BOLT FOR ZURICH

ZURICH (SUI): The top star of current athletics Usain Bolt confirmed his appearance at the IAAF Diamond League final Weltklasse in Zurich onAugust 29. It will be his 6th appearance at the meet. The event (100 m or 200 m) will be decided later. The ticket sales are starting on Tuesday, May 14 and the announcement of Bolt will for sure help the process.

DOUBLING THE BANS

MONTREAL (CAN): A doubling in the length of bans from two to four years for athletes who fail drugs tests for the first time has been confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following  meetings of its Executive Committee and Foundation Board in Montreal.  The decision is now set to be confirmed when the World Anti-Doping Code is presented to stakeholders at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg on November 12 until 15. In addition to increasing the number of years a player/athlete can be banned from two to four, the agency also wants to punish the athlete’s accomplices – such as coaches and teammates. Informs insidethegames.

BONDARENKO THINKING

KHARKIV (UKR): High jump world junior champion 2008 and London Olympic finalist Bohdan Bondarenko told EME News that his surprise victory at Doha Diamond League event was unexpected. “I had two pre-season training camps in Yevpatoriya where I injured my take-off knee in the end of April. I was able to make only one technical practice one week before my first performance this season. Moreover in Doha I felt discomfort not only in the knee but also in the feet I had operated in 2009. Pain accompanied me at all attempts but such physical conditions became usual for me during last three years” said 23-year-old Ukrainian. Bondarenko plans his next performance in Shanghai but he’ll make his final decision on Monday–Tuesday depending on feelings at jumping sessions. Latest withdrawal from Shanghai high jump is world champion Jesse Williams due to his injured foot, he confirmed on his twitter.

OTHER NEWS

MOSCOW (RUS): Vladimir Putin agreed to introduce a new law which allows foreign athletes to visit Russia to take part in major sports events without needing a visa.  The decree, signed by the President and published on the Kremlin’s website says athletes, coaches and other officials can enter and exit Russia simply by showing their accreditation to the event to customs officials as they enter the country.  „Participants in international sporting competitions can enter and exit the Russian Federation without applying for visas on the basis of existing documents that confirm their identity and are accepted by the Russian Federation,” a Kremlin statement said. This is good news also for World Championships this summer in Moscow.

DOHA (QAT): Al Jazeera, the Doha-based television broadcasters, are interested in sponsoring the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League.  Their interest was revealed by Dahlan al Hamad, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation  (IAAF) and chairman of the opening event of the Diamond League series, which took place in Doha on Friday (May 10).  „Discussion is going on and I know that some businesses they are interested,” he told insidethegames.

PRAHA (CZE): Sunday’s Volkswagen Prague Marathon saw a record number of 9,500 runners and a high-class elite field. However, due to warm weather, the winning times were slower than expected. Just two weeks after the Volkswagen Prague Marathon the busy team led by chairman Carlo Capalbo stage their next event, a half marathon in Karlovy Vary. In total there are now seven races organised across the Czech Republic by Capalbo’s team. Five of them already have an IAAF gold or silver label. The ,Run Czech Running League’, as the series is officially called, has become a notable success with events usually sold-out weeks before the start. And this year a record total of 48,000 runners are expected to take part in these races. „We wanted to create one platform so that in total we would be as big as the races of the World Marathon Majors. We have now succeeded with this by creating the Run Czech Running League,” explained the 55 year-old Capalbo.

LISSE (NED): Dutch national indoor champion at 60 m hurdles Erik Leeflang has ruptured his Achilles tendon when competing in Lisse this weekend. The Dutchman will receive surgery on Monday and will be out for at least six to nine months.

AMSTERDAM (NED): European indoor champion Eelco Sintnicolaas is ready to start his decathlon season at the IAAF Combined events challenge meeting in Gotzis. Sintnicolaas has not taken much time off since winning in Goteborg this winter but feels ready to show he is among the world’s best in Gotzis he told losseveter.nl.

BRUSSELS (BEL): Belgium’s talented runner Jeroen D’Hoedt is back after being sidelined for over a year due to a virus. D’Hoedt missed out on competing at the London Olympic Games and told losseveter.nl he has had to come back from very poor conditions. The 22 year old athlete hopes he can run the 3:36 qualifying standard for the IAAF World championships.

BERLIN (GER): Former European long jump champion Christian Reif was not able to open his season last weekend in Pliezhausen but confirmed to leichtathletik.de it is only a precautionary measure. Reif will not compete at the international meeting of Rehlingen this coming weekend where he hopes to mark a jump of at least eight meters. Reif also confirmed he could break his personal best of 847 this season.

GOTZIS (AUT): Organisers of Gotzis Combined Events meet announced more top names, now from Eastern part of Europe. Olympic silver winner 2008 Andrey Kravchenko of Belarus is also current world leader with 8390 points. Also coming his country-mate Eduard Mikhan. From Ukraine the top name European silver medalist 2012 Oleksiy Kasyanov. From Estonia European Indoor Champion 2009 Mikk Pahapill. For women heptathlon Ukrainian Helsinki silver winner Lyudmyla Yosypenko and bronze medalist from European Indoors this year Hanna Melnychenko.

OSLO (NOR): Happy news from Norway. National middle distance record holder Ingvill Mĺkestad Bovim gave birth to boy recently.

US SUNDAY RESULTS (Nellum 44.76 and 20.23, Carter 54.21 WL)

COLUMBIA: At SEC Championships Diondre Batson won the 100 m in 10.12 (+0.5) over Isiah Young 10.14 and Markesh Woodson 10.18. Young was the best in the 200 m in 20.20 (+0.9). Trinidad s Deon Lendore clocked 45.02 to win the 400m. LSU clocked 38.98 in the 4×100 m and Texas AM 3:03.14 in the 4×400 m. Great double for Kimberlyn Duncan in women sprints, 11.32 (+0.4) and 22.35 (+1.3) in the 200 m ahead of Kamaria Brown 22.58. Regina George won the 400 m 51.74 and Jamaican Natoya Goule the 800 m in 2:01.12. Top 400 m hurdles time for Trinidad´s Sparkle McKnight 55.71.

HOUSTON: At Conference USA Championships Octavious Freeman won the 100 m in 11.18 (-1.1) over Aurieyall Scott 11.27. In the 200 m the order was reversed with Scott 23.06 (-0.2) and Freeman 23.24.

PRINCETON: Kenyan Carvin Nkanata won the 200 m at the  IC4A/ECAC Championships in new national record 20.32 (+1.5). David Verburg got 45.34 in the 400 m.

LOS ANGELES: Olympic medalist Walter Dix clocked 10.30 (-0.8) in the 100 m at the Oxy Last Chance meet. Venezuela won the 4×400 m in3:02.71 and Dutch Rutger Smith achieved 63.08 in discus.

SAN ANTONIO: At Texas Last Chance meet Lamar Hicks clocked 10.29 (0.0) and Quentin Summers 45.81 in the 400 m.

GREENSBORO: Fast 200 m by Calesio Newman at Aggie Last Chance with 20.39 (+1.9).

DES MOINES: At Missouri Valley Conference Greggmar Swift of Barbados equaled his personal best at 110 m hurdles 13.52 (+1.1).

COLUMBUS: World junior champion Ashley Spencer won the 200 m in 23.20 (-0.5) and 400 m in 52.27 at the Big Ten Championships. Men sprints double for Justin Austin 10.27 (+1.9) and 20.86 (-0.1).

LOS ANGELES:  PAC 12 Championships final day was highlighted by fast personal best and stadium record of Bryshon Nellum 44.76 in the 400 m. It is also third fastest of the year. Second Mike Berry 45.14 and third Australian world junior medalist Steven Solomon 46.12. Nellum also won the 200 m in fast personal best 20.23 (+1.5). Fast 100 m with bests for Bee Jay Lee 10.07 (+1.6) over Canadian Aaron Brown 10.08. Lawi Lalang got 3:38.53 in the 1500 m, Ray Stewart 13.43 (+1.0) at 110 m hurdles and Reggie Wyatt 49.17 in the 400 m hurdles. Australian Julian Wruck got the discus 65.41. In women 200 m English Gardner clocked 22.62 (+1.1) ahead of Phyllis Francis 22.77 who won the 400 m in 51.57. Top shape was confirmed by Kori Carter with world leading 54.21 at 400 m hurdles over Georganne Moline 54.54. Carter got another PB in the 100m hurdles 12.76 (+0.1) ahead of Brea Buchanan also PB 12.76.

OTHER RESULTS

BARINAS (VEN, May 11): At Brigido Iriarte meet youth talent Rosbelys Peinado (15) cleared great 425 in the pole vault. In the men 100 m Jermaine Chirinos 10.47.

SAO PAULO (BRA, May 12): At international meet in Parque Ibarapuera Karla Rosa da Silva cleared 453 in the pole vault. New national high jump record for Eure Yanez of Venezuela with 225 cm. Solid score for Carlos Chinin 7989 points in decathlon.

NOBEOKA (JPN, May 11):  At Golden Games meet Ethiopian Demma Daba won the 5000 m in 13:18.72 over Zawdie Millyon 13:20.73 and Kenyan Bernard Kimani 13:22.15. In the 10 000 m Keita Shitara won in 27:51.54 over Kenyan
Martin Mathathi 27:52.65. Kenyan win for Grace Kimani 15:21.41 in women 5000 m.

LEE VALLEY (GBR, May 12): The National League division 1 had Tom Parsons 222 in the high jump and 64.97 by Brett Morse in discus. At the league in Cardiff Rhys Williams clocked 50.03 in the 400 m hurdles.

RABAT (MAR, May 12): More than 20.000 girls and women took part in the traditional „course feminine de la  Victoire” organized by former double world 400 m hurdles champion Nezha Bidouane. Fatiha Benchatki won the 8 km race in 28.23.6.

SKOPJE (MKD, May 12):  A record number of competitors from 36 countries – 4900 in total – took part in 9th Skopje Marathon on Sunday. Kenyan Wycliffe Kipkorir Biwot won the men’s race in 2:21:56 and Caroline Jemeli Kipruto won the women’s race after 2:48:49.

HAWASSA (ETH, May 12):  Tamirat Tola won the 4th edition of the EVERY ONE Half-Marathon in Hawassa, smashing the course record with a winning time of 1:02:44. Last year’s winner Habtamu Assefa was 2nd in 1:03:12, 26 seconds faster than his time from last year, and Aschalew Nigussie 3rd in 1:03:20. The women’s race was won by Tsigereda Girma in a time of 1:13:19, also almost one minute faster than the course record from last year. Girma’s training partner Chaltu Tafa was second in 1:14:01 and Keneni Assefa was 3rd in 1:14:04.

LISBON (POR, May 12): Former European indoor champion Naide Gomes in her first competition since June 2012 when she ruptured her achilles tendon jumped 634 (+1.5).

PODOLSK (RUS, May 9): Winners at Walking Festival meet Olga Suranova 43:36 in women 10 km over Tatyana Korotkova 44:03. Aleksey Golovin topped the men 10 km in 40:57.

JERSEY CITY (USA, May 11): Alemu Reta won the 10th Newport 10k in 29:01, top woman Askale Merachi 33:08.

LILLE (FRA, May 12): Kenyan wins at the La Route du Louvre Marathon. Raymond Kemboi 2:14:21 and Emily Ngetich 2:41:48.

VANTAA (FIN, May 12): Finnish CC Championships saw Lewis Korir getting a double with 34:51 at 12 km and 11:30 at 4 km. Women winner at 6 km was Sandra Eriksson 19:44.

CORRECTTION

COLOMBO (SRI): The correct name of the high jump winner at  Asian GP meeting is Manjula Kumara Wijesekara.