by Larry Eder
SANYA, TAYLOR, PARS
BUDAPEST (HUN): The 2nd Istvan Gyulai Memorial Hungarian Grand Prix (EA Classic) on Monday at Puskas Stadium will have home olympic winner Krisztian Pars in hammer as the top name. But there will be other two foreign London gold medalists as top international stars. Sanya Richards-Ross runs the 200 m (against another 400 m finalist Yulia Gushchina of Russia) and Christian Taylor is competing in his specialty the triple jump. Other olympic medalists competing Jason Richardson at 110 m hurdles, Timothy Kitum in the 800 m and Janay De Loach in the long jump. In the women 400 m London relay bronze winner Shericka Williams of Jamaica is the favorite. Home star and record holder Marcell Deak Nagy will aim to win the men´s 400 m. High jump will see former world champion Yaroslav Rybakov against former olympic medalist Jaroslav Baba of Czech Republic against olympic finalist Andriy Protsenko of Ukraine. US sprinters Maurice Mitchell and Darvis Patton (relay silver winner from London) will fight for top honours in the 200 m. Both 3000 m races will have African favorites. Daniel Komen and Edwin Soi in men race and Sylvia Kibet with Assefa Meskerem in women one. Olympic 5th placer Michelle Carter of USA is the shot put favorite.
JAMES WITH PISTORIUS AGAIN
LINZ (AUT): On the same day like Budapest also the Linz meet will return in its outdoor version after five years (last time held in 2007). As EA Classic and with new name Gugl Games the line-up is more than impressive with 4 London gold medalists. Grenada´s star Kirani James runs the 400 m (against Blade Runner and olympic finalist Oscar Pistorius), Briton Greg Rutherford is in the long jump (against Irving Saladino and Sergey Morgunov) and two relay winners will compete in sprints, Jamaican Michael Frater and US Bianca Knight. Other olympic medalists are Justin Gatlin with silver and bronze from relay and the 100 m (along with his relay silver mate Trell Kimmons), Estonian Gerd Kanter in discus (bronze) and Jamaican sprinter Sherone Simpson from relay (silver, also European champion Ivet Lalova there). In the hurdles Eurowinner Sergey Shubenkov competes against 2009 World champion Ryan Brathwaite and 2010 European gold medalist Andy Turner. Two Greens are 400 m hurdles favorites, Leford from Jamaica and Jack from Great Britain. New Zealand´s 2008 olympic winner Nick Willis is in the 1000 m against Briton Michael Rimmer and group of Kenyans. Women 200 m will see US Natasha Hastings against Laverne Jones-Ferrette and Russian 2008 olympic gold medalist Aleksandra Fedoriva. Former top runners Ruth Bosibori and Dorcus Inzikuru will aim to be back in top times shape in women steeple against US Bridget Franek. Olympic medalist Kellie Wells is the star of 100 m hurdles (with current best Austrian Beate Schrott) and 2009 world champion Fabiana Murer of pole vault. European champion 2010 and olympic fourth placer Ineta Radevica along with Funmi Jimoh, Chelsea Hayes and Veronika Shutkova are the top long jump names. The day before (Sunday) shot put will be held in the city center with Christian Cantwell and Ryan Whiting with Cory Martin as the top names.
MAJEWSKI VS. HOFFA
WARSZAWA (POL): The 3rd Kamila Skolimowska Memorial on Sunday will see 12 olympic medalists in total of 12 events at Orel Stadium in Warszawa. Mainly the home stars shot put winner from London Tomasz Majewski and hammer silver medalist Anita Wlodarczyk. They will have tough opposition in US bronze medalist Reese Hoffa (with Canadian Dylan Armstrong) and olympic winner Tatyana Lysenko from Russia. Relay olympic winners will run the 100 m, Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole and US female sprinter Jeneba Tarmoh. Both will have top rivals. In the men´s 100 m 2003 World champion Kim Collins who will compete for first time since his unwanted departure from London along with relay bronze medalist Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Zambian record holder Gerald Phiri. In women 100 m against Tarmoh in the start list double olympic finalist Muriele Ahoure of Ivory Coast and European indoor champion and olympic relay bronze holder Olesya Povkh of Ukraine. London bronze winner Warren Weir of Jamaica is the star of the 200 m and in the 800 m silver winner from 1500 m Leo Manzano will race against top home duo (Lewandowski-Kszczot) and Czech World indoor silver winner Jakub Holusa. Jamaican hurdles bronze medalist Hansle Parchment runs against US duo Jeff Porter and Ryan Wilson in the 110 m hurdles. And in discus another London podium athlete Gerd Kanter (bronze) is competing not only against home strong group (Malachowski, Czajkowski, Urbanek) but also British record holder Lawrence Okoye and Australian record holder Ben Harradine (both also olympic finalists). Another top star of the meet will be the already well-known here Oscar Pistorius in the special 100 m as he is in preparation for this event for the Paralympic Games. Czech olympic semifinalist Pavel Maslak is the 400 m favorite (in speed trial US 800 m finalist Duane Solomon). In the pole vault top name Steven Lewis, the olympic fifth placer with best local Lukasz Michalski. Men´s hammer will see four olympic finalists against home Pawel Fajdek who did not manage despite long throws to go over olympic qualification. Women 1500 m is having former top Russian Yulia Chizhenko in the field.
OTHER NEWS
LAGOS (NGR): Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a comprehensive restructuring of sport in the country following their failure at London 2012 to win a medal at the Olympics for the first time since 1988. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with a population of 160 million, had high hopes of winning its first Olympic gold medal since Sydney 12 years ago, with the main focus being on long-jumper Blessing Okagbare and taekwondo player Chika Chukwumerije. But in the end its team of 55 athletes who competed in eight sports ended up empty-handed, failing to match the performance from Beijing four years ago when they won four medals, a silver and three bronze.
WATTENSCHEID (GER): The 31 years old German walker Sabine Krantz will continue in her career despite the fact that the Olympic race did not went according to her plan. Due to stomach problems she was unable to finish the 20 km competition. She also did not finish the 2009 World Championships race in Berlin. Her aim was top ten in London and that is the goal for future, even Rio 2016 is not out of the picture.
MEDELLIN (COL): Colombian junior 400 m runner Diego Palomeque (18) who was already suspended temporarily, was at the end of the Games excluded from the Olympics after confirming he tested positive for testosterone, the IOC informed. He was positive in an out of competition test on July 26 when he arrived to London. The IOC asked the Colombian Olympic Committee to investigate the role of his coach, Raul Diaz Quejada, who allegedly administered injections. Palomeque improved this season to 45.62 national record in April this year.
MOSCOW (RUS): Olympic 800 m winner Mariya Savinova plans to run two Diamond League races next week in Lausanne and Birmingham. For Russian media she answered the question whether she still has enough energy to compete at high level. „Yes, and I will enjoy it. It will be more relaxed for me. And you know, you cannot lose the energy so quick. I still can run fast,” said Savinova.
EBERSTADT (GER): High jump legend Carlo Tranhardt will be back to jumping at age of 55. During the 34th Eberstadt High Jump meet this Friday he will try to attack the world record in the U55 category 184 cm by another German Thomas Zacharias since 2006. Tranhardt achieved 1988 in Berlin 242 cm indoors, still European indoor record.
BERLIN (GER): German Olympic medalists will be the stars of ISTAF Meet (IAAF World Challenge) on September 2. Headliner of course olympic winner Robert Harting, in javelin Christina Obergfoll with Linda Stahl, in pole vault Bjorn Otto with Raphael Holzdeppe. David Storl is entered in the shot put and Betty Heidler in hammer. Heptathlon medalist Lilli Schwarzkopf will run the 100 m hurdles. Already 38 000 tickets were sold for the 71st edition of the oldet German one day meeting.
DUBNICA (SVK): The jubilee 10th Athletics Bridge in Dubnica, Slovakia (EA Classic) on August 26 will see top throwing clashes. Olympic winner Tomasz Majewski of Poland will face in shot put Christian Cantwell who just missed the podium in London. In hammer London gold medalist Krisztian Pars will meet with Poland´s Pawel Fajdek who was throwing far in qualification but could not manage technically. Organizers are also hoping for fast 100 m with the aim to register first ever sub 10 in Slovakia. Holder of the all-comers record from last year Dubnica (10.05) Richard Thompson will compete with another Trinidad relay bronze medal team-mate Keston Bledman. But they will face two Jamaican relay gold medalists Nesta Carter and Mike Frater. Another highlight should be the 100 m hurdles women with two olympic medalists Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells. Harper is a known person at this meet, she is event record holder with 12.57 from 2009. For a fast 800 m already earlier confirmed was world indoor champion Mohamed Aman of Ethiopia. Surprise olympic finalist at the 1500 m and currently most popular Slovak athlete Lucia Klocova will compete in the 1000 m to attack very old national record 2:43.45 from 1977.
ZURICH (SUI): „Youth trains with Weltklasse” will be staged before the top Zurich meet on August 28 at 11 different places of Switzerland. At every place 2 stars with 2 home athletes will serve more than 100 kids which brings the total to 1500 children all around the country. For example in Basel will be Tyson Gay, in Aarau David Rudisha, in Bern Allyson Felix and in Zurich the Jamaican top sprinter Yohan Blake along with shot put star Valerie Adams.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Veteran Olympic journalist and athletics specialist Gustav Schwenk is in good company. He shares the same birthday as 800m and 1500m Olympic Gold medalists New Zealander Peter Snell (Tokyo 1964) and Kenya’s David Rudisha – December 17. Former Secretary General of the AIPS Athletics Commission, 88-year-old Schwenk was honoured at a special ceremony held during the London Olympic Games and attended by LOCOG Chairman Lord Sebastian Coe, IAAF President Lamine Diack, LOCOG Head of Press Operations Jayne Pearce and AIPS President Gianni Merlo. Schwenk reported from his first Olympic Games in Helsinki, 1952 and has attended every Summer Games since, except Beijing. The 2009 IAAF World Journalist of the Year was presented with a photo montage of all the Olympic Games he has attended, as well as a London 2012 replica torch produced by AIPS partner HONAV, Beijing.
BECKUM (GER): Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva has confirmed she will compete at the international pole vault meeting of Beckum on August 19th. Silva is London’s silver medalist and will attempt to attack the meeting record of 482. Also competing are Germans Lisa Ryzih and Kristina Gladshiew as well as Holly Bleasdale, Alana Boyd, Mary Saxer and Becky Holliday reports leichtathletik.de.
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Andreas Thorkildsen will compete at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm despite indicating after his disappointing Olympics that he would take the rest of the season off. Thorkildsen also failed to get a medal in the European championships in Helsinki writes European Athletics. After Stockholm, Thorkildsen will contest the Norwegian championships in his home town of Kristiansand as well as the exclusive Zurich meeting known popularly as the Olympics in one night.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): South African track and field athletics looks likely to be without a sponsor from next year, Beeld reports. Yellow Pages, who have sponsored the local athletics series and the South African championships for the last few years, decided not to renew their sponsorship.
LONDON (GBR): Non-Olympic sponsors who are associated with sports and individuals at London 2012 took advantage of the lifting of the IOC three week blackout to trumpet their involvement in the success of Team GB and triple gold medallist Usain Bolt. Among those that were the first to take out advertisements were Aviva, the main sponsor of UK Athletics and Virgin Media, who had been forced to drop an ad featuring Usain Bolt on the eve of the Games reports Insidethegames.
RESULTS
OPAVA (CZE, Aug 16): Olympic finalist Jan Kudlicka won the street pole vault here with 560 cm. After the official part of the competition Kudlicka also cleared 575 cm so his shape is at high level.
