by Larry EderAllyson Felix will run at the Herculis meet in Monaco on July 22, 2011, as one of her last preparations for the World Outdoor Athletics Championships in Daegu, Korea, August 27-September 2. Allyson has not raced in Monaco since 2006, where she won the 200 meters, running a fine 22.27!
RUSSIAN FAVORITE WINS
RIO
MAIOR (POR, Apr 9): World champions and Olympic winners from Russia in
their season openers dominated the 20th Grande Premio Internacional in
race walking in Portugal (IAAF Walking Challenge). Valeriy Borchin was
the best male walker of the day and won with new meet record and
European leading time of the year 1:18:55 at the 20 km. European
Champion from Barcelona Stanislav Yemelyanov was second in life-time
best 1:19:33 and world medalist Eder Sanchez of Mexico third 1:19:36.
Slovak 50 km road world leader Matej Toth was leading in the first parts
of the race (10 km in the 4 minutes pace per km) and finished fourth in
new personal best 1:20:16. “I‘m
satisfied,” he said afterwards and confirmed his main event is the 50
km. Best current African walker Hassanine Sbai of Tunisia was fifth
1:20:49 ahead of Ireland‘s
national record holder Robert Heffernan 1:21:50. Reigning 50 km world
champion Sergey Kirdyapkin improved at 20 km to 1:22:57 and was 11th.
Olga Kaniskina posted 1:28:35 to win the women 20 km as she took the
lead after 5 km. Olympic 6th placer Beatriz Pascual of Spain was closing
at the end and finished second in 1:28:51. Best home walker Vera Santos
was third in 1:29:55. Veteran Susana Feitor was fourth 1:30:04 ahead of
Ines Henriques 1:30:59 and German Melanie Seeger 1:31:01. Russian
national coach Viktor Chegin was happy and confirmed that next race for
his group including both winners will be in Sesto San Giovanni on May 1.
GIUPPONI AND IGLESIAS
PODEBRADY
(CZE, Apr 9): Italian Matteo Giupponi won the 20 km men walk race at
the 79th Podebrady walking meet (EA Permit) in life-time best 1:22:36.
Second German Carsten Schmidt clocked also a personal record 1:22:47 and
third already with a distance Spain´s Benjamin Sanchez 1:25:00. In
sunny, but windy weather Spain registered women 20 km win for Eva Maria
Igleasias timed with personal best 1:34:28. Second Italian Anna Eleonora
Giorgi 1:34:44 and third another Spanish walker Ainhoa Pineda 1:35:07.
National titles for Karel Ketner as 16th (1:30:38) and Lucie Pelantova
as 7th (1:37:19) with Zuzana Schindlerova only 9th (1:39: 44) for the
home country. In junior races wins for German walkers. Hagen Pohle 42:13
and Charlyne Czychy 48:49. Second Czech Anezka Drahotova (95) 49:34
ahead of Italian Youth Olympic Games winner Anna Clemente (50:20). In
the teams wins for Italian men, Spanish women, Czech junior girls and
Italian junior boys.
MOKOENA WINDY 829
DURBAN
(RSA, Apr 9): Former World Indoor champion Khotso Mokoena won the long
jump with windy 829 (+3.2) during first day of South African
Championships. Second was world junior champion from Moncton Luvo
Manyonga (794). Mokoena competes also in triple jump on Sunday. Chris
Harmse got his 17th consecutive national hammer title achieving 71.70 m.
Rene Kalmer won the 5000 m in 15:42.21. Caster Semenya qualified into
Sunday´s 800 m final with easy 2:08.09 heat win. Also world leader LJ
Van Zyl posted 49.98 in his heat of 400 m hurdles. Juan Van Deventer was
fast in his 1500 m heat 3:37.95. New emerging talent Lebogang Moeng was
the fastest in the 400 m semis clocking 45.47 (it was his only third
race at the distance ever). Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius after 47.40 was
out in the semifinals (7th in his semi). Fast times also in the 100 m
semifinals. Simon Magakwe posted 10.18 (+1.5) ahead of Roscoe Engel
10.19 life-time best. Hannes Dryer won the other semi in 10.27 ahead of
Leigh Julius 10.29.
TAMGHO, LOLO, DIX, SILNOV
DOHA
(QAT): More stars (Felix, Thorkildsen, Rudisha already announced
before) were revealed for the Samsung Diamond League opener in Doha on
May 6. Gulf Times informs that fresh European indoor champion and indoor
world record holder Teddy Tamgho will be the star of men‘s
triple jump. World indoor champion from Doha 2010 Lolo Jones will again
return to Qatar for the 100 m hurdles. Olympic bronze medalist and last
year nearly Diamond Race winner Walter Dix of USA is the top name for
men‘s 200 m. Russian Beijing winner Andrey Silnov will headline men‘s
high jump. That is a special event for Qatar athletics. The 2010 World
Junior Champion and 2010 Asian Games Champion, Mutaz Essa Barshim will
jump against him along with 2010 IAAF Continental Cup winner Rashid
Ahmed al-Mannai. The hosts are also fielding more fast rising youngsters
in track events. The charismatic Femi Ogunode, who made the golden
double in sprint events (200/400) in the 2010 Asian Games and the fast
improving 800m runner Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla, the 2010 Asian Games
bronze medallist are the athletes to watch out for.
OTHER NEWS
MONTE
CARLO (MON): World champion and double Diamond Race winner Allyson
Felix will headline the 200m at the Herculis meeting in Monaco on 22
July. Felix, who has claimed the World 200m title in 2005, 2007 and
2009, will come to the Mediterranean Principality as one of her final
rehearsals before heading to the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu
in search of an astounding fourth crown. Felix last ran at the Louis II
Stadium when Monaco hosted the World Athletics Final in 2006, and
thrilled the audience by winning the 200m in 22.27.
VOLGOGRAD
(RUS): World and olympic gold medalist Tatyana Lebedeva became a mother
for second time. Her daughter will have the name Aleksandra.
RusAthletics.com informs. Before nine years her first daughter
Anastasiya was born in the same place and hospital. Husband Nikolay was
also present during the birth. “We wanted the second child beeing a
daughter so we are all very happy,” Lebedeva was quoted.
LONDON
(GBR): London Olympic Games head and IAAF Vice-President Sebastian Coe
will be in a good position to determine who gets the gongs should 2012
be the great success everyone anticipates – he has been appointed as the
new chairman of the Sports Honours Committee. He succeeds the former UK
Sport and England and Wales Cricket Board chief Lord McLaurin and will
be joined on the panel in assessing nominations for both the Queen’s
Birthday and New Year honours by Tim Lamb, the Chief Executive of the
Sport and Recreation Alliance – formerly the Central Council of Phyiscal
Recration (CCPR) – and Tim Phillips, former chairman of the All England
Lawn Tennis Club as independent members. Informs Insidethegames.
LONDON (GBR): Latest blog of Pat Butcher: www.globerunner.org – The weekend starts here!
OTHER RESULTS
LEICHLINGEN
(GER, Apr 9): Two excellent results at the throwing meeting. Markus
Esser registered his best start into a season since 2006 with 79.69 in
the hammer throw. Barcelona 7th placer in discus Martin Wierig improved
his career best to 65.79 m.
KUMAMOTO (JPN, Apr 9): Kenyan Sally
Chepyego clocked world leading 15:18.70 in the women 5000 m at Kanaguri
meet. In men´s 5000 m three Kenyans went sub 13:30. Edward Saweru
13:21.37, Josphat Ndambiri 13:21.76 and Patrick Mwaka 13:26.29. In the
1500 m Jonathan Ndiku won in 3:43.18 over Japanese Yasunori Murakami
3:43.27.
BUCURESTI (ROU, Apr 9): Romanian Claudia Stef won women‘s
20 km race during the Balkan Walking Championships in 1:33:38. In men´s
20 km Turkish Recek Celik won and improved the national record to
1:22:31. Second Predrag Filipovic of Serbia clocking 1:23:47. Junior
races winners were Romanians Adrian Dragomir 45:45 and Alexandra
Aichimoaei 50:01. In youth races boys win for Moldova by Igor Seremet
(21:30 at 5 km) ahead of Turkish Senoduncu Sahin (21:44 national record)
and girls for Turkish Ozgur Gamze 23:39. In overall teams ranking first
place for Turkey (44) ahead of Romania (41) and Greece (22). In total 6
countries were represented.
MODUM (NOR, Apr 9): Sindre Buraas won
the short course Norwegian CC title with 8:14 ahead of steeple
specialist Bjornar Ustad Kristensen 8:16. In women race Kirsten Marathon
Melkevik got 6:23 as winner.
ROAD MILES (ESP, Apr 9): Road mile
winners were Manuel Olmedo and Irene Alfonso in Gijon and Juan Carlos
Higuero with Isabel Macias in Laredo.
NESVIZH
(BLR, Apr 9): Ivan Trotskiy clocked 2:35:49 at the 35 km distance to
win the Belarus Walking Cup. In the 20 km races the best were Andriy
Talashko 1:23:25 and Anastasiya Yatsevich 1:34:27. Yevgeniy Zalesskiy
won the junior 10 km in 41:23.
