DEFAR VS DIBABA, 19 WORLD CHAMPIONS

ZURICH (SUI): 19 World Champions and 15 Olympic Champions have been named for the Weltklasse in Zurich. The event will host men’s and women’s Shot Put competitions at Zurich Main Station as well as 17 events within the Letzigrund Stadium. Treble gold medal winners in Moscow, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are both entered for the meet in the 100m and 200m respectively. Ethiopian greats Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba may make a rare appearance in the same race as both entered for the women’s 5000m. Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko leads a field that includes the top eight finishers from Moscow in the men’s High Jump while former World record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba is entered for the men’s 110m hurdles where he will challenge the top 7 finishers from Moscow. Two Moscow Gold Medallists could clash in the women’s 200m as both Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Christine Ohoruogu of Britain are entered. The complete list of World Champions that are entered for the Zurich Diamond League along with the event they are entered in: Usain Bolt (JAM, 100m), LaShawn Merritt (USA, 400m), Mohammed Aman (ETH, 800m), Asbel Kiprop (KEN, 1500m), Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN, 3000mSC), David Oliver (USA, 110mH), Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR, HJ) , Aleksandr Menkov (RUS, LJ), David Storl (GER, SP), Robert Harting (GER, DT), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM, 200m and 4x100m), Christine Ohuruogu (GBR, 200m), Eunice Jepkoech Sum (KEN, 800m), Meseret Defar (ETH, 5000m), Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH, 5000m), Zuzana Hejnova (CZE, 400mH), Brittney Reese (USA, LJ), Valerie Adams (NZL, SP), Christina Obergföll (GER, JT). Tickets are sold out the full capacity of 25 000 spectators is expected. In the Zurich Trophy at 4×100 m, this year for women Jamaica the world champions are the top favorites.

MOSCOW NEWS

MOSCOW (RUS): The Moscow World Championships achieved the highest score in All-Athletics.com rankings from all World Championships since 2001 with 192 664 points. Second best is Berlin 2009 191 168 and third best since 2001 is Paris 2003 with 190 412 points.

MOSCOW (RUS): Fastest relay splits at 4×400 m were in the men final Belgian Kevin Borlee in second leg 44.04 and young Jamaican Javon Francis as anchor 44.05. Third fastest US Tony McQuay 44.1 also second leg. In women final both anchors in the dramatic final, Antonina Krivoshapka 49.40 and Francena McCorory 49.25. Christine Ohuruogu as British final runner also excellent 49.43.

MOSCOW (RUS): Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko says that the IAAF World Championships “has provided an opportunity to promote this sport” and the legacy for Moscow is “that we hope thousand, hundreds of thousands in fact, will get involved in athletics. We have more than 6000 sports schools in Moscow, and more than 3.5 million children, so there potential is there”. Mutko believes that the city’s finances will be positively affected from the hosting of the event as he thinks that they responded well to the IAAF’s high demands. He added that it is too early to accurately assess the financial affects. Informssportspromedia.com.

ABUJA (NGR): The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is in the process of hiring at least one foreign coach to improve their athletes’ performances in major championships, reports allafrica.com. Nigeria’s sports minister, Bolaji Abdullahi was so impressed by British Coach Mike Afulaka’s assessment of Blessing Okagbare’s 100m final in Moscow that he decided that Nigeria needs to hire foreign coaches that will be able to give this type of input to help to improve their athletes’ performances.

NAIROBI (KEN): Three time World Steeplechase Champion, Moses Kiptanui of Kenya has criticized Kenyan athletes performances in Moscow, reportssupersport.com. Kiptanui said that the men’s marathon was a “disaster” as he expected Kenyans to place first and second in the event. He was also disappointed with Kenya’s performance in the men’s steeplechase saying that Kenya should have won all three medals but failed to do so because “the spirit of team work” was not instilled to the athletes by the Kenyan officials.

MOSCOW (RUS): The President of the IAAF, Lamine Diack says that the legacy he wants to leave, when he steps down from his role in two years’ time, is “to see athletics back in the schools, everywhere”, informs Reuters. The former Long Jumper from Senegal also spoke on his delight at the re-introduction of four year bans for athletes found guilty of doping, he also explained that he views the recent high profile failed doping tests as a good thing as it shows that the anti-doping systems are making progress. Diack, who is 80 years of age, said that the World Championships have been “really good” and that he was not concerned by the low attendances at the morning sessions, adding that this happens at most World Championships. Diack has been particularly impressed by the feats of Bohdan Bondarenko, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Mo Farah and Aleksandr Menkov in Moscow.

MOSCOW (RUS): Johan Cronje won the bronze medal in the men’s 1500m. He was the only South African medal winner in Moscow. The 31 year old became the first ever South African to medal, and the first South African to make it inside the top 8, in the men’s 1500 in World Championships history.

ROME (ITA): The President of FIDAL has called Italy’s performance at the World Championships in Moscow “unsatisfactory”, reports ansa.it. Italy won one medal in the championships, Valeria Straneo’s impressive silver in the women’s marathon. He said that adjustments must be made to the organisational model while the mentality of the athletes must also change.

MOSCOW (RUS): Latin America won 6 medals in Moscow, this is a decrease on the 7 medals won in London, which was a decrease on the 8 medals won in Daegu, informs grada360.com. This trend poses some concern ahead of the Olympics in Rio.

MOSCOW (RUS): While the hosts finished top of the medal table in Moscow, the hosts of the next Olympics did not win a single medal, reports deportes.terra.es. Brazil’s best results came from 5th place finishers Fabiana Murer and Mauro Vinicius da Silva, in the women’s Pole Vault and m
en’s Long Jump respectively.

OTHER NEWS

DUBNICA (SVK): The 11th Athletics Bridge (EA Area Permit) on August 21 offers 11 medalists from World Championships in Moscow, among them four winners. In the hammer which is part of IAAF Hammer Challenge top 3 from the men competition (Pawel Fajdek, Krisztian Pars and Lukas Melich) and on the women side the silver medalist Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland. Kenyan steeple world champion Milcah Chemos will attempt to break the all-time world best at rarely run 2000 m steeple, the aim is to break the 6:03.38 achieved by Wioletta Frankiewicz of Poland in Gdansk 2006. The other World champions are Carrie Russel of Jamaica for women 100 m and another Jamaican sprinting star Nesta Carter who won in Moscow not only relay gold but also 100 m bronze. He will clash in the 100 m with US silver medal winner from relay and individual finalist Mike Rodgers and Kim Collins of St. Kitts, the 2003 World Champion who was not selected for Moscow. The aim is to achieve first time sub 10 in Slovakia. Interesting clash in men shot put, Moscow bronze medalist Dylan Armstrong will compete against former world champion Christian Cantwell who returns to Europe after injury reportedly in good shape. Moscow 5th placer Queen Harrison is the top name in the women 100 m hurdles. The best Slovak placer in Moscow, walker Matej Toth will compete in the 3000 m walk race.

PRETORIA (RSA): South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorious has been officially charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, reportsindependent.co.uk. Papers presented at the court included a witness list and details of the evidence that has been gathered by the police. The witnesses are thought to include his ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor and his uncle. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that the case is ready to be referred to the high court. Pistorius’s trial date is March 3rd 2014.

MOSCOW (RUS): Usain Bolt has been awarded the Male Athlete of the Year Award, for 2012, from the International Association for Sports Journalists (AIPS). The award was presented by Kwame Laurence who is a sports journalist for the Trinidad Express. On receiving the award Bolt said, “through what I’ve been through with journalists over the years, I’ve been through some good, some bad stuff… it’s always good to be recognised by them, because I know that they’re not as bad as I thought they were.”

LONDON (GBR): Double Olympic and World Champion Mo Farah says that getting knocked out in the 5000m heats at the Beijing Olympics was the turning point in his career, reports independent.co.uk. In that race he finished 6th, while his current rival Edwin Soi qualified in first position. Five years later Farah is in a much different place, eyeing a possible World record in the 10,000m next season. “It’s a great opportunity next year to train for it, focus on running faster,” Farah says. „It is something that we can think about and plan, my coach and the rest of the team. We need to talk as a team and prepare for it and we’ll just see how the body responds”. His next competition is the Great North Run where he will race against the man that currently holds that World record, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.

HAVANA (CUB): Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, the current men’s High Jump world record holder at 2.45, recognises that there are two athletes that could break his record, reports giron.co.cu. Bohdan Bondarenko of the Ukraine and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar have been getting closer to Sotomayor’s 20 year old record, with Bondarenko taking multiple attempts at breaking it. Sotomayor spoke on how he will feel when the record is eventually broken, “that day surely I will not feel good, I will not enjoy, that’s the truth. But the days will pass and I will accept that the records are to fight”.

NANJING (CHI): 17 athletes have been excluded from the Indian team for the Asian Youth Championships in Nanjing, China after it was found that they were over the age limit, reports focus.de. The Indian squad had consisted of 27 athletes.

MADRID (SPA): The doping case against Spanish athlete Marta Dominguez has been refereed to Spain by the IAAF, reportsmarca.com. Dominguez was suspended after anomalies were found in her blood passport. The case will be transferred to the Competition Committee of the RFEA. This could be the last doping case to be addressed by the RFEA as they are likely to follow the Spanish Cycling Federation in handing over all doping issues to the Agency of Health Protection and Fight against Doping.

EBERSTADT (GER): The 35th International High Jump Meeting in Eberstadt will feature this weekend World champion Svetlana Shkolina of Russia and bronze medallist Ruth Beitia of Spain. The men’s competition will feature World bronze medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar as well as Olympic Champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia. Other top names in the women’s field include Irina Gordeeva, Emma Green Tregaro while other top names on the men’s side are Derek Drouin, Robbie Grabarz and Konstantinos Baniotis.

BEIJING (CHI): The organisers of the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing have announced that they will reduce the capacity of the Bird’s Nest stadium from 80,000 to 54,000, reports insidethegames.biz. The vice-president of the Chinese Athletic Association, Shen Chunde explained that the lower and middle tiers of the stadium will be used, while the upper tier can be used if there is extra demand. He added that a crowd of 50,000 people would be “a very good result”.

GLASGOW (GBR): Ticket’s for next year’s Commonwealth Games go on sale today (Monday 19th), reports athleticsweekly.com. The closing date for ticket applications is September 16th. Tickets are not being issued on a first come first served basis. The official website for the Games is glasgow2014.com.

KUALA LUMPUR (MAS): The Olympic Council of Asia and international media rights company MP & Silva have announced plans to internalize the media production of all Asian Games competitions and all other OCA events.

RESULTS

MIĘDZYZDROJE (POL, Aug 17): At 15th Komar and Slusarski Memorial Igor Bychkov of Spain won the pole vault with 550 over Latvian Mareks Arents 550.

SZCZECIN (POL, Aug 15): German Karsten Dilla won the 9th Pole Vault meet here with 560 over Tobias Scherbarth 540 and home Przemyslaw Czerwinski 540.

SAN DIEGO (USA, Aug 18): Newcomer Nelson Oyugi, winner of the recent Wharf to Wharf race, set a course record at the 36th San Diego Half Marathon 1:01:59 and earned a 1000 USD bonus. Second Ernest Kebenei 1:02:04 and third Tesfaye Alemayehu 1:02:06. Informs RRW.

SAD NEWS

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): South African ATFS Statistician Danie Cornelius informs that Gert Le Roux the father of statistics in South Africa, has passed away. He was born in 1935 and was ATFS member since 1961 and published SA Athletics Annual since 1959.