because, let‘s be honest, Pole Vault standards have not improved since Sergey Bubka retired,“ added Lavillenie. After his 601 from Leiria he still should compete in Nancy on Friday and in Sotteville on July 5.
SEATTLE (USA): Track and Field News website reports, that world champion Paul Tergat pulled out of this weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon. Kenya‘s former marathon world record holder suffered a recurrence of the injury which forced him to pull out of last month‘s 25km race in Berlin.
LAUSANNE (SUI): More top names for Athletissima Super Grand Prix meeting on July 7 are 800 m world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya and popular Russian jumper Tatyana Lebedeva for triple jump. She is the meeting record holder here, but did not compete yet this year.
PARIS (FRA): Sports dedicated TV channell Eurosport plans apart of World Championships in Berlin and World Youth Championships in Bressanone broadcast also the Super Grand Prix Herculis in Monte Carlo, Grand Prix meetings in Athens, Shanghai and Zagreb. From European Athletics Premium series it will be Luzern from Switzerland. Also Golden League meetings will be shown, but only on German feed.
BUDAPEST (HUN): The all-athletics.com website which is devoted mainly to rankings in latest changes says that French Renaud Lavillenie moved from sixth to third in his event, Estonian discus thrower Gerd Kanter is now current best European male athlete overall. Jamaican sprinter Kerron Stewart is number one in both 100 m and 200 m. In countries rankings Brazil improved from 15 to 10 in men overall ranking and from 13 to 9 in women overall ranking. Estonia became the number one country in the men discus rankings. The Super League European Team Championships in Leiria is now the best multi-day competition of the 2009 in the competition rankings. In one day meetings rankings the leader since May is the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Swedish Federation website made an analysis of last weekend European Team Championships. The analysis looked at two things for the field events (excluding the vertical jumps) to study the effect of the new ETCH rules (only two attempts for 6 of 12, three attempts for 2 of 12 and four attempts for 4 of 12). The conclusions were: 1) Of the 144 competitors in these 12 events only 15 managed to match or surpass their season best, that means almost 90 % failed to do that, 2) In four events M TJ and JT, W LJ and DT not one of the 12 athletes set a new season best. The maximum was three (just 25 %) in W TJ. 3) The drop (between SB and ETCH result) for the different events varied between 2.2 and 11.9 % and the average was 5.0 %, 4) A 5.0 % drop is massive, it means e.g. 30-40 cm in LJ, about 1 m in SP and 3-4 m in JT. As for the „Final four“ concept there was one single change in position in the last round (Ziolkowski in M HT). Otherwise – in the other 11 events – nothing of significance happened. It should also be noted that in only 2 of the 12 events both the top-2 teams (GER and RUS) were represented in the „Final four“, i.e. their team battle was in 10 out of 12 events already decided before the „Final four“.
The third round brought only ONE single change in the top-4 for men (Zalský in SP) and only three for women (Dobija LJ, Trybanska TJ and Bani JT).
HOF (GER): The 14th edition of the International pole vault meeting in Hof on June 27th will have German Danny Ecker and Anna Rogowska from Poland as top stars. Both have won before in Hof. Other top athletes are Bjoern Otto and Kristina Gadschiew.
US CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS
Old timer Allen Johnson is entered for 110 m hurdles. The 38 years old former olympic and world winner did not finish a race since May 2008.
One of the top US female distance runners Lauren Fleshman is out of the meet. „ I‘m disappointed not to be competing, as I was hoping to kick off my comeback here at the USA championships. The good news is, I feel confident that my foot is fully healed from the injury that ends so many careers,†she was quoted at Larry Eder´s blog.
Sanya Richards is also entered in 200 m race. The heats are on the programme one hour before Saturday´s 400 m final.
Xavier Carter is entered in heats of both 200 m and 400 m.
Tyson Gay is still entered in the 200 m race, he got lane 6 in heat two.
RESULTS
TORINO (ITA, June 24): Christian Obrist and Agnes Tschurtschenthaler won the 3rd edition of the ‚Miglio di Torino‘. They clocked 4:13 and 4:49.
CACERES (ESP, June 24): Triple jump world champion Yargelis Savigne leaped to solid 674 (0.0) long jump at the international meeting here.
WROCLAW (POL, June 24): Poland´s 800 m olympian Anna Rostkowska clocked in solo effort good 2:01.97 at 800 m during 9th Edward Listos Memorial meet.
DONETSK (UKR, June 23-25): At Ukrainian junior champion new national record with junior hammer (6 kg) by Andriy Martynyuk (80.67 m). World record holder Mykyta Nesterenko achieved with junior discus 63.07 m. Oksana Okuneva cleared 188 to win the high jump, only in some days 16 years old Gana Shelekh went over 420 in pole vault and one year older Olga Lyakhova (17) posted 2:03.30 at 800 m.
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