by Larry Eder
Vivian Cheruiyot, Berlin 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net.
Vivian Cheruiyot will be debuting at a world indoor champs in Doha, Qatar this coming weekend. Vivian ran a killer last 200 in the AVIVA Grand Prix in Birmingham on February 20, in the two mile, nearly catching She should prove to be a challenge for her Ethiopian challengers. Mbulaeni Mulaudz, who is the Berlin 800m champ, is focusing outdoors, and will not be in Doha. Mbulaeni’s brilliant run in Berlin was overshadowed by the intrigues around another South African middle distance runner (still have some frustration over that story, and how it was represented in US and European media.) Note that Russian Federation Valentin Balakhnivchev encouraged the Russian team to reap medals, to help make up for the frustrating showing of Team Russia in the recent Winter Olympics! RBR is off to Qatar, arriving there Thursday night, Chicago time.
DOHA NEWS
RUSSIA: Russian Federation President Valentin Balakhnichev (also IAAF Council member) urged members of Russian team for Doha to strive for best possible results and so make some ground after the not very successful Vancouver display of Russian sport. Balakhnichev also said for All-Sport that he will not bid for the open post of Russian Olympic Comittee president but is offering his concept of Russian Sport presented back in 2005.
KENYA: Kenyan team for Doha left on Tuesday confident of doing well at the global competition. Writes the Nation. Speaking after training at the Nyayo National Stadium on Monday, world champion Vivian Cheruiyot, who is making her debut at the global indoor championship, said she is ready to take on her challengers in Doha, especially the Ethiopians whom she anticipates to give her trouble. “They are good. But we have all prepared and are looking forward to do well in Qatar. I’m ready for the challenge from whoever that I will line up against,†she said.
SLOVENIA: Fastest Slovenian Matic Osovnikar will at the end of the day not travel to Doha because of injury. That is leaving only two representatives for the World Indoors, shot putter Miran Vodovnik and triple jumper Snezana Rodic.
SOUTH AFRICA: Reigning 800 m world champion from Berlin Mbulaeni Mulaudzi will not compete in Doha. He is focusing on the outdoor season. Mulaudzi competed at last three World Indoor Championships and won one gold and two silver medals. Leader of the team will be so the title defender in long jump Khotso Mokoena. Mokoena will be joined in Doha by in-form middle distance runners Juan van Deventer and Rene Kalmer – each of whom has set multiple national indoor records in 2010. Peter van der Westhuizen will line up as second South African runner in men´s 1500 m and long jumper Janice Josephs looks to repeat her performance in Valencia two years ago when she reached the final.
PREVIEWS: IAAF published previews of each event at its web-site.
GERMANY: German Team was flying on Tuesday to Doha.
TV: IAAF praised very satisfying media sales with new partner IEC in Sports in regard to World Indoor Championships in Doha. US UniversalSports.com will show live and recorded coverage. Czech TV will show all action live at its sports dedicated fourth channel.
CANADA: Despite being in the entry list Canadian high jumper Nicole Forrester will not jump in Doha. Her appeal was not successfull against the decision of Canadian Athletics Federation not to send her to Qatar. “ I‘m glad I tried, and I am glad I won at least the legal aspect of it, even if it didn‘t get me the results I wanted,†she said. .
LAUREUS AWARDS
ABU DHABI (UAE): Hollywood film star Kevin Spacey is to host the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, to be staged on Wednesday (March 10) in Abu Dhabi. The Laureus website informs. Hugely popular British film stars Hugh Grant and Clive Owen are also among the special guests at the Awards, along with American actors Kyle MacLachlan, star of Desperate Housewives, and Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Trudy Chacon in Avatar and was Ana Lucia Cortez in the TV series Lost. The 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during the period January 1 – December 31, 2009, are the premier honors on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time. Athletics has six nominations. In Sportsman of the year category Usain Bolt and Kenenisa Bekele, in sportswoman Shelly-Ann Fraser and Sanya Richards and in comeback of the year section Jessica Ennis with Blanka Vlasic. Among the attending legends following athletics names are listed: Sergey Bubka, Allyson Felix, Frankie Fredericks, Cathy Freeman, Kelly Holmes, Kip Keino, Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, Christine Ohuruogu, Sanya Richards (with Aaron Ross) and Daley Thompson. Also blade runner Oscar Pistorius should attend the gala evening. The names of the winners will be announced at a televised Awards Ceremony staged at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which will also celebrate the first ten years in the life of Laureus.
OTHER NEWS
BONN (GER): 10th Bonn Marathon on April 25 will not invite any elite runners for this years edition. The aim is to offer the possibility to compete for runners mainly from the region and also to win for the local competitors.
GLASGOW (GBR): UK Athletics has confirmed that Super8 will return this summer as the fixture selected to be the centerpiece of the re-opening of Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium on July 7. The unique competition format launched successfully last season to a sell out crowd at Cardiff’s International Stadium will again pitch eight cities head to head in a two hour schedule of quick-fire, spectator-friendly competition.
KINGSTON (JAM): Jazeel Murphy the Under-17 sprint double at last year’s staging in St. Lucia, was advised by his doctor against running at the trials. The athlete’s coach, Carl Page, confirmed that Murphy suffered “cramps at training on Monday and was advised by the doctor not to run.†Murphy, although still at the Under-17 level, is currently the island’s fastest junior, and could still defend his titles in Cayman Islands as he produced the relevant document – a doctor’s certificate, which is needed by the JAAA for an exemption. Writes TrackAlerts.com.
RESULTS
BUCURESTI (ROU, Mar 9): During first day of Winter Throwing championships Nicoleta Grasu achieved in discus 57.77, Monica Stoian 57.20 in javelin and Bianca Perie 66.68 in hammer.
BELGOROD (RUS, Mar 6): Aleksandr Kislov scored 5876 points to win Russian Combined Events indoor cup.
ALLSTON (USA, Mar 7): Jamaican Alodin Fothergill posted fast 46.45 to win IC4A indoor 400 m title.
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