by Larry EderThe Birmingham DL is in a few hours. The meet in Birmingham has been sold out for some time, and the crowd waits to see Mo Farah versus the world. Here is the preview from Alfons Juck:
Mo Farah against Ethiopians
BIRMINGHAM (GBR): IAAF Diamond League continues after 16 days break with the Sainsbury´s Grand Prix in Birmingham on Sunday. Home top star Mo Farah runs the 5000 m, great depth in women 400 m, men long jump and 400 m hurdles. Duel of the day should be Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce against Carmelita Jeter in the 200 m. Aries Merritt could crack first years sub 13 at high hurdles.
Event by event preview
Men
100 m: Bledman and Carter joining Collins, Rodgers and Vicaut from Ostrava, first pro meet for Isiah Young. Sub 10 is possible. Heats and finals.
800 m: Another solo for Aman.
1500 m (non DL): Oly medalist Iguider is facing a solid field, interesting to see Tahri and Euro champ Ingebrigtsen in the race.
5000 m: The top home star Farah, but against in-shape Ethiopians Alamirew, Gebrhiwot and Jeylan. Sub 13 would be a meet record.
110mH (non DL): World record holder Merritt is the clear one here with heats and finals.
400mH: World champ Greene against world elite Tinsley, Culson, Gordon and first hurdles of the year for Sanchez.
HJ: Kynard vs Bondarenko should be the duel. Or Grabarz will show improved shape?
LJ: Menkov in all meets 830+, home star Rutherford, legend Phillips. From behind Mokoena and Torneus. World lead?
TJ: Tamgho vs. Taylor.
SP: Whiting is unbeaten since early May, other top winners also in the field (Majewski, Hoffa).
JT: Vesely leads the Diamond Race, attacking him will be Avramenko, Tarabin and possibly Thorkildsen.
Women
200 m: Jeter is again healthy, but she will face very strong Shelly-Ann (she is also world leader 22.13). Not to understimate Okagbare and young Strachan. MR (22.25) also a possibility.
400 m: One of the best fields with unbeaten Montsho, US Champ Hastings, Jamaicans and home hero Ohuruogu.
800 m (non DL): British affair (young Judd, experienced Okoro) and what about Ethiopian Magiso?
1500 m: Aregawi the clear choice, hopefully top shape after stomach virus.
100mH: Sally after her first meet and second should be better, but Harper-Nelson, Wells and home Porter will be strong opponents.
400mH (non DL): PSD with Child and Morosanu attacking sub 54.
Steeple: Chemos coming from Ostrava victory against world leader Chepkirui. Meet record 9:25.87 should go.
PV: Suhr in first European meet of the year, Silva and Murer want to beat her. They might go for WL (so far 490). Or MR (so far 487).
DT: Perkovic is ruling this season, anything else would be a huge surprise. She should break the MR 66.16.
Lysenko and Savinova
ZHUKOVSKIY (RUS): The Russian oldest meet Znamensky Memorial (EA Classic) will have on Sunday its 55th edition in Zhukovskiy near Moscow. Top stars are home athletes, olympic winners Tatyana Lysenko in hammer and Mariya Savinova in the 800 m. Former world record holder Svetlana Feofanova is in the pole vault. Season openers for 400 m runner Yulia Gushchina and 400 m hurdles European champion Irina Davydova. Third in the current world lists Yekaterina Koneva competes in the triple jump. Ukrainian Yelizaveta Bryzgina is entered in both sprints. On the men side interesting international guests Rytis Sakalauskas of Lithuania in the 100 m, German Kamghe Gaba in the 400 m, Briton Sebastian Rodger in the 400 m hurdles. Aleksey Zagorniy and Sergey Litvinov are the men hammer headliners.
OTHER NEWS
CHEMNITZ (GER): Shot put world champion David Storl cancelled meets in Gotha and Birmingham. He had a strain in his left pectoral muscle. He hopes to be fit for German Championships next week.
CAPE TOWN (RSA): South African athletes hoping to compete at the Universiade in Kazan next month are set to become the first casualties in a row between the country’s governing body and National Olympic Committee. Athletics South Africa were banned last week by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) in a dispute over how the sport is administered. The SASCOC have responsbility for picking teams for all major multi-sport events, including the Universiade, and are refusing to pick any athletes, even though the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) are backing ASA in the argument. A total of 27 athletes, including London 2012 Olympic 200 metres finalist Anaso Jobodwana were expected to be part of the team for the Universiade, which is due to open on July 6. Also affected is Akani Simbine, the South African junior record holder for 100m with a time of 10.19sec. From insidethegames.
MELBOURNE (AUS): The Victorian Government has confirmed a generous investment of 120 000 AUD toward the hosting of the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships and the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge. Guaranteeing continued vital support for the Australian domestic athletics season, the contribution brings two bumper track and field events to the state-of-the-art Lakeside Stadium as part of the 2014 National Athletics Series, incorporating the Australian Athletics Tour. Launching on 12 December with the Zatopek:10 and the Australian 10,000m Championships in Melbourne, the Hunter Track Classic on 18 January in Newcastle sees the return of track and field in the New Year before Hobart’s Briggs Athletics Classic and the Adelaide Track Classic entertain fans in February. The Australian Athletics Tour will head to Perth (22 February), Sydney (15 March) and Melbourne (22 March), with the Sydney event being held alongside the 5th Australian Junior Athletics Championships (12-16 March). The Queensland Track Classic in Brisbane closes out the domestic season before the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships provide the ideal bookend to a summer of athletics across the first weekend of April.
MONACO (MON): The IAAF announced that IAAF Kids’ Athletics | Nestlé Healthy Kids, the flagship development project of its School / Youth programme, will be demonstrated at the headquarters of Nestlé in Vevey, Switzerland on the morning of Friday 5 July. The athletes who will be onsite to cheer on the kids include Sandra Perkovic, Sanya Richards-Ross, Christian Taylor and Andreas Thorkildsen. Joining them will be Ato Boldon and two of Switzerland’s greatest ever athletes, Werner GÏ‹nthÓ§r and Anita Weyermann.
LAUSANNE (SUI): The AIPS will award long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie with an AIPS Power of Sport Award in Lausanne on Sunday. Haile Gebrselassie will receive this award because of his achievements in athletics, which made him popular by sports lovers all over the world. His World- and Olympic titles and his 27 world records made him one of the best long distance runners ever.
CHICAGO (USA): Organizers of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced that two-time Olympian and five-time USA national champion Matt Tegenkamp will make his marathon debut at their event in October. The race, which was the largest marathon in the world last year with more than 37,000 finishers, will be held on Sunday, October 13.
LONDON (GBR): Latest blog of Pat Butcher at www.globerunner.org: Alain Mimoun, RIP.
HAPPY NEWS
MARTIN (SVK): Slovak Olympic 1500 m finalist Lucia Klocova became on Saturday a happy mother. Her son Adam was born, 51 cm and 3.30 kg. Both are doing ok. Klocova who switched after many years at the 800 m during the Olympic year to 1500 m plans to return for the 2014 season.
