by Larry EderWell, Greetings from Paris. Actually, I am in Bercy at the Palais Omnispors de Paris-Bercy! My ten hours of flying went well, watched the King Speech (fine movie, moving performances by Colin Firth and Goeffrey Rush), edited a few articles, then some sleep. The three hours from Charles de Gaulle to Bercy were a rush, but still traffic outside of Paris is, well, LA with smaller cars and French accents. God, I love Paris! Perhaps, some union will strike and my stay will be complete!
So, here is the news so far today:
Galen Rupp, 2010 Rbk Boston 5,000m, photo by PhotoRun.net
Now, Galen will run his longest race on March 20: the NYC Half marathon. Remember that the only other road race that Galen has run of note is the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turket Trot 5k, in 13:39, where he took second to Alan Webb! RBR wonders if Mr. Rupp and Mr. Salazar are considering a marathon bid for 2012? The U.S. men’s marathon trials are but ten months away and the race, at least in this observer’s mind, is wide, wide open.
Christophe LeMaitre, 2010 European Championships, Barcelona, photo by PhotoRun.net
Oh, and in the who will run USA Track & Field rumor mill, which changes every 30 minutes, here is the latest: Depending on who you believe, it seems that a) one candidate was offered the job and turned it down, or b) two candidates are being interviewed a second time this coming weekend, or c), both a and b. In any case, kudos to the board to keeping their mouths shut and making it so hard for RBR and friends to write a factual story. As one observant coach noted, ” Look, whoever we get, it will sure be better than before….”
BOLT FOR MONACO
MONTE CARLO (MON): Another competition of sprinting star
Usain Bolt is revealed. After Jamaican trials he will compete in Europe before
World Championships in Daegu, already earlier his participation in Paris on July
8 at 200 m
was announced and now his debut at Herculis of Monaco at 100 m. Organizers are writing
in a release that Bolt has accepted the personal invitation made by H.S.H.
Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of the Fédération Monégasque d’Athlétisme
which organizes the meeting Herculis, 10th stage of the Samsung Diamond League
on July 22. The 25th anniversary of the meeting will also take advantage of the
new track of the Louis II stadium which proved its exceptional speed during
last year’s edition. As the champion says: « I am really looking forward to
running for the first time in Monaco.
I have been there several times at the IAAF Gala but have never actually
competed there. Monaco is a
beautiful place and when Prince Albert
extended the invitation I could not say no. I like the warm weather and the
fast track and hope to perform well in the Herculis meeting for its 25th
anniversary.” In the period before Jamaican Trials his confirmed meetings are
most probably Kingston and for sure Rome (100
m) and Oslo
(200 m).
RUPP TO DEBUT IN HM
NEW YORK (USA):
Fresh US indoor 5000 m record holder Galen
Rupp announced that he will run his first half-marathon at the NYC Half in New York City on Sunday,
March 20. Rupp, with his coach of 11
years, Alberto Salazar, explained on a conference call hosted by the New York
Road Runners that they decided to take on America’s
richest half-marathon after the New Zealand
earthquake scuttled their plans to run a 10,000m in Christchurch. For Rupp, 24, this will be the
longest race of his career and his second road race (he finished second at the
Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 5-K last Thanksgiving in San Jose,
Calif., in 13:39 behind training partner Alan Webb). His 10,000m personal best of 27:10.74 is
similar to a 1:00:26 half-marathon, according to one reliable conversion
formula. Writes RRW.
LALLI THINKS ABOUT HM
ROMA (ITA) : European U23 10.000m champion Andrea Lalli will make his
debute in the half marathon. The Italian placed 7th at last year’s 10.000m race
at the European Championships. With the aim of competing in the marathon Lalli
is now moving up to the half marathon but hasn’t decided yet when and where.
His 10.000m personal best is 28:17.64.
BERCY NEWS
PARIS (FRA): Bernard Amsalem,
President of the French athletics association, announced the French team wants
to earn more medals than two years ago in Turin.
France’s best total medal
haul dates back to 1994 when the European championships were also held in Paris at the stadium in
Bercy.
PARIS (FRA): Teddy Tamgho explained at a press conference why he opted
to compete in the long jump this winter. When finishing a hard training session
in November as preparation for the 2011 season Tamgho challenged his coach Ivan
Pedroso for a duel in the long jump. Just for fun, but Tamgho did manage to
beat Pedroso.
PARIS (FRA): Favorite in the pole
vault Renaud Lavillenie reminded journalists of his poor performance at last
year’s world indoor championships where he didn’t qualify for the pole vault
final. Lavillenie has learned his lesson from the mistakes he has made and will
aggressively attack the qualifications of the pole vault.
PREVIEWS
BENICASSIM (ESP): The 80th
edition of the Spanish race walking championships on March 6th feature the
return of Paquillo Fernandez in the 20K. Fernandez is returning to action after
sitting out a one year suspension. Also in the race are Spanish champion Miguel
Angel Lopez and David Dominguez. In 50K five times Spanish champion Mikel
Odriozola takes on 2008 Spanish champion Alejandro Cambil, and Jose Ignacio
Diaz Jesus Angel Garcia, bronze medalist in the 2009 World championships, and
Ferran Collados are out with injuries. The women’s 20K triple Spanish champion
José Poves is facing the challenge of also triple Spanish champion Beatriz
Pascual, Spanish record holder Julia Takacs and five times Spanish champion
Maria Vasco. The Championships will be used as grounds for qualification in
this year’s major race walking events.
ALBUFEIRA (POR): Portuguese athletes are ready to take on the world at
the 34th Almond Blossom Cross (IAAF cross country permit) in Albufeira on March
6. In
the women’s race Anna Dulce Félix and Ana Dias take on Kenyan Eunice Jepkorir,
Irish Fionnuala Britton and Aniko Kalovics from Hungary. The men’s race features
Portuguese Eduardo Mbengani and Youssef El Kalai against Ken yan Kiprono Menjo
and Russians Yuri Abramov and Sergey Lukin.
CHIHUAHUA (MEX): The 2011 IAAF Race walking challenge
continues with its second leg in Chihuahua
on March 5th and will bring some of the world’s best to the Mexican city. There
are high expectation for Mexican top walkers Eder Sanchez, 2009 world 20K
champion and the 2009 race walking challenge winner, Christian Berdeja and Omar
Zepeda. Heavy challenge in the 20K however will come from Australians Jarred
Tallent and Luke Adams. In the men’s 50K local hero Horacia Nava, silver 2010
World Cup medalist, is the top name. In the women’s race Portuguese Ines
Henriques is the hot favorite, also in the race is 2009 world youth silver
medalist from Mexico Yanelli Caballero. Organisers will welcome over 126
athletes from over 20 nations in Chihuahua
and keep their aim to bid for the 2014 World Half Marathon Championships.
PUNTA UMBRIA
NEWS
TOKYO (JAP): Japan
announced 23 strong team for the IAAF World cross country championships. 5 men
and 6 women will defend the Japanese chances, while also 2 full junior teams
will toe the starting line in Spain.
Men: Hayakawa, Sato, Takabayashi, Tamura, Yoroizaka. Women: Igarashi, Kuwashiro,
Niiya, Omata, Shimizu,
Tanaka. Junior Men: Arimura, Hattori, Ichida, Kubota, Yagisawa, Yokote. Junior
Women: Kimura, Kosaki, Shibuya, Suga, Yokoe, Yoshida.
LISBON (POR): Portugal
is sending full teams to Spain
for the World cross country championships. On the junior teams every time only
1 athlete. European cross country champion Jessica Augusto is absent from the
team. Men: Youssef El Kalai, Marco Morgado, José Rocha, Nuno Costa, Manuel
Damião, LicÃnio Pimentel. Women: Sara Moreira, Ana Dias, Anália Rosa, Daniela
Cunha, ErcÃlia Machado, Salomé Rocha. Junior men : Rui Pinto. Junior women:
Susana Godinho.
PARIS (FRA): The French athletics association has selected 9 athletes
for the IAAF World Cross Country championships in Spain. Hassan Chadhi and Hassan
Hirt are selected for the men’s team. Christine Bardelle, Clemence Calvin and
Fatiha Klilech-Fauvel complete the women’s team. Full team: men: Hassan Chahdi,
Hassan Hirt. Women:Christine Berdelle, Clemence Calvin, Fathia Klilech-Fauvel.
Junior men: Djilali Bedrani, Romain Collenot-Spriet, Maxime Salmeron. Junior
women: Marion Guillemin.
NAIROBI (KEN): Five-time world cross country champion
Paul Tergat said Kenya’s
Leonard Komon should be recalled for this month’s world cross country
championship in Spain.
Komon, the world record holder in the 10km road race, was dropped from the team
for defying orders not to run in the World’s Best 10km in Puerto
Rico last Sunday. “The administration is being unfair to the young
man. Komon is the backbone of the team. They should give the man a chance to
prove himself at the training camp,” Tergat told reporters ahead of the
championships in Punta Umbria
on March 20.
