by Larry EderLAVILLENIE FOR ATHLETISSIMA
LAUSANNE (SUI): Athletissima 2013 (July 4 and part of Samsung Diamond League) confirmed the participation of the current best pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie of France. He won the pole vault at Pontaise Stadium in the past three years, his best result being the 585 he jumped in 2010. Spectators will expect from him an attempt to improve the meet record of 591, held by US Brad Walker since 2007. The 38th edition will also feature the best Swiss athletes. Lead by the women’s 4x100m, which broke the national record in 2011, and Irene Pusterla, long jump Swiss record holder, and Lea Sprunger, Olympian and European championships semi finalist in the 200m who is from the Lausanne area. Apart of Diamond League events also held women 4×100 m and men 200 m and 110 m Hurdles. Ticket sales already started.
CHEBET FOR 10 000 M IN SUMMER
BYDGOSZCZ (POL): Women CC World Champion Emily Chebet will turn her attentions to the road in the short term and then to the track in the summer. “My main focus now (in the spring) is road races over 5km and 10km as I need to improve my form and strength if I am to go to the World Championships in Moscow,” she revealed. “Then I want to try my luck at 10,000m so I’m going to try to make sure I get the opportunity to run for my country,” said Chebet for the IAAF.
OTHER NEWS
DOHA (QAT): World indoor 2013 high jump leader and olympic medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim will jump before the Doha Diamond League opener on May 10 also at regional championships. Early April at the Gulf Countries Championships (8-10 April) and after Diamond meet at Arab Athletics Championships in Doha on May 21-24.
BYDGOSZCZ (POL): The jubilee 40th IAAF World CC Championships were the coldest ever as the temperature during the day was about -2 and -3 at the end. Sun was shining during the races which made it more comfortable comparing with the day before. Still at the medalists press conferences hot tea was served for the runners.
ISTANBUL (TUR): Turkey’s President Abdullah Gül told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission that choosing Istanbul to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics would send a historic message that would be heard around the world, with far-reaching consequences. This is the final four-day inspection to be carried out by the Commission, chaired by Britain’s Sir Craig Reedie, having earlier visited Tokyo and Madrid, but is perhaps the most crucial because if Istanbul was chosen it is the city which requires the most work and would have to invest the most. But, it is also potentially the most exciting choice, because it would be the first time that the Olympics would be held on two different continents, thanks to Istanbul’s unique location, straddling Europe and Asia, with the Bosphorus running through the middle. Istanbul also began setting out its vision by unveiling plans for a state-of-the-art Olympic city and 346 million USD Olympic Village in 2020, which they claimed would be the foundation of the social and sporting legacy for the city, country and the Olympic Movement. At 19.2 billion USD Istanbul’s projected infrastructure budget for the Olympics is ten times that of Madrid 1.9 billion USD and higher than Tokyo, whose figure is 4.9 billion USD.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): Athletics South Africa (ASA) will hold another special general meeting (SGM) in April to appoint a commission of inquiry into the governing body. Pieter de Jager, ASA’s technical manager, said in an e-mail to members that “at least one third” of its provinces had called for the SGM. Local media are informing. “The original schedule of meetings indicated that the AGM was to be held in Cape Town with the SA Senior Championships on April 14,” the e-mail read. The ASA is also unable to send a team to the African Youth Athletics’ Championships in Warri, Nigeria, next week, because of financial constraints.
WARRI (NGR): Reigning world junior 3000 m champion Mercy Chebwogen leads a small but talented Kenyan team of 10 runners that left the country on Monday for the 1st African Youth Championships in Warri, Nigeria. In total 33 countries will be sending their teams. Organizers were disappointed when learning that neighbour countries Ivory Coast and Ghana will not send athletes for the event. Egypt and Uganda were among the first set of teams to arrive into the Delta State of Nigeria. The competition will begin on Wednesday.
MOSCOW (RUS): After finishing second at European Cup Winter Throwing in Castellon World and Olympic champion in hammer Tatyana Lysenko shared her further plans with All Sport news agency. “I was ill a little bit in Castellon that is why I regard my second place with 71.54 as a good performance there. On other hand I made many technical mistakes and there are things to think about.” As reigning world champion Lysenko has a wild card for next world championships in Moscow. “Preparing to Moscow I’ll perform at different competitions in May-June but now I cannot name all of them.” About her expectation for home world championships in Moscow 29-year-old Russian said “I have little advantages as already selected athlete. But firstly I have to build my preparation very skillfully, to go through the championships qualifications and only then I’ll set my final goal. My nearest task is to get rid of all my technical shortcomings.” About possibility to get back the world record she said: “I try not to think about that. Let see how I’ll cope with my over-mistakes-job. Thinking about Moscow championships I look forward to strong fight first of all as usually we have very close results at main championships. There are five-six high level hammer throwers in the field now.”
DONETSK (UKR): 3000 m steeple European Silver Medalist 2012 Svitlana Shmidt told to Ukrainian media she is aiming to break national record in her event during the 2013 season. Her personal best and National U23 record 9:31.16 Svitlana has set last summer and missed national record by less than 4 seconds. “I hope to go sub 9:30 and show that I can perform equally well during the whole year. Certainly I would like to achieve 9 minutes mark but it’s too early to speak about that” said 23-year-old Ukrainian.
ERFURT (GER): The „Steigerwaldstadion” of Erfurt will be rebuild into a multifunctional arena at a cost of 35 millions Euro. Main users of the new stadium will be RW Erfurt football club but also a bid for staging the German Athletics Championships 2015 will be submitted.
TOKYO (JPN): Olympic great Carl Lewis offered his support for Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Games on Monday after revisiting the venue of what he calls the „race of my life.” The nine-time Olympic gold medalist came to Japan hoping to inspire young athletes from the northeastern part of the country that was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Lewis visited Sendai and Ishinomaki with Willie Banks, the former triple jump world record-holder, and Mike Powell, who set the long jump world record at the world championships in Tokyo in 1991. „I wish them the best of luck because I think they will put on a tremendous games,” Lewis said. „I will be at the 2020 Games wherever it is, and I hope it’s here.” Agencies are informing.
KAZAN (RUS): IAAF Ambassador for Moscow 2013, 800 m and 1000 m world indoor record holder Wilson Kipketer hosted a master-class for 450 Russian kids at “Youth Spike All-Russia kids” final on Saturday in Kazan. The master-class included an aerobic warm-up presented by Kipketer, viewing of his races at big video-screen, questions-answers and autographs section. “I enjoyed this experience so much. For me it is the biggest pleasure to see those kids smiling, to feel how enthusiastic they are. Their energy and their happiness made me completely forget that I’m in cold and snowy Russia. I feel truly blessed about being able to work with kids, to share with them everything that I have learned during my sports career. I would definitely love to come back next year for another master-class. And I hope to see a lot of these kids at the 2020 Olympics,” said Kipketer.
AMSTERDAM (NED) : Team 4 mijl announced the sad news of the death of 19 year old Dutch athlete Britte Duijn. The youngster collapsed at training and suffered a heart attack. The athlete was part of the Dutch national 4x400m team at the 2011 European junior championships.
BERLIN (GER): German talented thrower Till Wöschler is back in full training after an elbow injury kept him out of competition since last summer. Wöschler is doing full technical and power training and aims to qualify for the IAAF World championships this summer. While doing an internship in Koln later this year, Wöschler will temporarily switch training groups and train along with the group of Linda Stahl reports leichtathletik.de.
AZKOITIA (ESP, Mar 23): On the day when Bydgoszcz again staged the World CC and he was there the winner back in 2010 Kenyan Joseph Ebuya (25) debuted in the half marathon. In the Spanish race, 20th Memorial Diego Garcia Azkoitia-Azpeitia he finished 6th in 1:03:59. Another debut here for one of the top Spanish runners, Javier Guerra clocked behind Ebuya 1:04:07 as 7th. Guerra prepared with that for marathon debut on April 14 in Rotterdam.
RESULTS
MELBOURNE (AUS, Mar 21): First outdoor sub 9 of the year at the 3000 m was registered by Zoe Buckman here with 8:58.0.
LANDOVER (USA, Mar 24): USATF writes that a trio of world records on the meet’s final day brought the total number of all-time world bests to 11 over the three days of competition as the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. A record 1044 entrants ages 30-95+ from 14 countries and 47 states were on hand for the championships, which included 10 Olympians and 30 world championships. Charles Allie (M65) set his second record of the championships Sunday with a world record run in the men’s 200m with a winning time of 25.41 seconds. Allie also established the American record in the 400m in a time of 58.81 earlier in the meet. Oscar Peyton (M60) brought the crowd to its feet with a dominant win in the 60m in a world record time of 7.52.
LIMASSOL (CYP, Mar 24): Despite economic difficulties the Limassol Marathon was staged in Cyprus. Ahmet Kazachoum a hume runner won in 2:27:51. Russian Irina Pankovskaya was the top woman after 2:48:35 ahead of Yulia Khazova 2:50:15.
BUENOS AIRES (ARG, Mar 23): South American Youth record holder Joaquin Gomez achieved another 80+ throw with 5 kg hammer 80.98 m. His continental mark is 81.88.
MOBILE (USA, Mar 23): Kenyan winners at 36th Azalea Trail Run Elly Sang 28:58 and Olga Kimaiyo 32:33. Second Lyudmila Kovalenko of Ukraine 33:06. From RRW.
MARSEILLE (FRA, Mar 24): Kenyan Martin Kiprugut won the 5th Marseille Marathon in 2:19:22 ahead of Kenyan Kosice winner William Biama 2:21:31. Top woman Elaine Coburn 3:02:49. From RRW.
