by Larry Eder
Bolt back at British meet
LONDON (GBR): It was sold out very quickly, 60 000 spectators. IAAF Diamond League meet in London (Sainsbury´s Anniversary Games) will be held for first in the Olympic Stadium. Top highlight of first day is Usain Bolt at the 100 m. Fast race planned by Solomon in the 800 m and James could well improve MR and WL. StrongestFriday women event is the pole vault.
Event by event preview
Men
100 m (non-DL): Last individual test of Usain Bolt before Moscow, he returns to a UK one day meet for first time since 2009. Other Jamaican the fastest on paper Carter, from US Rodgers and Salaam, from home team Dasaoulu and Chambers, added with Lemaitre and Collins. In the strong B-race only Britons headed by Gemili. Meet record 9.78 Tyson Gay since 2010.
200 m: Weir against in-shape Martina and Lemaitre has also his plans.
400 m: James is the clear favorite, behind McQuay and Santos, and Europe represented by Borlee twins and Maslak. Michael Johnson´s meet record 43.98 under threat.
800 m (non-DL): Solomon wants to attack the US record 1:42.60 of his coach Gray (pace 49.5 and 1:16). That would be also meet record (1:42.91).
HJ: Bondarenko after long break, Barshim is back healthy after even longer break. Kynard and Grabarz attacking from behind.
DT: Malachowski on paper, but Kanter, Hadadi also in-shape. Alekna returning after back injury. Meet record 67.82 possible.
Wom
800 m: US Moscow bound Martinez against British champ Okoro.
1500 m (non-DL): US teen sensation Mary Cain in her European debut. Kuria, Lakhouad to attack?
3000 m: Rowbury, Hasay on US side, UK talent Gorecka, only one African.
400mH: Undefeated Hejnova, world leader Carter and home star Shakes-Drayton.
PV: Silva is in shape, so is Spiegelburg, but main name is oly winner Suhr after long competition break. Not to forget last two world champions (Murer, Rogowska).
TJ: Universiade winner Koneva is the top favorite. Behind her all open.
4×100 m (non-DL): Brazil against Britain and Netherlands (with Schippers). Overseas team will not be the strongest.
Ukhov 230, Abakumova 65.99, Kolodko 19.86
MOSCOW (RUS, Jul 25): Final day of Russian Championships saw Olympic winner Ivan Ukhov winning the high jump with 230 over Aleksandr Shustov 227. World junior record holder Sergey Morgunov won the long jump 806 (-0.6) ahead of Aleksandr Petrov 794 (+0.5) as Diamond League winner Aleksandr Menkov has a bye. Ever young Yuriy Borzakovskiy topped the 800 m in 1:46.98 with Stepan Poistogov second 1:47.30. Aleksandr Khyutte won the 200 m (20.94, +1.1) and Nikolay Sedyuk the discus (61.39). In women events top shape was confirmed by steeple olympic and world winner Yulia Zaripova with great 4:02.56 winning the 1500 m. Second Svetlana Podsyonova 4:04.01 over Yelena Korobkina4:05.43, Anna Shchagina 4:05.91 and former champion Yelena Soboleva 4:07.41. In the triple jump Irina Gumenyuk 14.50 and Anna Pyatykh 14.40 should go to World Champs with Yekaterina Koneva who had a bye as Universiade winner. Out Viktoriya Valyukevich for example as third 14.36. All-time hero Tatyana Lebedeva was 6th 13.97. Olympic silver winner Yevgeniya Kolodko won the shot put with season best 19.86 ahead of Irina Tarasova 18.52 and Anna Avdeyeva 18.34. Mariya Abakumova clearly won the javelin 65.99 and in the close 200 m Yelena Bolsun was the best in 23.38 (0.0). The team will be announced on July 30.
Ennis-Hill ok
LONDON (GBR): Olympic Heptathlon champion, Jessica Ennis-Hill has announced that she is fit to compete at this weekend’s Anniversary Games, reports the BBC. Ennis said that her achilles had responded well over the last few days following competing in Loughborough on Tuesday, where she set a PB in the javelin and won the long jump. On Saturday she will compete in the long jump and the 100mH, an event where she holds a 12.54 (1.3) best.
Ortega ban lifted
HAVANA (CUB): The Cuban Federation lifted the ban of top hurdler Orlando Ortega on July 20th, considering his discipline and attitude after being suspended. He will join the Cuban team for Moscow. Ortega if in the shape from early June when he clocked 13.08 personal best could be a medal contender in Russia.
Most tested Kenyans
MONACO (MON): The Anti-Doping Statistics for tests carried out in 2012 under the direct authority of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have been published on the IAAF website. These testing statistics only include IAAF tests and do not include those carried out by National Anti-Doping Agencies, WADA or the IOC. The IAAF Registered Testing Pool in 2012 contained 525 athletes, who were selected from the top 20 athletes in each event discipline. Kenya was most tested nation by the IAAF with 348 tests ahead of Russia 336 and USA 222. Then followed by Ethiopia 171, Jamaica 126 and Ukraine 94 with Belarus 82 and Turkey 74.
OTHER NEWS
TWICKENHAM (GBR): The Mo Farah Foundation (MFF) has announced the launch of the Mo Farah Academy, its first initiative in the UK, designed to encourage home-grown sporting talent whilst building on the Olympic Legacy. The Academy will provide financial and technical support for the elite sports training programmes at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, and at Brunel University. Both have been selected as dedicated centres of sporting excellence with an outstanding track record of sporting success. In particular, each year, four outstanding young athletes at Brunel and four at St Mary’s will receive scholarships worth up to 4000 GBP to help with living and training costs. Farah will make his return to the site of his incredible Olympic double in the 3000m at the Anniversary Games on Saturday, reports the Press Association Sport. Farah believes he is stronger and more experienced than he was last year and this was evidenced by his spectacular run in the Herculis Monaco Diamond League at the 1500 m.
HELSINKI (FIN): Track and Field News reported that the injured javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki may have to compete at the Finnish National Championships to ensure selection for the Worlds in Moscow. The London 2012 5th placer has been told by doctors that he should not compete till after the Nationals. If not he will throw at Kuortane meet on Aug 3.
AUSTIN (USA): US National record holder in the hammer (75.73), Amanda Bingson only saw a hammer for the first time just over 4 years ago, reports Spikes Magazine. The former gymnast and “average” shot putter and discus thrower is now ranked 4th on the season’s top lists in the hammer with the World Championships in Moscow right around the corner. After just three years in the sport she made the US Olympic team for London. The 23 year old, coached by Greg Watson, admits that one of her goals is to beat Betty Heidler’s world record of 79.42. But first she must see if she can be competitive in competition on the global stage.
NAIROBI (KEN): Paul Kipsiele Koech has described his inclusion in the Kenyan team for the Moscow World Championships as a “miracle” after missing out on many previous chances to represent his country at global championships, reports All Africa. The 3rd fastest steeplechaser of all time, Koech could only finish 10th at the Kenyan trials. Koech, who says that he has a problem racing at altitude, made his last Kenyan team in 2001.
REYKJAVIK (ISL): The 17 year old Icelander Anita Hinriksdottir won both the World Youth and European Junior 800m titles in the space of a week. The front running athlete, who has a 2:00.49 best, won her nations first ever gold medal at the European Juniors. Her parents were both distance runners while her aunt competed in the marathon at the Sydney Olympic Games. Hinriksdottir will not compete in Moscow and will finish her season at her national championships. Although she has got offers from Universities in the US she plans to continue training with her coach, Gunnar Paul Joakimssonn, in Reykjavik. Informs European Athletics.
NEW YORK (USA): The Sportbusiness journal is reporting that ING will drop their title sponsorship of the New York City Marathon after this year’s edition. ING became the marathon’s first title sponsor in 2003. The New York Road Runners plan to have 5 new high visibility “founding partner” sponsorships.
BERLIN (GER): Germany’s team of combined events athletes is traveling to Chula Vista for the Thrope Cup this weekend. Top decathlete Arthur Abele is no longer competing as he sustained a small injury during the German national championships, making Mathias Prey leading the German team. The United States is sending it’s decathletes Ryan Harlan, Isaac Murphy and Dakotah Keys. Following the European U23 championships, Carolin Schäfer decided not to travel to Chula Vista and has been replaced by Simone Mrotzek, who is joining her twin sister Silvia Mrotzek reports leichathletik.de.
AMSTERDAM (NED): The KNAU has announced its first selection of 12 athletes and two relay teams traveling to Moscow for the IAAF World championships. So far selected star athletes are Churandy Martina and Eelco Sintnicolaas, as well as European U23 champions Douwe Amels and Dafne Schippers. Also traveling are the men’s and women’s 4x100m teams.
ITEN (KEN): Moscow bound Kenyan marathoner Mike Kipyego is motivated by his sister’s absence from the world championships team, reports Reuters. Mike’s sister Sally, a silver medallist in the London Games was unable to compete in the Kenyan trials because of a heel injury. Mike wants to win the world title for her and for his family. The 2002 World Junior Champion in the steeplechase found little success in the event at a senior level and decided to move to the marathon. Two years after this move he won the Tokyo marathon. His dream is for both him and Sally to win gold medals at global championships.
TOKYO (JAP): While junior Yoshihide Kiryu has grabbed most of the worldwide headlines surrounding Japanese sprinting, the 21 year old Ryota Yamagata must not be ignored, writes the Japan Times. Yamagata was a semi-finalist in the London Olympic Games, running his 10.07 (1.3) PB in the heats. While Yamagata confesses that he is not on his best form and still has technical issues to work on, his goal is to make the world final in Moscow. If he achieves this goal he will become the 2nd ever Japanese finalist in the 100m at a global championship.
LONDON (UK): Usain Bolt answered the media’s questions on the recent athletics doping scandals at a press conference held before he participates at the London Diamond League, informs the Telegraph. Bolt said that the positive tests were not a surprise to him and that they had set the sport back a bit. In Jamaica, Powell
has stated his ambition to return to athletics, saying that he has continued to train hard and eyes the 2015’s World Championships and the Rio Olympics as targets for the future.
NAIROBI (KEN): Athletics Kenya must submit a report to WADA this November detailing the efforts it has undertaken to address the doping issues that have surrounded the athletics stronghold, reports Capital FM. Athletics Kenya head, Isaiah Kiplagat said that “little is being done” about the report and conveyed his worries that the report would not be completed in time. WADA have also asked Kenya to set up blood centres in Nairobi and Eldoret where athletes can be tested for the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs, currently there is only one of these centres in the whole of Africa. WADA has labelled Kenya a doping hot spot and a “location of choice” for would be dopers.
RESULTS
DONETSK (UKR, Jul 25): 2005 World champion Yuriy Krymarenko won the high jump at the 2nd day of National Championships with 228, but is missing the A-standard of 231. Dmytro Demyanyuk and Andriy Protsenko followed with 225. Oksana Okuneva won the women high jump 192. Some of the top athletes are passing the champs. Shot put winners were Andriy Borodkin 19.53 and Hanna Obleshchuk 18.40. Alina Fyodorova scored 5792 in the heptathlon. In the 400 m finals Natalya Pyhyda 51.37 and Vitaliy Butrym 46.24. Top 3 went sub 3:40 in the men 1500 m with Oleksandr Borisyuk3:39.38, Volodymyr Kyts 3:39.84 and Stanislav Maslov 3:39.95. Yelizaveta Bryzgina was timed with 22.89 (+0.4) in the women 200 m heats.
VAASA (FIN, Jul 25): The 106th Finnish Championships started with walking. Veli-Matti Partanen won the men 20 km in 1:29:40 and Anne Halkivaha women 10 km 47:06.
THIVA (GRE, Jul 24): At HrÃstos Voudoúris memorial which was also 2013 Greek Grand Prix Final Andreadis Panayiotis clocked 10.39 (+2.0) to win the 100 m. Former European U23 medalist at 400 m hurdles Minas Alozidis now running for Cyprus returned from a 2-year ban with 52.40 win. Maria Belibasaki clocked national U23 record in the women 200 m 23.18 (+0.4). Adonia Steryiou cleared 192 in the high jump and Nectaria Panayi of Cyprus achieved 655 (+0.6) in the long jump.
BUDAPEST (HUN, Jul 21): In a late addition Egyptian Hassan Mohamed Mahmoud achieved here in an invitational event during Hungarian Masters Championships new national hammer record 77.44. Second Akos Hudi personal best 76.93.
TEL AVIV (ISR, Jul 24): During first day of the 19th Maccabiah Games Donald Sanford clocked new Israeli record at the 400 m 45.65 (also All-Comers record) ahead of Australian talent Steven Solomon 46.24. Alex Averbukh jumped again after long break and improved to 515 in the pole vault. 47-years old Ukrainian Oleksandr Dryhol got 68.62 in the hammer.
LA ROCHE SUR YON (FRA, Jul 24): At the French meet European U23 silver winner Gaetan Saku Bafuanga for first time in his career went over 17 meters in the triple jump with 17.07 (+0.3). Daniel Dossevi cleared 550 in the pole vault and Nicolas Gomont leaped to 789 (+0.4) in the long jump. Briton Josh Swaray won the 100 m in 10.43 (+0.5). World junior medalist Alexia Sedykh won the women hammer 68.17, Vanessa Boslak cleared 440 in the pole vault and Reina-Flor Okori won the hurdles in 13.10 (+0.1).
NOTES
LYON (FRA): Phil Minshull notes that it has gone virtually unnoticed generally but Germany’s Markus Rehm set a T44 Long Jump world record of 795 cm at the IPC Athletics World Championships. This added 60cm to his previous record of 735 set last summer at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
MOSCOW (RUS): Another interesting note is that after a number of years representing Germany, Sergey Litvinov won the Russian hammer title and followed in the footsteps of his illustrious father and namesake also Sergey who won the Russian title 20 years ago in 1993, after also having previously won Soviet Union titles.
