by Larry EderThe World University Games seems to be a big thing everywhere but the US. As I do not have the information on it, I just remember friends competing in the WUG and am wondering why coverage in the US?
6 gold medals out of 10 for Russia
KAZAN (RUS, Jul 9): From 10 finals of third day of athletics at the Universiade Russia won 6 gold medals. Four by men and two by women. Vladimir Krasnov was the lucky winner in 45.49 in the 400 m over Anderson Henriques of Brazil 45.50 (followed by PB´s of Jamaican Maitland 45.63 and Omelko from Poland 45.69). Valentin Smirnov topped the 1500 m in 3:39.39 again close with Canadian Jeremy Rae 2nd 3:39.45 and Jeremiah Motsau of South Africa third 3:39.51. As expected Andriy Krivov won the 20 km walk 1:20:47 with Ukrainian Ruslan Dmytrenko close second 1:20:54, with Denis Strelkov 1:21:32 and Andrey Ruzavin 1:22:12 getting the other top places for Russia. European indoor champion from Goteborg Sergey Mudrov equaled his PB with 231 clearance to win the high jump, but only on count back with Ukrainian Andriy Protsenko also 231 (and also equaled PB). Third Chinese Wang Yu, fourth Nikola Bojic of Australia and only fifth Olympic winner Ivan Ukhov, all 228. Kseniya Ustalova dominated the women 400 m in 50.60 and another Russian Alena Tamkova was second in life-time best 51.17, third Jamaican Anastacia Leroy 51.72. Reigning World champion Mariya Abakumova won the javelin 65.12 with team-mate Viktoriya Sudarushkina second 62.68 and bronze for Austrian Elisabeth Eberl 55.02. In remaining finals of the day Russia always got at least to the podium. Top mark for Margarita Mukasheva of Kazakhstan winning the 800 m in national record 1:58.96, followed by Yekaterina Kupina from Russia 1:59.57 and Egle Balciunaite of Lithuania 1:59.82. Ukrainain Hana Titimets posted fast 54.64 PB at the 400 m hurdles ahead of her team-mate Hanna Yaroshchuk 54.77 and Eurochamp Irina Davydova of Russia 54.79. Ukrainian Viktor Kuznetsov topped the triple jump 17.01 (+1.0) with Russian Aleksey Fyodorov second 16.89 (+2.2), bronze for Yevgeniy Ektov of Kazakhstan 16.57 (+0.8). Belgian talent Thomas Van der Plaetsen won the decathlon with life-time best score 8164 ahead of Russian Sergey Sviridov 7939. From the qualifications Yekaterina Koneva 14.49 (-0.5) in the women triple, fastest in men 400 m hurdles semis Amadou Ndiyae of Senegal 49.74. In the 200 m semis Shota Iizuka of Japan 20.74 (+0.1) and in women heats Nadezhda Kotlyarova from Russia the fastest 23.39 (-0.6).
Taylor, Claye vs Cubans
BUDAPEST (HUN): Third edition of Istvan Gyulai Memorial (EA Classic) in Budapest on July 10 will see fast sprinters. Despite the withdrawal of the top star earlier announced (Yohan Blake) Puskas Stadium will still see great names with ever young Kim Collins and 2008 Olympic medalist Richard Thompson from Trinidad and Tobago with Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole in the 100 m. In the 200 m Olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir will clash with another top Jamaican Jason Young. One of the best fields of the meet will be women 100 m with reigning world champion Carmelita Jeter, world leader Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and other fast US runners Barbara Pierre (10.85 improvement) and 200 m specialist Kimberlyn Duncan. Home spectators will support mainly hammer olympic winner Krisztian Pars against Czech Lukas Melich, Slovenian 2008 Olympic winner Primoz Kozmus and Szymon Ziolkowski from Poland (IAAF Hammer Challenge). Olympic winner Christian Taylor returns to Budapest to jump against top Cubans Pedro Pablo Pichardo and Ernesto Reve and his team-mate Will Claye. In the women 400 m Jamaican Shericka Williams is the top name. Improved Hungarian hurdler Balazs Baji will run his event against another Daegu winner competing Jason Richardson. Yuriy Borzakovskiy is the star of the 800 m (with improved Anis Ananenka of Belarus), Kellie Wells and Queen Harrison of 100 m hurdles, Ugandan Benjamin Kiplagat in the men steeple with the aim to run under 8:20. Deep field is also announced for women 400 m hurdles. US Dalilah Muhammad, Tiffany Williams, Turquoise Thompson, Jamaican champion Ristanana Tracey, Italian Yadisleidys Pedroso and Australian Lauren Boden. In the men high jump Kostadinos Baniotis with 234 this year meets with US Dusty Jonas and French Mickael Hanany. Slovenian Snezana Rodic and Russina Irina Gumenyuk are the women triple stars. Poland´s Karolina Jarzynska and Dominika Nowakowska in the Ethiopian situation will run the 5000 m. Australian duo (Mickle and Mitchell) should top the javelin and Ana Simic, Nadiya Dusanova with Venelina Veneva are topping women high jump.
K. Borlee in fast 300 m field
LIEGE (BEL): Meeting Athletisme Provence de Liege will have on Wednesday top names in men triathlon. Home star Hans Van Alphen will fight with Dutch Eelco Sintnicolaas, Belarus Andrey Kravchenko and Russian Mikhail Logvinenko. In the 300 m Kevin Borlee will face US 400 m runners David Verburg and Tony McQuay and olympic medalist Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad. US hurdles Spencer Adams, Joel Brown and Terrence Trammell are the favorites of their event. In the 400 m hurdles duel of Australian Tristan Thomas with US Justin Gaymon. Cuban Lazaro Borges, world medalist 2011 is the top name in the pole vault. Lauma Griva, Jana Veldakova and Viktoriya Molchanova are the international opponents in women long jump against home talent Nafi Thiam. In women hurdles Anne Zagre, Sara Aerts and Eline Berings will try for fast times against US Kristi Ca
stlin and Jamaican Andrea Bliss. Muna Lee and 2005 World champion Lauryn Williams are the favorites in women 100 m and Almensch Belete should win the women 5000 m.
OTHER NEWS
COLLEGE STATION (USA): World 400 m Finalist Tabarie Henry of US Virgin Islands has officially pulled out of the Moscow World Championships due to an achilles issue. Informs thecarterfilez.com.
TORONTO (CAN): Athletics Canada will officially introduce Peter Eriksson as head coach of its Olympic and Paralympic program on Wednesday, according to sources. The 60-year-old Swede stepped down as head coach of British Athletics on May 15.
DUBLIN (IRL): Bringthemileback.com informs that the Morton Mile is the most famous race in Irish athletics, graced by the presence of Olympians and Olympic champions including Ireland’s own Ronnie Delany, Herb Elliott, Kip Keino, John Walker, Steve Ovett and Seb Coe. US Steve Scott’s 3:53.80 on August 27, 1980 remains the Morton Stadium Mile record and Americans have won the previous three years in a row with Will Leer (2010 & 2012) and Jordan McNamara (2011) trading off as Morton Mile champions. This year’s Morton Games takes place on Wednesday, July 17. In the field both Leer and McNamara as past winners, also improved Australian Cameron Page. US Brie Felnagle has the fastest time among women.
LONDON (GBR): Agencies are informing that a growing doping scandal for Turkey, a nation bidding for the 2020 Olympics, could result in it being thrown out of August’s world track and field championships, according to the Telegraph. Dozens of Turkish athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during a target-testing operation by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in the last month, according to the report. “We’re talking about a lot of athletes,” a senior athletics insider told the Telegraph. “It could be as many as 30.”
LOS ANGELES (USA): Universal Sports Network and Time Warner Cable (TWC) announced a multi-year agreement to deliver the network’s exclusive year-round coverage of Olympic and endurance sports programming to TWC’s Sports Pass subscribers. The deal gives TWC, one of the nation’s largest providers of video, high-speed data and voice services, comprehensive TV Everywhere rights, VOD content and Universal Sports Max, a secondary events broadband channel. Universal Sports shows the IAAF Diamond League in the USA.
RESULTS
CELLE LIGURE (ITA, Jul 9): At the 25th Meeting Arcobaleno solid distances by Kenyan Felix Kitur 1:46.48 in the 800 m, Ethiopian Alemayehu Zebene 3:40.69 in the 1500 m and US Lea Wallace 2:02.23 in the women 800 m.
