by Larry Eder
Rudisha ran 45.50 and a 1:43.18 in the early Australian season. Guess what, he’s baaack! That’s right, David Rudisha will start his 2011 campaign in the land downunder, running in Oz in March!
Ryan Hall, 2010 BAA Boston Marathon, photo by PhotoRun.net
RUDISHA
FOR AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY (AUS): World best
athlete of the Year 2010 and 800
m world record holder David Rudisha will not compete
indoors this year but will open the season as last year in Australia. He will headline the
list of international challengers set to contest the 2011 Australian Athletics
Tour. “I hope that running in Melbourne and Sydney will again set me up for a
strong season and success at the world championships in Daegu,” he was quoted
by Athletics Australia. In 2010 Rudisha’s all-conquering run commenced with the
Kenyan star setting a new personal best time over 400m (45.50) at the Sydney
Track Classic in February and new Australian all-comers record of 1:43.15 over
800m at the Melbourne Track Classic the following month. This year he plans to
run on March 3 at IAAF World Challenge meeting in Melbourne
and on March 19 in
Sydney. The
distances are not yet confirmed.
BOLT
FOR OSLO
OSLO (NOR): Sprinting star Usain Bolt will
debut at famous Bislett Stadium this year on June 9. The Jamaican world record
holder confirmed his first European appearance of 2011. The 200 m at ExxonMobil Bislett
Games, fifth leg of Samsung Diamond League. “I am looking forward to compete
for the first time in front of the famous Bislett stadium crowd in Oslo. I hold three World
records but I hear this track has an incredible 69 World records on it so it
will be nice to run in such a famous stadium,” said Bolt in a press release
from the organisers. Bolt plans training competitions in winter in Jamaica and it is expected his real season will
start on May 7 at Jamaica Invitational in Kingston
(IAAF World Challenge). The meet record 19.82 by Frankie Fredericks from 1996 in Oslo is expected to go to the history. Bolt
also said on his twitter early this week: “Today is a new start to something
great believe.”
HALL
FOR HOUSTON
HOUSTON
(USA): Ryan Hall, who
shattered the U.S.
half-marathon record with a scintillating 59:43 here in 2007, headlines the
2011 USA Half Marathon Championships field. Scheduled to run along with the
2008 Olympian are both 2010 national runner-ups and three Olympians. The 13.1 mile national
championship hosted by Aramco Services Company will be held on Saturday,
January 29 one day prior to the 39th Chevron Houston Marathon. Organizers are
informing on its website. Hall, 28,
a five-time USA champion, will face a talented
men’s field including last year’s runner-up Patrick Smyth and third place
finisher Brent Vaughn, who ran their debut half-marathons here in 1:02:01 and
1:02:04, respectively. In addition, three-time Olympian and multi-national
champion Abdi Abdirahman and 2010 USA 15 km champion Mo Trafeh.
GEVAERT
SECOND CHILD
BRUSSELS (BEL): Former European sprint
champion Kim Gevaert gave birth to her second child on Saturday January 8th.
Son Romeo Mokonzi Santos is a younger brother for Gevaerts oldest son Vince.
Gevaert married her longtime boyfriend Djeke Mambo last year during a
weddingceremony in his native Congo
reports Belgian media.
CLARKE
WITH PUMA
KINGSTON (JAM): Commonwealth Games winner at 100 m Lerone Clarke has
joined Puma family. Informs his agent Kris Mychasiw. The deal with Puma that
will take him through the 2012 season. “Puma is a world class company with a
great line of products, I am very honored to be representing them for the next
two years.” Clarke said in an interview with trackalerts.com. He will open the
indoor season at Millrose Games in New York
and the move to Europe for top indoor
fixtures.
SHUSTOV
FOR MORAVIA
HJ TOUR
HUSTOPECE (CZE): The 7th Moravia
High Jump Tour is having new top name as favorite for the overall win. Reigning
European Champion Aleksandr Shustov signed for the series and as current world
leader with 232 is having the right to be considered as favorite. At both meets
of the series he will face serious rivals, but none of this jumpers will not
contest both legs of the series. US World Indoor finalist Jesse Williams will
meet with the Russian on January 26
in Trinec and World Indoor Champion and Diamond League
winner his team-mate Ivan Ukhov will jump only in Hustopece on January 29. But
other Russians Sergey Mudrov (230 recently) and Aleksey Dmitrik along with home
best jumper Jaroslav Baba could make life difficult for Shustov for the overall
title. In women field the main favorite for overall series win is Sweden´s Emma
Green, the only Barcelona
medalist who will jump this winter. Her main rival for overall win will be best
Czech Iva Strakova, Asian Games medalist Anna Ustinova of Kazakhstan.
Interesting to see also Youth Olympic Games winner Mariya Kuchina of Russia and
Jamaican record holder Sheree Francis in her European winter debut. In
Hustopece two more top jumpers will be included into the start list. Russian
Olympic winner 2004 Yelena Slesarenko coming back from injury and Barcelona fourth placer Svetlana Shkolina also from Russia.
OTHER NEWS
NEW YORK (USA): NYRR informs on
top of New York City will be more than 400 runners from around the world on
Tuesday, February 1, when they take part in the Empire State Building Run-Up
Powered by MMRF. Last year, Thomas Dold of Germany took home his fifth
consecutive title and will be back again in 2011 to go for a record-breaking
sixth. The women’s field is wide open as defending champion Melissa Moon of New Zealand
will not return. The Empire State Building Run-Up will take racers up 86
floors, 1,576 steps, and 1,050
feet from the lobby to the iconic 86th-floor observatory
during the 34th annual event. The men’s course record of 9:33 was set by Paul
Crake of Australia in 2003,
and the women’s course record of 11:23 was set by Andrea Mayr of Austria in
2006.
MADRID (ESP): Mountainbiker Alberto Leon,
one of the protagonists in the Spanish doping scandal Opéracion Galgo, has
committed suicide. Leon
was under investigation for distributing performance enhancing drugs for doctor
Eufemiano Fuentes. Earlier this month Leon’s
name appeared in the Spanish newspaper El Pais who stated that Manual Pascua
had suggested to Dutch athlete Adrienne Herzog to contact Leon to help her with blooddoping.
BERLIN (GER): Former European junior
champion at 100 m
Julian Reus will not compete during the indoor season. A small injury has
slowed him down so Reus
will put his focus on the outdoor season. Also hurdler Willi Matiszik will not
be able to compete indoors due to an injury. His aim for 2011 is to qualify for
the IAAF World Championships in Daegu writes leichtathletik.de.
LAUSANNE
(SUI): The European Athletics Young Leaders Community has launched a new tool
to call on young people from around Europe to step
up as a volunteer. The tool will allow volunteers to register hours and receive
recognition certificates for the work they donate to athletics, announced
European Athletics.
TENERIFE
(ESP): Swedish 100 m
hurdles record holder Susanna Kallur is passing the indoor season but is
optimistic for summer. She is on her way back from injury troubles and is
training well in Tenerife. “My sprint workouts
right now are at 90-95 percent, so I’m where I want to be,” said Kallur to
Dalademokraten. Her main goal is the World Championships in Daegu.
BERLIN (GER): German javelin thrower
Christian Nicolay (34) has ended his career after 15 years as a thrower.
Nicolay was German champion in 2005 and 2006 and managed a 6th place at the
2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris.
An injury had prevented Nicolay from competing in 2010 reports
leichtathletik.de. He is ending the career with 84.54 best from 2003. His last
big event participation was at European Championships 2006 in Goteborg (qualification).
NEW YORK
(USA): Two of the most
exciting young talents in U.S.
track and field will be among those providing star power at Madison Square
Garden for the 104th
Millrose Games. America’s
newest member of hurdling royalty, Queen Harrison, and multi-time national
distance champion Galen Rupp will compete in the women’s 60m hurdles and the
men’s 2 mile,
respectively. The 104th Millrose Games will be contested Friday, January 28,
2011 at Madison Square Garden.
The first event of USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, the Millrose
Games will be televised live from 8-10 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN2. Informs
USATF.
LONDON (GBR): European
Athletics informs that Great Britain’s 2010 European Athletics Championships
10000m silver medallist Chris Thompson is planning to attack the UK record over
25 laps of the track of 27:18.14, which has been held by Jon Brown since 1998, in California at the
famous Stanford track on April 30. Thompson recently did not run the Edinburgh
CC race due to injury.
RESULTS
MANCHESTER
(GBR, Jan 8): British Moncton World juniors bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale
vaulted over 428 cm,
her indoor PB at Manchester and is aiming at Paris qualifier of 440 in next weeks.
CLERMONT (USA, Jan 8):
Super javelin throwing veteran Roald Bradstock (back in 1981 European junior
silver winner) threw world age best for 48 of 71.83 m.
CARDIFF (GBR, Jan 9): 30-years old Katherine
Endacott clocked 7.42 at a open meet here. She is bound for bob-sleigh with the
aim to compete at 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
KINGSTON (JAM, Jan 8): At development meet on
a grass track 15-years old Christania Williams sprinted to hand-timed 11.3 at 100 m. Also 15 years old
Deshawn Jackson posted 10.4
in the boys category.
