by Larry Eder
Also, read the note from Ken Young of the Analytical Distance runner, on the course at Boston and Geoffrey Mutai’s performance. There is no one tougher on course measurement and the aiding effects of winds, etc than Mr. Young. I personally witnessed his meeting with Derek Clayton, the former world best marathoner holder, way back in 1983 or 84. Mr. Young does not think the Boston course, nor the wind had an aiding effect that is more than acceptable.
Still, Boston, in my humble opinion, should be considered the world best….all conditions.
OLIVER FOR KOREA AND CHINA
DAEGU (KOR): US
record holder David Oliver will start his Asian tour on May 12 in Daegu at IAAF World
Challenge meet. He is current world leader with 13.16 and was undefeated last
year outdoors. After the competition on the site of this years World Championships
he will continue to Shanghai
for the Samsung Diamond League meet on May 15. In China he will
meet with home hero Liu Xiang. After that his next meet will be the Prefontaine
Classic on June 3, also part of Samsung Diamone League. It is not yet known,
when he will meet for first time outdoors the world record holder Dayron Robles
of Cuba.
ARRS SAYS NOT TOO MUCH HELP FOR
MUTAI
NEW YORK (USA): Geoffrey Mutai’s time at last
Monday’s Boston Marathon was indeed fast, but according to an analysis released
by the independent Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS) his mark
should not be viewed as excessively aided. Writing in this week’s “Analytical
Distance Runner,” the official ARRS publication, chief analyst Ken Young wrote:
“It should also be noted that Geoffrey Mutai who ran 2:03:02, was ranked 2 on
the ARRS competitive rankings and he had been ranked 1 for four weeks earlier
in the year. When Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) set the current world record of
2:03:58, he was ranked 10 in
the world. Hence, it is not surprising that Mutai could be capable of
significantly bettering the world record. Too bad that he ran this on a course
that is not eligible for records.” According to the Young’s Race Time Bias
(RTB) calculation, a measure of how fast athletes run based on their previous
performances over all distances, the times at Boston were 1:37 fast for the men and 1:42
seconds fast for the women. That worked out to 2.29 seconds per kilometer for
the men and 2.41 seconds per kilometer for the women. Both figures are well
within the 5 seconds per kilometer value the ARRS uses to disqualify
performances as excessively aided. “The net drop is worth about 3 sec/km,”
Young continued. “The observed times were roughly 2.4 sec/km faster than
expected for the 43 elite runners making up the time comparisons. Hence, one
could conclude that the wind aid was sufficient to balance out the effect of
the hills (such as they are).”
UK ATHLETICS AND FAST TRACK TO
SEPARATE
LONDON (GBR): UK Athletics are to take over
organizng the sport’s flagship televised events in the build-up to the London
2012 Olympics after ending their 14-year partnership with commercial partners
Fast Track. Informs insidethegames.biz. Fast Track, the company founded by
Commonwealth Games 400
meters hurdles champion Alan Pascoe and now run by World
Championship silver medallist Jon Ridgeon, have been informed that their
contract will not be renewed when it finishes at the end of the indoor season
next March. Instead UK Athletics will take over the running of the country’s
major events from the summer of 2012, including the Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace, using its own in-house team it
plans to set-up. Fast Track, which is now part of the Chime Communication
group, has organized the televised domestic meetings on behalf of the governing
body as well as securing new commercial and television partners and servicing
existing clients. Fast Track were behind the L50 million ($83 million) six-year
deal that UK Athletics signed with Aviva in 2006 that, at the time, was the
biggest sponsorship contract signed by a sport outside football. “We’re
disappointed but we understand the change in philosophy in UKA and we’re proud
of what we’ve done for them,” said Ridgeon, the managing director of Fast
Track.
RESULTS (Gill 20+, Lemaitre 10.19,
Wanjuki WL at 10 km)
AIX-LES-BAINS (FRA, Apr 23): Triple European Champion Christophe
Lemaitre started the season with excellent 10.19 (+0.8) 100 m at the opening meet of
the season. He was also second leg runner in the winning 4×100 m team of
Aix-les-Bains, final time 40.08.
NORTH SHORE (NZL, Apr 23): New Zealand´s 16 years old
super shot put talent Jacko Gill impressed again. At special shot put event at
Millennium Centre of North Shore he improved the senior national record to 20.01 m. The former mark of
Les Mills 19.80 was standing from 1967. He achieved so also the B-standard for
Daegu 2011 but according to IAAF rules he is not eligible in this event to
compete in his age at the World Championships. But as he will be 18 in 2012 he is eligibile
for Olympic Games 2012. No other U17 athlete ever achieved with senior
implement a 20 meters
result. Gill’s coach Didier Poppe said: “I thought Jacko would certainly go
over 19m today, maybe around 19.30m, but 20m at his age is just phenomenal;
unbelievable.” New Zealand
media are informing. Gill is now off to New Caledonia
for a further competition in Noumea in 10 days
then back into solid training for the World Youth Championships in France
in July.
KOBE (JPN, Apr 23): Kenyan Jacob Wanjuki posted
world leading 27:48.74 in the 10
000 m at the Hyogo Relays first day. It is also his huge
personal best. Three other Kenyans went sub 28 too. Gideon Ngatuny 27:49.26 (he
was 5k leader at 13:58), Patrick Mwaka 27:49.93 and Paul Kuira 27:50.26.
CAPE TOWN (RSA, Apr 23): South African George Ntshiliza
produced a late surge to break the foreign stranglehold and won the 56km Two
Oceans ultra-marathon in 3:08:31. He is first home athlete winning this race
since 2003. Second and third places for Lesotho
runners Motlhokoa Nkhabutlane (3:08:49) and Tsotang Maine (3:09:19). Russian women triumph by
Nurgalieva sisters. Olesya won in 3:33:58 over Elena 3:37:54. Third for
Mamorallo Tjoka, the Lesotho
marathon record holder, achieving 3:42:12. European high placing for Simona
Staicu of Hungary
as fourth 3:42:59. Supersports writes that large Kenyan contingent took control
of the men’s race in the first half, but after injecting an erratic pace, they
fell back one by one. Lusapho April defended his men’s half-marathon title in
1:03.58 and Helalia Johannes of Namibia
was the best woman in 1:11:56.
STAWELL (AUS, Apr 23): 2003 100 m world champion Kim Collins of St.
Kitts has declared he can become the third man in the Stawell Gift’s 133-year
history to win from scratch following his stunning heat victory. He clocked in
heats 12.52 and is top favorite for Tuesday. Only two sprinters have been
capable of winning Australia’s
famous foot race from the back mark. National 100 m champion Aaron
Rouge-Serret won his heat in 12.49. 400 m star Ben Offereins also surged late to
win his heat in 12.55. John Steffensen finished third in his heat but
progressed through as one of the fastest qualifiers, as did early Gift
favourite, national 400m hurdles champion Brendan Cole, who finished a close
second in his heat. Australian media are writing.
PADERBORN (GER, Apr 23): Titus Mbishei of Kenya won the 65th Easter race of Paderborn with 28:05 at 10 km. Ugandan Thomas Ayeko
was second in 28:06 and third Jacob Cheshari 28:29. Best European was German
Andre Pollmächer as 11th (29:26). Women race winner was Doris Changeiywo in
32:03 ahead of Esther Chemtai 32:11 and 2010 World CC Champion Emily Chebet
32:41. Fourth one of top German runners Sabrina Mockenhaupt in 32:43. Kenyan
Sammy Korir was the half-marathon winner in 1:03:16, in the women category
Abebech Afework 1:12:45 ahead of Asha Gigi 1:13:20 and Susan Chepkemei 1:13:34.
Some 3300 runners competed.
US FRIDAY OVERVIEW (Apr 22)
DURHAM: Olympic long jump fourth placer Ngoni Makusha of Zimbabwe won
the ACC title with 772 in
his speciality and clocked good 10.34 (-1.5) in the 100 m heats. French European
U23 medalist Mateo Sossah won the decathlon with 7773 points score.
LAWRENCE: New meet record at Kansas Relays for Canadian
record holder and Olympic finalist Scott Russell in javelin 81.96 m.
LUBBOCK: US Indoor champion Omo Osaghae achieved
another windy fast hurdles time 13.18 (+3.8) at Texas Tech Invite. Gil Roberts
clocked 45.81 in
the 400 m,
Jason Young achieved 62.76
in discus and Jamaican Kawayne Fisher windy 10.23 (+5.6)
at the 100 m.
EUGENE: Kenyan Sally Kipyego posted world leading
personal best 4:06.23 at 1500
m during first day of Oregon Relays. Amber Purvis
clocked 23.13 (+2.0) in the 200
m.
LA JOLLA: Suzy Powell won the Triton Invitational
discus over US elite with 60.79. Olympic winner Stephanie Trafton Brown was 6th
(58.57). Jessica Cosby was the best in hammer (69.52) over Canadian record
holder Sultana Frizell (68.74).
NASHVILLE: Nigerian Stangley Ggagbeke leaped to solid
806 (+1.8) at Vanderbilt Invitational.
LOUISVILLE: Latvian Laura Igaune again improved women
national hammer record to 63.56 at Wood/Lyles Invitational.
PRINCETON: Dominica´s 400
m world participant Erison Hurtault improved his best at
800 m
with 1:48.60 win at the Larry Ellis Invite.
OTHER NEWS
LONDON (GBR): Latest Pat Butcher´s blog called
Marathon, what Marathon? at globerunner.org
