Image via Wikipedia

Some amazing competitions coming up in a few hours in Shanghai, China, the second stop of the 2011 Samsung Diamond League series. Veronica Campbell Brown speaks on her desire to double, Alfons provides an event by event preview of the meet and it was announced that the Millrose Games will move to the

New Balance NYC Armory. We look forward to your comments!

VCB READY TO DOUBLE

SHANGHAI (CHN): News around the second Samsung Diamond League meet. One
day ahead the Dunlop Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, a number of athletes including
Liu Xiang, David Oliver and Veronica Campbell-Brown came to Shanghai Pudong
Special School, bringing fun athletics as well as their care to the mentally
challenged children. Entitled Special Running, the program was initiated by
Chinese superstar Liu Xiang, back in April, 2011 and organized by Dunlop
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. Jamaican sprinting star Veronica Campbell-Brown
confirmed she aims to compete in both sprints and relay in Daegu at the World
Championships. “I’m planning to compete in both the 100 m and 200 m at national trials, and
my wish is to make the team in both. Of course, if I make the team in both,
then chances are in 4×100. I don’t know what the future holds. My object is to
go there and do my best in each race. If my best is good enough, to win the
championship, if I make the team, that would be great. I’m trying to do stay
healthy, stay focused, and compete hard this season,” she said and added before
Sunday clash with Carmelita Jeter, the world leader:  “My objective is just to execute well. I want
to run a very efficient race. I know the competition will be good. Carmelita’s
in the race, Sherone is in the race, so I am expecting a really great race. I’m
just going to focus on me, and what I am wanting to do. As I said, my object is
to execute a great race, and that’s my mindset on the race.” After Doha and Daegu in
technical events for first time at major meet this year in technical events
athletes will have 6 attempts.

LIU WITH NEW TECHNIQUE

SHANGHAI (CHN): Former world record holder Liu Xiang
confirmed before Sunday´s hurdles clash against David Oliver the change in the
technique: “I plan to take seven steps to the first hurdle instead of the
previous eight steps. Actually, this is not a new technique. My fellow hurdler,
Li Tong, in the 90s, used seven steps to the first hurdle. I just want to try,
because of a lot of athletes in the hurdles try this technique. I don’t expect
this technique to bring me much improvement in my performance.” About his
health situation before the season opener for him he added: “So far I can say
the injury is not affecting me. I’m recovering well. In terms of injury, it’s
better now than it was in 2010. And talking about form, you can only judge an
athlete’s form in an outdoor competition, and so far in this season, I haven’t
competed in any outdoor event. I’ve competed in indoor, but it is different. So
I will have a judgement on my performance and form after tomorrow. I will tell
you later.” David Oliver was asked about the possibility to break the world
record, he already has races behind him and is current world leader with 13.14
from Daegu on Thursday:  “Like I said
before, regarding the world record, it’s a world record for a reason. You just
don’t wake up in the morning and say “I think I’m going to go break the world
record”. You go out there and try to have the best performance you can possibly
have. A guy like Alan Johnson never had the world record, but he’s considered
the greatest hurdler ever. A world record is just a one time performance. I
would like to have a lot of great performances so I can be like what Liu is,
and like what Alan Johnson is, and people like that. I want to have good
performances and keep winning races. Everybody remembers when you win races,
and everybody always remembers the time.”

SHANGHAI PREVIEW

SHANGHAI (CHN): The meeting will have 16 Diamond League events, no
extras, special clashes are planned, many season openers for the stars of the
sport. World leads and meet records will go in many events. The meet started as
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005.

MEN

100 m: Asafa Powell opens, but Rodgers got already two sub 10. But was
beaten by Dix in Daegu. World lead 9.90 could go.

400 m: Kanemaru comes as Daegu winner, last year US Champ Nixon should
be counted too.

1500 m: Chepseba vs. Kiprop, two winners from Doha. Or somebody else from strong African
group?

Steeple: Daegu young winner Hillary Yego will have the measure with oly
champ Kipruto and Diamond Race winner Kipsiele Koech. Another world lead very
possible. Actually first steeple in the short history of the meet.

110mH: The duel of the evening, Oliver vs. local super hero Liu Xiang.
First sub 13 of the year?

LJ: Phillips opens, Watt is in shape. Or somebody third from behind?

JT: Thorkildsen seeks revenge, Pitkamäki also, pressure on Frydrych,
world lead should go.

WOMEN

100 m: Jeter vs. VCB, you cannot ask for more. But 10.86 world lead and
10.64 meet record are tough.

800 m: Very open, Meadows is opening, so is Andrianova. No major
favorite. Will they go sub 2 ?

5000 m: Like last year Vivian and Linet versus Ejigu and Melkamu. Will
they go fast or pay attention to each other?

400mH: Demus – Spencer – Walker
– sub 54 should be on the paper.

HJ: Vlasic opens, when all as always two meters should fall.

PV: Spiegelburg after winning in Daegu also here the top favorite.

TJ: Rypakova comes as title defender, but Savigne is the world leader.

SP: Gong hopes for home win, US record holder Camarena-Williams
is there, what is the shape of Mikhnevich?

DT: Also here home armada against Perkovic, Barrios, Samuels – it is
held for first time at the meet.

MILLROSE TO ARMORY

NEW YORK (USA):  Officials of the
Armory Foundation, the not-for-profit organization which has the operating
rights to the Millrose Games, confirmed that the 105th edition of the United
States’ oldest indoor track meet would move to the Armory in Upper Manhattan
after more than a century at Madison Square Garden. “The Millrose Games
deserves the best track possible especially in this performance-driven sport
with the London Summer Olympics just around the corner,” said Dr. Norbert
Sander, president of the Millrose Games and the Armory Foundation.  “The Armory is just that exceptional place to
compete for professionals, collegiate, and high school stars in the modern
track era.” It is indisputable that the Armory is the central hub of indoor
track and field in the United
States. 
The facility, which has undergone $50 million in renovations over the
last 18 years, annually hosts more than 100 track meets, and has hosted over
1000 track meets during that time.  The
giant red brick structure in the Washington
Heights neighborhood
boasts a banked 200-meter Mondo track which athletes have praised for it’s fast
surface. Informs Race Results Weekly. The move to the Armory is controversial,
and is not supported by USA Track & Field, which owns the 145.5-meter Mondo
track used at Madison
Square Garden
and had propped the meet up with a direct investment of about 1 million USD
which allowed for the recruitment of elite athletes and bought network
television time.

RESULTS

MOSCOW (RUS, May 14): Yuriy Abramov defended his
Russian national marathon title in 2:14:53. Second Fyodor Shutov debuted in
2:15:46 and third Vsevolod Khudyakov also clocked lifetime best 2:16:24. In the
women race in rain and cold Lyubov Morgunova clocked solid 2:30:27 in close
finish over  Valentina Galimova 2:30:30
(PB). Third place for Nadezhda Leontyeva with personal best 2:31:57. The
standards for Daegu set by Russian Federation 2:13 and 2:30 remained untouched.

FORT COLLINS
(USA, May 13): Charles
Silmon who is Moncton
100 m
silver winner improved in the heats at Mountain West Champs to 10.20 (+0.7).
Jessica Young clocked 23.11 (-0.5) in the 200 m heats and Whitney Gipson improved to 661
(+1.6) in the women long jump.

ATHENS (USA, May 13): Marek Niit clocked
new Estonian 200 m
record 20.44 (+1.3) in the heats at SEC Conference Championships. Horatio
Williams was even faster in another heat but his 20.42 was supported by +2.2.
Kimberlyn Duncan was the fastest in women 200 m heats 22.96 (+0.5). Gray Horn scored
lifetime best decathlon worth of 7828 points.

TUCSON (USA, May 13): Brendan Ames improved
at 110 m
hurdles during PAC 10 Champs in the heats to 13.39 (+0.1). Jeshua Anderson
posted 48.92 in
the 400 m
hurdles heats. In the 400 m
heats the fastest was Maurice McNeal with 45.60. In the women heats Jessica
Davis clocked 11.27 (+0.1) and Amber Purvis 23.11 (+0.2). Julie Labonte for
first time in her career got 18+ in shot put and with 18.21 registered new
Canadian record.

JACKSONVILLE (USA, May 13): Ivory Williams who
already has legal sub 10 this year got 10.13 (+2.1) in the heats of UNF Last
Chance meet. Jamaican Samantha Henry-Robinson posted also windy 11.19 (+4.3) in
the women 100 m
heats. Lacy Janson cleared 442
in pole vault.

MOSCOW (RUS, May 13): During second day of Moscow season opening
track meet Ildar Minshin clocked in 2000 m steeple 5:36.77 and Oksana Kondratyeva
achieved 67.70 in
women hammer.

BELEM (BRA, May 13): Leandro Prates Oliveira won the South American road
mile championships race in 4:05 ahead of another Brazilian Andre Alberi de
Santana 4:07. Third was Mario Bazan of Peru 4:08.

CHULA VISTA (USA,
May 12): Estonian Mart Israel
improved in a special discus competition to 66.98 and lifetime best also for
second Niklas Arrhenius from Sweden
65.80. Third Vikas Gowda from India
achieved 64.89. Becky Holliday and Kylie Hutson cleared 450 in the pole vault.

ABILENE (USA, May 12): Miles Smith came
close to his old personal best from 2005 when he clocked at a Last Chance meet
fast 45.21 in
the 400 m.
He was faster in 2005 with 45.16, in that year he also ran at the World
Championships in the heats of 4×400 m relay.