BUBKA PRAISES THE SOUL OF DAEGU

DAEGU (KOR): IAAF Senior Vice President Sergey Bubka spoke to InDaegu
newspaper and revealed that “everytime I come to this bright and vibrant city I
feel it has a soul. It has its own spirit cherishing its old traditions and at
the same time looking forward, to the future. Besides, I have special feeling
about Korea
– here I won my Olympic gold medal back in 1988. Let me also congratulate Korea and
Pyeongchang on winning the 2018 Winter Olympics bid. I’m sure you will make the
Games incredible.” Bubka plans to be in Daegu already from August 19 : “I hope
there will be great days but what I’m sure about is that these days are going
to be busy. We have IAAF Council meeting and IAAF Congress before the start of
the World Championships. There are a lot of decisions to be made, which are
vital for the future of athletics, and a lot of questions to be answered.  I can compare my preparations for the past
World Championships as an athlete with those I make now when I am coming to
Daegu as an IAAF official.”

BOLT FOR BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS (BEL): The fastest man will compete for the
fourth time at Van Damme Memorial.. World record holder Usain Bolt will compete
in the 200m at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme, the final leg of the Samsung
Diamond League, on 16 September, organizers announced. Brussels organizers were pleased to learn
that Bolt’s initial plan to end his season after the World Championships has
changed.  In the Belgian capital Bolt
will take on Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, the European 100m and 200m
champion, who has made a significant progress this year. Walter Dix, the U.S. champion,
will also be invited to compete in what is likely to become one of the most
eagerly awaited 200m races of the season. In 2009 Bolt set the meeting record
of 19.57, which is still the all-time fifth fastest performance. Only 10 000
tickets remained for the meet in Brussels, spectators would be able to win
tickets for London Olympic Games and the final music performance of the evening
will be delivered by Soulsister.

ZAGREB NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUING

ZAGREB (CRO): Discussions are continuing about
possible participation of Usain Bolt at Hanzekovic Memorial Zagreb Grand Prix
meet on Sep 13 (IAAF World Challenge). He once already competed in Zagreb in 2006 when he
won the 200 m
in 20.49. The management of Usain Bolt confirmed that the negotiations about
his participation in Croatia
are still not continuing and are not yet finalized.

BOLT RECORD ON FACEBOOK

KINGSTON (JAM): 
Usain Bolt has added another record to his already comprehensive list.
Usain is the first Jamaican to have over 5 million fans on Facebook, adding 300,000 in less than two
months. Up to June 16, his fan list was just about 4.6 million, a week after
his 19.86 seconds clocking in Oslo.
Bolt has since run in Paris, Monaco and Stockholm
where he has won the 100 and 200
meters, with creditable performances. The United Kingdom is still the number one country
with the highest number of fans 773,425, USA
ranks second with 521,993 and India
– 400,521. In
terms of cities, Rome, Mumbai and London are the top three.
Home country Jamaica is
number 12 on the list with Kingston
as the 8th top city in the world. Facebook is reporting there are 90,000 fans
from Jamaica
on the network who are fans of the track and field star. The 18-24 male age
group has 33 per cent of his overall fan base, while the 13-17 male is second
with 29 per cent. The top female group is the 13-17 representing 8 per cent of
his overall fan base. In a facebook message, Bolt says “Dear Fans, Thanks to all
the people who have joined my page on Facebook over the last few years.”
Informs TrackAlerts.

DAEGU NEWS

MOSCOW (RUS): No changes in men´s high jump Russian
team for Daegu. That was confirmed by Russian Athletics Federation president
Valentin Balakhnichev after Andrey Silnov won the London DL meet with excellent
236 and suggested he may be included into the team. “Silnov is great jumper, we
expect from him victories in the future but we will not change now the team,”
said Balakhnichev for Russian media.

NAIROBI (KEN): World leader Silas Kiplagat is guided
by three-time world 3,000m steeplechase champion, Moses Kiptanui, in Eldoret.
The confident-speaking Kiplagat said for The Nation: “I want to become a number
one to win the 1,500m gold medal for Kenya. I am hoping to bring it home
and I only target to sail through the semi-finals. I only pray God for a good
health.” Kenya
has recorded impressive performances in 1500 m at the Olympics with little showing at
the Worlds. Athletics Kenya
has made changes to its teams for the World Championships. Injured Rotterdam
Marathon champion Philis Ongori has been replaced by 2010 Delhi Commonwealth
Games champion, Irene Jerotich in the women’s marathon team for the World
Championships. World 3,000m steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi finally joined
the national team training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre,
Kasarani on Sunday and warned his opponents he targets gold in Daegu. “I
decided to seek training on my own and went into hiding in a place no one could
think of. I wanted to train in hot and humid conditions and I thought Machakos
was a better place. Everyone has his secrets,” said Kemboi. “I have arrived in
camp and today (yesterday), trained with the others. I still have one more race
to compete in and it should be in a country near Korea next week. I need to run
under similar conditions we expect in Daegu and I will be talking with AK and
the coaches about the same soon,” he said. Also arriving in camp on Sunday was
World 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot. The Africa
champion over the 12-lap race, is seeking to write history in her bid to clinch
double gold in her speciality and the 10,000m race.

ALMATY (KZK): Kazakhstan
team for Daegu has only two men, former olympic medalist Dmitriy Karpov for
decathlon and Yevgeniy Ektov for triple jump. Women are clearly stronger with
13 names. The biggest medal hope is Olga Rypakova for triple jump. Also in
jumps Marina Aitova for high jump and other triple jumper Irina Ektova. For the
100 m
Olga Bludova, for 200 m
Viktoriya Zyabkina, for 400 m
Marina Maslyonko and Olga Tereshkova, for 800m m Margarita Matsko and Viktoriya
Yalovtseva. All this four names are also building the base for the 4×400 m team
(added by Tatyana Khadjimuradova and Alexandra Kuzina). The remaining two are
hurdles sprinters Natalya Ivoninskaya and Anastasiya Soprunova.

AMSTERDAM (NED): Zimbabwe´s sprinting and jumping star
Ngoni Makusha will not do a long jump before Daegu. That means his last
competition before the World Championships was his NCAA title with superb 840 cm. Makusha sprinted in Budapest and Karlstad
recently with 10.16 and 10.11. He plans to compete in both 100 m and long jump in Daegu.

INNSBRUCK (AUT): Austria selected three athletes
after their national championships for Daegu. Discus thrower Gerhard Mayer,
hurdler Beate Schrott and miler Andreas Vojta.

RABAT (MAR):  Big names from past
championships not in the preliminary Moroccan squad for Daegu are marathon
runner Jaouad Gharib and 800 m
runner Hasna Benhassi. Currently selected 14 men 100m/200m: Aziz Ouhadi, 800m:
Mouhcine El Amine, 1500m: Amine Laalou, Abdelaâti Iguider, Mohamed Moustaoui,
5000m: Hicham Sigueni, 3000m steeple: Abdelkader Hachlaf, Hamid Ezzine,
marathon: Abderrahim Goumri, Rachid Kisri, Adil Nani, Ahmed Beday, Abderrahim
Bouramdane, long jump: Yahya Berrabah. Six women are – 800m: Halima Hachlaf,
Malika El Akkaoui, 1500m: Btissam Lekhouad, Siham Hilali and 3000m steeple:
Hannan Ouhaddou, Salima El Ouali Alami.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius has
expressed his delight  after being named
in South Africa’s
team for the 400 meters
and 4×400 relay at IAAF World Athletics Championships.  The double amputee Paralympic champion said
in a statement: “  “I have dreamt for
such a long time of competing in a major Championships and this is a very proud
moment in my life. It is an honour to be representing my country at such a
prestigious event and I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa. I
am training hard in preparation for the event and I am looking forward to the
Championships immensely. If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be
thrilled. A good performance for me would be to be consistent through the
heats. If I ran anywhere close to my PB, I would be delighted.”

STOCKHOLM (SWE): Swedish media are infoming that pole
vault world junior record holder Angelica Bengtsson will not compete in Daegu
because of hand injury. She will also miss this weekends national championships
in Gavle. Also
high jumper Linus Thornblad is not thinking about Daegu, but about London 2012.
His goal is to become one hundred percent healthy and ready after a time of
depression.

KYIV (UKR): Ukraine
selected a big group of 59 athletes to Daegu. Under question remains long
jumper Andriy Makarchev and final names for women 4×400 m. That will be
finalised after Ukrainian Cup final early next week in Vinnitsa. Top medal hopes are triple jumper
Olha Saladukha, triple jumper Sheryf El-Sheryf, women 800 m runners and 4×100 m
relay.  The team – men – 400mH: Melnykov,
TJ: El-Sheryf, Semenenko, HJ: Demyanyuk, Protsenko, Bondarenko,  PV: Yurchenko, SP: Borodkin, Semenov, DT:
Hryshyn, JT: Pyatnytsa, Avramenko, Kosynskyy, HT: Sokirskiy, dec: Kasyanov, 20
kmw: Kovalenko, Dmitrenko, 50 kmw: Kazanin. Women – 100 m, 200 m, 4×100 m: Povh,
Ryemyen, Stuy, also included for 100
m Pogrebnyak and for 200 m Bryzgina (all also for
4×100 m). 400 m: Yefremova, 800 m: Lobanova, Krevsun, Petlyuk, 1500 m:
Mishchenko, Tobias, Shevchenko, SC: Schmidt, 400mH: Rabcheynuk, Titimets,
Yaroshchuk, LJ: Rybalko, TJ: Saladukha, Yastrebova, Tsykhotska, HJ: Styopina,
Okuneva, DT: Karsak, Semenova, HT: Zolotukhina, JT: Rebrik, Hep: Dobrynska,
Yosypenko, Fyodorova, mar: Ruban, Gamera, Stetsenko, Burkovska, Holovchenko, 20
kmw: Yakovenko, Borovska, Shumkina, 4×400 m: Yefremova, Pigida, Zavgorodna.

BRUSSELS (BEL): 
Belgian decathlete Hans Van Alphen has been left out of the Belgian team
for Daegu as his total of 8120
in Kladno earlier this year has been surpassed by
compatriot Thomas Van der Plaetsen’s 8157 points at the European U23
Championships. Van Alphen has confirmed on his website he continues his season
to compete at the combined events challenge in Talence in September.

LONDON (GBR): Channel 4 have launched an ident
featuring Usain Bolt, in which the world’s most recognizable athlete, is
transformed into the network’s logo. 
Then the ident, created by Channel 4’s 4Creative department, saw Bolt
walking along the track in a crowded stadium after winning a race, climaxing
with the triple Olympic champion striking his signature “lightning bolt” pose.
The Jamaican sprinter appears in his athletics kit, featuring the logo of his
key sponsor Puma. The new ident is being broadcast in the run-up to Channel 4’s
coverage of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, from August 27 to September
4, and will appear regularly in the build-up to the event. Informs
insidethegames.

LONDON (GBR): Olympic 400m champion Christine
Ohuruogu insists she will go to the World Championships despite coming last in
her final major event before Daegu. Ohuruogu, who has just recovered from a
cold, was left trailing in the London Diamond League meeting, finishing over
two seconds behind Sanya Richards-Ross. But she has already qualified for a
place in the GB squad, which will be announced on Tuesday. “I don’t believe it
will take me long to get fit. I’m still going,” she said for BBC Sports.

OTHER NEWS

ZURICH (SUI): Marathon European champion Viktor
Rothlin is confirmed entry for ING New York City Marathon on November 6. His
main test for that will be the so-called Greifenseelauf on September 17 in Uster. Next days he
will be in preparation at the altitude of Muottas Muragl (2453 m) around the valley
near of St. Moritz.
“New York is
similar to big championships, we run for position not for a time,” said
Rothlin. Special guest in Uster will be also NYC Marathon race director Mary
Wittenberg.

SARAJEVO (BIH): On September 9 an international junior
meet will be staged to celebrate 15 years from the IAAF Solidarity meeting in
1996. And also 100 years of modern athletics in Bosnia. Young athletes from Bulgaria, France,
Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia,
Serbia, Turkey are expected to take part.

LONDON (GBR):  The
riots that have
spread across London, including in Hackney, an Olympic Host Borough
located
just a few miles from the main site, will not affect the beach
volleyball test
event due to begin at Horse Guards Parade tomorrow, officials have
claimed. But
the rioting could hardly have come at a worse time for London 2012 with
representatives from nearly 200 countries in the capital to attend
the·Chef de
Missions seminar to discuss preparations for next year. Images of
buildings and
vehicles in flames have been broadcast around the world come as the
capital
prepares to stage the Games in less than a year’s time.·The unrest
started
Saturday night (August 6) in the Tottenham area of North London after a
police
shooting. Groups of youths, many wearing hoods and masks, attacked shops
and windows
in Hackney. Authorities said more than 200 people had been arrested and
more
than two dozen charged over three days of trouble. Police said at least
35
police officers were injured. Discussions have already been held about
whether England’s football friendly against the Netherlands at
Wembley Stadium – which is also an Olympic venue for 2012 – on Wednesday
(August 10) can go ahead. But London 2012 officials have told
insidethegames
that the Visa FIVB Beach Volleyball International, which is due to
feature·world
number one pairing Jennifer Kessy and April Ross of the United States
and·Beijing bronze medallists Chen Xue and Xi
Zhang of China, is not in danger of being cancelled. The National
Olympic
Committee (NOC) representatives are being housed in the Park Lane area
of London, which has so far been unaffected by
the riots.

TEGERNSEE (GER): German pole vaulter and multiple medalist Tim Lobinger
married at age of 38 with the RTL tv-station reporter Alina Baumann. Lobinger
still plans to try to compete at London 2012 Games.

LONDON (GBR): The Cuban-born triple jumper Yamile
Aldama will compete for Great
Britain at next year’s Olympic Games. Aldama
has been a British resident for quite some time. “She’s actually lived here for
coming up to 10 years, ever since she left Cuba in 2001,” said Aldama’s
long-time British coach, Frank Attoh in The Independent. At the age of 38 and
12 months after the birth of her second child, Aldama is looking to compete in
a third Olympics for a third different country after previously competing for Cuba and Sudan.

ST GEORGE’S (GRD): Grenada’s Government has praised
teenaged sensation Kirani James following his impressive pro debut at the Aviva
London Grand Prix on Friday as the 18 year old stormed to a world-leading time
of 44.61 seconds to win the men’s 400m. 
“On behalf of the Government and people of Grenada I would like to
congratulate Kirani and Rondell who continue to fly our flag internationally,”
Sports Minister Patrick Simmons said.

LONDON (GBR): London’s bid to host the 2017 World Athletics
Championships is almost certain to fail unless Britain can provide guarantees
within the next three months that the track will remain in the Olympic Stadium
after 2012, IAAF President Lamine Diack has warned. Diack has admitted that Britain’s failures to keep its previous promises
when bidding for the event means that London’s
bid is unlikely to receive much support unless they can meet certain criteria.
Diack issued his warning while visiting for the Olympic Stadium for the first
time since the Mondo track, which will be used for competition next year, had
been laid reports Insidethegames.

LONDON (GBR): Race Results Weekly writes that Eilish
McColgan fractured her ankle during the Aviva Grand Prix, the Scottish
steeplechaser reported on her Facebook page. 
“Very very upset to announce that I have broken my foot [actually her
ankle] badly (managed to run 550m with it broken!!) and require an operation
ASAP,” McColgan wrote. “And so my season will be ended a lot sooner as I had
wished. It’s been a very tough week for my family in many ways, but 2012 is a
year away and I promise to be on that start line.”

NEW YORK (USA): Sub-4:00 high school miler
and world class junior triathlete Lukas Verzbicas was involved in a bicycle
accident on Saturday and gashed his right knee and elbow, according to a
Twitter post and an accompanying photo. Verzbicas had won the USA junior
triathlon title without incident, then crashed out in the team relay later on
the same day. Verzbicas, who is training for the World Junior Triathlon
Championships in September, needed 13 stitches on his elbow and knee.  “It really sucks when the doctor tells you
that you have strong skin while he’s applying stitches,” he wrote. Informs http://www.raceresultsweekly.com/subscription.htm.

MOSCOW (RUS): Russia
is sending 36 men and 38 women for World University Games in China. In
the
men team top middle distance runners of the country Vyacheslav Sokolov
(800 m) and Valentin Smirnov (1500 m), also steeple runner
Ildar Minshin, top walkers (Ruzavin, Ryzhkov, Krivov), high jumper
Sergey
Mudrov. On the women side European U23 Champion Olga Topilskaya for 400
m, Yelena Kofanova for 800 m and Yekaterina
Gorbunova with Yelena Arzhakova for the 1500 m. Natalya Popkova runs the
5 and 10 k.
Walking trio is Nina Okhotnikova, Yelena Kruchinkina and Tatyana
Shemyakina.
Irina Gordeyeva will be one of the favorites in the high jump,
Aleksandra
Kiryashova in the pole vault, Anna Nazarova and Yulia Pidluzhnaya for
long
jump. Svetlana Saykina is the top discus name, Irina Tarasova for shot
put and
Olga Kurban competes with Aleksandra Butvina in heptathlon.

RESULTS

CHULA VISTA (USA, Aug 6): Jarred Rome won the
discus here at an open meet with 68.76 lifetime best and second Jason Young
achieved season best and Daegu standard 65.30. Brad Walker cleared 578 in the pole vault. In
women events Jessica Cosby achieved 72.32 in hammer and Amanda Shmock improved her
personal best to B- Daegu standard 14.18 in the triple jump.

KUMASI (GHA, Aug 6): Home team of Ghana clocked 38.93 and 44.37 in the 4×100 m
relays during Ghana International Grand Prix meet. Terrell Wilks of US achieved
10.28 (-0.3) in the 100 m
over Jamaican Oshane Bailey 10.32. In the 200 m the order changed, Bailey 20.87 and Wilks
20.89. In the most expected event, the long jump home best athlete Ignisious
Gaisah was second with 803. Winner Luvo Manyonga won with 808. In women sprints US
wins for Tiana Madison (11.74, -0.3) and Nicole Denby (13.17, 0.0) at 100 m hurdles.

ITEN (KEN, Aug 7): Dubai marathon champion Diana Chepkemoi (34:58.8) and
Rotterdam second finisher Jonathan Maiyo (30:14.8) beat stiff opposition to win
this year’s Iten 10Kilometres run in new records.

LEE VALLEY
(GBR, Aug 6): Marilyn Okoro narrowly missed UKA’s 800m A standard for Daegu of
1:59.80 at Crystal Palace but she returned the next day to run a solo
1:59.53 at Lee Valley. Running the first 400m in under
58 seconds, she confirmed her continuing fitness gains to consolidate her
position in second place in the McCain Power of Ten rankings. Informs UK
Athletics.

TARVISIO (ITA, Aug 7): Fabio Cerutti clocked 10.27 (+1.5) in the 100 m at a local meet here.