DONETSK IS READY

KYIV (UKR): Ukrainian City of Donetsk is in preparation for the first athletics global event in the country in the 2013. IAAF VP Sergey Bubka who comes from Donetsk commented on the current status: "Everything is going according to the plan. Stadium RSC Olimpiyskyi is in fact ready to host the competitions, though some additional improvements are planned. The reconstruction of Kirovets arena is more important, and its opening is scheduled for the late summer 2012. Kirovets will be used as a training venue for the 2013 World Championships, but before and after the event the city gets a fully equipped sport arena for 10 thousand kids who live in the neighbourhood. Speaking on transport and hotel infrastructure, we shall inherit it from the UEFA Euro 2012. The legacy of this historical event for Ukraine cannot be overestimated. Several national sport federations, including basketball, fencing, judo, athletics and others, have started bidding to post international competitions following UEFA Euro. It gives more than venues, hotels and airports. It helps maintain the worldwide image of Ukraine as a country eager and ready to host high class sport events. We have full support of our government in these bidding initiatives." The 8th IAAF World Youth Championships will be staged on July 10-14, 2013 in Donetsk.

 

WHO IS NUMBER ONE

KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaican media are debating who is the current number one in the world in the 100 m. The incomparable Usain Bolt is the fastest ever at 100 meters. Asafa Powell is the most prolific producer of fast times. Those truths are self-evident. There is more room for debate about who is the top 100-meter sprinter of 2011. There are good arguments for either Bolt or Powell to be world No. 1, but there is another candidate, world champion Yohan Blake. Usain was undefeated in races he finished and never ran slower than 9.91 seconds. Despite nagging injuries, Powell ran the second-fastest time of the year, 9.78 seconds, won the National Championships and broke 10 seconds in eight other races. Until September, Powell had won all the races where injuries allowed a fair effort except one, a close loss to Bolt in Rome in May. Missing from Bolt's seven-race, 100-meter season is top honours in the World Championships. The winner there was Blake, who kept his head in the confusion that followed Bolt's unfortunate exit. Interestingly, though 15 men with sub-10 personal bests assembled in the World Championships semis, only Blake broke the old barrier with times of 9.95 in that round and 9.92 in the final. After the Worlds, Blake avenged his Nationals loss to Asafa in Zurich and also won in Berlin. Jamaica Gleaner comes close to say it is Blake who will start his preparation for the olympic year next week. In the All-Athletics.com rankings the current order in the 100 m is Blake, Powell, Bolt. Let´s wait for the end of the year rankings of Track and Field News and Athletics International (published by Athletics Weekly) where different arguments are considered by groups of experts (positions at major events, head-to-head stats, quality of marks).

 

ROBLES IS READY

HAVANA (CUB): Cuban Olympic champion and world record holder at the 110 m hurdles, Dayron Robles, on Tuesday stressed the importance of retaining his title in the upcoming Pan American Games to be held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. Speaking to Radio Nacional de Venezuela, shortly before leaving for the Aztec nation, Robles said in an optimal way he will provide a great joy to the Cuban people and in particular to all his followers on the continent. Robles, who was disqualified in the last World Championships in South Korea after winning the gold medal by an interference with the Chinese Liu Xiang, said that this episode is behind him and now looks forward to the games. He can use the favorable altitude of Guadalajara (1567 m) to a fast time. He is the title defender with 13.25 in Rio 2007, Games record is 13.17 by Anier Garcia in Winnipeg 1999. Cuban hurdlers won last three editions of the games and this time Robles is clear favorite with no other hurdler from the top ten in the world competing.

 

ADMINISTRATORS HEADING TO ARONA

ARONA (ESP): From Thursday until Sunday the European athletics administrators will gather at the traditional autumn EA Convention. This year it will be held in Arona, Tenerife one of the Grand Canaria islands. Highlight will come on Saturday evening when the European Athletics Awards Night will be staged with decorating the athletes of the year (Mariya Savinova and Mo Farah along with Rising Stars Jodie Williams and David Storl). Before that representatives of European national federations and meeting organisers will participate in different forums. First on Thursday will be devoted to EA one day meetings, second on Friday to Head Coaches High Performance questions and third on Saturday to Member Federations leaders. Other bodies will be having meetings like Euromeetings, Balkan Association, Small States etc. The full European Calendar 2012 will be also finalised.

 

TITLE DEFENDERS IN ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL (TUR): The 33rd Eurasia Marathon in Istanbul this Sunday has a total prize purse 1 001 000 USD (marathon winners will get 50 000 USD). The event is targeting IAAF Gold Label and has 9350 total number of entries for different races. From this number 3200 are foreigners. For 15 km the figure is 4200, for 8 km 2740 and for marathon 2410. Added to this races is Fun Run where the participation has been limited to huge 85 000 due to the technical possibilities at Bosporus Bridge. Last year winners and course record holders with 2:10:39 and 2:27:25 Kenyan Vincent Kiplagat and Ethiopian Ashu Kasim are returning to run. Second man Dereje Yadete of Ethiopia will also come along with Tsegay Gebrselassie, Tariku Jifar on Ethiopian side and John Kipkorir Mutai on the Kenyan. Strong female Ethiopian group will be further composed by Haftu Goitetom (2:26:21 in Rome this spring), Alemitu Abera (2:26:33 in Daegu in April), Russians Albina Mayorova and Lidiya Grigoryeva and Krakow winner in April with 2:28:14 Ukrainian Tetyana Hamera-Shmyrko. In the 15 km races the favorite is title defender Abayneh Ayele and on the women side local runners, world steeple finalist Binnaz Uslu and European U23 record holder at 10 000 m Meryem Erdogan.

 

HAILE FOR BIRMINGHAM

BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Ethiopian running legend and the world's greatest ever distance runner, Haile Gebrselassie, will compete at the inaugural Bupa Great Birmingham Run on Sunday 23 October. Gebrselassie confirmed his participation in the international half marathon race earlier this week while visiting Soweto in South Africa, where he is doing charity work for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The event is being organised by Nova International, organisers of the world famous Bupa Great North Run, with 54,000 competitors.

 

YELENA SUPPORTS DOHA

DOHA (QAT): Yelena Isinbayeva, Russia's double Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder, has thrown her support behind Doha's bid to host the 2017 World Ahletics Championships as the race to sign-up big name celebrities hots up. Informs insidethegames. Isinbayeva's backing for the Qatari capital came only a day after London, Doha's only rivals, unveiled Ethiopia's double Olympic 10,000 meters champion Haile Gebrselassie as one of their ambassadors. "The IAAF World Championships in Doha will certainly set new standards," she said.

 

NEW RACE IN NYC

NEW YORK (USA): The inaugural NYRR Dash to the Finish Line will draw some big names, including Olympians Deena Kastor and Dathan Ritzenhein on Saturday, November 5, during ING New York City Marathon weekend, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. To be held the day before the ING New York City Marathon, the race will offer a flat and fast 3.1-mile course through the heart of Manhattan, starting near the United Nations, crossing Midtown on famed 42nd Street, and heading uptown to Central Park for the last dash across the world-renowned ING New York City Marathon finish line. All runners are invited, and the race is a key element in New York Road Runners' strategy of opening up the weekend festivities to more people. Kastor will be joined by previously announced American 5000-meter record-holder Molly Huddle, as well as Magdalena Lewy Boulet, who was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials, and 2011 World Championships 10,000-meter silver medalist Sally Kipyego of Kenya. Ritzenhein will also be in good company: 2008 Olympians Matt Tegenkamp and Lopez Lomong and two-time USA champion Ben True are all entered.

 

 

 

OTHER NEWS

 

 

PRAGUE (CZE): 2007 pole vault World medalist Katerina Badurova-Janku gave birth to a girl Ellen Janku last week (2.47 kg, 44 cm). Father Tomas Janku is 2006 European medalist in high jump. Both are already retired from athletics.

 

LONDON (GBR): West Ham United insisted they still want to take over the Olympic Stadium despite the collapse of the deal allowing the club to move in straight after next year's Games. The Board of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) suddenly ended negotiations because of the concerns caused by the ongoing legal dispute with Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient. Both clubs are challenging the process by which West Ham were allowed to secure a £40 million ($62.5 million/€45.8 million) loan from Newham Council, describing it as state aid. But in a joint statement with her counterpart at Newham, West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady said the East London outfit, the nearest major club to the Stratford site, still had the best case. "Our bid is the only one that will secure the sporting and community legacy promise of the Olympic Stadium," Brady said. The Stadium will now remain in public ownership and the OPLC will try and find a range of tenants willing to pay rental on the stadium, which will be reduced to 60,000 seats at a cost of £50 million ($78 million/€57 million) drawn from OPLC funds. Writes insidethegames.

 

GUADALAJARA (MEX): The new stadium for track and field for the Pan American Games has been approved by the IAAF, the athletics world governing body. The track and field venue, which is just being completed with the opening ceremony set for Friday, will hold 8,500 fans and was built at a cost reported at $28 million.

 

ATHENS (GRE): Greek media are informing that 2000 olympic winner at 200 m Kostas Kenteris has decided to resign from the Armed Forces and from the position of Air Force officer. Former Olympic and world champion has been invited along with other 156 sports representatives to leave the army. All were ordered by the Minister of Defence who stated that it is necessary in current situation in the country this officers being paid and not providing services should leave. Kenteris did not appear in person but sent his resignation, because in recent years he has been committed into the hotel business.

 

SOFIA (BUL): Bulgarian national indoor championships of all categories will be held next winter in Dobrich. It is because the main hall Festivalna in Sofia will be reconstructed. It will be also tough for Bulgarian athletes to prepare during the winter months with other provisional possibilities in Sofia. In the same time top home sprinter Inna Eftimova announced she will not compete indoors.

 

AMSTERDAM (NED) : A record number of 35.025 athletes has registered for the TCS Amsterdam Marathon and other distances on October 16th. Besides the marathon, for which over 12.000 participants are registered, there will also be a Mizuno half marathon, Echo mini marathon and 1K Runaway staged. Compared to last year, the marathon has grown by a 20%. Most runners are Dutch or Belgian but there are also large groups of athletes from Great Britain, France and Italy.

 

AMSTERDAM (NED): The Dutch Athletics Federation KNAU has decided to keep its national records in the women's marathon age categories as well as other distances in the road races. The KNAU decided against following the IAAF's recent decision concerning the women's marathon world records as they feel it is not necessary to implement the rule on a national level.

 

LONDON (GBR): Carlos Nuzman President of Rio 2016, has claimed that hosting the Pan American Games in the Brazilian city four years ago played a major factor in helping it to secure the right to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games are due to begin on October 14th with more than 6,000 athletes from 41 nations set to compete across 36 sports. The event is the second largest multisport event in the planet behind the Olympic Games reports Insidethegames.

 

LONDON (GBR): London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy has promised the London Assembly that plans are on track to get all athletes, officials and spectators to their events on time during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, while also keeping the city moving. As Concerns are growing that the capital will struggle with the huge influx of people during the 2012 Games the Transport for London (TfL) have called on all London Boroughs and businesses to work with them ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics to help minimise disruptions writes Insidethegames.

 

SAN DIEGO (USA): Olympian Monique Henderson has officially retired from the sport. Henderson has not run since 2008 after deciding to take an off-year in 2009 and was struggling to get back into training. Henderson has founded the 'Monique Henderson bootcamps' and will focus on this project. The American athletes has won two Olympic titles in the 4x400m in 2004 and 2008.

 

 

 

RESULTS

 

 

YAMAGUCHI (JPN, Oct 11): Shizuoka won the 4x100 m relay with 39.83 at the National Sports Festival. In women junior 3000 m race Tomoka Kimura clocked 9:05.81.

 

TAJIMI (JPN, Oct 10): Good distance times for Kenyans at the district Corporate team championships. John Thuo clocked 7:46.01 at 3000 m and Edward Waweru 13:24.99 at the 5000 m.

 

IVANO-FRANKIVSK (UKR, Oct 9): Serhiy Budza won the national 50 km walk title in 4:00:02.