Valerie Adams is TFN Athlete of Year, by Alfons Juck, note by Larry Eder

BUBKA WELCOMES ANTIDOPING FIGHT
DONETSK (UKR): IAAF Vice-President Sergey Bubka welcomed recent success of IAAF in fight against doping. “All this news with results of re-tested samples from Olympic Games 2004 and World Championships 2005 are showing the cheaters will be catched. Sooner or later. That is good for our sport. IAAF shows the way forward also for other federations,” said the pole vault world record holder. Bubka is also preparing one of the top special indoor competitions, the Samsung Pole Vault Stars event in Donetsk on February 9 (EA Indoor Permit). “I hope we will have again top world class competition.” One of the first names confirmed is the reigning world champion Fabiana Murer from Brazil. Bubka hopes to have quiet days during Christmas Holidays which he will spent in mountains.

ADAMS IS TFN WOMEN AOY
MOUNTAIN VIEW (USA): Olympic shot put winner Valerie Adams from New Zealand is Track and Field News Women Athlete of the Year 2012. In the poll of international experts she got 306 points over the 285 by heptathlon star Jessica Ennis and third IAAF Athlete of the Year Allyson Felix with 280 points nin close battle. Adams is the first shot putter winning this award since 1980 and Ilona Slupianek of East Germany. She was unbeaten in 2012. Fourth Sally Pearson 221 points with big margin over fifth Sanya Richards-Ross 133 and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 132. Over 100 points also seventh discus thrower Sandra Perkovic (118). Top ten is rounded by Yulia Zaripova (95), Tiki Gelana (66) and Jenn Suhr (61).

DEFAR FOR EDINBURGH
EDINBURGH (GBR): Double 5000 m olympic winner Meseret Defar will be aiming to continue a rich vein of Ethiopian success when competing at the Bupa Edinburgh XCountry in the New Year. Defar will feature in the International women’s three kilometre race, which is part of the IAAF Cross Country Permit Meeting, in Holyrood Park on January 5. The race will take place alongside a loaded match between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Team Europe and the United States. Organizers are informing in a release.

ROGOWSKA IS BACK
WARSZAWA (POL): Pole vault 2009 world champion Anna Rogowska will open her season in Dresden at special indoor jumping meet on January 25. Then she will continue as already announced to Moscow for Russian Winter on February 3 (against Murer and Bleasdale). Then Pole Vault Stars in Donetsk on February 9 will be her next meet and home top meet Pedros Cup in Bydgoszcz on February 12. Rogowska due to injuries competed only at 3 events in summer 2012 and no-heighted in the olympic final. She is now back in full training with expectations towards the indoor season. The 31-years old national record holder is part of Polish Pole Vault Team (Polska Grupa Tyczkarska) sponsored by PGE SA (Polish Energetical Group). In the group also Agnieszka Kolasa and top males Pawel Wojciechowski, Lukasz Michalski and Mateusz Didenkow.



OTHER NEWS


BRUSSELS (BEL) : Belgian top hurdler Anne Zagré has packed her bags to make the move to the University of Florida where she will be training and competing for the next six months. Her Belgian coach will still help to oversee her training writes sporza.be.

TOKYO (JAP): Tokyo 2020 unveiled newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun as its latest official bid partner reports Insidethegames. Yomiuri Shimbun will collaborate closely with Tokyo 2020 to further enhance public support through strategic communication campaigns aimed at reaching a wide and diverse audience throughout Japan, officials claimed.

PHOENIX (USA): Olympic high jump medalist Brigetta Barrett has juggled practice, schoolwork and community service throughout her senior year at the University of Arizona but had another great opportunity pop up. Barrett, the Olympic silver medalist in the high jump at this summer’s London Games, will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Barrett, a four-time NCAA champion who turned 22 on Dec. 24, will be making a few stops in New York soon, competing in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 1 and the Millrose Games on Feb. 16. Both meets take place at the New Balance Armory in upper Manhattan where Barrett had numerous high school meets when she attended Ketcham. Local media are informing.

SASKATOON (CAN): The 48th edition of the Knights of Columbus Saskatchewan Indoor Games will be held on January 31 and February 1 next year. Olympic long jump champion Brittney Reese already confirmed her attendance via twitter.

MIAMI (USA): Caribjournal.com named Usain Bolt and Kirani James co-sportsmen of the Year 2012.

MADRID (ESP): Walker Miguel Ángel López and high jumper Kirani James have been voted Spanish Athletes of the Year 2012 in the national federation RFEA poll. In the men ranking second steeple runner Victor Garcia and third long distance runner Carles Castillejo. In women order second walker Beatriz Pascual and third middle distance runner Nuria Fernandez. The poll was organised through federation website and magazine Atletismo Espanol. Pole vaulter Didac Salas and triple jumper Ana Peleteiro have been voted top junior athletes. Coaches of the year are Ramon Torralbo (Beitia) and Abelardo Moure (Peleteiro) in the revelation section.

ZHUKOVSKIY (RUS): Hammer olympic winner Tatyana Lysenko plans to compete at the Winter Throwing national championships in February in Adler. She already spent some weeks in November and December at the national team training camp in Portugal. “Of course world championships at home in Moscow will be very tough, but I want to do everything so that our fans will be happy. I hope the stadium will be full,” said Lysenko who spents holiday time with her family in Zhukovskiy near Moscow.

SAPPORO (JPN): Having brought some of the world’s best runners to race in Sapporo for the last 55 years, it has been decided that the 2012 edition of the Sapporo International Half Marathon will be its final running. Informs Brett Larner on his blog.