LEBID
PLANS TO COMPETE AGAIN

VELENJE
(SLO): Nine times European CC Champion Sergiy Lebid plans to compete also at
the next edition of the event in December 2012 in Szentendre near Budapest in
Hungary. „Yes, I plan to be there. I also want to run the 5000 m in
Helsinki at European Championships and at the Olympic Games later next year,”
said Lebid who went out from the race for the first time in his 18
participations at the European CC Champs. „It was after 7 km, I felt I cannot
improve as I was at that time running at around 15-16 positions. Podium
was too far away for me,” admitted Lebid who missed important parts of his
preparation for Velenje because of snow. He plans to run also this weekend in
Brussels at IAAF CC Permit event and traditionally also the Bolzano Silvester
Race on the last day of 2011. The 36 years old Ukrainian plans to debut in
marathon in 2013 or 2014.

TOP
WOMEN FIELD FOR LONDON MARATHON

LONDON
(GBR): Virgin London Marathon announced names for its women elite field on
April 22 next year. Kenyan selection will be headed by title defender Mary
Keitany, followed with world champion Edna Kiplagat, Berlin winner Florence
Kiplagat and Daegu silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo. Again competing will be 2008
and 2009 winner here German Irina Mikitenko, Olympic winner Constantina Dita of
Romania, Russians Inga Abitova with Mariya Konovalova, Swedish record holder
Isabellah Andersson and European CC champion 2010 Jessica Augusto of Portugal.
From Ethiopians Atsede Bayisa, Ejegayehu Dibaba, Aberu Kebede, Korene Jelila
and Bezunesh Bekele.

STRUTZ
AND HILDEBRAND IN KARLSRUHE

KARLSRUHE
(GER): Organisers of IHM Karlsruhe indoor meet (IAAF Permit) announced top two
home pole vaulters competing. On February 12 world medalist Martina Strutz will
clash with Silke Spiegelburg who is German indoor record holder with 476 cm.
Strutz is outdoor record holder with 480 from World Championships in Daegu. Her
indoor best is „only” 455 cm.

NO
MEET FOR GILL DUE TO BAD WEATHER

AUCKLAND
(NZL): Shot put sensation Jacko Gill has praised New Zealand’s drug testing
programme, saying it keeps the knockers at bay. Gill’s father Walter, a former
top New Zealand thrower, admits that steroid rumors are inevitable given his
son’s stupendous achievements but added Jacko Gill has already been through 15
random urine tests. Gill has also given two blood samples recently as the drug
testing agency builds a profile that will allow them to spot abnormalities
according to The New Zealand Herald. In the other development Gill was unable
to compete again on Monday at Sovereign Stadium on the North Shore due to poor
weather in Auckland. Gill was to throw with the 6kg weight seeking to improve
on his world best for 16 and 17 years. Next Monday he will attempt to improve
his under-18 world best with the 5kg weight for 16 and 17 years.

OTHER NEWS

BERLIN
(GER): German hurdler Nadine Hildebrand has changed her coach to the 67 year
old Werner Späth in the hope of competing at the London Olympic Games. The 2010
European 100 m hurdles finalist failed to progress in 2011 and considered the
change necessary for 2012. Späth previously managed to bring hurdlers Birgit
Hamann and Stephanie Kampf to the Olympic Games reports Leichtathletik.de.

TORONTO
(CAN): The Toronto 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games Organising Committee
have announced the appointment of 10 elite Canadian athletes to its newly
created Athlete Advisory Council. The Council will be chaired by the former
Paralympic swimmer Carla Qualtrough and also includes track and field athletes
Trevino Betty and Nicole Forrester reports insidethegames.

MELBOURNE
(AUS): The Board of Queensland Athletics announces the appointment of David
Gynther as Chief Executive Officer. Gynther is departing his current role as
Athletics Australia’s Manager of Sport in mid-January and will take up his new
position later that month writes athletics.com. Gynther was also meet director
of Melbourne IAAF World Challenge meet.

LONDON
(GBR): London 2012 head Sebastian Coe has defended the budget hike for the
Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, saying it will make for the „largest
piece of television ever”. The British government last week agreed to more than
double the budget for the ceremonies to 81 million pounds. „The government saw
what we have created in the main ceremonies and wanted to invest more in this
unique promotion of Britain to four billion people around the world,” Coe told
reporters.

JOHANNESBURG
(RSA): World 400 m hurdles bronze medallist LJ van Zyl crowned his dream season
by bagging South Africa’s golden girl of road running, Irvette van Blerk. The
couple got engaged on Saturday, a day before Van Zyl left for a training
camp in preparation for next year’s London Olympic Games. The couple are
planning to tie the knot six weeks after the Games writes iol.co.za.

LONDON
(GBR): British 800 m runner Jenny Meadows continues to train as hard as ever,
her mind set on bringing home a medal in what she anticipates will be her
last Olympic Games. The ‚pocket rocket’ as she is known, spoke to
insidethegames after having given a training session at Deanery High
School in Wigan, her former school, before taking a question and answer
session. „I’d say this will be my last Olympics…I won’t retire until a couple
of years after,” she told insidethegames. „I’m thinking Glasgow 2014
[Commonwealth Games] would be a good opportunity; it’s in Britain, but I’ve
been saying this will be my last Olympics,” said the medalist from Berlin 2009
and Barcelona 2010.

KINGSTON
(JAM): Trackalerts informs that sprinting star Usain Bolt was quick to remind
those who think young Jamaican training partner Yohan Blake will be the
favourite for next year’s London Games 100 meters that he was still the man to
beat. „A lot of people have said guys are going to beat me but I am still
No 1. I am still the Olympic champion,” the world’s fastest man told
Reuters in a telephone interview from Kingston on Saturday. „It doesn’t
really matter what people say. I go out there and prove them wrong
everyday,” Bolt said from the set of a new Gatorade campaign that is
launching early next year.

RESULTS

MONACO
(MON, Dec 11): Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe after returning
from training camp in Kenya won the 17th Cursa Natale at 10 km with 32:06,
competing on a hilly course. She was fourth overall.

NARA
(JPN, Dec 11): Winners of Nara Marathon were among 8971 finishers Osamu Hirata
2:20:23 and Yoshimi Hoshino 2:47:50.

KUMAMOTO
(JPN, Dec 10): Chicago Marathon 3rd placer Kayoko Fukushi clocked 15:50.66 at
the 5000 m here.

HONOLULU
(USA, Dec 11): Race Results Weekly informs that gusty winds and high humidity
may have slowed the finish times at the Honolulu Marathon, but those conditions
helped spawn exciting head-to-head races for both men and women, culminating in
victories for Kenyan Nicholas Chelimo (2:14:55) and Ethiopian Woynishet Girma
(2:31:41). Over 20,000 runners entered what was the 39th edition of America’s
fifth-largest marathon. Close second was Patrick Ivuti 2:14:58 ahead of
debuting Josphat Boit 2:15:40. Second best woman was another Ethiopian Misiker
Mekonnin Demissie 2:31:53 ahead of best European in the race Russian Valentina
Galimova 2:31:55. Excellent the 41-years old Svetlana Zakharova with 2:33:17 as
5th.

MIAMI
BEACH (USA, Dec 11): At Miami Half-Marathon Shalane Flanagan won in 1:09:58
ahead of world medalist Kara Goucher 1:12:59 and Lisa Uhl who debuted at the
distance with 1:15:24. Canadian Simon Bairu was the best male runner in 1:05:38.

SAO
PAULO (BRA, Dec 10): At 45th Carrera Sargento Gonzaguinha at 15 km two-time ING
New York City Marathon champion Marilson Gomes Dos Santos successfully defended
his title here in 44:23. From RRW.

GRANOLLERS
(ESP, Dec 11): Kenyan wins at 45th CC race of Granollers. Hillary Kipchumba
clocked 28:30 at 10 km ahead of Kiprono Menjo 28:49 and Moroccan Ilas Fifa
29:08. European 1500 m champion Arturo Casado was 7th (29:54). In the women 6.5
km Joan Chelimo was the best (21:23) ahead of Gema Barrachina 21:54.

PACE
(FRA, Dec 11): At Cross Nacional de Rennes win for Kenyan Abel Ndemi in 30:51
beating French James Theuri 30:52 and Josphat Muraga 31:36.

GETAFE
(ESP, Dec 11): Veteran Jesus Angela Garcia was third at 10 km walk (43:12)
during 14th walking meet here. Winner Jose Diaz achieved 42:47. Women winner
Maria Jose Poves achieved 45:07.

INDOOR

KENT
(USA, Dec 10): Great improvement for 27 years old US shot putter Justin Rodhe.
At Golden Flash meet he achieved 20.77, his previous best from last May was
20.06.

BLOOMINGTON
(USA, Dec 10): At Hoosier Open indoor meet Diego Estrada, who just changed from
Mexico to USA ran a very fast 5000 m for this early in the season
13:39.54.

YAROSLAVL
(RUS, Dec 11): At Talanov indoor memorial Anton Kozlov (17 years old) improved
Russian U18 800 m indoor record of Yuriy Borzakovskiy to 1:52.29. The 2004
olympic winner Borzakovskiy achieved 1:52.8 in December 1997 as 16 years old.

For more on the sports, please look at:

www.runblogrun.com

www.runnerspace.com

www.iaaf.org

www.runningnetwork.com.