TOP
DUELS, RETURN OF KENENISA

DOHA
(QAT): Third edition of the Samsung Diamond League starts on Friday at the
Qatar Sports Club with the Doha Meeting. Organizers prepared also a concert
at the end of the event and want so attract people to stay until the end.
Ticket prices are from 20 to 100 QR. In the hot weather despite evening time a series
of world leading marks is expected. Due to the begin of the season in more than
half of the events (technical events will have 4 attempts). In total 19 with 3
non-DL (men 100 m, 800 m, 3000 m).

Short
event by event preview

Men

100 m:
Non DL event but with great expectations. Season openers for Jamaican star
Asafa Powell and US former world and olympic winner Justin Gatlin. Behind
waiting Nesta Carter.

200 m:
World silver winner Walter Dix against the clock, also season opener for him at
the distance.

400 m:
World leader and olympic winner LaShawn Merritt can improve his best of 2012.
Briton Martyn Rooney and hurdles olympic winner Angelo Taylor will be also
ready.

800 m:
Another non DL event with top field headed by world record holder and world
champion David Rudisha.

1500 m:
Here real group of top names. World champion Asbel Kiprop, showing shape last
weekend at 800 m Silas Kiplagat, last year winner Nixon Chepseba. Is Sudanese
800 m star Abubaker Kaki ready for something special also in the longer event?

3000 m:
King is back. Kenenisa runs his first 3000 m on the track since 2009. But
others also improved in the mean-time, strong group of Kenyans will chase him
with always fast Augustine Choge, former world champion Eliud Kipchoge,
talented junior Isiah Koech and world medalist Edwin Soi. This is non-DL event.

Steeple:
First fast race of the year with Paul Kipsiele Koech, oly winner Brimin
Kipruto, African champ Mateelong, World Youth Champion Conseslus Kipruto.

High
Jump: World champ Williams with other two Daegu medalists Dmitrik and Barry. Do
not forget World indoor champion Hondrokoukis.

Long
Jump: South African Mokoena already in shape, but even better Briton
Rutherford. Season openers for Howe and Menkov.

Discus
Throw: Oly winner Kanter with in-shape Malachowski, old timer Alekna, world
medalist Hadadi. Or world leader Kovago?

WOMEN

100 m:
VCB opens the season, but in this „like Jamaican championships event” also
olympic winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson will
run. US side represented by specialist for longer events Allyson Felix and
in-shape Lashauntea Moore.

800 m:
Kenyan duel. Oly winner Jelimo vs. 2007 world champ Jepkosgei.

3000 m:
This is one of the top clashes of the evening – Vivian Cheuriyot against
Meseret Defar (that is the alternative to Bolt-Gay in sprints in terms of
rivalry).

100mH:
Returnees are having top shape. BFH from injury, PLS from pregnancy. But Kellie
Wells is also fast.

400mH:
On the paper Jamaican affair, Walker and Spencer. What is the shape of
improving Briton PSD?

Pole
Vault: German indoor and meet record holder Silke Spiegelburg is the name to
watch.

Triple
Jump: World medalist Olga Rypakova is the choice, veteran ladies also competing
(Lebedeva, Mbango).

Shot
Put: Ostapchuk and Camarena-Williams.

Javelin
Throw: Classy field – Abakumova meets main rival Spotakova as in Daegu, but
Obergfoll reported good training and Ratej leads the world list.

KENENISA
BEKELE FOR SHANGHAI

SHANGHAI
(CHN): New names for second this year Samsung Diamond League in Shanghai is
javelin world champion Matthias de Zordo who will compete against Andreas
Thorkildsen, the reigning olympic winner. Kenenisa Bekele is the star of the
5000 m. The men’s triple jump offers the highest quality with all three
medallists from last summer’s world championships looking for an early-season
psychological advantage. World champion, Christian Taylor of the USA, silver
medallist, Great Britain’s Phillips Idowu and bronze medallist, the USA’s Will
Claye, promise fireworks.  Olympic and
world 1500m champion, Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, steps down a distance to the
800m to face the reigning European champion, Marcin Lewandowski of Poland as
well as formidable two-lap specialists, former world champions, Alfred  Kirwa Yego of Kenya and South African
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi. In the shot put top Americans Reese Hoffa, Christian
Cantwell, Adam Nelson and 2012 world indoor champion, Ryan Whiting, looking to
dominate. Last year’s world leader, Dylan Armstrong of Canada, may have other
ideas. The men’s 400m hurdles is a three-way clash between the double
Olympic champion, Angelo Taylor, former world champion, Bershawn Jackson and
the fastest man in the world last year, South African LJ van Zyl. The youngest
of the Dibaba sisters, Genzebe, 21, comes off a highly successful indoor
campaign where she lifted world indoor 1500m gold and set an excellent personal
best of 4:00:13, fifth fastest in history. That time is over five seconds
faster than her outdoor best from last year, so this latest Dibaba model is
also clearly destined for great things. World indoor 3000m gold, Helen Obiri of
Kenya and former 800m world champion and fellow-Kenyan, Janeth Jepkosgei, will
test the young Ethiopian’s strength and speed. Amantle Montsho of Botswana
carried all before her last year, culminating in gold in Daegu. Fellow one-lap
finalists, USA’s Francena McCorory and Jamaicans, Shericka Williams and Novlene
Williams-Mills are her main rivals in the Shanghai stadium.  Organizers are informing.

TOP
WOMEN HJ AND PV FIELDS

EUGENE
(USA): Pre Classic on June 2 announced fields for two women jumping events.
Americans Jenn Suhr and Chaunte Lowe are the headliners for pole vault and high
jump. Among her challengers at Pre are none other than the gold and silver
medalists at last year’s Daegu World Championships: Fabiana Murer of Brazil and
Martina Strutz of Germany. The women’s pole vault field has plenty more,
including two with World Championships gold medals: Svetlana Feofanova of
Russia and Anna Rogowska of Poland.  The
veterans will be challenged by a two youngsters, led by 20-year-old Holly
Bleasdale of Great Britain and 18-year-old Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden. In the
high jump field world champion Anna Chicherova of Russia. Other top names
Ariane Friedrich of Germany, world junior indoor record holder Mariya Kuchina
of Russia, Sweden´s star Emma Green Tregaro and other Russian Svetlana
Shkolina.

WALKERS
PAYDAY

SARANSK
(RUS):  Over 350 000 USD are on offer for
the three senior races – men’s 50km and men’s and women’s 20km – from the IAAF
as prize money at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Saransk over the weekend.
Individual top six will get from 30 000 to 3000 USD. Top six teams from 15 000
to 3000 USD per team. Prize money is offered only in three senior races. In other
issues the city course was officially measured and approved by official
measurer Tadeusz. Among first teams arriving to Mordovian capitol city were
China and Australia. On Thursday and Friday test competitions will be held.

MAGYAR
SPEAKS ABOUT SDL

ZURICH
(SUI): Weltklasse meet director and one of the main persons behind the Diamond
League Patrick Magyar spoke to Swiss Sports News Agency SI before the start of
the 3rd edition of the Samsung Diamond League. „Our main aim was to improve the
overall quality of all meetings. One of the areas where we had big differences
was the tv production. It was positive last year that here we noted
improvements for example with Doha and Shanghai. And no meet had no sufficient
marks in technical part of the evaluation. For example Monaco and Rome had
clearly more spectators as in the past. We can say the spectators number was
increased overall in 2011 by 15 percent,” said Magyar. For future Magyar would
prefer a structure where the athlete from top ten in his event competes at
all six Diamond League meets, then four of second level and three free options.
About possibilities to increase the number of the meetings in the series he
said: „We do not have TV stations except of specialized channels which would
show all meetings. So whether we have 14 or 16 is not that important. But it is
the highest category of track meets and that is important. I would like to
see additions for example from Germany or Latin America. But we can also
discuss about a reduction. But to do so we need first clear system to
score and rank the competitions.” About the financial situation Magyar
concluded: „TV money is making from 10 
to 15 percent of the overall budget of each meet. That means in case we
increase TV money overall by 10 percent, each meet can increase by 1 to 2
percent. The most important money for each meet is from local sponsors and
ticket sales. But that could be also different from country to country.”

DEMUS
HURDLES OPENER IN OSTRAVA

OSTRAVA
(CZE): 2011 World champion at 400 m hurdles Lashina Demus will start the season
in her event at the 51st Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting (IAAF World Challenge).
It will be her second time at the Czech event, she won here back in 2006. Demus
will face mainly local star and national record holder Zuzana Hejnova.
Interestingly Demus improved at Occidental meet last weekend her 800 m best to
2:07.49 (7th in the race). Organizers are hoping the race could bring an attack
to improve the meet record of Romanian Ionela Tirlea 53.87 from 2003. Another
shot at meet record will be organised in women 100 m hurdles. Here the marks is
very old 12.65 by Grazyna Rabsztyn of Poland from 1980 (and equaled by Brigitte
Foster-Hylton in 2003).  Lolo Jones who
is two time winner in the past (2006 and 2008) should start her international
season here and will face Kellie Wells who already clocked this year 12.55. In
the field also another past winner, from 2010 returning Canadian olympic
medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. Special participant in men´s hammer will be
(May 24) Hungarian Krisztian Pars who leads the current world lists as only one
so far over 80 meters this year. Pars is not only the meet record holder (80.71
in 2009) but also competed in all hammer Ostrava editions since 2006 when the
organizers started with hammer throwing the day before at the warm-up track. He
won in 2009 and 2010, was second in 2011, third in 2008 and fourth in 2006 and
2007.

CASTLIN
VS. PORTER

PONCE
(PUR): The Puerto Rican stop in the IAAF World Challenge on Saturday in Ponce
will have very interesting women hurdles clash. This year US indoor champion
Kristi Castlin will run against UK record holder Tiffany Porter. World triple
medalist Caterina Ibarguen will switch the event and is expected to compete in
the long jump. Interesting European entry here is the Ukrainian Viktoriya
Rybalko.

ETHIOPIAN
MARATHON TEAM

ADDIS
ABABA (ETH): Well informed sources disclosed the Ethiopian olympic marathon
selection. Top two from Dubai Ayele Abshero and Dino Sefer will be added by
Rotterdam winner Yemane Adhane. First reserve is Markos Geneti. Women team
should be composed by Tiki Gelana, who won the Rotterdam race and two best from
Dubai Aselefech Mergia with Mare Dibaba. Bizunesh Bekele is the reserve. This
information still needs to be officially confirmed by the Ethiopian Athletics
Federation.

OTHER NEWS

AMSTERDAM
(NED) : Dutch 800m runner Ivonne Hak hopes to qualify for the London Olympic
Games when competing at the FBK Games in Hengelo. Hak is still unsure whether
to compete in Helsinki at the European championships and told Dutch media she
will wait a little longer before making her final decision.

BRUSSELS
(BEL): In a television interview on Belgian national television both
Belgian top decathletes Thomas Van der Plaetsen and Hans Van Alphen talked about
the London Olympic Games. Van Alphen has already secured his place for London,
while Van der Plaetsen hopes to qualify at the IAAF combined events challenge
of Götzis. Both athletes train separately but hope to compete together in
London.

LONDON
(GBR): Nearly a million new tickets, including some for the men’s 100
meters final and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, will be put on sale for
the London 2012 Olympics later this week, chairman Sebastian Coe announced. A total
of 900,000 tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis
exclusively to the one million or so people who applied in previous rounds of
Olympic ticket sales and were not successful in securing a ticket reports
Insidethegames.

LONDON
(GBR): American 2004 Olympic 100m gold medallist Justin Gatlin, who like Dwain
Chambers has been blighted by doping controversy, said he is happy the Briton
has received the green light to compete at the London Games. Gatlin is busy
taking further steps towards redemption after completing his own four-year
doping ban, having won a second world indoor gold in the 60m in March. He
runs the 100 m in Doha on Friday.

NAIROBI
(KEN): Uganda’s Moses Kipsiro is currently training in Kenya in the hopes of competing
in both the 10.000m and 5.000m at the London Olympic Games. Kipsiro managed a double
victory at the distances at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010 and is
confident he has good chances in London according to CapitalFM Sports.

LONDON
(GBR): Other athletes can learn from the professionalism of Jessica Ennis says
her coach Toni Minichiello after attending the Multistars meeting in Desenzano.
He said: “I was out there with a couple of other multi-event athletes and
I was looking around at how everyone else was preparing. A lot of
them didn’t have their head in the competition. Jess, when she’s competing, is
very focused. She may say hi to her parents, but then she’s straight back into
it. She disassociates herself with everything else that is going on around her.
You can see why she’s so good and so much better than others – she’s the
ultimate professional.” Minichello was quoted by The Star.

BERLIN
(GER): Best German female marathon runner Irina Mikitenko will for first time
compete after London Marathon this Saturday at the Berlin women 10 km run. She
won the race already three times in the past. It is part of her olympic
marathon preparation.

HALLE
(GER): German discus world champion Robert Harting confirmed his appearance at
the throwing meeting in Halle on May 19. He will meet with Poland´s European
Champion Piotr Malachowski. Harting who underwent knee surgery after last
season is opening the competition year this weekend in Wiesbaden.

RESULTS

LIBEREC
(CZE, May 8): Lenka Masna clocked solid opener at local meet with 2:02.86 at
the 800 m.

RIETI
(ITA, May 9): Solid sprints by Simone Collio 10.31 (+1.2) and 20.97 (+1.8).