Yohan Blake runs 19.26!!!!!!!!( picture from 2011 WC 100m) photo by PhotoRun.net

BOLT 9.76, BLAKE 19.26,
CHICHEROVA ATTACKED 210

BRUSSELS (BEL, Sep 15): 35th Van Damme Memorial as
Samsung Diamond League final was again superb. Full stadium in solid weather
(in the stands also Jacques Rogge and Lamine Diack with Sergey Bubka)
registered in total four world leading marks and four meeting records. Bolt got
his 100 m
world lead he wanted, but some minutes afterwards lost his 200 m world lead to Blake who
was unexpectedly fast. Another top facts are that Kenenisa Bekele is back and
Anna Chicherova realistically attacked the women high jump world record.

Event by event

Men

100 m (non DL): Usain Bolt gets the world lead and
meet record 9.76 (+1.3) over fast starter Carter 9.89. It is the fastest 100 m of Bolt since 9.58
world record and fourth fastest of his career.

200 m: The sensation of the evening. Blake blasts to second fastest ever
19.26 (+0.7). Dix as second improves to 19.53 (fourth fastest perfomer ever,
best second place result ever) and wins the Diamond, third Ashmeade 19.91 (PB)
and fourth Ndure 19.97 also sub 20.

400 m (non DL): The home affair as planned. Jonathan
Borlee season best 44.78 beating Kevin Borlee 44.97 and Oscar Pistorius his
third fastest of career 45.46.

800 m: Rudisha wins in good 1:43.96 and gets the Diamond, young Aman
second 1:44.29 ahead of 1500
m world champ Kiprop 1:44.46. Nice improvement for Bube
of Denmark 1:45.04 as 6th.

5000 m: Merga gets the satisfaction after Daegu dq (he learned that
during press conference with medalists) and wins the Diamond in 12:58.32.
Longosiwa was closing fast 12:58.70. 5th Cragg Irish record 13:03.53 and 7th
Polat Kemboi Turkish record 13:05.98.

10 000 m: Kenenisa is back with world leading 26:43.16. London is now realistic for him. Second
Rotich 26:43.98 and third Rupp US
record 26:48.00. Seven runners went under 27 minutes.

400mH: Culson wins in 48.32 and beats world champ Greene 48.78 (wins the
DR).

PV: Surprise winner Filippidis on count back (572 in second) over
Lavillenie (572 in
third, gets Diamond).

TJ: French Compaore sets lifetime best 17.31 (-0.6) and 5th Idowu wins
the Diamond (16.29).

SP: Great battle. Hoffa wins with his best of 2011 22.09 and late top
shape also for Cantwell as second 22.07. Top five over 21 meters, including
fourth Diamond winner Armstrong 21.47. Only four other competitions had ever
more than one 22 m
athlete, but all coming from eighties.

JT: World champ De Zordo improves his best to 88.36. Second Vasilevskis
85.06, third Avan national record 84.79, Thorkildsen fifth 81.86, gets Diamond
but promised hair-cut.

Women

100 m: Jeter beats Veronica this time in 10.78 (+0.4) over 10.85. Third
Baptiste gets fastest of the year 10.90 (her second career-fastest).

400 m: Montsho remains unbeaten since early June in 50.16 and wins the
Diamond. Williams-Mills second 50.72.

1500 m: World lead for Uceny 4:00.06 (also Diamond) over Selsouli
4:00.77 PB and Jamal 4:01.40. Ukrainian Mishchenko fourth in lifetime best
4:01.73.

100 mH: Pearson fell at 7th hurdle, ended her winning-streak and lost
the diamond. That goes to Carruthers 12.65 (+0.4).

SC: Zaripova in only fourth race of the year at the distance clocked
meet record 9:15.43 ahead of Ghribi 9:16.57, Kenyans beaten, Diamond winner
Chemos fifth 9:21.41.

HJ: Chicherova cleared nicely 205 in second (meet record) and had three good
tries at 210 (Tia Hellebaut was watching). DR winner Vlasic was injured and
ended 5th (193).

TJ: World champion Saladukha dominated with 14.67 (0.4) and won the
Diamond.

DT: Another winning world champion from Daegu was Li Yanfeng with 66.27
ahead of Barrios (DR winner) 65.33. The third Daegu medalist Muller only 6th
(59.50).

OTHER NEWS

NEW YORK (USA):
Mary Wittenberg confirmed at a press conference in Lisbon that Portuguese stars Jéssica Augusto
and Ana Dulce Félix would both be running the ING New York City Marathon on
Sunday November 6. “Jéssica and Ana are continuing the rich tradition of
Portuguese marathon runners like Olympic champions Rosa Mota and Carlos Lopes,”
Wittenberg
said. Both Augusto (2:24.33) and Félix (2:26.30) have only completed one
marathon.

OTTAWA (CAN): Canadian Jessica Zelinka has confirmed
her participation to the Decastar IAAF World Combined Events Challenge final.
Zelinka joings in France the
world’s top heptathletes including Tatyana Chernova of Russia.
Chernova is the 2011 World Champion and defending Decastar champ. Also in the
field is Ukraine’s
Natalie Dobrynska who is last year’s runner up. Zelinka placed third in 2010.

NEW YORK (USA): Four newly crowned IAAF World
Championships medalists, including 1500m champion Jenny Simpson, will compete
in the 31st Fifth Avenue Mile on Saturday September 24. Simpson will be making
her Fifth Avenue
debut and will be running her first race in the United States since winning gold
the IAAF World Championships. The race will be her last race of the season.
Other athletes in the women’s field include World Championships finalists
Alysia Montano, Maggie Vessey, Morgan Uceny, Ingvill MÃ¥kestad Bovim, Barbara
Parker and two-time defending champion Shannon Rowbury is also in the field.

MELBOURNE (AUS): The Stawell Athletic Club announced that Australia Post
will renew their naming rights sponsorship of the nation’s most famous and
richest footrace for the next two years. Commencing back in 1995, the Australia
Post partnership with the Stawell Athletic Club will now extend to 19 editions
of the Australia Post Stawell Gift.

NEWCASTLE (GBR): Berhane Adere, the defending champion,
will be fully tested when bidding to retain her women’s title and score a third
win at the Bupa Great North Run on Sunday. The 38-year-old Ethiopian heads a
strong elite field which includes Portugal’s Jessica Augusto, plus
the Kenyan pair of Irene Jerotich and Irene Mogake, last year’s Commonwealth
Games Marathon gold and silver medallists. Adding host nation spice to the half
marathon race from Newcastle to South Shields will be the presence of top Britons Jo
Pavey and Mara Yamauchi, both determined to be in action for Team GB over the
full distance at the London 2012 Olympic Games.