PEARSON AND WATT

MELBOURNE (AUS): Hurdler Sally Pearson and long jumper Mitchell Watt have been crowned Female and Male Athletes of the Year at the 2012 Athlete of the Year Awards presented by Eurosport on Thursday in Australia. Pearson’s crowning as Female Athlete of the Year, as well as her win of the 2012 Eurosport Outstanding Performance Award, caps off what has been a stellar 18 months for the 26-year-old. It is also her second consecutive crowning as Female Athlete of the Year. „The gold medal in London has always been a dream, and to share that with my family and Sharon my coach was so special. Onward and upward though with the World Championships next year where I hope to defend my title, said Pearson. Watt was quoted as saying: „I want that gold medal next year. Silver have been great and the more I look back on London the more I am proud, but I want it and hope to win it in Moscow.” Also honoured were Kyle Vander Kuyp, Roy Boyd and Geoff Martin. Vander Kuyp was named a recipient of the Edwin Flack Award as a testament to his years of service to athletics in Australia, while Boyd and Martin were elevated from Life Member of Athletics Australia to Life Governor of Athletics Australia. Australian Sports Commission Senior Coach of the Year is Sharon Hannan. Flame Athlete of the Year award went to walker Jared Tallent. Informs Athletics Australia.

EVENTS FOR SDL 2013

MONACO (MON): The Samsung Diamond League announced the schedule of the 2013 Diamond Race. The dates of the meetings have been approved earlier, the only change is by one day for Stockholm DN Galan from August 23 to August 22. All events (except of hammer throw) are as usual distributed among the meetings with every one included in the Diamond Race for six times and the final either in Zurich or in Brussels. For example men 100 m will be staged in Doha, New York, Rome, Birmingham, Lausanne, Monaco and finals in Zurich. Finals will have mostly opposite events when comparing to 2012. In Zurich men 100 m, 400 m, 1500 m, steeple, 110 m hurdles, high jump, long jump and discus and on the women side 200 m, 800 m, 3000/5000 m, 400 m hurdles, pola vault, triple jump, shot put and javelin. Brussels will have men 200 m, 800 m, 3/5 km, 400 m hurdles, pole vault, triple jump, shot put, javelin and women 100 m, 400 m, 1500 m, steeple, 100 m hurdles, high jump, long jump, discus. Interesting situation with men shot put which will be staged in Zurich for scoring purposes but as 6th last possibility before the finals in Brussels.

3 TITLE DEFENDERS RUNNING

BUDAPEST (HUN): The highlight of the cross country season for European runners on Sunday in Szentendre near Budapest (European CC Championships) will have three title winners from Velenje last year competing again. Seniors Atelaw Bekele and Fionnuala Britton and junior girl Emelia Gorecka of Great Britain. British female runners will try to defend all team titles (women, U23, juniors) and on the men side the win in junior category. Also trying to defend will be French senior men and Norway´s men U23 teams. Top legend will be Ukrainian Sergiy Lebid who did not miss any of the previous editions as the only one from all entered runners.

OTHER NEWS

PRAGUE (CZE): New Year requires fresh goals and running destinations. The rapidly growing RunCzech Running League introduces the 1st Karlovy Vary Half Marathon to be held on the 25 May 2013. The race makes a nice addition to the other 3 regional events and continues the Czech running tour further to Bohemia and the most beautiful spa town in the heart of Europe – Karlovy Vary. Organizers of Prague Marathon are informing. The 1st edition of the Karlovy Vary Half Marathon is expected to attract around 2400 runners from Czech Republic and abroad with 6pm evening start.

KINGSTON (JAM) : Usain Bolt was asked about his life when stopped in on the „Piers Morgan Tonight” studio on Saturday night and confirmed he is currently single writes Trackalerts.com.

ATLANTA (USA): Adam Nelson has commented on the news of the disqualification of Yuriy Bilonog at the 2004 Olympic Games and said he is very excited about the development while adding the content he now knows he is the one that threw furthest that day. He also added that he applauds the IOC and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in their process, and that the verdict sends a message to cheaters that they can still be caught after 8 years.

DUBAI (UAE): Dubai will bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics as soon as an e
xpected go-ahead from the Government comes through, a top official of the UAE National Olympic Committee confirmed. “The UAE has the infrastructure, capability, manpower and know-how to host such events. There is pressure on cities when they host huge events like the Olympics, but Dubai and the UAE can take it” Abdulrahman Falaknaz, the NOC finance director, told The National.

SHANGHAI (CHN): After its trademark application for the name of track star Liu Xiang was rejected, sportswear giant Nike has filed a civil suit against the Trademark Appeal Board of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Shanghai Evening Post reported. A similar trademark using the Chinese characters for Liu Xiang Pai was registered by a Shanghai clothing company 26 years ago.

LONDON (GBR): Jessica Ennis has topped a list of 30 of the UK’s willpower heroes, picking up more than 20 per cent of the public vote. Following her heptathlon success at the Olympics, Jessica topped the poll for demonstrating the highest willpower, closely followed by The Queen who took more than 10 per cent of the vote for her lifetime dedication to her country reports Cancer research UK.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Former 800m world champion Caster Semenya said she wants to reclaim her title and win gold at the next Olympics. “We’re heading to Moscow next July, so I’d like to achieve more out of that. Winning is important for us.” Semenya said toewn.co.za while she added she would like to surpass Maria Mutola’s achievements.

LONDON (GBR): Mo Farah’s Olympic win in the Men’s 10,000 meters has been crowned the greatest TV moment of 2012. Runner Mo’s grin as he crossed the line was loved more than the ‚Queen’ parachuting into the opening ceremony and Jessica Ennis winning the women’s heptathlon it was confirmed in a poll by free satellite TV firm Freesat.

BRUSSELS (BEL): Kevin and Jonathan Borlée have confirmed their first indoor competition which will be the PerfICTion indoor meeting in Gent on Saturday 2nd February. The twins want to test their form ahead of the European indoor championships in Goteborg organizers confirm.

ATHENS (GRE): Greek shot put indoor record holder Mihail Stamatoyannis signed cooperation with British club Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. His national mark indoors is 20.36, outdoor best 20.17 and he is Olympic Games and European Championships in 2012 participant. He is scheduled to compete for the club in the national league and also at the European Champion Clubs Cup event. Main goals for the Greek athlete next year will be the Mediterranean Games and World Championships.

PORTLAND (USA): Oregon media are informing how the talented runner Emily Infeld (22) turned pro. After her eighth-place finish in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials 5000 m, she had planned on returning to campus in the fall. She had a season of indoors and outdoors remaining under women’s cross country coach Chris Miltenberg, and she’d been accepted for a grad program in Sports Industry Management. The seed of Infeld’s final destination had already been planted in June by Jerry Schumacher, coach of Oregon Track Club Portland. Infeld has been in Portland with the OTC for just over three weeks, and she’s still as confident that the move was the best thing she could have done. Her 1500 m PB is 4:07.77 from Lignano meet in Italy in July and 5000 m best 15:28.60 from Olympic Trials.

BUCURESTI (ROU): 41 years old discus veteran Nicoleta Grasu is continuing in her career. Definitely for 2013 and Moscow World Championships, she said for Romanian media. She even considers to compete at her 7th Olympics in Rio 2016. She won in her career World and European medals, but no one from Olympics. The best position was initially fifth but now fourth from Athens 2004 after the disqualification of Irina Yatchenko of Belarus. „All will be depending how my body reacts to my ambitions,” Grasu said.

GENT (BEL): After the High Jump Gala in early 2012, where Tia Hellebaut made her comeback, the full meet called now Record Bank Flanders Indoor is back and scheduled for February 10. New title sponsor is Record Bank. Top Belgians are already confirmed (Hans Van Alphen, Tia Hellebaut, Kevin and Jonathan Borlée, Eline Berings and Svetlana Bolshakova).

DRESDEN (GER): The 2011 world silver winner in pole vault Martina Strutz confirmed she will jump at the Indoor Jump meet of Dresden scheduled for January 25. Her main rival should be the Cuban olympic silver winner Yarisley Silva. Another top German to compete is European U23 bronze medalist Annika Roloff.

ROAD TOWN (BVI): St. Kitts and Nevis’ sprint veteran and 2003 World champion Kim Collins and hometown heroine Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, a 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships 60m bronze medalist, were on hand to help organizers launch the forthcoming BVI Twilight Invitational, a NACAC Area Permit Meeting, scheduled for June 1, 2013. „Our mission is to raise the profile of athletics in the British Virgin Islands by hosting a world-class invitational track and field meet that
allows our best home-based, collegiate and professional athletes to compete against their regional peers with the advantage of having a home crowd,” stated BVI Twilight Association Chairman, Steve Augustine, a 1996 Olympian.

PRAHA (CZE): Another Czech javelin thrower announced pregnancy. Daegu Worlds 8th placer and Olympian Jarmila Klimesova at age of 31 expects her first baby next summer and will miss the 2013 season. She hopes to be back for the 2014 season and European Championships in Zurich. Her best from 2006 is 62.60 and in this season achieved 60.96 as best mark. She was coached in past years by legendary Jan Zelezny but left his group in autumn.