ETHIOPIAN WINS

MAPUTO (MOZ, Sep 11): Ethiopian wins during first day
of athletics at All-African Games. Sule Utura was the best in the 5000 m 15:38.70 ahead of
Emebet Anteneh 15:40.13 and bronze for best Kenyan Pauline Korikwiang 15:40.93.
In the men steeple Getahun Shiferaw clocked 8:17.36 ahead of Roba Gari 8:18.41
and Sisay Mojo 8:20:72 with best Kenyan out of medal podium. Fourth Jairus
Kipchoge 8:21.30. Sudanese Yusif Rabah was the fastest in the men´s 400 m heats 45.67. World
champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana
won her 400 m
heat in 53.26. The CAA Jury of appeal decided to nullify the results of triple
jump and reorganise the event on September 15 after big confusion concerning
Otonye Iworima wrongly measured 14.47.

BOLT AND OTHER FOUR DAEGU
CHAMPIONS

ZAGREB (CRO): Tuesday´s 61st Boris Hanzekovic
Memorial in Zagreb
is the last IAAF World Challenge meet of the year. The main story is Usain Bolt
in his first 100 m
since Daegu. He will face among, other others, Kim Collins of St. Kitts and
Nevis, the surprise bronze medallist in Daegu, who improved his season’s best
to 10.01 in
Berlin on Sunday; Trinidad & Tobago’s national record holder Richard
Thompson; and former World and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S.
Bolt’s immediate target is the 9.78 world lead set by his compatriot Asafa
Powell in late June. In total five Daegu gold medalists will compete. Except
Bolt also Carmelita Jeter in the 100
m, Sally Pearson in the 100 m hurdles, Jason
Richardson at 110 m
hurdles (against Dayron Robles). Special is the high jump duel Anna Chicherova
against home hero Blanka Vlasic Men’s Hammer Throw Challenge will have its last
meet 2011, but Krisztian Pars looks like a clear winner. In the shorter dash,
Sherone Simpson and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie are the marginal favourites, while
in the 400m Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Russia’s back-to-back World bronze medallist and
more recently the winner in Berlin,
will be the woman to beat. The men’s 400m has the makings of a fast race, with
LaShawn Merritt, the World championships runner-up, squaring off against
Jamaican Jermaine Gonzales, who finished fourth in Deagu. In the men’s 1500m,
Kenyan Nixon Chepseba, who captured the Samsung Diamond Trophy in the event, is
likely to be the man to watch despite his third place showing in Berlin on
Sunday. Meanwhile the men’s 3000m steeplechase will likely provide yet another
Kenyan tussle between teenager Hillary Yego, Haron Lagat, and Silas Kitum.
Americans Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and Ryan Whiting are still looking to
bounce back from the disappointing U.S. shut out from the medal stand
in Daegu in the men shot put against Canadian Dylan Armstrong. In the men’s
Discus, the man with the target on his back will be Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania, who secured the Samsung Diamond Race
trophy in Zurich.And finally, Yahya Berrabah of Morroco and Russia’s
Aleksander Menkov, fourth and sixth respectively in Daegu, lead the field in
the men’s Long Jump. With help from IAAF.

CHERNOVA IS THE TOP NAME

TALANCE (FRA): Decastar Meeting during the weekend is the last event of
the IAAF Combined Events Challenge this year. In men´s decathlon main
contenders are home European champion Romain Barras, German Pascal Behrenbruch.
Also entered Russian Aleksey Drozdov with Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine and
Estonian former European indoor champion Mikk Pahapill and Dutch Euro medalist
Eelco Sintinicolaas. From Daegu top ten Drozdov was 4th, Sintnicolaas 5th,
Behrenbruch 7th and Pahapill 9th. German Behrenbruch is second in the challenge
standings but also Sintnicolaas and Pahapill can be high in the final ranking
when having good competition over the weekend. US world medalists Hardee and Eaton
and Cuban Suarez are not competing. World champion Tatyana Chernova of Russia is the star
of heptathlon and also nearly confirmed winner of the challenge. Poland´s
Karolina Tyminska who was fourth in Daegu is having the chance to improve her
current third place standings over German Jennifer Oeser. Also olympic winner
and 5th in Korea Natalya Dobrynska of Ukraine is in the line-up.

KOECH VS. KEMBOI AND MUCH MORE

DUBNICA (SVK): The 9th Athletics
Bridge in Dubnica, Slovakia
(last EA Classic meet of the year) is having in summary 9 world champions from
Daegu and in total 18 world medalists. Latest addition is the 3000 m steeple world
champion Ezekiel Kemboi who will compete against Diamond Race winner Paul
Kipsiele Koech. Other top highlights for the Thursday (Sep 15) meeting are
hurdles clash Robles vs. Richardson, hammer duel Heidler vs. Lysenko and high
class 100 m
field with five sub 10 runners (Collins, Thompson, Frater, I. Williams,
Chambers). Also running LaShawn Merritt in the 400 m and solid 100 m field where in-shape
Schillonie Calvert of Jamaica
will compete against her team-mate Sherone Simpson and best European Ivet
Lalova. High jump will see top clash of two Daegu medalists Jesse Williams and
Trevor Barry against World indoor champion Ivan Ukhov. Men´s hammer will have
2-4 from Daegu competing (Pars, Kozmus, Esser) with Koji Murofushi in the
stands as honorary guest. World champion Valerie Adams is the star of shot put
and Daegu silver winner Olga Kucherenko is the top name in long jump.

DI MARTINO THE HOME STAR

ROVERETO (ITA): The 47th Palio della Quercia meet in Rovereto on Tuesday
(last EA Premium meet of the year) will offer for home spectators Italian world
medalist Antonietta Di Martino in women high jump as the top highlight. Another
top clash is in women hammer when world champion Tatyana Lysenko will meet with
former gold medalist Yipsi Moreno of Cuba. Belarus Anastasia
Mironchyk-Ivanova is the star of the long jump. In the 100 m hurdles 2009 world
champ Brigitte Foster-Hylton runs against NCAA Champion Nia Ali. Spanish world
finalist Mario Pestano is the top name in men´s discus. The 100 m will see Jamaican clash
of Mike Frater, Lerone Clarke and Nickel Ashmeade. Fresh world youth best
holder Mohamed Aman of Ethiopia
is the top name in 800 m.
Italian Emanuele Abate after winning in Rieti will have another chance to prove
his shape against US
hurdlers Porter and Akins. French Romain Mesnil with German Bjorn Otto and home
Giuseppe Gibilisco are the top pole vault names.

OTHER NEWS

NEWCASTLE (GBR): The world’s premier aerobatic team, the
Red Arrows, are to team up with recently crowned world 5000m champion Mo Farah
to act as honorary starters of the Bupa Great North Run. Mo, who will be
competing in the Great North CityGames on the eve of the event, will join an
illustrious list of athletes who have performed the starters duties including
Dame Kelly Holmes, Jonathan Edwards, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and the first
ever winner of the Great North Run Mike McLeod.

LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames informs that Bob Hersh,
the newly appointed senior vice-president of the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF), has been chosen to be the head of the Evaluation
Commission for the 2017 World Championships. The American will lead a
nine-member delegation that will visit London and Doha next month to produce a
report that will assess the two cities respective bids ahead of a meeting of
the IAAF’s ruling Council in Monte Carlo on November 11 who will choose which
candidate will host the event. The Commission are due to visit the Olympic
Stadium on October 3, the second day of their visit to London,
and will hold a press conference the next day before leaving for Doha, where they will
stay until October 6.

NEWCASTLE (GBR): World 5000m Champion Mo Farah, who also finished second
over 10,000m at the recent IAAF World Championships in Daegu, can expect a
massive home coming reception from fans when Great Britain take on the USA at
the Great North CityGames on Saturday. Farah will represent the Aviva Great
Britain & Northern Ireland team over two miles in the annual Great North
CityGames on the NewcastleGateshead Quaysides – a free event that offers
spectators the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the
biggest names in athletics. This year the host nation will face the mighty Team
USA
who will be fielding several of its gold medallists from Dageu. Also included
in the Aviva Norwich Union GB & NI team will be Hannah England who claimed
the world silver medal at the1500m event and 110m hurdles bronze medallist Andy
Turner, who will be competing against David Oliver and World Champion Jason
Richardson from the USA.
Another stars in the team are world medalist Hannah England in the one mile
with 800 m
specialist Jenny Meadows. In the US team Walter Dix at 150 m, Dwight Phillips in the
long jump, Carmelita Jeter in the 150
m and Dawn Harper at the 100 m hurdles.

LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics is delighted to
announce the nominations for the 2011 European Athlete of the Year and European
Athletics Rising Star Awards presented by MONDO. The online poll to choose the
winners is now open, with voting taking place on the European Athletics website
until 26 September 2011. Shot putter David Storl of Germany and pole vaulter
Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland are nominated in both the Athlete of the Year and
Rising Star categories because of their high achievements in what has been
their breakthrough year. The winners of European Athlete of the Year and
European Athletics Rising Star Awards presented by MONDO will be invited to
collect their awards during the European Athletics Convention in Arona, Spain,
on Saturday 15 October. The European Athlete of the Year award was introduced
by European Athletics in 1993 and this year is the 19th time the trophy will be
awarded.

BRIGHTON (GBR): The Brighton Marathon which is Britain’s second best and
second most prestigious marathon, behind the London Marathon (the only other
IAAF labelled road race in Britain that’s also a marathon, there are three
others over shorter distances) announced that it has been granted coveted
Bronze Label status by the World governing body, the International Association
of Athletics Federations (IAAF). “After just two years of our existence this is
a tribute to all the professionalism and hard work that our staff has put into
this race,” said Race Director Tim Hutchings.

BRUSSELS (BEL) : Yohan Blake is still motivated to end
the season on a high note and will try to improve on his PB in the 200m at the
Samsung Diamond League meeting in Brussels
on Friday. Blake, who spoke during a press conference in Brussels, admitted he is confident and
optimistic about the 200m. American Walter Dix will be his main competitor on
Friday, Blake’s PB stands at 19.78.

FRANKFURT (GER): The Frankfurt marathon
has announced its elite field for the race on October 30th. Featured in the
men’s race are Kenyans Wilson Kipsang (2:04.57), Gilbert Kirwa (2:06.23) and
2008 winner and 2010 Boston
marathon winner Robert Kiprono. 2005 and 2007 winner Wilfred Kigen is running
his last elite marathon in Frankfurt. From
Ethiopia Deriba Merga is the main name while Germany is well represented by Jan
Fitschen, André Pollmächerm also in the field Austrian Günther Weidlinger. In
the women’s race Sabrina Mockenhaupt is hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympic
Games but she will face tough opposition from Irina Mikitenko. Back after
giving birth is Germany’s
Susanne Hahn.

NICE (FRA): World shot put champion David Storl leads the German team
for the Decanation meeting on Sunday September 18th in Nice. Germany is sending 20 athletes
including European long jump champion Christian Reif, European indoor vice
champion Malte Mohr and World silver medalist Nadine Kleinert.

LONDON (GBR): UK Athletics head coach Charles van
Commenee said there is no reason to ditch the new false start rule, introduced
at the recent World Championships, for the 2012 London
Olympics. Some pundits and former athletes have called for the rule, which
dramatically snared the likes of Usain Bolt, Christine Ohuruogu and Dwain
Chambers in Daegu, to be changed before next year’s games. “Don’t change it,
athletes have to be disciplined and just wait for the gun,” the Dutchman told
BBC Sportsweek.

RESULTS (with help from Race Results
Weekly)

BUENOS AIRES (ARG, Sep 11): Former NYC Marathon winner
Marilson Gomes dos Santos
won the South American HM Championships in 1:01:13. His next marathon will be Chicago. Women’s champion
Adriana Aparecida da Silva scored a 47-second personal best in what is probably
the biggest win of her career 1:13:16.

VANNES (FRA, Sep 11): Evans Kosgei achieved 1:02:21 to win the 37th
half-marathon d´Auray Vannes. Rose Chelimo set a course record in the women’s
competition 1:11:27.

PORDENONE (ITA, Sep 11): Both winners at the 30th
edition of the road race here Eric Chirchir (19:50) and Anikó Kálovics (17:13),
earned commanding victories. Men were running 4 laps what was 7000 m and women 3 laps what
was 5.35 km.

VALDEORRAS (ESP, 11): Road mile winner Diego Ruiz clocked 4:22.9 ahead
of Victor Garcia 4:23.6 and Sergio Sanchez 4:26.0.