by Larry Eder
ISINBAEVA WILL GET A BYE
MOSCOW
(RUS): Russian media are informing that pole vault queen Yelena
Isinbaeva will get a bye and must not compete at Russian Indoor
Championships in order to qualify for Istanbul. That means only one
place will be available at the national championships in the world
championships team for Turkey. Also allowed to compete in Stockholm on
February 23 during the national event are not only Isinabaeva but also
high jump world champion Anna Chicherova and long jump world medalist
Olga Kucherenko, they also will recieve a bye for Istanbul.
LEMAITRE CONFIRMED 100 M AND RELAY FOR HELSINKI
LIEVIN
(FRA): European champion Christophe Lemaitre confirmed after Lievin
meeting that he will definitely not run the 200 m during European
Championships in Helsinki. His coach Pierre Carraz confirmed he will run
the 100 m and 4×100 m in Finland. Lemaitre competes during the indoor
season in Val du Reuil on Saturday and National Championships next
weekend. His younger home rival Jimmy Vicaut initially after the false
start in Lievin wanted to quit the indoor season but now considers to
compete at French Championships.
SUHR UNSURE ABOUT ISTANBUL
INDIANAPOLIS
(USA): US pole vault record holder and world leader Jenn Suhr is still
considering the World Indoor Championships (and of course she still
needs to qualify). “I think it’s a decision that my husband and I will
have to take into consideration. There will be a lot riding on that
decision. We will make that decision when we have to,” she said during
USATF media conference.
RUSSIAN WALKING WEEKEND
SOCHI
(RUS): During the weekend the traditionally fast Russian Winter Walking
Championships will be held. As the Mordovian coach guru Viktor Chegin
informed this event will be the base to select the team for the IAAF
Race Walking World Cup which will be held in Saransk on May 15. The
olympic Russian walking selection will be based on the World Cup results
(winner is automatically selected, others need to be in top six) and
also by the June Summer Walking Championships in Moscow where the course
for 2013 World Championships will be tested.
TOP 800 M IN STOCKHOLM
STOCKHOLM
(SWE): Another top event at XL-galan in Stockholm on February 23 (IAAF
Indoor Permit) will be men´s 800 m. This indoor sensation Adam Kszczot
will have his last race of the season against home rival and European
champion Marcin Lewandowski. Also in the field five time winner here
Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia, young Ethiopian Mohamed Aman and Kenyan
Boaz Lalang.
DOBRYNSKA GETS HIGH QUALITY 4880 SCORE
SUMY
(UKR, Feb 16): Ukrainian indoor championships started with a great 4880
national record score by olympic winner Natalya Dobrynska in the
pentathlon. She is now 6th best performer ever after 8.35 – 184 – 16.46 –
636 and 2:15.90. Second Hanna Melnychenko also impressive 4748 points.
For Dobrynska this would mean the qualifier for World Indoor
Championships in Istanbul. She is so currently number two in the 2012
list. Solid walking results here as Ruslan Dmitrenko achieved 39:26.90
in the 10 000 m race ahead of Ivan Losev 39:43.81 and Nazar Kovalenko
39:49.55. In women 5000 m win for Olha Shevchuk 22:09.98. Shot put
winner Andriy Semenov achieved 19.64. In 400 m semifinals Natalya Pigida
52.55 and Volodimyr Burakov 47.00.
HALL 22.88 WL
EAUBONNE (FRA, Jam
16): After second fastest ever 300 m in Lievin Jamaican Patricia Hall
showed her top shape during only women indoor meet Femina in Eaubonne.
She clocked as first this indoor season a sub 23 seconds at the 200 m
and improved the world lead to 22.88. She never clocked before sub 23
even outdoors. Another top Caribbean mark was the 7.05 60 m win for
Laverne Jones-Ferrette of US Virgin Islands ahead of Ukrainian duo
Olesya Povh 7.16 and Mariya Remyen 7.21. US Kristi Castlin clocked
impressive 7.95 to win the 60 m hurdles ahead of Alina Talai of Belarus
8.06. In the 1000 m Malika Akkaoui of Morocco clocked 2:40.43 beating
Russian Yuliya Tutayeva 2:40.50 and Ethiopian junior Tizita Bogale who
with 2:40.51 came close to world junior indoor record which stands at
2:40.1. Also fast the 3000 m dominated by Ethiopians Meskerem Aseffa
8:53.18 and Mestawet Tadesse 8:54.40. Third former European indoor
champion Lidia Chojecka of Poland achieved Istanbul standard 8:55.05.
She is now second best European in the indoor season 2012. Olympic
winner Tia Hellebaut cleared 193 to win the high jump (missed 196) at
her birthday day. World champion Olha Saladukha won the triple jump
(14.45) and in the pole vault 442 by top two Anastasiya Shvedova of
Belarus and young Ukrainian Hanna Shelekh.
OTHER NEWS
NAIROBI
(KEN): Many top names will be at Nairobi CC Trials (also IAAF Permit)
this Saturday. Track world champion 2009 Linet Masait and Marathon world
champion Edna Kiplagat for the Kenya Police team, Sharon Cherop and
Doris Changeiywo also. But they will not be available for selection for
the Africa Championships as they have other programmes. For men for
example Mathew Kisorio is among the top runners. Its a bit low key in
the buildup as there are no Worlds in Cross this year. The top six in
each race will make the Kenyan team to the African Cross Country
Championships in Cape Town. For this event over 30 countries and regions
have sent in their preliminary entries. South Sudan, which is the new
baby on board among the Africa countries, will also be sending in their
team.
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Birmingham-based World silver medallist
Hannah England welcomed some of the USA and Jamaica’s leading athletes
to the city she calls home ahead of this Saturday’s Aviva Grand Prix at
the National Indoor Arena.
Racing in her favoured 1500m event on Saturday, the 24-year-old
will go head-to-head with Ethiopian threat Genzebe Dibaba, with fellow
Brit Claire Gibson also lining up against her. She added: “I’ve done two
indoor races and they’ve both gone really well but my coach yesterday
called them my warm-up races and this the big one. It’s a really good
quality race and Ian Stewart’s [UKA Meet Director and Head of Endurance]
managed to put together a world-class field. It’s my last indoor race
so I’m really going to give it my all.” Meanwhile Kenyan star Vivian
Cheruiyot, the world 5000 and 10,000m champion and Laureus World
Sportswoman of the Year, has had to withdraw from Saturday’s event after
coming down with a bout of flu. Cheruiyot, a star at British events
over the past few years, spoke of her disappointment at not being able
to compete at the Aviva Grand Prix. Organizers are informing.
NEW YORK (USA): Race Results Weekly informs that a quartet of
American marathon stars will open their spring racing season at the NYC
Half, the New York Road Runners announced. Desiree Davila, Kara Goucher,
Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein will all take part in the March
18, race which has been expanded to 15,000 runners this year and will be
contested for the first time on a record-standard course.
POTSDAM (GER): The special pole vault meet in Potsdam´s
shopping center will see on Friday Yarisley Silva of Cuba as women
favorite and on Saturday in men competition Lazaro Borges against
Karsten Dilla and Bjorn Otto.
VIENNA (AUT): Last year Vienna City Marathon winners confirmed
their participation also for 2012 edition. Kenyan John Kiprotich and
Ethiopian Fate Tola will be back on April 15.
FALUN (SWE): Swedish long jumper Carolina Kluft will not take part
in the European indoor season after an operation on her shin and will
instead concentrate on preparing for the London Olympics. “I want to be
able to perform the long jump at a world-class level, but with the pain I
feel at the moment that is impossible,” Kluft said in a statement.
Agencies are informing.
CHICAGO (USA): The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K
announced that 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon team member Abdi Abdirahman
will take part in Chicago’s annual kick off to the running season on
Sunday, March 25. He will lead the way for 40,000 runners at the 33rd
annual event that runs through downtown Chicago. Abdirahman is preparing
to represent Team USA in the marathon at this summer’s Olympic Games
and will use the Shamrock Shuffle as a launch pad for his training after
recovering from the U.S. Olympic Trials in January. The Shamrock
Shuffle factors in as a fun, flat and fast competition in a city that
has been instrumental in launching his marathon career.
RESULTS
PRAHA
(CZE, Feb 16): The Prague traditional indoor high jump meet “Journalist
Bar” is in last years held in a shopping center. Surprise winner was
Bulgarian champion Viktor Ninov who was the best with indoor PB 227 on
first attempt, ahead of Poland´s Piotr Sleboda (two PBs during the
evening) also at 227 (second attempt). Italian Marco Chesani had a
first-jump 2.24 and was third. Local favorite Jaroslav Baba as fourth
220. Ninov, jumping first, missed once at 229 and then passed after
Sleboda missed. The Pole exited at 229 and Ninov took his last two jumps
at 232.
