2012 adidas Grand Prix NYC: Preview; Rudisha vs Kaki, Defar vs. Dibaba, Return of Gay, How Fast for Yohan Blake? by Alfons Juck, note by Larry Eder

RUDISHA VS. KAKI, DEFAR VS. DIBABA, RETURN OF GAY, HOW FAST WILL BE BLAKE

NEW YORK (USA): The second US stop of Samsung Diamond League will see great races at adidas Grand Prix in New York. Icahn Stadium will also be the place of return by Tyson Gay in 2012. Duels of the afternoon will be Rudisha vs. Kaki at the 800 m and Defar vs. Dibaba in the 5000 m. Great fields also in women 100 m and men 400 m.

Event by event preview

Men

200 m: Jamaicans ruling here, Ashmeade is fast, Weir the new name, US represented by returning C. Mitchell.

400 m: Loaded field with Wariner against young Santos, hurdler B. Jackson, Caribbean challenge Ch. Brown, Gonzales, Pinder. Also Blade Runner there.

800 m: Rudisha after break back to racing, he will face in shape Kaki. The duel of the day.

110mH: Again top 3 US Merritt, Oliver, Richardson. Let´s watch new Cuban revelation Ortega.

HJ: J. Williams wants to win on US soil, Hondrokoukis, Grabarz will be tough challenge.

LJ: Watt to open his international season.

DT: Kovago or Okoye on paper, or a surprise?

Women

100 m: That is a field – Jeter against Fraser-Pryce, but also Baptiste and Felix and watch for Madison.

800 m: Magiso is the clear choice.

5000 m: Female duel of the day – Tirunesh vs. Meseret. They last time competed together in a 5k 2009 at last World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki and Defar won.

400mH: Jamaican Spencer and US newcomer T. Brown.

PV: Murer against Silva again.

TJ: Rypakova vs. Savigne, watch for improved Jamaican Williams.

SP: Adams should not be threaten.

JT: The same here for Spotakova.

Non dl events

100 m: Blake in A-race, Gay in B-race, pay attention to fast Bledman of Trinidad.

200 m: Sanya in effort for a fast time.

400 m: McCorory with Briton Ohuruogu and Jamaicans Whyte and mainly NWM.

1500 m: Choge, Mottram, young Suleiman of Djibouti and ever-young Bernard Lagat.

Junior events: Series of youth and junior events supporting the kids. Most watched adidas Boys dream 100 m and mile or Fastest kid in NYC.

SALADINO NOT JUMPING THIS WEEKEND

BARQUISIMETO (VEN): Olympic long jump winner is not competing at the Iberoamerican Championships in Venezuela. He revealed on his twitter he is not healthy yet. I just got out of the medical examinations and it is only a muscle spasm, not a tear, I’m happy,” he said on his twitter. Saladino hopes to be ready for Olympic Games.

BLAKE REMEMBERS

NEW YORK (USA): The first time Yohan Blake ran at the adidas Grand Prix, he was on the St. Jago High School 4×400-meter relay team, then in 2010 came back to run the 100 meters (in 9.91). He hasn’t forgotten the Icahn Stadium atmosphere. „It’s a wonderful meet,” he said at a press conference on Thursday. „There are a lot of Jamaican fans in New York who come out to support you. When I was a schoolboy it was really good.” Yohan Blake wasn’t the only speedster in the room. Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross and Kelly-Ann Baptiste also had their turn on stage. Felix and Baptiste had a lot to say about squaring off in perhaps the deepest women’s 100-meter dash so far this season, and Richards-Ross explained how running the 200 meters at the adidas Grand Prix might fit into a possible Olympic Trials double. Why is Carmelita Jeter so good? Olympic hurdler and biomechanical expert Ralph Mann calls her the toughest athlete he’s ever met, and he’s met a lot of ‚em. Jeter will line up at 100 meters at Icahn Stadium on Saturday in a race featuring the three fastest women of 2012.

RETURN OF RAMZI

BRAZZAVILLE (CGO): The African Permit meet in Congo will see on Sunday the return of Rashid Ramzi, the Morrocan who runs for Bahrain and won two world titles back in 2005 but was also banned after Beijing Olympic Games and lost his gold medal. He last competed in 2008 at the Zurich meet. On Sunday he is schedule to compete in the 1500 m. In the field another veteran Moroccan Youssef Baba. Former Senegal 400 m world champion Amy Mbacke Thiam should run the 400 m. Moroccan record holder Aziz Ouhadi is scheduled for both 100 m and 200 m. Ethiopian Roba Gari who clocked national record 8:06.16 in Doha is the top name in men steeple. Vida Anim of Ghana runs both women sprints against Beijing relay medalist Agnes Osazuwa of Nigeria. Ajoke Odumosu is the top name in women 400 m hurdles. Strong Ethiopian presence in women 1500 m.

OTHER NEWS

PARIS (FRA): Athle.com announces the passing of French athletics official Eduard Eskenazi after long illness. Eskenazi is an international IAAF official (ITO) and was French Athletics federation (FFA) vice president from 1996 to 1997 and from 2001 until 2008.

MANNHEIM (GER): Germany’s Carolin Nytra is returning from injury this weekend at a DLV test meeting in Mannheim. It will be Nytra’s first appearance for the 2012 season but the German athlete claims she is back in shape after small injuries had slowed her preparations down according to leichtathletik.de.

LONDON (GBR):  The IOC has kicked off the process of selling United Kingdom broadcasting rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics. Participants in the tender process for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 have been asked to submit bids by June 29 reports Insidethegames. Broadcasting rights to the Games constitute the Olympic Movement’s biggest single source of revenue, raising close to 4 billion dollar in the period covering the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and London 2012.

HAVANA (CUB): Cuba’s world-record holder Dayron Robles wants no contact with Chinese friend Liu Xiang in London, where he aims to become the third man to win the high hurdles at successive Olympic Games. “Off the track we’re friends but in competitions I need to win and this is a war always,” a smiling Robles said according to Gulftoday.ae. “But Liu Xiang, wherever he competes, is a rival worthy of admiration for his consistency and sporting discipline,” added Robles.

EUGENE (USA): World indoor heptathlon record holder Ashton Eaton reports in his Olympic diary that he is very confident with his training. “Most of my practices are full with anxiousness because I am right at my personal bests in all my events and I am just waiting for “the big one” in each of them.” Eaton writes.

LONDON (GBR): With just 50 days to go before the opening ceremony of London 2012, Greg Rutherford has reiterated his burning ambition to win Olympic gold writes Steven Downes. The 25-year-old long-jumper has enjoyed a dream start to the most important season of his life and is set to go into the Games as one of the favourites to win a medal. However, the British long jumper claims he can do a lot better than the 835 he has jumped at the start of the season and is aiming to improve on that mark during the Olympic Games.

LONDON (GBR): Usain Bolt has told British sprint sensation Adam ­Gemili about the London Olympic Games: ‘Come and have a go if you’re mentally hard enough’. Former Chelsea footballer Gemili became the second-fastest teenage Brit of all time when he clocked 10.08 seconds for the 100 meters in Germany last Saturday. The 18-year  old Gemili still has to decide whether to try for the Olympics or pace himself and go to the World Junior ­Championships instead. Taking a personal interest in a youngster he had not even heard of a week ago, Bolt said the decision whether to take part in London should be based on Gemili’s ‘mental state’ reports The Mirror.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Athletics South Africa will be holding their quadrennial elections on Saturday at the Garden Court OR Tambo, where various positions will be voted for, including that of President and Vice President. James Evans, the c
urrent President of Athletics South Africa, is up for re-election with Harold Adams, current vice president Motlatsi Keikabile, marathon runner Hendrick Ramaala and Aleck Skhosana also contenders for the position. For the position of Vice President, the incumbent Motlatsi Keikabile is opposed by former sprinter Geraldine Pillay, who currently serves as chairperson of the Athletes Commission, Adams, Ramaala and Skhosana.

VANCOUVER (CAN): Sunday’s Harry Jerome is offering all twelve National Track League events as part of the competition with impressive fields throughout. Women 100 m hurdles will be a fast race with a field that includes American Ginnie Crawford as well as Canadians Perdita Felicien, Nikkita Holder, Angela Whyte and Jessica Zelinka. In women 400 m Canadians Amonn Nelson and Carline Muir will face tough competition from Keshia Baker and Leslie Cole of the USA and Puerto Rico’s Carol Rodriguez.  The women’s 800m is stacked with featured Canadians Diane Cummins, Melissa Bishop, Jessica Smith, Lemlem Ogbasilassie and Hilary Stelingwerff.  Amongt others they’ll face a tough trio from the United States in Alice Schmidt, Heather Kampf and Laura Januszewski. Top Canadian contenders in the 1500 m are Malindi Elmore and Nicole Sifuentes, they’ll face a host of challengers, notably Sarah Bowman of the USA and Amy Mortimoer of Germany.  Elmore and Sifuentes have seasonal best times of 4:07.90 and 4:09.80 respectively. Fresh off his participation in the Oslo Diamond League Justyn Warner leads the way in the men’s 100m. Khadevis Robinson of the United States is the top ranked entrant with a seasonal best of 1:44.54.  A very deep field which includes Canadians Taylor Milne, Geoff Martinson, Matt Lincoln, Kyle Boorsma and Peter Corrigan will be headlined by American Matthew Centrowitz in the 1500 m. Michael Mason enters Jerome already having achieved the Olympic A standard; his main competitor will be American superstar and World record holder Ashton Eaton (he will also run the 400 m). Teammates Dylan Armstrong and Justin Rodhe will go head to head in the shot put.

CASABLANCA (MAR): Two Moroccan leading athletes, marathoner Abderrahim Goumri (2:05:30 marathon in 2008) and female steeplechaser Hanane Ouhaddou (30, Daegu finalist) were caught for doping through the monitoring of their biological passport. They are provisionally suspended by the IAAF. Informs L´Equipe and other media.

LA CORUNA (ESP): IAAF writes that the ‚Gran Premio Cantones de Marcha’, the Spanish leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge 2012, takes place on Saturday in La CoruÅ„a, a city which has since 1987 annually hosted this world class competition.  The events scheduled to be contested are 20km Race Walks for both men and women.  The men’s event offers a vast array of talent headed by the in-form Chinese Wang Zhen. Theoretically, the main threat for Zhen should come from Colombia’s reigning World 20km bronze medallist Luis Fernando López. Spanish hopes will rest with Miguel Ángel López (PB of 1:21:41), Benjamín Sánchez (1:20:48) and the evergreen Jesús Ángel García Bragado, the 2009 World 50km bronze medallist who will turn 43 next October. The women’s line-up promise a thrilling Chinese-Spanish battle. The Asian power’s squad will be formed by Hong Liu, Huanhuan Sun and Huiquin Ding.  Home leader is María José Poves.

ST. WENDEL (GER): On Sunday the 2nd edition of „World Class Meeting” in throws will be held here. All home top stars are competing Betty Heidler, David Storl, Robert Harting again ready and Matthias De Zordo with Christina Obergfoll. Top international entries Tomasz Majewski in shot put and Australian Kathryn Mitchell in javelin.

TEL AVIV (ISR): Israeli media are informing that the Zohar Zemir is set to miss out on the Olympic Games after it was revealed he failed a drugs test. The 35-year-old became the first Israeli athlete to qualify for London when he ran the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:14:28 in April 2011, however his hopes of representing Israel this summer could be over after a test on Monday resulted in a positive sample for Terbutaline, an illegal substance found in asthma inhalers.

KLADNO (CZE): 6th TNT-Fortuna meeting in combined events this weekend in Kladno (IAAF CE Challenge) will mainly see Czech athletes fighting for standards. World record holder Roman Sebrle and young Adam Sebastian Helcelet in decathlon and Eliska Klucinova in heptathlon. In total 8 decathletes with 8+ and 10 heptathletes with 6+ are in the start list. In men category mainly olympic medalist Dmitriy Karpov along with South African record holder Willem Coertzen, Belarus Eduard Mikhan and Austrian Roland Schwarzl. Norways Ida Marcussen has the second best PB 6213 after Klucinova, other top names UK Louise Hazel and junior Katarina Johnson-Thompson with French Blandine Maisonnier.  Sebrle in the main splitted his ways with coach Dalibor Kupka after many years (2002). New coach is not yet appointed.

BOSTON (USA): The Boston Athletic Association announced ten new additions to their B.A.A. 10-K field, an elite contingent which already included three Boston Marathon champions. 14-time NCAA All-American Sam Chelanga and New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith were among the added entrants. Additionally, recent Bolder Boulder 10-K winner Allan Kiprono, and reigning B.A.A. Half-Marathon champion Janet Bawcom will be running for the $5000 first place prize.   The race will be run on the morning of June 24, and organizers expect close to 6,000 competitors, with the elites vying for a piece of the $30,000 prize purse.  Informs RRW.

RESULTS

OSAKA (JPN, Jun 8): Brett Larner informs on his blog that post-typhoon rain brought in the first day of the 96th Japanese National Track & Field Championships, doubling as the 2012 Olympic Trials at Osaka’s Nagai Stadium.  The women’s 10 000 m was the highlight of the day, as five-time 1500 m national champion Mika Yoshikawa won in new PB 31:28.71. Second Kayoko Fukushi 31:43.25. Third Megumi Kinukawa 32:20.34. Hammer world champion Koji Murofushi started his season with winning the national title with 72.85. Minato Yamashita won the steeple with 8:34.95 personal best. Fastest in 400 m heats Yuzo Kanemaru 45.99. Fast 100 m times in heats by Ryota Yamagata 10.22 and lifetime best by Takumi Kuki 10.23. Saeko Okayama won the women long jump with 655 cm.

ZENICA (BIH, Jun 5): At the international meet here Danijel Furtula of Montenegro achieved the best result with 63.15 in discus. Croatian Nedzad Mulabegovic was the best in shot put (19.69) over home Hamza Alic (19.58). Serbian Amela Terzic won the 1500 m in 4:15.90.

CONGRATULATIONS

ATLANTA (USA): Congratulations to agent and coach Paul Doyle. He is fresh and proud father. On the facebook: „He arrived 2 weeks early, but he’s here. Welcome Keane Bruce Doyle. Paul, Baby and I are doing great,” says his wife and former Irish runner Karen Shinkins.