byLarry EderDuncan Kibet and Haile Gebrselassie will duke it out on the real, Berlin course this coming September. In October, Sammy Wanjiru will race at Bank of America, Chicago, the fall marathon season is on! ….
Haile Gebrselassie, courtesy of adidas communications.
EME NEWS (JULY 21, 2009)
ROBLES WITH THREE MORE MEETS
LONDON (GBR): Cuban world record holder and olympic winner Dayron Robles still has three meetings before the World Championships. He is unbeaten so far in the summer and has the world leading 13.04 from Ostrava Golden Spike. He is going to run in London, Monte Carlo in Stockholm, three biggest meetings remaining to Berlin.
GULIYEV THE HEAD-LINER
NOVI SAD (SRB): The sprints will be expected with big anticipation at European Junior Championships which will begin on Thursday in Novi Sad, Serbia. That is because Ramil Guliyev of Azerbaijan will be competing,. He clocked this season already 10.08 and European junior record 20.00 while winning the Universiade. But the French junior record holder who is also last year world junior champion Christophe Lemaitre will make it tough for him with German Robert Hering and always strong Britons. Another top events will be shot put and hammer throw where world junior records have been broken this summer by German David Storl and Spanish Javier Cienfuegos. Another Spanish talent Eusebio Caceres is ready to produce something special in long jump as he achieved already 800 cm and windy 817 at the Madrid Grand Prix. Despite all this names Russia is expected to be on top of medal rankings as they are sending 27 girls and 24 boys. Walker Tatyana Mineyeva who was last year world junior champion is the headliner. Cyprus pole vaulter Marianna Zahariadi attacked already this season the pole vault world junior record, British Ashlee Nelson is the 100 m favorite. Interesting the Azerbaijan squad with naturalised Ethiopians with according some sources with questionable birthdates.
WANJIRU IN CHICAGO DEBUT
CHICAGO (USA): Organizers of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon confirmed hat Beijing Olympic Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru would run their race on Sunday, Oct. 11. It will be Wanjiru‘s first-ever marathon in the United States, and the 22 year-old is hoping for a fast time on Chicago‘s famously flat and fast course. He will not compete at World Championships as it is known. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the second-largest marathon in the United States and helps raise about $10 million for charity. Last year‘s race had 33,033 starters and 31,401 finishers. Only the ING New York City Marathon is larger with 38,832 starters and 38,096 finishers last year. Writes Race Results Weekly.
HAILE AGAINST KIBET
BERLIN (GER): The two fastest marathoners of all-time, Ethiopia‘s Haile Gebrselassie and Kenya‘s Duncan Kibet, will face each other at September‘s real,– Berlin Marathon on September 20. Gebrselassie, twice an Olympic gold medalist at 10,000m, has won the last three editions of the marathon in Berlin, lowering his time with each effort and twice setting the world record. Kibet became history‘s second-fastest marathoner at Rotterdam last April when he prevailed in a thrilling sprint finish over compatriot James Kwambai. Both men were clocked in 2:04:27, the fastest marathon times of 2009.
OTHER NEWS
MOSCOW (RUS): Fresh European U23 Champions Yelena Kofanova (800 m) and Natalya Popkova (5000 and 10 000 m) are having chances to be selected for senior World Championships. Russian head-coach Valentin Maslakov was quoted as saying that if third placers at this weeks National Championships in Cheboksary will have similar results the youngsters will be named.
SARANSK (RUS): Olympic 20 km walk winner Valeriy Borchin is in good preparation for the World Championships. For All-sport he said: “I was selected as olympic gold medalist and was not forced to compete at national championships. I had two wins at IAAF Walking Challenge in China and Poland and gives me enough confidence before Berlin. My final preparation will be at home in Saransk. As I am already a gold winner from Beijing I m not too worried about World Championships. It is clear I want to better than in Osaka where due to hot weather I was unable to finish my race.â€
ANGERS (FRA): 2005 world champion Ladji Doucoure will not compete at this weeks French Championships due to injured right hamstring. His participation at World Championships in Berlin is so in doubt.
LONDON (GBR): Charles van Commenee head coach of UK Athletics may be wondering after Kelly Sotherton‘s withdrawal from next month‘s World Championships how many other potential medallists will follow in her footsteps with injury problems. Her injury came on the same day that Olympic 400 metres champion Chrissy Ohuruogu pulled out of the country‘s biggest meeting the London Grand Prix next weekend, prompting speculation she may also be missing in Berlin. Martyn Rooney an exceptional sixth in his Olympic 400m final who also picked up a much more serious hamstring injury in mid-May which wrecked his early season race schedule. Van Commenee already knows Mara Yamauchi second in this year‘s Flora London Marathon will not be in Berlin in chasing a medal because of a foot injury. Having selected Paula Radcliffe without her showing any form this year, the Dutchman will be hoping the world marathon record holder declares herself fit after a toe injury to compete. Radcliffe has been training at high altitude in Font Romeu for several months but there has been no indication from her coaching staff whether she will be in the line-up and attempt to regain the title she won in 2005. Writes David Martin.
BOCHUM-WATTENSCHEID (GER): To the high class field of the Athletics gala in Bochum-Wattenscheid on August 2nd have been added the names of double European champion Francis Obikwelu from Portugal. Apart from the 100m and 200m event he will also compete in the 4x100m relay. The German relay sprinters Tobias Unger, Stefan Schwab and Alexander Kosenkow will have a hard time to win against the relays of Portugal, Brasil, the Czech Republic and Nigeria. The women‘s relays are also of good quality with the teams of Germany, USA, the Czech Republic, Brasil and Nigeria.
ZEULENRODA (GER): The Zeulenroda meeting on Sunday July 26th will have six World championships participants amongst them discus thrower Franka Dietzsch (SB 62,50m) facing German champion Nadine Mueller (SB 63,46m) and Australian Dani Samuels (SB 62,69m). Testing their shape before the Berlin championships are tripe jumper Katja Demut (SB 14,20m) competing against Petja Dacheva from Bulgaria (SB 14,18m), 400m hurdler Thomas Goller (SB 49,20s) facing his compatriot Christian Duma, 1.500m runner Stefan Eberhardt and hurdler Alexander John.
AUCKLAND (NZL): Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis from New Zealand had to abandon his plans for the World championships. The 1.500m runner was not able to recuperate in time from a hip surgery. He now wants to concentrate on defending his Commonwealth title next year in New Delhi, India.
LONDON (GBR): Usain Bolt greeted suggestions that he is “running scared†of Tyson Gay ahead of the World Championships with a bemused laugh, iaaf.org informs. Bolt, who’s based in west London for the summer, prepares for the 100m at Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Friday , where Gay will go in the 200m on Saturday. The 22-year-old triple Olympic sprint champion claimed he is still only at 85 per cent of his best. “Rivalries are always good and I always look forward to competing against Tyson. It excites me to know there’s someone out there who is going to challenge me. It’s good for the sport,†Bolt said. “I’m not in the best shape of my life but I’m still in good shape,†said Bolt. “I’ve got more work to do, especially on the first part of my 100 and definitely on the 200.†“The Worlds are very important to me. They are the biggest championships other than the Olympics. I know it’s going to be hard because Tyson will be defending his titles. But it will be interesting,†he added.
KINGSTON (JAM): World 100m Champion Veronica Campbell Brown has responded well to treatments and is ready to double at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. „The plan for the double has not been affected by her recent setback,“ Claude Bryan, Campbell-Brown’s agent said per media reports.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): 2008 Olympic gold medalist Steven Hooker will face five jumpers with personal bests of 5.80 or higher at DN Galan on the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Friday July 31. Even though, he plans for the stadium record and a diamond for the victory. “I believe if the conditions are good Rodion Gataullin´s 20 year old Stadium record, (5.95) is achieveable,†the Australian added.
LONDON (UK): Rachel Christie, 20, a niece of former Olympic sprint champ Linford Christie was last night crowned the first black Miss England. Rachel is set to represent Britain in heptathlon at the 2012 Olympics. The queen from Kensington told to organizers: „My ambition in life is to win gold in the 2012 Olympics.†British media are informing.
AZUSA (USA): Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay chats to spikesmag.com about his total respect for his great rival and friend – the world record holder Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic. “The person I admire most in athletics is Roman Sebrle. I respect him so much, we’ve got a great friendship and we share so much in common,†he stated. “Roman tries to live a life that is a good example for his kids and for other kids. He understands the idea that he is a role model. He takes that very seriously. I appreciate that and it is something I like to do myself.,“ Clay added. “Basically, you can’t ask to compete against a better athlete.â€
RESULTS
GENT (BEL, July 21): At Flanders Cup meeting US Maggie Vessey improved her PB to 2:00.04 but is still missing the necessary A-standard, second Jamaican record holder Kenia Sinclair (2:01.10). US Chris Lawson achieved 10.34 (-0.4) at 100 m beating Jamaican Chris Williams (10.38) who was fast in heats (10.34, +1.3) and won the 200 m (20.66, +0.2). More PB´s for US milers are Russell Brown achieved 3:37.32 and Will Leer 3:37.37 at 1500 metres. Excellent life-time best for South African Molefe Molefe with 7:53.27 at 3000 m.
CUXHAVEN (GER, July 21): At the shot put event the evening before the Cuxhaven athletics meeting ‚Weltklasse hinterm Deich‘ German shot putter Ralf Bartels achieved excellent season best 21.11 which is number six in the world ranking (and second in Europe). Peter Sack came second with 20.46. Nadine Kleinert was the dominant athlete in the women‘s competition with 19.62 before Denise Hinrichs (18,69).
JOCKGRIM (GER, July 21): At Pole Vault meet NCAA record holder, Chelsea Johnson broke the meeting record today with a first attempt clearance of 456. Second Becky Holliday (446) ahead of Swiss record holder Nikole Buchler. Also in men category a US win for Derek Miles (572) beating Danny Ecker, Jeremy Scott and Tim Lobinger (all 560).
TAMPERE (FIN, July 21): Second day of athletics at 10th European Youth Olympic Festival saw Spanish world youth medalist at 200 m Alberto Gavalda winning the 100 m in 10.77 (-0.2). Austrian Lukas Weisshaidinger dominated the 1.5 kg discus with 60.94 m. Briton Jennifer Batten got the girls 100 m gold in 11.73 (-0.2). Very solid 9:17.90 at 3000 m by Serbian Amela Terzic. World Youth Champion Italian Alessia Trost won again and with the same result as in Bressanone (185) the high jump ahead of Russian Mariya Kuchina (also 185).
ABASHIRI (JPN, July 20): At Hokuren distance challenge Ethiopian Yacob Jarso clocked good 8:17.12 at 3000 m steeple. Marathon runner Hiromi Ominami won mixed 10 000 m in 32:06.07.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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