by Larry Eder
EME NEWS (NOV 23, 2010)
Four Games records
GUANGZHOU (CHN, Nov 23): Four Games records were registered during third
day of athletics at Asian Games. Improving from 6th place four years
ago Saudi Arabian Mohamed Othman Shahween won the 1500 m in new event
best 3:36.49. Second Sadjad Moradi achieved new national record for Iran
3:37.09 and third olympic finalist Bilal Mansour Ali of Bahrain
3:38.39. Games record also for succesfull steeple title defender Tareq
Mubarak Taher from Bahrain 8:25.89. Qatari Kamal Ali Thamer was second
(8:26.27) and bronze for Saudi Arabian Ali Ahmed Al-Amri in 8:30.96.
World junior champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar won the high jump with
227 clearance. Silver for Japan´s Hiromi Takahashi 223. Best women
result was achieved in discus when Chinese olympic finalist Li Yanfeng
achieved new event best and fourth best mark of 2010 66.18. Title
defender Song Aimin was second (64.04) and Commonwealth gold medalist
Krishna Poonia from India third (61.94). Fourth Games record of the day
in women´s 20 km walk by World bronze medalist and title defender Liu
Hong in 1:30:06. Silver for Japanese record holder Masumi Fuchise
1:30:34 and bronze for second Chinese representative Li Yanfei
(1:32:34). Another Doha 2006 gold medalist winning also in Guangzhou was
reigning world champion Maryam Jamal from Bahrain at 1500 m in 4:08.22.
Surprise for silver, Vietnam´s Truong Thanh Hang achieved new national
record 4:09.58. Bronze for Bahraini Mimi Belete 4:10.42 ahead of best
home runner Su Qian (4:11.76). Big programme for Uzbekistan´s Yulia
Tarasova. She was third in long jump (648) and won the heptathlon with
5783 score. Surprise Korean win in long jump for national record holder
Jung Soon-Ok with 653 (smallest margin in this event in the history of
the games) ahead of favorite Olga Rypakova from Kazakhstan (650). In
relay heats Chinese men were fastest in 4×100 m with 39.03 (sensation –
Japan out), Saudi Arabian men in 4×400 m (3:06.25) and Thailand´s women
in 4×100 m (44.42).
College team a surprise winner
CHIBA (JPN, Nov 23): In a surprise result the annual Chiba Ekiden Relay
(mixed teams) in central-eastern Japan was surprisingly taken out by a
team of Japanese university all-stars in 2:07.52, the local outfit
followed across the line by distance running powerhouse Kenya in 2:08.06
and 2009 winner Japan in 2:08.12. Fourth place for Russia (2:09:35)
ahead of USA (2:10:54). From European teams Italy 8th (2:14:55), Romania
9th (2:15:02), Czech Republic 11th (2:15:23) and Norway 12th (2:17:01).
Yuichiro Ueno led after first 5 km stage for Japan seniors after 13:23
and 6 seconds ahead of Kenyan Vincent Yator (13:29, here Craig Mottram
5th fastest 13:49). Japan continued to lead after women 5 km at second
leg when Yuriko Kobayashi achieved 15:27. But then Kenyan Titus Mbishei
posted 28:57 at 10 km and his team was in lead. Back to lead in fourth
stage as Kasumi Nishihara achieved in women 5 km for Japan College 16:02
(and Kenyan only 16:54). Tsuyoshi Ugachi for Japan was the best in
fifth leg at 10 km (28:51) and was in lead together with Japan college
going into last stage. There Hanae Tanaka clocked 23:37 at 7.195 km
(third fastest) and enough to hold the lead ahead of fast closing Kenya
and Russia.
Martina is new European top sprinter
AMSTERDAM (NED): Europe has new top sprinter. Olympic and world finalist
at 100 m and 200 m Churandy Martina will have to compete for
the Netherlands as the IAAF no longer acknowledges the Netherlands
Antilles as a country. The only exception stays Aruba, but all other
Antilles Islands will have to send their athletes to the
Netherlands. Martina has always freely chosen to compete for Curaçao
even though he could have run for The Netherlands reports The
Volkskrant. Martina has excellent best times 9.93 at 100 m and 20.08
in the 200 m which will qualify him as medal favorite at any European
event indoor or outdoor. But he is not decided yet whether to compete
for example at European Indoor Championships in Paris. “It ‘s has been
for all of us a surprise and I need some time to think about this all.
Sprinting is my passion and my job, I will continue doing this,” he said
for EME NEWS.
Spotakova and Thorkildsen first stars
PRAGUE (CZE): The launch of jubilee 50th Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting
(IAAF World Challenge) started with the announcement that both current
best javelin throwers will compete there on May 31 next year. Not only
local hero and olympic winner and world record holder Barbora Spotakova
but also the men´s number one and double olympic winner, world champion
Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. For Spotakova this will be already 6th
Ostrava participation, but she won only once (2007) and wants to attack
again the top place. “After beeing second in 2010 in rain what was one
of my worst conditions to compete in my career I immediately decided I
must return for the jubilee and finally show something spectacular,”
said Spotakova who is now coached by meet director and best male javelin
thrower of the history Jan Zelezny. The multiple olympic and world
winner was delighted that Andreas Thorkildsen will return to Ostrava
after his only appearance here back in 2002 (fifth with 81.15): “I m
really looking forward to have Andreas in Ostrava. He is now the best
European athlete in all throws and have him is always very special. He
is able to throw far already at the beginning of the season.” The
Norwegian is also expecting great competition at Golden Spike. “Already
in 2002 the crowd was amazing, I saw the meet on TV in recent years and
it looked great. My goal for 2011 is not only try to win in Daegu and
the Diamond League but also to improve my personal best and throw over
90 meters as many times as possible,” said Thorkildsen. In Ostrava he
will face three strong opponents, all coached by Jan Zelezny. Both
Barcelona finalists Petr Frydrych (88.23) and Vitezslav Vesely (86.45)
with the best 20-years old thrower in the world Jakub Vadlejch (84.47).
More on that at www.zlatatretra.cz.
Howard skipping the indoor season
ATLANTA (USA): US high jump record holder Chaunte Howard will pass the
indoor season 2011 in order to be ready for summer and mainly World
Championships in Daegu. The 205 jumper from last season´s US
Championships in Des Moines ended the summer earlier than expected
because of an injury. She won also bronze in Doha at World Indoor
Championships. After Blanka Vlasic this is the second world class female
high jumper missing the next undercover season.
OTHER NEWS
TALLINN (EST): Discus thrower Gerd Kanter and long jumper Ksenija Balta
are the Estonian athletes of the year 2010. Coach of the year for male
athletes is Vesteinn Hafsteinsson who leads the career of Kanter. Best
coach of female athletes is Andrei Nazarov who leads Balta´s career.
European indoor heptathlon champion Mikk Pahapill and high jumper Anna
IljuÅ¡tÅ¡enko finished close second in the men’s and women’s category
respectively. Writes EA.
PORTLAND (USA): One of top US distance runners Kara Goucher will return
from maternity leave in January and compete in the half marathon of the
Arizona Marthon & ½ marathon on January 16th. Goucher gave birth to
son Colt on September 25th and returned to training in October.
Goucher’s half marathon best stands at 1:06.57 which she ran on the
downhill course of the 2007 Great North Half Marathon in England writes
azcetral.com.
LONDON (GBR): Hugh Robertson, the Minister for Sport and Olympics, has
suggested that Sergey Bubka is indulging in political showboating. Bubka
urged the London Organizing Committee to honour its promise of
delivering an athletics legacy from the 2012 Games by keeping the
athletics track inside the Olympic stadium. Bubka is referring to
Tottenham’s bid to take of the Olympic Stadium without guarantees for
the track. “We will deliver an athletics legacy from London 2012, and
the scope and shape of that will be apparent once the bidding process is
gone through” Robertson insisted on Insidethegames.biz. The writer of
insidethegames Tom Degun who spoke to Bubka in Monte Carlo commented on
this: “He looked me directly in the eyes during most of his words and I
could see him visibly shaking. He may be a brilliant politician who
makes you believe his every word but I assure you that he threw an
unusual amount of force behind his comments on Saturday afternoon. For
that reason, I must disagree with Hugh Robertson, who I know told
insidethegames that Bubka is playing politics. I understand that the
Sport and Olympics Minister may have seen his words as an attack on Coe
in the battle for IAAF Presidency – as many I have spoken to have
suggested. However, had Robertson been there in person, he may have felt
differently as I and my colleagues did.”
LONDON (GBR): Both the German and French Olympic Committees have
concluded deals for their hospitality bases during the London 2012
Olympic Games reports Insidethegames. The Museum of London Docklands
will host the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation) while the Old
Billingsgate will be home to the French Olympic Committee. Brazil
earlier this year announced they would base at the Somerset House and
will turn it into ‘Casa Brazil’.
LUDWIGSHAFEN (GER): European long jump champion German Christian Reif is
having no problem to defend his title in 2012 at European Championships
in Helsinki and compete also at the Olympic Games in London. “Helsinki
will be for me as a warm-up before London,” he confirmed for
Leichtathletik weekly issue.
INDIANAPOLIS (USA): Walker Trevor Barron has been named the 2010 Youth
Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field’s Youth Committee. Barron
will be honored on Saturday, December 4 at the Jesse Owens Awards and
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Virginia Beach Convention
Center. Five American junior records in one year have helped to make the
18 year-old the new face of race walking in the United States.
GUANGZHOU (CHN): Pat Butchers posts blogs from Asian Games at his www.globerunner.org.
RESULTS
KITA KYUSHU (JPN, Nov 23): Asahi Kasei won the men´s ekiden Kyushu Corporate at 78.8 km (7 stages) in final time of 3:53:33.
