Liu Xiang with fans after his stunning Asian Games comeback, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Liu Xiang will be running indoors this season, and the fans in Dusseldorf will be one of the crowds getting that treat! Congrats to Jessica Ennis and Jenny Meadows on their wins in Glasgow. Congrats to David Oliver and Dan Huling, among other US winners. LoLo Jones did not have a good day in Glasgow, but she will round into shape soon.

Impressive runs at the U.S.A. half marathon championships and the Chevron Houston Marathon. Ryan Hall is running well, as is Mo Trafeh and Patrick Smythe. On the women’s
side, Jenn Rhines should consider the marathon if she is not for 2012, and Selena Burla
ran well, especially with her challenging year.

Moving up on the marathon food chain, Bekana Daba will be offered some nice paydays this spring and fall. Running 1:04:17 for the first half and 1:02:47 for the second, as well as running a pb of seven minutes and 36 seconds should wake up a few folks. Nic Arciniaga took his second pb in two tries and Stephanie Rothstein conquered dietary challenges to run a ten minute personal best with her third place in 2:29:35.

RBR has been at the last two Chevron Houston Marathon weekends. The team in Houston is well prepared to host both Olympic marathon Trials. The course will be challenging. I do have concerns, I must admit, about the u-turns on the course, however, it does make the race much more of a tactical affair.

More on this on Tuesday, as I am preparing for 20-25 inches of snow from Mr. Weatherman.

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell, Working on the Little Imperfections, (from the Archives, January 6, 2008)

Coffee With Larry, Doha DL opened the Diamond League, Kip Keino Classic (May 13), Night of 10,000m PBs (May 20), Rabat on May 28!

Coffee With Larry, One great event after another at Doha Diamond League, Josette Norris runs fast 5000m at TRACKFEST!

RUSANOVA
1:59.44 AT 800 M

BELGOROD (RUS, Jan 29): Russian Yulia
Rusanova (24 years) as first this winter clocked sub 2 minutes in the 800 m. At Belogoriye Cup her
time was new indoor personal best 1:59.44. Darya Pizhankova from Ukraine
achieved two new facility records at 60 m (7.40) and in the long jump (647).

UKHOV
VS. RYBAKOV VS. SILNOV VS. SHUSTOV

MOSCOW (RUS): SundayÂ´s Russian Winter IAAF
Indoor Permit will have as one of the highlights the menÂ´s high jump
competition. World indoor champion Ivan Ukhov who on Saturday cleared 238 and
attacked world indoor record 244 will face his main home rivals olympic winner
Andrey Silnov, world champion Yaroslav Rybakov and European Champion Aleksandr
Shustov. You cannot ask for more. Although it is more difficult to jump high at
normal meetings as at the special events with music, still top marks will be
under threat. It looks like this will be the only meeting except possibly of
Russian Championships where this four jumpers will meet together this winter.
Also in the field US
jumpers Jesse Williams and Jamie Nieto added by Cuban Victor Moya and Bahamian
Trevor Barry. In the women 60 m
European indoor title holder Yevgeniya Polyakova is scheduled to clash with US
Miki Barber, Briton Joyce Maduaka and Ruddy Zang-Milama of Gabon.

BAYER
RETURNS

STUTTGART
(GER): SaturdayÂ´s Sparkassen Cup in Stuttgart
(IAAF Indoor Permit) has excellent long jump start list. European indoor record
holder Sebastian Bayer will compete against world indoor champion Khotso
Mokoena, top French duo Kafetien Gomis and Salim Sdiri and Greek record holder
Luis Tsatoumas. In menÂ´s high jump US Dusty Jonas, young Russian Sergey Mudrov
and 2007 world champion Donald Thomas will be the main rivals for home star and
world medalist Raul Spank.

LIU IN DUSSELDORF

DUSSELDORF
(GER): One of the most popular sports personalities from China is returning to Europe.
Star hurdler Liu Xiang confirmed his participation at the 6th PSD Bank Meeting
in Dusseldorf
on February 11. He last time competed in Europe at World Indoor Championships 2008 in Valencia and last time in Germany during
indoor circuit in 2007. In
that year he won in Dusseldorf
with 7.53. It is not known whether he will run more meetings in Europe. In Dusseldorf
his main rival will be olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba and European list
leader 2010 Czech Petr Svoboda.

OTHER NEWS

ISTANBUL
(TUR): Isport.ua website informs that 20 years old sprinter Ramil
Guliyev of Azerbaijan is
changing the nationality. The European junior record holder at 200 m
(20.04 in 2009) and Berlin finalist wants to compete for Turkey. In 2010
he competed only very rarely.

BYDGOSZCZ
(POL): Indoor Pedros Cup meeting on February 16 in Bydgoszcz announced its stars. At this EA
Indoor Permit meeting three events will be staged (men pole vault was in
initial thinking). World champion Christian Cantwell should compete against
home star Tomasz Majewski in shot put added by German Ralf Bartels. In menÂ´s
high jump Russians Ivan Ukhov, Yaroslav Rybakov are mentioned with Cyprean
Kyriacos Ioannou and Czech Jaroslav Baba. But the strongest field will be
registered in womenÂ´s pole vault with last year world number one Fabiana Murer,
European winner Svetlana Feofanova and home stars Anna Rogowska with Monika Pyrek.

HUSTOPECE (CZE): Young Russian
high jump talent Mariya Kuchina was in Czech Republic
with her founder coach Gennadiy Gabrilyan. He explained about the success of
the fresh world indoor junior all time best holder: “She is from city of Prokhladniy which has
around 80 000 population. I know her since she was 6 years ald and we also in
preparation pay attention to versatility. She was running, jumping, everything.
We are from Republic Kabadino-Balkaskaya which is in North
Caucasus. The nearest biggest city is Nalchik.” Now she trains already in Volgograd in the group of
famous coach Gerkov. After jumping 197 and 194 in Moravian part of Czech Republic
she returned home and will concentrate on the National Junior Championships.
Then she will think about the possibilities to fight with the seniors for Paris tickets. In summer
her main attention is towards European junior championships in Estonia. Daegu
is not a theme for the moment.

NAIROBI
(KEN): On Saturday the last force championships in cross country in Kenya
will be held, the ones for police. Here also world champion in marathon Abel
Kirui is announced. In another action former double world marathon winner
Catherine Ndereba said that in case she will be fit enough, she wants to be in
Daegu for the world title race. “My first priority is to reclaim my Boston title and then go
for World Championships if selected. If I do well in Boston which is one of the races to be used
to select the team for Daegu, I have a chance of being the first Kenyan female
World Marathon Majors winner,” disclosed Salina Kosgei, another Kenyan top
female marathon runner for Daily Nation.

BRUSSELS (BEL) : European 400m champion Kevin
BorlÃ©e will not switch to the 800m before the London Olympic Games. Although
urged by his father to move up to the 800m, Kevin believes he can still
progress in the 400m and wants to achieve his full potential in the 400m before
taking on the 800m writes zita.be.

PARIS (FRA): Former world
silver 60m medalist FrÃ©dÃ©rique BanguÃ© is preparing a return to the track after
retiring seven years ago. BanguÃ© gave birth to her first child last year and
just recently decided to get back into training for the indoor season. BanguÃ©’s
PB stands at 7.11. A documentary will be filmed about her return, BanguÃ© hopes
the exposure will help her find a job in television writes Athle.com.

LONDON (GBR): The Nigerian
Olympic team have joined Britain and Japan in choosing Loughborough University
as its base for a pre-Games training camp before the 2012 Olympic Games in
London. Sani Ndanusa, the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC),
announced that they had chosen Sebastian Coe and Paula Radcliffe’s former
university as its base following a meeting in Abuja. Ndanusa himself also is a graduate of
Loughborough writes Insidethegames.

LONDON
(GBR): Charles van Commenee, Britain’s
head coach, was pleased with his team’s start to the indoor season after
Jessica Ennis and Jenny Meadows impressed in Glasgow on Saturday. “I think Jessica’s
performance, especially in the hurdles, was very good,” Van Commenee said.
“There’s definitely more to come because she made a poor start and did an
excellent time, so that’s pleasing.”

LAUSANNE
(SUI): European Athletics reports that France’s European 400m hurdles
record holder StÃ©phane Diagana has been moved out of intensive care after being
seriously injured in a road accident last week. Diagana is now in the
hospital’s ear, nose and throat unit and they said his condition was
‘favourable’.

VIENNA
(AUT): The biggest meet of the winter in Austria, the 6th Vienna Indoor
Classic is having record field on Tuesday. In total 722 athletes from 33
countries are entered for the competition in the Ferry Dusika Hall. One of the
highlights is women long jump with US Funmi Jimoh, solid fields also in the women
60 m
hurdles and in the 400 m,
800 m
and 1500 m
races. Austrian top athletes want to attack the standards for Paris.

BOSTON
(USA): Bershawn “Batman”
Jackson, world number one at 400m hurdles in 2010, won’t have any hurdles to
clear at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix but he will be flying around the
oval at the Reggie
Lewis Center
again this Saturday. He will compete in the 600 m. His best at the
distance is 1:18.65 from the same meet in 2006 when he was second. Leo Manzano
has also been added to the Men’s Mile field. Canadian Sheila Reid and Kenyan
Sam Chelanga, both 2010 NCAA Cross Country Champions, will race in the Women’s
Mile and Men’s 3000m, respectively.

RESULTS

GAINESVILLE
(USA,
Jan 30): Chris Lawson achieved here solid sprint double with 6.19 and 21.32 (55
m/200 m).

NEUBRANDENBURG (GER, Jan 30): Martina Strutz
cleared 445 in
pole vault at regional championships.

APELDOORN (NED, Jan 29): European silver
decathlon medalist Eelco Sintnicolaas improved this weekend on his high jump
best with a jump over 200. Also 205 was very realistic but Sintnicolaas
narrowly missed. In the hurdles he clocked 7.96, in the 60m he was good for a
solid 6.92. Sintnicolaas will compete this weekend at the European combined
events in Tallinn.

OLOMOUC (CZE, Jan 29): Solid 789 by Stepan
Wagner at local meet here, he missed the Czech Paris standard by only 1 cm.

ELDORET (KEN, Jan 30): Former
world CC medalist Abraham Chebii won the Discovery Kenya Half Marathon in
1:02:59. Vincent Kipruto was second (1:03:11).

VIANA DO CASTELO (POR, Jan 30):
World Championships 6th placer from Berlin Marisa Barros won the Manuela
Machado Half Marathon in 1:10:30. Kenyan Evans Taiget was the best male runner
in 1:03:21 ahead of Russian Oleg Kulkov (1:03:24).

NAGPUR
(IND, Jan
30): Kenyan John Kyui won the 3rd Nagpur Marathon in solid 2:15:21 ahead of
Ethiopian Afework Ayele Kibret 2:15:33. Jane Muia scored for Kenya half marathon win (1:13:14).

BELGRADE
(SRB, Jan 30): Talented Serbian world youth 2009 medalist Amela Terzic (17) won
the women 3 km
race at the 44th Beli Kros (White Cross) in Belgrade in freezing temperatures (mins 2
degrees) and on snow in 10:40. Second Ana Subotic clocked 11:02. MenÂ´s 8 km winner was Darko
Zivanovic (25:45). Around 600 athletes participated in all races at this EA
Permit competition.

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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