KENYAN DOMINATION

CAPE TOWN (RSA, Mar 6): The African cross country
championships were held in Cape Town
in a hot weather of 26 degrees. The grass course fitted to Kenyan favorites as
they got all individual junior and senior medals and all team titles. In women 8 km Mercy Cherono won in
27:13 ahead of Viola Kibiwott 27:14 and Doris Changeiywo 27:22. John Mwangangi
was the best in men´s 12 km
in 33:31 over Stephen Kiprotich 33:34 and Henry Chirchir 33:35. Junior winners
Japhet Korir (27:03 at 8 km)
and Caroline Chepkoech (19:59, 6
km).

KIPSANG THE FASTEST IN MARCH

LAKE BIWA (JPN, Mar 6): Fastest marathon in March ever
was recorded on Sunday. Breaking away from Deriba Merga after 38Km, Wilson
Kipsang won the 66th annual Lake
Biwa marathon, the IAAF
Gold Label race, with 2:06:13. Although, it was not a 2:05 marathon he had
hoped for, it was the course record (previous record was 2:07:34) by more than
minute and 20 seconds, and also the fastest marathon in the month of March
(previous record was 2:06:49).  It was
also the third fastest time on Japanese soil behind 2:05:18 and 2:06:10 Tsegaye
Kebede recorded in Fukuoka Marathon. Kipsang’s move was decisive; he covered 38
to 39Km in incredible 2:48. Merga was second in 2:09:13 and Japanese Hiroyuki
Horibata third 2:09:25. Fourth Kentaro Nakamoto 2:09:31 ahead of Moses Kangogo
2:09:48.  With all the World
Championships qualifying races over, three runners have made the team
automatically.  They are Yukihiro
Kitaoka, who won a silver medal in the Asian Games, Yuki Kawauchi who ran
2:08:37 in Tokyo
and Horibata who ran 2:09:25 today.  Two
left over spots are likely to go to Yoshinori Oda, who ran 2:09:03 in Tokyo and Nakamoto who
ran 2:09:31 today.  With help of Ken
Nakamura.

MATEBO 2:07:31

BARCELONA (ESP, Mar 6): Kenyan Levi Matebo (21) won the Barcelona marathon in fast
2:07.31. He missed last years course record of Jackson Kotut by only one
second. Kenyans dominated in other places. Joseph Kimeli clocked 2:10:05 as
second and Josphat Yego 2:10:44 as third. Best European as 7th Toni Bernado of Andorra with
2:17:10. Women winner was Josephine Ambjornsson of Sweden with 2:45:31. In total 13
062 runners competed from 90 countries.

ARUSEI AND S. KIBET

PARIS (FRA, Mar 6):  Kenyan former
world half-marathon medalist Peninah Arusei ran the fastest-ever time for a
woman at the Semi-Marathon de Paris, prevailing in a two-up sprint against
compatriot Philes Ongori.  Arusei clocked
1:08:30, shattering Alina Tecuta’s 1997 course record of 1:09:37 by over a
minute.  She earned her entire two-second
margin over Ongori in just the last 200 meters in the Bois de Vincennes. Third
Ethiopian Aheza Kiros 1:09:10 and fourth Chinese Zhu Xiaolin 1:10:28. Kenyan
Stephen Kibet, the winner of the half-marathon in Lisbon last October in a personal best
1:00:09, pulled away from his rivals in the final kilometer, clocking
1:01:36.  Race favorite, Moses Mosop,
finished 11 seconds behind, and another Kenyan, Eric Ndiema, got third another
two seconds back. Besides recording a record 30,000 entrants for today’s race,
the organizers had something else to celebrate. 
World champion Abel Kirui was 8th (1:02:08). Frenchman Denis Mayaud, 24,
made a successful debut at the distance, clocking 1:03:36 in ninth place. Informs
Race Results Weekly.

MEXICANS RULED

CHIHUAHUA (MEX, Mar 5): Two wins for Mexican walkers at
IAAF Race Walking Challenge event. World medalist Eder Sanchez in dramatic
finish beat Colombian Luis Lopez with times 1:22:15 and 1:22:17. Third was
another Mexican David Meija 1:22:36. In the 50 km Mexicans prevailed
totally. Jose Leyver achieved world leading 3:52:33 (also PB) to win. Second
Horacio Nava 3:54:38 and third Edgar Hernandez 3:55:49. All three fulfilled
standards for Daegu. Portugal
walkers dominated in the women 20
km. Ines Henriques clocked 1:34:10 over Vera Santos
1:35:17 and veteran Susana Feitor 1:35:24.

BLAKE 20.37, SPENCER FAST 800 M

KINGSTON (JAM, Mar 5): Yohan Blake clocked fast 20.37
at 200 m
at the UWI Invitational Meet at the Usain Bolt Track. Second Kenroy Anderson
20.66 and third Edino Steele personal best 20.71. Earlier, in the boys Class 1
Jazeel Murphy ran 10.52 at 100
m. Hurdles world class runner Kaliese Spencer covered
the 800 m
in a life time best 2:03.02. Hurdles world champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton, who
was excited about running her first individual race, stopped after 200 metres because of
precautionary measures. Rosemarie White, out injured for almost a year,
returned to top the women’s 400m field in 52.16, beating Sherone Simpson
(52.90), Davita Prendagast (53.90) and World and Olympic champion at 100 m Shelly-Ann Fraser
(54.93). Fast sprinter Nesta Carter was fifth in the 400 m race in 48.92.

MENJO AND KALOVICS

ALBUFEIRA (POR, Mar 6): Kenyan last year track world leader Kiprono
Menjo won the IAAF CC Permit in Albufeira with 30:21 at 10 km. Home runners followed,
second Manuel Damiao 30:31 and Licinio Pimentel 30:38. Hungarian Aniko Kalovics
won the women 6 km
in 19:38 over Irish Fionnuala Britton 19:43 and best Portugal Ana Dias 20:07.
Fourth Analia Rosa 20:20 beating steeple world record holder Gulnara Samitova
of Russia
(20:29) who returned to competition after baby-break.

OTHER RESULTS

CATHERINE HALL (JAM, Mar 5): At Western Champs Delano Williams won the
boys’ c1 100 m
in 10.51, a new Turks and Caicos Islands
senior record. He attends Munro
College. Informs Track
Alerts.

NEW YORK (USA, Mar 5): New Zealand´s Lucy Van
Dalen clocked 4:32.95 at the mile during Columbia Last Chance meet.

LUBBOCK (USA,
Mar 5): Russian Anton Kokorin won the JUCO Indoor Championships with 46.78 at 400 m. Rondell Bartholomew of
Grenada
clocked 20.87 in
the 200 m.
Jamaican women wins for Jura Levy (6.81 at 55 m and 23.10 at 200 m) and Natoya Goule
1:26.90 at 600 m.

AMES (USA,
Mar 5): Virgin Island´s record holder Tabarie Henry posted 45.92 at Cyclone
National Qualifier at oversized track here in the 400 m. Second Bryan Miller
46.34 and third Jamaican Riker Hylton 46.44. In other race Demetrius Pinder of Bahamas 46.24.
Fast also Michael Prebel with 1:47.27 at 800 m.

SOUTH BEND (USA, Mar
5): US
record holder Molly Huddle clocked 8:57.30 during Alex Wilson Invitational at
the oversized track here. Solid men´s distances by Harun Abda (1:47.95, 800 m), Michael Hammond
(3:58.41, mile) and Cody Rome (7:55.12, 3000 m). Charles Cox impressed with 46.36 at 400 m.

BLACKSBURG (USA, Mar 5): Terrell Wilks was fast
at Virginia Tech qualifier 6.59
in the 60
m.

SEATTLE (USA, Mar 5): A.J. Acosta went sub 4
at Washington Final Qualifier in a mile 3:58.39. Brad Walker cleared 558 in the pole vault. In
women events Geena Gall got 2:02.56 in the 800 m and Canadian Angela
Whyte 8.12 at 60 m
Hurdles.

OTHER NEWS

RIO DE JANEIRO (BRA): Rio
has announced that the consortium of Embratel and Claro has become the second
multi-million dollar Tier One sponsor of the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics,
becoming the official telecommunications service partner.

PARIS (FRA): European Athletics Council will on Monday decide about the
place of European U23 Championships 2013. Two high quality candidates are Hengelo and Tampere.

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