by Larry Eder
Bolt is in Moscow
MOSCOW (RUS): Usain Bolt and his other colleagues from Jamaican Team and Racers TC arrived to Moscow for the World Championships. The sprinting star attended a Jamaican Party in Gorkiy Park of Moscow. Bolt´s first race is expected in 100 m heats on Saturday August 10 at 8.15 pm local time.
IAAF Council on Monday
MOSCOW (RUS): The action in Russia starts with IAAF Council Meeting on Monday, on Wednesday the 49th IAAF Congress will go ahead with Day 1 including IAAF World Athletics Forum. On Thursdaysecond day of the congress is planned and on Friday IAAF Council meets with IOC Executive Board.
Rutherford OK
LONDON (GBR): Olympic Long Jump champ Greg Rutherford has made an “incredible” recovery from a hamstring tear that had threatened to rule him out of the Word Championships, reports The Guardian. Rutherford insists that, even though his season has not gone to plan, he is a “big game performer” and should jump well on the Moscow stage. The 26 year old says that he has taken up boxing to help him with his arm movements during the jumps.
OTHER MOSCOW NEWS
NAIROBI (KEN): The best position that a Kenyan female steeplechaser has ever achieved at the World Championships is third. Milcah Chemos has finished in this position at the last two World Championships and is eager to finish higher up on the podium this time. The 27 year old said that playing “second fiddle” really bothers her and that she must up her game to improve on her previous results. Chemos said that the Kenyans will employ different tactics to try and overcome the front running Russians. The World Leader (9:13.75), Lydia Chepkurui, said that she is focused on how the Kenyans will “devour the Russians” at the Luzhniki Stadium. The four participating Kenyans will focus on all qualifying for the final which will take place on August 13th. Informs The Nation.
BERLIN (GER): 23 year old Christoph Harting will join his Olympic Champion brother, Robert, in the Discus at the World Championships informs leichathletik.de. Christoph is nicknamed “little Harting” but is physically bigger than his older brother. Robert will go to Moscow to try and win his third World Championships in a row while Christoph will aim to make the final. Both tasks will be tough as Christoph’s 64.99 falls outside the World’s top 20 and Robert’s 69.91 is well behind the World Lead of Pole Piotr Malachowski who has thrown 71.84.
NEW DELHI (IND): India has selected 15 athletes for the World Championships. One third are walkers, on the men side K.T. Irfan, Gurmeet Singh and Chandan Singh for 20 km, Basant Bahadur Rana and Sandeep for 50 km and on the women side Khushbir Kaur for 20 km. Other male athletes are discus thrower Vikas Gowda and triple jumper Renjith Maheswary. In women section also Sudha Singh for steeple and 4×400 m relay with M.R. Poovamma, Tintu Luka, Nirmala Sheoran, Anu Mariam Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Anilda Thomas.
ALGER (ALG): Algeria selected 11 athletes for Moscow. From 8 men three are for steeple (Abdelmadjid Touil, Hichem Bouchicha, Abdelhamid Zerifi) added with Othman Hadj-Lazib (110 m hurdles), Mohamed-Lamin Belferar (800 m), Imed Touil (1500 m), Miloud Rahmani (400 m hurdles) and Tayeb Filali (marathon). Three women Amina Betiche for steeple, Yasmina Omrani for heptathlon and the most experienced Baya Rahouli in the triple jump.
MADRID (ESP): Spain selected in total 40 athletes. Both male relays 4×100 m and 4×400 m, including Angel David Rodriguez for the individual 100 m and Sergio Ruiz and Bruno Hortelano for the 200 m, for the 400 m there is no individual entry. As usual strong distances, 800 m: Loper, Marco, 1500 m: Bustos, 5000m: Sanchez, Bezabeh, Steeple: Martos, Mullera, Alaiz, Marathon: Lamdassem, Guerra. In technical events PV Bychkov, LJ Caceres, SP: Vivas, DT: Casanas, Pestano, HT: Cienfuegos. Strong as usual the walkers with the record participant Jesus Angel Garcia at the 50 km (also Villanueva and Diaz), in the 20 km Lopez, Arcilla and Martin. Female runners are Lorena Bokesa (400 m), Natalia Rodriguez (1500 m), Dolores Checa (5000 m), Alessandra Aguilar (marathon) and Diana Martin (steeple). Two technical events Ruth Beitia in high jump and Ursula Ruiz in shot put. Three strong walkers are Julia Takacs, Lorena Luaces and Beatriz Pascual.
MANAMA (BRN): Bahrain selected 10 athletes for Moscow. None of the new transfers (Albert Rop etc.) were selected as they were not eligible yet. And another group of prominent athletes did not had standards (Rashid Ramzi, Mansour Bilal Ali, Youssef Saad Kamel or Genzeb Shumi Regassa). Five men are Dejene Regassa for the 5000 m, two runners for the 10 000 m Alemu Bekele Gebre and Hassan Mahboob Ali, steeple runner Tarek Mubarak Taher and for marathon Adam Ismael Khamis. Five women are Maryam Jamal and Mimi Belete at the 1500 m, Tejitu Daba for the 5000 m, Shitaye Eshete for 10 000 m and Lishan Dula in marathon.
COLOMBO (SRI): Sri Lanka selected two female athletes and men 4×400 m relay. 400 m hurdles Christine Sonali Merrill and javelin thrower Nadeeka Lakmali. Six male 400 m runners for the relay are: Kasun Kalhara Seneviratnhe, Dilhan Aloka, Dulan Priyashantha, Chanaka Jaysekara (47.35), Anjana Gunarathne and Dasun Silva.
SINGAPUR (SIN): More Asian countries will send only one athlete to Moscow. Singapore male sprinter Calvin Kang Li Loong, for Vietnam female 20 km walker Nguyen Thi Than Phuc.
OTHER NEWS
BOSTON (USA): The Boston Marathon will allow 9000 more runners into its field, according to Police Commissioner Ed Davis, report Runner’s World. However, the Director of Marketing and Communications fo
r the Boston Athletic Association, Jack Fleming, said that the field size has yet to be determined.
TRACK RESULTS
SOFIA (BUL, Aug 3): At Deaflympics in Sofia Kenyan Simon Cherono after 10 000 m won also the 5000 m in 14:02.90 and 1500 m in3:54.17. US Josh Hembrough clocked 14.06 (+1.4) at 110 m hurdles. High quality also in women triple jump by Cuban Suslaidy Girat Rivero 13.60 (-0.6).
BEOGRAD (SRB, Aug 3): Hurdler Emir Bekric clocked new 400 m personal best 46.49 at the Serbian Team Championships. Asmir Kolasinac achieved high quality 20.80 in the shot put. Team winners were men of AK RadniÄki Kragujevac and women of AK Crvena Zvezda Beograd.
AUCKLAND (NZL, Aug 4): Jacko Gill threw a massive 22.54 with the junior shot (6 kg). It strengthens his hold on the number 2 spot on the All Time World Junior lists and is also Oceanian under 20 record. . The throw is the third furthest ever recorded by a Junior. The World Junior record is held by the German World Champion David Storl at 22.73. This is Gill’s final year of junior competition. Gills series was 22.46, 22.54, 22.13, 22.32, 21.66, 22.33.
LEON (ESP, Aug 3): Olympic finalist German Lauro of Argentina achieved here 20.61 in shot put, Natalia Duco of Chile in women competition 17.91.
LITOMYSL (CZE, Aug 3): Czech Ladislav Prasil confirmed good shape with 20.52 in the shot put here.
FRIBOURG (SUI, Aug 3): At the Swiss Meeting good quality men 110 m hurdles. German Gregor Traber clocked 13.54 (-0.5) ahead of Dutch European U23 medalist Koen Smet 13.58 (equaled his PB) and Dario de Borger of Belgium in new PB 13.59.
EDIRNE (TUR, Aug 3-4): Romania was the best nation at Balkan Youth Championships in both boys and girls competition. The World Youth champion Florentina Marincu of Romania improved her triple best to 13.81 (-2.4). Another Donetsk winner home Emel Dereli won the girls shot put (18.97, 3 kg). Croatian shot put world youth winner Martin Markovic won the shot 20.43 and discus 62.11. Greek Ioannis Kariazis surprised with 78.44 javelin improvement.
ROAD RESULTS
AGORDO (ITA, Aug 3): Daniele Meucci won the 22nd edition of the “Le Miglia di Agordo” with 30:11 at 9.972 km ahead of Ahmed El Mazoury 30:39 and Kenyan Philemon Maritim 30:43. Fourth marathon runner Ruggero Pertile 30:45. In women 5.54 km Elena Romagnolo achieved18:46 ahead of Silvia Weissteiner 18:53.
CURON (ITA, Aug 4): Czech Milan Kocourek won the 14th Giro Lago di Resia at 15.3 km in 48:17. Women winner German Simone Raatz 58:15.
HAMILTON (NZL, Aug 3): Malcolm Hicks from Auckland and Nicki McFadzien of Canterbury proved too strong for their opponents at the New Zealand Cross Country Championships in Hamilton. Hicks won the men 12 km in 37:30 ahead of Callan moody 37:34. McFadzien went 28:06 at the 8 km over Annika Pfitzinger 28:15.
ASUNCION (PAR, Aug 4): Kenyan Kiprop Mutai in 2:24:39 and home Carmen Patricia Martinez in 2:37:07 national record won the Maratón Internacional de Asunción.
FORTALEZA (BRA, Aug 4): Brazilian running circuit continued with the 10 km here and the winners were Joilson Bernardo da Silva in 29:02 and Rosiane Xavier dos Santos 34:54.
NAVAZZO (ITA, Aug 4): Domenico Ricatti won the 40th “Dieci Miglia del Garda” in 51:50 at ten miles. Second Kenneth Kimani 51:57 and third Geoffrey Ndungu (both Kenya) 52:00. In women 5 miles Kenyan Lucy Wambui 28:04 clearly over Alice Gaggi 29:23.
SAD NEWS
KINGSTON (JAM): Laurie Foster, International T&F scribe informs that one of the giants of Jamaican track and field, athlete mentor, caregiver and statistician Charley Fuller, passed away two weeks ago (July 22) and funeral services were held to celebrate his life on Saturday, August 3 in Kingston. The mid-island based, retired financial analyst, avoiding a strong family tradition of marine piloting, made his name as an energetic volunteer supplier of statistics to many of the leading and world acclaimed publications including Athletics Weekly and the Finnish group, Tilastopaja.fi. He was hailed, in a tearful ceremony, by a number of former athletes from the Manchester High School winning program of 1964/1965 which included 2000 Sydney Olympics 400m silver medalist, Lorraine Fenton-Graham, as one who “perfected the art of giving.” He is survived by his Registered Nurse wife, Olive and marine pilot son, Cyprian. His body was cremated and the remains cast off at sea.
