BOLT
FOR OSLO

OSLO
(NOR): Fastest man on earth Usain Bolt confirmed his first main season race of
2012. He will return to ExxonMobil Bislett Games in Oslo. After his first
appearance on the famous Bislett Stadium at the 200 m last year he will run
this year on June 7 the 100 m. “I am looking forward to come back to Oslo and
the Bislett Games this summer and try the 100 meters,” said Bolt, the 2011
Athlete of the Year. “I have so many good memories from this great city with
its fantastic stadium last year. I was really happy with my performance
last year when I ran 19.87 in the 200 meters in front of a sold out
stadium with its enthusiastic crowd. That race ended up being my second fastest
200m race of my season,” Bolt added. “We are proud of having the biggest sport
stars in the world lined up for our 100 meters race,” said Meeting Director
Steinar Hoen. Meet record 9.88 by Ato Boldon from 2001 will be under threat.
Earlier Bolt confirmed his test races in February and March in Jamaica. It is
also expected he will compete at Jamaica Invitational on May 5 in Kingston.

POWELL
WANTS TO COMPETE IN ISTANBUL

KINGSTON
(JAM): Former world record holder Asafa Powell plans to compete at World Indoor
Championships in Istanbul. „If all goes according to the plan with his indoor
meets he wants to be in Istanbul,” his agent Paul Doyle said. He will attack to
get his first global individual title. Powell is scheduled to run twice during
the undercover season, 50 m in New York on January 28 and 60 m in Birmingham on
February 18. Jamaica plans to send 14 athletes to Istanbul. From other top
names 200 m olympic and world winner Veronica Campbell-Brown is still undecided
about her participation.

CENTROWITZ
WITH NIKE

LONDON
(GBR): PACE Sports Management announced that World Championships 1500 m bronze
medalist Matthew Centrowitz signed a multi-year endorsement contract with
sportswear manufacturer Nike. The former University of Oregon runner will wear
the Oregon based company’s swoosh logo and train as part of the Alberto Salazar
coached Nike Oregon Project with assistance from his current coach Andy Powell
who guided him throughout his college career. “I am very excited to sign a professional
contract with Nike and become part of the Nike family. They have many great
athletes and I hope my achievements will make the brand proud in the years
to come,” said Matthew. Commenting from the Nike HQ in Beaverton Global
Marketing Manager for Athletics John Capriotti commented, “We are excited to
have Matthew as part of Nike’s Running Team. I am particularly interested
in watching his continued development as a World Class Middle-Distance
Athlete.” Pace Sports Management says in a release.

COE
IS RACERS AMBASSADOR

KINGSTON
(JAM): IAAF Vice President and London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe became
ambassador of the Racers Track Club. The club is led by respected coach Glen
Mills and among club members such world stars like Usain Bolt or Yohan Blake.
Speaking at the inaugural Racers Track Club Fund-raiser and Zenith Awards
Banquet at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, Coe said: „I am thrilled to be speaking
at such an extraordinary evening and really honoured to become an ambassador
for the Racers Track Club. As Chairman of London 2012 I am very aware of
the role the Jamaican track stars will play towards the success of the Games.
Track and field is very much a part of Jamaica’s history, and I look
forward to welcoming them to London next summer at a time when Jamaica
celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence”

OTHER NEWS

MADRID
(ESP): Spanish Athletics Federation will host a meeting of five European
powerful national federations named G5 on January 13-15 in Madrid. In late
October 2010 four countries established this cooperation (Italy, France, Spain
and Germany). Fifth is now Great Britain. The aim is to share experience in
main questions related to current state of the sport athletics. Three top
themes of discussions are financing of the federations, competitions structure,
regional and local structures. It is expected that each national federation
will be represented by top officials including all presidents.

LONDON
(GBR): Agencies are informing that 400 m world record holder Michael Johnson
will help the Williams Formula One team with its crew speed during drivers’ pit
stops. Johnson says his expertise can cut off time from pit stops in Williams
F1 said Wednesday that Michael Johnson Performance Inc., the training company
founded by the retired 400-meter Olympic champion, will devise a training
program for its pit crew and evaluate the entire team.

NEW YORK
(USA): Turkish five times European Mountain Running champion Ahmet Arslan will
also participate at the 35th Empire State Building Run-Up 2012. It will be a debut
for him in this competition and with his mountain running skills he can
challenge the multiple German winner Thomas Dold. The event is scheduled for
February 8.

JOHANNESBURG
(RSA): It took almost six years of legal wrangling, but South African marathon
record holder Gert Thys has at last cleared his name after having tested
positive for a prohibited substance at the Seoul International Marathon on
March 12, 2006. After sequence of different rulings and decision he will get
ten thousand Swiss Francs as contribution towards his legal fees. Thys won the
Seoul Marathon for the third time in four years in 2006, clocking 2:10:40. This
time will now again be regarded as valid. Since his reinstatement Thys, who was
the fourth athlete to break 2:07:00 for the marathon, won the Cape Town
Marathon in September 2010 in 2:22:12 and was second in the Beijing International
Marathon the next month in 2:15:56. Last year he failed to finish the Old
Mutual Two Oceans ultramarathon, his first race farther than a marathon,
as well as the Cape Town Marathon. This past weekend, in his first race since
turning 40, he set a new SA veterans (masters) record of 2:41:40 for 30 km
in the Ocean Basket Bay to Bay race. Informs Race Results Weekly.