byLarry Eder
Kelly Sotherton, Carolina Kluft, 2007 World Indoor Champs,
photo by PhotoRun.net
Mo Farah takes the Olympic 5,000 meters,
photo by PhotoRun.net
Mo Farah became a father of girl twins this past week. Farah mentioned, in his post race comments on Sunday, August 26, 2012 after his two mile victory at the Aviva Birmingham today, that he was exhausted as his wife had just had twin girls. We congratulate the Farah family. Mo has had a tremendous season, and with one race left, a half marathon, and then, a respit.
Carolina Kluft was one of the greatest women multi-events of her era. I saw her in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. In twenty-two multi events, Kluft has not been defeated. Her last and best heptathlon was in the World Outdoor championships, where she won the gold and scored 7,032 points.
Injuries slowed her down. In 2005, she won the World Champs on a bad ankle and after 2007, she took a break from the multi events. Kluft competed in the long jump (she was a member of the Swedish 4 x 100m relay team), but has dealt with injuries for the past four years.
Her performance in Osaka, Japan, under very hot conditions, was one of the best athletic performances that I have ever seen.
This weekend, on Swedish TV, Caroline Kluft has announced that she will be ending her career this year. Kluft was a great athlete, and a wonderful interview. She will be missed.
EME NEWS (AUG 25, 2012)
OTTO 571
LEVERKUSEN (GER, Aug 25): German Bjorn Otto won with 571 the Leverkusen Pole Vault meet which was also farewell event for Danny Ecker who is ending his career. Tobias Scherbarth and Karsten Dilla with Raphael Holzdeppe all cleared 561 in the positions 2, 3 and 4.
PARS 81.28
TAPOLCA (HUN, Aug 25): Olympic winner Krisztian Pars is in top hammer shape with 81.28 m here.
OTHER RESULTS
PAMPLONA (ESP, Aug 25): First day of Spanish Championship saw Angel David Rodriguez winning the 100 m in 10.35 (0.0). Eusebio Caceres leaped to 775 (-0.7) in the long jump. In the expected discus clash Mario Pestano with 63.28 beat by 1 cm Frank Casanas 63.27. In women events Natalia Rodriguez was the best in the 1500 m in 4:24.95 and in the 10 000 m walk Beatriz Pascual won with 43:18.97 over Maria Jose Poves 44:22.59.
HANNOVER (GER, Aug 25): Noemi Zbaren, guest from Switzerland won the German combined events championships in the junior category with good 5606 points.
STOCKHOLM (SWE, Aug 25): During second day of Swedish Championships Johan Wissman won the 400m in 47.06 and Alhaji Jeng the pole vault (545 cm). Niklad Arrhenius topped the discus field with 62.32.
TALLINN (EST, Aug 25): At Estonian national series Bigbank Kuldliiga meet fast 100 m by Emmanuel Callender for Trinidad 10.24 (+1.1) over Antoine Adams of St. Kitts 10.31 and Serhiy Smelyk of Ukraine 10.35. Ivan Zaytsev showed good javelin shape with 83.11 win when olympic medalist Oleksandr Pyatnytsa was only 9th 74.10. Javelin world champion Mariya Abakumova won with 61.62, another Russian win for Darya Klishina 649 (+0.7) and Ukrainian Alina Lohvynenko 51.93 in the 400 m.
MERKSEM (BEL, Aug 25): At Flanders Cup meet olympic relay medalist from Beijing Hanne Marien ended her career with 11.93 in the 100 m. Jamaican Ryan Shields topped both sprints in 10.50 and 21.14. Hanne Claes won the women 200 m in 23.47 (+0.3). US German Fernandez was the best in the 1500 m in 3:40.71.
COPENHAGEN (DEN, Aug 25): At Danish Championships Morten Jensen got 764 (0.0) in the long jump and Kim Christensen 19.76 in the shot put.
KRISTIANSAND (NOR, Aug 25): Jaysuma Saidy Ndure won the national 200 m title in 20.91 (-1.5).
ADELAIDE (AUS, Aug 26): Dane Bird-Smith won his first senior title, in the 20km race walk at the Australian Race Walks Championships in Adelaide in 1:23:28 while Claire Tallent was victorious in her hometown in 1:31:12. Olympic silver medalist Jared Tallent joined his wife Claire in her hometown for the event, their first since theGames in London. Jared had maintained third place in the men’s 20km race walk until the 14km mark, when he withdrew from the race.
SAPPORO (JPN, Aug 26): Yuki Kawauchi in 2:18:38 and Yuri Yoshizumi in 2:39:07 won the Hokkaido Marathon.
ADELAIDE (AUS, Aug 25): New South Wales athletes took both the men’s and women’s open titles at the Australian Cross Country Championships at Oakbank Racecourse in Adelaide. James Nipperess won the men’s open 12km (41:22) race while Celia Sulohearn backed up her U20 victory at these Championships in 2011 with the 8km (31:36) Open title this year.
LAHTI (FIN, Aug 25): At Finnish Championships Emeli Salumaki won the pole vault 550, Roni Ollikainen was the best in the long jump 791 (-0.1). In women events Nooralota Nezeri clocked 13.22 (0.0) in the hurdles and Eleriin Haas went over 188 in the high jump.
CHIASSO (SUI, Aug 25): Irene Pusterla won the long jump here as the main event with 648 over Slovak Jana Veldakova 630.
OTHER NEWS
LONDON (GBR): Mo Farah is happy father of girl twins. But no celebrations, he must run the 2 miles on Sunday in Birmingham.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Heptathlon star Carolina Kluft confirmed ending of her career in Swedish TV station SVT.
CORRECTION
PARIS (FRA): France is not bidding for the European Championships 2018.
