SPRINTING WARS

BOSTON (USA): Usain Bolt vs. Tyson Gay
might not happen before Daegu World Championships. US record holder´s agent Mark
Wetmore said that for Reuters. Both sprinters have different schedules, Bolt
plans to start competing earlier than Gay who is not going out of the USA before the
national trials. Gay is also in more difficult situation with the need to
qualify for Worlds whereas Bolt has wild cards for both 100 m and 200 m as reigning world
champion and is not forced to run the nationals. For the moment Bolt has
scheduled races in Rome (100 m), Ostrava
(event tba), Oslo (200 m), Paris
(200 m)
and Monaco
(100 m).
He will most probably open at Jamaican Invitational on May 7. And there is one
more competition possibility in July-early August period in Europe
for Bolt. Gay will soon start with 4×400 m relays (Florida Relays and Texas
Relays) and first international race is announced for New York on June 11 at 100 m. It is expected he will
arrive in July to Europe to compete. But
nothing is officialy confirmed yet. Asafa Powell´s schedule is also not known
yet apart of his duel with Bolt in Rome
on May 26.

WEBB, CANTWELL, CHERRY

DES MOINES (USA):
US record holder Alan Webb is scheduled to run the mile at the 102nd Drake
Relays on April 30. His main rival should be Kenyan Boaz Lalang. Both have also
entered the Grand Blue Mile, held in downtown Des Moines, Tuesday, April 26. Also announced
to compete are shot put world champion Christian Cantwell and olympic finalist hurdler
Damu Cherry.

MERGA AGAINST TANUI AGAIN

ROMA (ITA): Huge Italian racing weekend on Sunday will see at the Alà
dei Sardi cross country race a star-studded competition with Punta Umbria World
Cross Contry champion Imane Merga who will take on second placer Paul Tanui and
Tariku Bekele, winner in Alà dei Sardi in 2008. The women’s race will be
highlighted by Berlin
world silver medallist Sylvia Kibet, former 5000 metres world
junior champion Sule Utura and reigning world 3000 metres world
junior champion Mercy Cherono. The Treviso Marathon will feature Marco Bona
(bronze medallist at the World Military Championships in Athens last year) and former European Junior
Cross Country bronze medallist in 2001 and husband of European Marathon bronze
medallist Anna Incerti. Incerti will line up at the Stramilano Half Marathon on
Sunday morning. The top runner from Bagheria is in very good form. She finished
fourth at the Osaka Marathon in January in her new PB of 2:27:33 and won the
Roma Ostia Half marathon in a new course record of 1:09:06. Incerti will face
Italian top runners Deborah Toniolo and Marcella Mancini. In the men’s
Stramilano race the top name will be Swiss European Marathon champion Viktor
Rothlin who will make a final test before the London Marathon. Rothlin will
take on Kenyan Matthew Kisorio, fourth in Punta Umbria last week, and Eric Ndiema, third at
the Paris Half Marathon in 61:49 but a sub-60 runner last year. Former European
Junior and Under 23 champion Andrea Lalli from Italy will make his debut over the
Half Marathon distance here. Also on the programme on Sunday is Ferrara
Marathon.

PLS IS PREGNANT

TORONTO (CAN): Canadian hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, the current top
ranked women at 100 m
hurdles in the world is celebrating for more than one reason, yes she is very
happy with her 2010 season punctuated by the inaugural Diamond League crown,
but the current news is much more exciting for her and husband Bronsen. “I’m
pregnant!,” The 28-year old from Whitby
said, as though she just won the lottery. “We have been keeping the news quiet
until we were ready to share with everyone, we are very proud to announce that
we are 3 months pregnant, it’s so nice to now be able to let the world know!”
That also explains why she was not competing indoors. With the baby set to
arrive in September, the powerful Nike hurdler will have ample time to resume
her preparations towards the podium in London.
Lopes-Schliep is more than accustomed to overcoming challenges. In 2007 she
returned to competition following surgery to remove a cyst on one of
herovaries. The surgery took place shortly after a series of competitions in Brazil in May and Priscilla was able to return
to the track in July to qualify and later compete at the World Championships
that summer in Osaka, Japan. In 2008 she surprised the
world with Canada’s
lone medal in athletics at the Beijing Olympic Games. Informs her agent Kris
Mychasiw.

ROAD RACING NEWS

VIENNA (AUT): Kenya’s
Peninah Arusei and Portugal’s
Ana Dulce Felix will run their debuts at the Vienna City Marathon on 17th
April. While the half marathon featuring Haile Gebrselassie will get a lot more
attention than usual the main event will still be the marathon. Peninah Arusei
has quite some experience regarding distances beyond the half marathon. The 32
year-old very successfully ran the Berlin
25 k race on four occasions. She won Germany’s oldest major city road
race three times (2006, 2008 and 2009) and placed second in 2007. When she took
the race two years ago she established a fine course record of 1:22:31. While
her record was broken a year later Peninah Arusei still is in seventh position
on the 25 k world alltime lists. And her 1:22:31 suggests that she should be
able to do very well in the marathon. Her half best is impressive 1:07:48. Ana
Dulce Felix proved that she is in fine form as well for her first full marathon
race (she had started in the New York Marathon in November 2010, but gave up
early). It was at the Lisbon half marathon last
Sunday, where she almost exactly clocked the same half marathon time as Peninah
Arusei in Paris.
The 28 year-old from Portugal
finished second with 68:33 minutes. This is a personal best and on top of that
a national record. Among their rivals will be three women who have sub 2:29
personal bests so far: Elza Kireyeva (Russia)
was third in Dublin in 2010 with 2:28:02, Fate
Tola (Ethiopia) took second
in Turin 2010 in
2:28:22 and Elisabeth Chemweno (Kenya)
was fifth in Hamburg
with 2:28:55 in 2006. The Vienna City Marathon could well see its best women’s
elite race for many years on 17th April. Organizers are informing in a release.

PRAGUE (CZE): Three runners with sub one hour bests
and five women with under 1:10 life-time fastest will headline the Hervis
Prague Half Marathon on April 2. The event is sold out concerning the
participation possibility at level of 9500 runners. Organizers are hoping for
first sub one hour time as the event record is 1:00:07 by Nicholas Kipruto from
2009. Kipruto is also among this year participants. Austrian Gunther Weidlinger
is also listed and will have second half-marathon in one week after the
nationals this weekend. Three sub one hour runners are Ethiopian Azmeraw Bekele
(59:39) and Kenyans Jairus Chanchima (59:43) and Titus Masai (59:51).
Interesting debuts are prepared for Robert Kirui (last year 13:50 on the track
in Kenya) and Jonathan
Chirchir (last year 2:21 at a marathon in Nairobi).
Women category has even a brighter star in Kenyan Lydia Cheromei who was this
year already second in Dubai
marathon with excellent PB of 2:23:01. Former half-marathon world silver winner
has a 1:08:14 best and could well attack the course rceord 1:09:03 by Rose
Kosgei in 2009 (she is also running). French marathon record holder Christelle
Daunay is another top name (her best here is 1:08:34). In the debut department
trio of strong Ethiopians is announced. Korahubish Itaa is reigning world youth
steeple champion from Bressanone, other two are Birtukan Eshetu and Tirunesh
Kefyalew.

BERLIN (GER): Berlin Half Marathon scheduled for
April 3 is having also three men with sub one hour bests in its line-up.
Ethiopian Ayele Abshero is leading the list with 59:42 career best. Kenyans
Kiplimo Kimutai (59:44) and Leonard Langat (59:52) are the other two. Also to
note is the participation of former fast track runner Abraham Chebii who now
has a 1:00:07 half best. Another similar case is Ethiopian Abebe Dinkesa with
interesting track past and current 1:00:04 fastest time. The course record
58:56 is of high quality. In women race home Sabrina Mockenhaupt, Austrian
Andrea Mayr and Ethiopian Fate Tola are the top names. Also here was the
participation limit achieved, 25 500 runners are entered.

OTHER NEWS

WELS (AUT): One of the top European marathon runners Gunther Weidlinger will
try to defend his national half-marathon title on Sunday in Wels. Also running is former national champ
Roman Weger and European marathon participant from Barcelona Florian Pruller.
Weidlinger prepares for Dusseldorf Marathon early May.

SEOUL (KOR): Widespread wireless internet
availability on Daegu’s public transport system will make the job of the media
reporting on the IAAF World Championships 2011 much easier. Stefan Thies, Head
of Media Operations for Daegu 2011 told AIPS congress delegates at a dinner hosted
last night by Mayor of Daegu, Mr Bum-il Kim, that the 2,500 accredited media
will be able to use internet on the bus network and subway system, and that
free wireless will also be available in the lobbies of the media hotels.

BERLIN (GER): The Sports Committee of German
Parliament discussed this week the issue of live broadcast from World
Championships 2011 and 2013. It was a closed discussion, not for public.
Politicians appealed to the German stations ARD and ZDF to try to find
solutions but not for any price. They asked stations and rights holders to
re-start their negotiations. A final solution should be known soon also because
of different technical and logistical issues. At the website
“kein-wm-blackout.org” already 3700 votes supported the live transmissions from
Daegu and Moscow in Germany.

TOKYO (JPN): In his twitter message, Manabe Kawagoe, coach of Yuri Kano,
announced that Kano has pulled out of London marathon. After Nagoya cancellation Kano
was in the group which got the chance to qualify for Daegu at London Marathon.

SEOUL (KOR): The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) have
again called on the 2012 London 2012 Olympic Games organisers to do away with
the rate card for the media planning to cover the games AIPS President Gianni
Merlo implored the organisers to look into reducing the already high costs for
the 5,800 written press and photographers planning to cover next year’s Games.
“I know having free WI-FI is not possible but maybe you can look into having
free LAN in the press working areas just to reduce the costs for the
journalists. I urge the organising committee to become the first organisers to
abolish the rate card,” said Merlo.
Head of Press Operations, Jayne Pearce promised to raise the concerns of the
sport media with the Local Organising Committee. Pearce presented the media
operations concept to the Congress in Seoul
stressing the need for journalists to plan and pay for accommodation in
advance, in the absence of the Media
Village which has often
been used at past Olympics to provide affordable media accommodation.

SYDNEY (AUS): Athletics Australia
selectors have confirmed an initial team of 27 for the 7th IAAF World Youth
Championships, with 10 boys and 17 girls set for Lille. Boasting 15 national under 18 champions
and an astounding 23 graduates of the Athletics Australia Under 17 Development
Squad, the Australian team also includes national under 18 record holders
Danielle McConnell (hammer throw) and Elizabeth Parnov as well as former
Australian representatives Monica Brennan (200m), Elliott Lang (javelin), Jenny
Blundell (800m) and Brodie Cross (pole vault). Informs Athletics Australia.

PERTH (AUS): Former 400 m
hurdles world champion Jana Rawlinson is a possible competitor at the Go for
2&5 Australian Athletics Tour Final next week in Perth. Possibly competing for the first time
domestically since 2006 and currently listed in the women’s 400m and 400m
hurdles, her times and performances ensure an intriguing effect on the point
scores of so many athletes.

BATON ROUGE (USA):
The LSU Tiger Relays this weekend is expecting a strong relays. In the 4×100 m
not only home teams will run but also US hurdles record holder Lolo Jones is
expected to be a member of a relay team. In team with her is also expected
former relay world champion Muna Lee who passed the indoor season.

LONDON (GBR): Latest Pat Butcher blog at www.globerunner.org is called: The
‘killer’ quote!

LONDON (GBR): AP informs that IAAF is investigating
2001 world 100 m
champion Zhanna Block of Ukraine
for doping and could change the results from the event in Edmonton ten years ago. Block (38) who
clocked in Edmonton final her life-time best of 10.82 and was a surprise winner
over Marion Jones is under scrutiny after a U.S. anti-doping arbitration panel
suspended her husband – coach and agent Mark Block – for 10 years last week
after finding he trafficked in drugs supplied by BALCO and gave them to his
wife. She also won silver medals at World Championships 1997 and 2003. In her career she
clocked legal 23 sub 11 times at the 100 m, informs Tilastopaja.

LAUSAUNNE (SUI): European Athletics informs that the official logo and
event design for the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships,
representing nature and technology, was unveiled at a press conference in the
Finnish capital city on Thursday. The winning curve-shaped logo was chosen in
an online vote from a shortlist of four, following an initial international
contest through design website boblr.com that attracted 257 logo design
proposals from 38 countries. The 21st European Athletics Championships will
take place at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium from 27 June to 1 July 2012.

RESULTS

DUNEDIN (NZL, Mar 25): Olympic 1500 m medalist Nick Willis
won the 5000 m
during first day of New Zealand Championships in blustery cold conditions and
was timed with 14:34.32. Willis won the national 1500m title in 2006 and in
2008. Carl Van der Speck of Auckland
collected his third senior 100m title in a row, clearing away from a strong
field mid way down the straight to clock 11.07 in difficult weather
conditions. Informs New
Zealand Athletics.

KOPRIVNICE (CZE, Mar 19): European indoor medalist Jaroslav Baba still
competed here at a special indoor high jump meet and cleared 221 in his final event of
the undercover season.

BERKELEY (USA, Mar 24): Strong wind and rain
forced the cancellation of much of the second day of competition at the Cal
Multis meet Thursday at Edwards Stadium. Sharon Day was leading the heptathlon
after first day with 3594 points.

PRETORIA (RSA, Mar 23): Addition to the provincial
championships (where Pistorius clocked 45.61) is also the 2:06.56 at 800 m by world champion
Caster Semenya.

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