FRENCH STARS FOR HERCULIS

MONACO (MON): The Herculis meeting, the IAAF Diamond league meeting in Monaco on 19 July, will have the cream of the current generation of French athletes competing in the Stade Louis II once again. In addition to the previously announced 2012 Olympic and European Pole Vault champion Renaud Lavillenie being present, the 2010 double European champion Christophe Lemaitre will be face the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m winner Jimmy Vicaut in the 100m. Impressive new middle-distance talent Pierre-Ambroise Bosse will come to Monaco for the first time and will run the 800m. Benjamin Compaore and Teddy Tamgho are expected fight for the national Triple Jump supremacy. In the 1500 m Florian Carvalho with Simon Denissel. In women 200 m Myriam Soumare and long jump by European champion Eloyse Lesueur.

PITKAMAKI FOR A SURGERY

HELSINKI (FIN): Javelin world leader Tero Pitkamäki will miss some four weeks of competition. He will undergo a rib surgery on Wednesday after MRI in Oslo. His agent Tero Heiska explains: „It is costal cartilage rupture which look like he got in Doha but didn’t feel that painful. Immediately after Oslo competition in the evening he felt more painful and we decided to organize MRI in Finland.” He will have after the surgery 4-6 weeks before next competition. There are positive hopes he will be ready for Finnish Championships end of July or the meet in Kuortane on August 3 to prove his shape before the World Championships.

MULAUDZI ENDS HIS CAREER

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): 2009 800 m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (32) is ending his career and giving priority to a job and his family. He got a job in construction and building development. „Mulaudzi realized there long life after track and field and he decided to start a new career. This I respect and support him in his choice although I would have loved to see him on the track one last season as we have him fit and healthy for the first time in 18 months,” says his agent Peet Van Zyl. Mulaudzi competed at New York DL as fourth in 1:47.46, his last competition. He also won Olympic silver in 2004 and was World Indoor champion also 2004.

WEEKEND FOR EUROPEAN TEAMS

LAUSANNE (SUI): This weekend four venues will bring out the best spirit among track and field athletes when the 4th European Athletics Team Championships take place in Gateshead, Dublin, Kaunas and Banská Bystrica. It is the essence of working for each other, knowing the mere one point from finishing down the field could ultimately prove as vital as the maximum points for winning an event. Writes EA. Also competing will be top names from the Diamond League circuit. Sweden’s Abebe Aregawi has been the dominated force of the 1500m, Zuzana Hejnova, of the Czech Republic, has been outstanding in the 400m hurdles (she will run 400 m flat in Dublin, hurdles for Denisa Rosolova), Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic has controlled the discus and Christine Obergfoll, of Germany, has been superb in the javelin.

ABAKUMOVA THE LEADER

MOSCOW (RUS): Russian team aiming to win the European team championships will have as main stars women. Reigning world champion Mariya Abakumova competes in the javelin. Other top names include Kseniya Zadorina for the 400 m, Yelena Kotulskaya for the 800 m, Yekaterina Sharmina (formerly Martynova) for the 1500 m. In the long jump popular Darya Klishina. Former world record holder Gulfiya Khanafeyeva competes in hammer and world junior indoor record holder Mariya Kuchina in the high jump. Pole vault representative will be Anzhelika Sidorova. On the men side hurdles European champion Sergey Shubenkov, long jump world leader Aleksandr Menkov and high jumper Aleksey Dmitrik are the star names. Also to note Sergey Litvinov in hammer and Dmitriy Tarabin in javelin.

OTHER NEWS

KINGSTON (JAM): Trackalerts informs that Jamaican coach Glen Mills wants officials to establish an accredited drug testing laboratory on the island. Mills made the comment following reports that high profile Jamaican athlete had a positive drug test. “It just re-emphasize the need for all involved to be extremely vigilant and the great need for Jamaica to establish a creditable lab so that athletes can have substances tested and verified before usage,” he told a local radio station on Saturday. “This is much needed in our track and field because it’s a mine field out there, any substance that you take could be contaminated.” Mills cautions against judgement without facts.

MOSCOW (RUS): High jump Beijing Olympic champion Andrey Silnov isn’t expecting his participation at competitions even this season being operated on Achilles ligament last autumn. “My rehabilitation is going on schedule. I even began to jump at training sessions. We’ll stay at Sochi training camp till the end of June and only then make decision about possibility to compete this summer. Certainly I hope for the better. I’m in cheerful mood now as birth of my son onApril 22 added a lot of positive emotions for my current preparation” said 28-year-old Russian.

FARGO (USA): Bahamian high jump world medalist Trevor Barry is out from the season due to an injury. Informs his agent John Regis. It happened after the meet of Montreuil where he cleared 215 as 6th.

MONCTON (CAN): Shot in the Dark: A unique twist to the Canadian Track and Field Championship takes place Friday night in downtown Moncton at Riverfront Park — the national shot put event, along with music, a Celtic band and a beer tent. Both shot put competitions are scheduled, men and women. Top name is of course world medalist and national record holder Dylan Armstrong.

PARIS (FRA): French athletics federation FFA has announced its team for the European Cup Combined events in Tallinn later this month. The men’s team is led by talented youngsters Kevin Mayer and Jéremy Leličvre and completed by Rudy Bourguinon and Florian Geffrouais. The women’s team features Antoinette Nana Djimou as well as Marisa De Aniceto, Rokhaya Mbaye and Merryl Mbeng.

BRUSSELS (BEL): Kevin and Jonathan Borlée lead Belgium’s team for the European team championships in Dublin this weekend. Jonathan is set to compete in the 200m while Kevin starts in the 400m. Other names on the team are Michael Bultheel (400m hurdles), Thomas Van der Plaetsen (pole vault), Pieter Jan Hannes (1500m) and Jan Van Den Broeck (800m). The women’s team features talented junior Nafi Thiam (high jump and javelin throw) as well as Hanne Claes and Almensch Belete.

AMSTERDAM (NED): The Netherland’s team for the European Team championships in Dublin is led by sprinter Churandy Martina and features also discus thrower Erik Cadée and hurdler Gregory Sedoc. The women’s team puts Yvonne Hak, Susan Kuijken, Melissa Boekelman and Madeia Gafoor on show.

MOSCOW (RUS): Pole vault European Indoor finalist 2013 and European season leader with 473 Anastasiya Savchenko informed All Sport news agency she’ll perform at Universiade in Kazan for sure. Before that event 23-year-old Russian plans to compete at Ostrava Golden Spike meeting on June 27 and still should make a choice between Birmingham Diamond League meeting and Znamensky Memorial in Zhukovsky on June 30. “My win with personal best 4.73 at National Cup in Yerino is appropriate result for which I’m ready at the moment. At the beginning of the season I had many technical problems and only now I was able to perform well. Certainly I’m aiming to be selected to national team for Moscow Worlds at national championships on July 22-24″ said Savchenko.

ATHENS (GRE): Greece announced its team fo
r the European Athletics Team Championships in Gateshead. In the men selection top names the hurdlers Kostadinos Douvalidis and Periklis Iakovakis. Big points expected from pole vault record holder Kostadinos Filippidis and long jumper Luis Tsatoumas. In women events Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou is in the pole vault and Paraskevi Papahristou for triple jump.

CHISINAU (MDA): Moldovan team for European Team Championships Third League will travel to Banska Bystrica by bus. From top names missing are runners Ion Luchianov, Iaroslav Musinschi and Natalia Cherches. But other London 2012 participants Zalina Marghieva, Olesia Cojuhari as well as triple jumper Vladimir Letnicov are the most experienced.

PARIS (FRA): L´Équipe informs that Olympic gold medalist at 1500 m Taoufik Makhloufi will not compete due to ilness at the Algiers International meet on Tuesday and will miss also the Mediterranean Games next week. But he should be ready for Moscow World Championships.

RESULTS

BASSETERRE (SKN, Jun 16): At St. Kitts national championships fast 100 m by Antoine Adams 10.01 PB (+2.0) over Jason Rogers also 10.01 PB (the thousands difference was the smallest possible 10.001 and 10.002). Adams also won the 200 m in windy 20.25 (+3.1).

YOKOHAMA (JPN, Jun 16): At the Nittai University Distance meet Kenyan Joseph Onsarigo won the 5000 m in 13:32.14.

ALMATY (KZK, Jun 15-16): At the Kosanov memorial fast sprints, reports Heinrich Hubbeling. Last year Asian Junior champion from Iran Hasan Taftian (20) clocked there two national records 10.15 at the 100 m and 20.82 at the 200 m.

BARRANCO (PER, Jun 15): Good track walking in Peru. Yerko Araya won the 10 000 m in 40:52.62. In the junior category Marco Rodriguez from Bolivia 41:57.19. In the youth category even faster home Paulo Yaurivilca 41:40.57. Kimberley Garcia won the women 5000 m in 23:11.70.

CARTAGENA (COL, Jun 15-16): Junior sprinter Bernardo Baloyes won the 200 m at national championships with windy 20.54 (+2.8). Olympic medalist Caterine Ibarguen was not competing.

KINGSTON (JAM, Jun 16): Calabar High’s Michael O’Hara and Jonielle Smith of Wolmer’s, both completed sprint double victories, on Sunday’s final day of the Jamaica Junior Championships. O’Hara followed up Saturday’s 100m victory (10.30) with another personal best and world leading youth time of 20.75 to take the Under-18 200m. Wolmer’s Smith and Edwin Allen’s Saqkine Cameron crossed the line in identical time, 24.27 seconds, but the former who again had a very strong last 20 meters, got the nod. Meanwhile, Holmwood Technical’s Yanique Thompson, the world leader on the IAAF list, ran a personal best 13.23 to take the Under-18 100m hurdles. In the junior 400 m Steven Gayle won in 46.83 and in the junior 200 m Odail Todd 21.11 (+1.5).

MAYAGUEZ (PUR, Jun 15-16): At the national championships Erick Alejandro won the 400 m hurdles in 49.80. Dominican republic guest Mariely Sanchez won the 100 m in 11.38 (-0.4) NR.

LANZHOU (CHN, Jun 15): At the Lanzhou International Marathon Ethiopian Solomon Tsige won in 2:15:40 and cashed 40 000 USD. Top woman Ashu Kasim Roba 2:43:44 and also 40 000 USD first prize bonus.

TERRE HAUTE (USA, Jun 15): Kylie Hutson cleared outdoor PB 470 at the Sycamore PV special meet.

SUMY (UKR, Jun 15-16): 21-year-old Inna Kashina won 20 km race walk national UKR championships in Sumy 1:34:59 and took also the U23 title. In men race Oleksiy Kazanin was first with 1:23:30. 19-year-old Ihor Lyashchenko became U23 champion with 1:25:20.

HAVANA (CUB, Jun 8): Solid relay times by Cuba 43.67 women and 39.62 national junior record 4×100 m and 3:04.19 4×400 m senior men. Second Ecuador in women race qualified for World Championships 43.88. Yarianna Martinez achieved 14.37 (+1.7) in the triple jump ahead of Mabel Gay 14.32 (+0.9) and former world champion Yargelis Savigne 14.05 (+0.2).

KHARKIV (UKR, Jun 16-17): During first two days of Ukrainian junior championships Irina Geraschenko cleared 191 in the high jump, Bogdana Melnik won the long jump 641 (+1.8). In the boys events Volodymyr Suprun clocked 10.59 (+0.3) in the 100 m Sergiy Reheda 73.42 with 6kg hammer. In the out of competition men pole vault Ivan Yeryomin cleared 560 cm.

NOTES

RIETI (ITA): Italian Sonia Malavisi when trying at 459, she tried for world junior outdoor best. The official world junior record (overall) is the 463 by Angelica Bengtsson achieved indoors in 2011. The outdoor best is 458 by Bengtsson also. Indoor marks are also accepted for World Records.

RATINGEN (GER): Please correct first of all, Rico and not Uwe Freimuth (sorry for changing the centuries) and also the decathlon final scores are valid because there is no longer a reference to wind-readings over 4.0, and for a multi-events performance to be considered wind-assisted, it is only if the average wind-reading across the three relevant events (100m, Long Jump & 110m Hurdles) is more than 2.0 m/s.