by Larry EderThe recent ruling by CAS on LaShawn Merritt ruled that rule 45 by the IOC did not follow the IOC guidelines. The IOC has already come out in support of the BOC, as national federations pick their teams. More on this later!
DIFFERENT VIEWS ON CAS RULING
LAUSANNE/LONDON
(GBR): Different views are coming after the CAS decision in the case of
returning athletes from doping sanction. Many athletes and NOC´s are
affected by this decision and must surely be spirited to thank the USOC.
In athletics for example Moroccan female runner Meryem Selsouli. She
will be able to participate in the Olympic Games in London. The same
goes for 2005 double world champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain, Spanish
walker Francisco Javier Fernandez and Brazilian Daegu 200 m finalist
Bruno de Barros. From the group of athletes who´s ban will still end
until the Games to mention Spanish long distance runner and European CC
champion Alemayehu Bezabeh, French 1500 m runner and former world
medalist Bouchra Ghezielle and Romanian European indoor medalist in shot
put Anca Heltne. From the other side AIPS President Gianni Merlo writes
that IOC President Jacques Rogge suffered a blow in the ring of the
battle against doping when on Thursday, October 6, the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Lausanne ruled that Article 45 of
the Olympic Charter was inapplicable. British sprinter Dwain Chambers is
on the other side considering appealing against his Olympic suspension
after LaShawn Merritt overturned his own ban. The British sprinter is
barred from taking part in London 2012 by a British Olympic Association
(BOA) by-law that imposes a lifetime ban for doping. His agent Sazia
Agha said: “Dwain and I just want the opportunity to read, digest and
review the reasoning behind [US sprinter Merritt’s victory].” Writes
BBC. Former 110m hurdles world-record holder and world champion Colin
Jackson believes the BOA is justified in its stance.
POWELL EYES POSSIBLY LAST OLYMPICS FOR HIM
KINGSTON
(JAM): Jamaica Gleaner informs that Asafa Powell who is the 2011
Diamond League 100m champion and former world record holder, is not
ruling out the possibility of next year’s Olympic Games in London being
his last, but at the same time is not quite ready to put a timeline on
his swansong. By the time the 2012 Olympic Games start in July next
year, Powell will be a few months shy of his 29th birthday, while he’ll
be chasing 33 when the 2016 Olympic Games, scheduled for Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, gets under way. Powell, who will next month be receiving the
University of Technology’s Chancellor’s Medal in recognition of his
achievements in the sport, says he will certainly be approaching the
London Games as his last, though he would not explicitly rule out the
possibility of featuring in Rio.
MOSOP NOT FULLY HEALTHY
CHICAGO
(USA): The second fastest man ever over the standard marathon distance,
Kenya’s Moses Mosop, has been struggling with a sore tendon on the
outside of his left ankle which he said will likely hamper his
performance in Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The injury had
already caused him to miss some training. Mosop, who clocked 2:03:06 at
last April’s Boston Marathon before setting world records for 25,000m
(1:12:25.0) and 30,000m (1:26:47.4) at the Prefontaine Classic last
June, was surprisingly frank with reporters here today about his
condition. “For me this time I’m saying I’m not in good shape,” he told
Race Results Weekly in a brief interview. “I have a leg problem.” US
star Ryan Hall said he is in better shape than when he ran his personal
best 2:04:58 in Boston last April, saying “I’m feeling good and snappy.”
But some feel his love of front running will make it hard for him to
win. In his only marathon victory, in the 2008 USA Olympic Marathon
Trials in New York City, Hall broke away from the field just past the
halfway mark and ran the second half of the race alone in 62:45. Here,
it will be hard for him to run away from the likes of Moses Mosop
(2:03:06 PB), Bazu Worku (2:05:25), Evans Cheruiyot (2:06:25) and
Marilson Gomes Dos Santos (2:06:34) amongst others. From RRW.
SIMPSON FOR MILROSE GAMES
NEW
YORK (USA): World 1500m champion Jenny Simpson will headline the
first-ever Wanamaker Metric Mile for Women at the 105th Millrose Games
at the Armory in New York City next February. Simpson’s participation in
the meet was announced in a joint statement released by the Armory
Foundation, which owns the Millrose Games, and the New York Road
Runners, which will be sponsoring and organizing both the traditional
Wanamaker Mile for men and the new Metric Mile (1500m) for women. The
meet, the oldest indoor track meet in the United States, is scheduled
for a new date Saturday, February 11 (switching from traditional end of
January), and will feature high school action in the afternoon followed
by elite competition in the evening. The 2012 edition of the meet will
be the first at the Armory, which boasts one of the country’s fastest
200m, banked indoor tracks. The Wanamaker Mile for men has been held
every year since 1926, and is named after Rodman Wanamaker of the
now-defunct Wanamaker’s department store. Informs RRW.
OTHER NEWS
LAUSANNE
(SUI): IOC informs that the 5th International Athletes’ Forum gets
under way on 8 October in Colorado Springs, with some 100 athletes from
five continents taking part in three days of discussions on topics
ranging from the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Athlete Career
Programme to athletes’ entourage, betting and gambling and anti-doping.
Jointly organised by IOC’s Athletes’ Commission and the United States
Olympic Committee (USOC), the 5th edition of the Athletes’ Forum will
feature meetings, plenary sessions and working groups designed to give
athletes a platform to exchange ideas of greatest concern to them, both
on the field of play and off. For the first time, a day of joint
meetings has been organised with the Athletes’ Council of the
International Paralympic Committee (IPC), WADA’s Athletes Committee,
Continental Associations and athletes’ commission representatives from
the International Federations. The meeting will be held at the USOC
Training Centre, where the athletes will engage in sports activities.
The first two editions of the Athletes’ Forum were held in Lausanne
(2003, 2005), followed by Dubai (2007) and Marrakech (2009).
KINGSTON
(JAM): Former Jamaica track & field star Donald Quarrie and world
renowned sprint coach Glen Mills will be inducted into Camperdown High’s
Alumni Hall of Fame later this month. The duo, Quarrie and Mills were
technical director and head coach respectively for Jamaica’s team for a
period including both the Beijing Olympic Games and Berlin World
Championships. The function will be held as part of the school’s 80th
anniversary celebration on October 29 at Terra Nova All Suite Hotel.
Writes Trackalerts.
NASSAU (BAH):
Bahamas will be represented at the Pan American Games by a strong
13-member team in athletics. Donald Thomas, winner of the 2007 Osaka
World Championships high jump title, heads the team, which also includes
2010 World indoor 400m champion Chris Brown, who is also the defending
champion at these Games. Brown also helped Bahamas to the 4x400m world
title in 2001 and Olympic silver medal in 2008. Laverne Eve, the 2002
Commonwealth Games javelin champion, and winner at seven Central
American and Caribbean Championships, and 2011 CAC 200m champion Michael
Mathiew, a member of the Beijing Olympic 4x400m relay silver medal
team, are also included in the squad. Informs Trackalerts. Missing is
world medalist from Daegu in high jump Trevor Barry.
EINDHOVEN
(NED): The 2011 Marathon Eindhoven will be staged on Sunday (October 9)
but you don’t have to be in the Dutch city itself to follow what’s
happening in the 28th edition of one of The Netherlands’ most famous and
prestigious athletics events. Informs Phil Minshull. The race can be
watched live on the internet regardless of where you are living in the
world. It will be streamed live on the website of the local broadcaster
Omroep Brabant, with commentary in Dutch, via the following link: http://www.
TOKYO (JPN):
Ken Nakamura informs that 2004 Olympic marathon winner Mizuki Noguchi
has been entered for West Japan Corporate team Women’s Ekiden on Oct 23
in Munakata. It will be her first competition of the year.
RESULTS
TRENTO
(ITA, Oct 8): Kenyan Edwin Soi won for third time in a row the 10 km
road race, the 65th edition of Giro al Sas Trofeo Cassa Rurale di
Trento. He clocked 29:16.7 just 5 seconds ahead of best current Italian
at the distance Daniele Meucci (29:21.3). Third young Ethiopian Haftu
Fikadu (29:22.7) beating former world medalist James Kwalia of Qatar
(29:24.2) and Rwandan Sylvain Rukundo (29:25.5). Ukrainian multiple
European terrain champion Sergiy Lebid was not able to finish due to a
leg problem.
SAO PAULO
(BRA, Oct 8): Eric Sigaki de Jesus won the Brazilian U23 Championships
100 m in 10.45 (0.0) and Pedro Luiz de Oliveira clocked 46.33 in the 400
m.
TEHRAN (IRI,
Oct 6): At 2nd national meeting Reza Ghasemi equalled his own national
record at 200 m from World University Games when he clocked 20.88. Hasan
Heidarpoor won the 100 m in new life-time best 10.35 ahead of Ghasemi
who missed his PB only by 0.01 clocking 10.36. Also to note 221 in high
jump by Amir Hosseinzadeh and 61.20 in discus by Mahmoud Samimi.
TAIPEI (TPE,
Sep 30): New national record for Chinese Taipei in men´s pole vault at
National Intercollegiate meet. Hsieh Chian-Han cleared 531 cm, informs
Heinrich Hubbeling.
DUBNICA (SVK,
Oct 8): New Slovak U17 walking track record by talented Patrik Spevak
who achieved at the 5000 m 20:39.97. Former mark of current best Slovak
walker Matej Toth was 20:42.7 from 2000.
YAMAGUCHI
(JPN, Oct 7-8): The 66th National Sports Festival started with Kasumi
Nishihara winning the 5000 m in 15:23.80 PB. Mahau Sugimachi clocked in
the heats of 400 m hurdles good 49.86. Yohei Sugai leaped to 785 (-0.1)
long jump win. During second day Masashi Eriguchi won the 100 m in fast
10.14 (+1.8) ahead of Sota Kawatsura (10.22, PB) and Ryoto Yamagata who
with 10.23 achieved new national junior record (improvement by 0.01).
Under 10.30 also fourth Shintaro Kimura (10.27). National record holder
Chisato Fukushima won the women 100 m in 11.24 (+1.6). She missed the
national mark only by 0.03.
