by Larry Eder
Makau dueled with Merga at the RAK this past winter. Makau ran a 2:06.14 in his debut and Merga won Boston this year. Should be a great race in Ottowa!
Photo by Photorun.net.
EME NEWS (MAY 12, 2009)
DKB-ISTAF WITH FIRST TOP NAMES
BERLIN (GER): The opening leg of last IAAF Golden League year on June 14 in Berlin announced first four international stars. The DKB-ISTAF will see at blue track of Olympic Stadium favorites in golden events who can fight for one million jackpot. Russian Pole Vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva will open her summer season in Berlin and is certainly ready to win all six golden meetings. Ethiopian running star Kenenisa Bekele who will open at 1500 m in Hengelo on June 1 is scheduled to run the 5000 m in Berlin and so make first step in his quest for the jackpot. The same goes for another Olympic winner from Beijing Norway´s javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen. He started the season already with a world leading win in Doha. US Sanya Richards is another confirmed name for the 400 m. In 2007 she got half of the jackpot together with Isinbayeva. She lost her first 400 m in Jamaica against Novlene Williams but in the time of Berlin meeting should be in shape. Already before announced was the participation of top German athlete, the European indoor high jump champion Ariane Friedrich. Highly possible is her duel with world champion Blanka Vlasic who recently jumped world leading 205 in Doha. As the organisers are saying in a release Vlasic agent Harald Edletzberger apologized for critical words against Berlin organisers in dispute over appearance fees. Meeting director Gerhard Janetzky added: “We will be happy to welcome Blanka again in Olympic Stadium.â€
BELGACOM MEMORIAL VAN DAMME WITH POP GROUP AT THE END
BRUSSELS (BEL): The 33rd edition of Belgacom Memorial Van Damme was presented with first three top names of athletes who will fight for the golden one million jackpot. Pole Vault star Yelena Isinbayeva, High Jump world leader Blanka Vlasic and Ethiopian running hero Kenenisa Bekele (5000 m in Brussels). It will be for last time finale of Golden League and it remains open whether this three top contenders will be still in the jackpot game at that time (Sep 4). Starting with 2010 Brussels will be IAAF Diamond League final meeting together with Weltklasse of Zurich (each meeting 16 events to switch in 2011 and 2012). The ambassadors of the meeting are future mothers and Belgian stars Kim Gevaert and Tia Hellebaut. The usual concert at the end of the athletics part will in 2009 be performed by popular Flemish pop group Clouseau.
VIVIAN CHERUIYOT THINKS ABOUT FAST TIME
MANCHESTER (GBR): Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot is being tipped to challenge Paula Radcliffe‘s British All-Comers‘ 10 kilometres road record when competing at the Bupa Great Manchester Run next Sunday. Cheruiyot is currently in the best form of her life and organisers feel she can genuinely attack the time of 30:38 Radcliffe achieved almost seven years ago in London‘s Richmond Park. Now there is confidence the 25-year-old star can definitely eclipse the fastest time in Manchester belonging to Ethiopia‘s Berhane Adere who clocked 31:06. Cheruiyot will face Ethiopia‘s Mestewat Tufa last year‘s world cross country silver who is a very capable 10km performer and Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia‘s a two-times New York marathon champion. Haile Gebrselassie the world‘s greatest-ever distance runner heads a star-studded men‘s field and on his return will be aiming to regain the British all-comers‘ record. The legendary Ethiopian broke it in 2005 with a time of 27:25 only to see Kenya‘s Micah Kogo the current world record holder for the distance, slice four seconds from it a year later.
MERGA vs. MAKAU
OTTAWA (CAN): This years Boston Marathon winner Ethiopian Deriba Merga will compete at the MDS Nordion road 10km at this year’s Ottawa Race Weekend on May 24. “I love to race and I love competition. When my manager told me about the opportunity to compete in Ottawa and attempt the 10K world record, I was very excited,†said Deriba Merga, “I have heard a lot about this great event. I am happy and ready to come to Ottawa and run a new world record.†Organisers are quoting him in a release. Patrick Makau, the first place winner in the half-marathon in Ras Al-Khaimah in February will be providing stiff competition Makau is the second fastest half-marathoner in history and debuted in the marathon in spring in Rotterdam with respectable 2:06:14. He was one second behind when Merga tied the 15 km world record at RAK HM. Returning will be also last year winner Julius Kiptoo along with Hillary Kimaiyo who has 26:01 at a downhill course. In the women race 18 year old last year winner Emebet Bacha (32:43) returns with Ethiopian team-mate Teyba Erkesso and Russian Marina Ivanova.
CHAMBERS IN PUERTO-RICO
PONCE (PUR): British European indoor champion Dwain Chambers is scheduled to compete after some time against strong overseas field. It will not be in Manchester but in Ponce, Puerto-Rico on Saturday at the Area Permit meeting which is scoring for IAAF World Athletics Tour. He is entered into 100 m and 200 m. In shorter event his rivals include 2003 World Champion Kim Collins, Olympic finalist Churandy Martina, fast Antiguan Brendan Christian and US sprinters Mark Jelks with Leonard Scott. In the 200 m again Christian who clocked this year already sub 20 wind-aided and fast Canadian Bryan Barnett.
OTHER NEWS
RIGA (LAT): International Meeting Riga Cup switched the dates from June 7 to August 28.
TALLAHASSEE (USA): Mirko Jalava points out, that the long jumper Brian Chibudu who improved last weekend to 805 cm will represent Canada. He was born in Canada to parents from Zimbabwe. That was confirmed by Florida State coach Ken Harnden, a former Olympian at 400 m Hurdles. Interestingly he himself is from Zimbabwe.
GOTZIS (AUT): At Hypomeeting of multi-eventers in Gotzis the German elite will fight for world championships qualification. The organisers confirmed that in the start list are former world indoor champion Andre Niklaus, Michael Schrader, Pascal Behrenbruch, Norman Muller and Jacob Minah in decathlon. In women heptathlon selection Olympic 8th placer Lilli Schwarzkopf added by Jennife Oeser, Sonja Kesselschläger, Julia Mächtig and Christine Schulz. Best Austrian decathlete Roland Schwarzl who scored last weekend in Desenzano 7913 points want attack the 8000 points barrier. Along with him confirmed the Desenzano winner Jake Arnold of USA with 8215 personal best.
LAUSANNE (SUI): European Athletics is pleased to announce the appointment of James Mulligan as Communication Manager at the association‘s Head Office in Lausanne. He is replacing Pierce O´Callaghan. Mulligan, 32, moves across town from the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball in Lausanne, Switzerland. There he managed the editorial content of the FIVB website and other in-house publications and was responsible for delivering media services at major FIVB world events as a press officer. Mulligan of England has experience working as a sportswriter and radio and television commentator for a number of media outlets across the world, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Japan‘s NHK World, BBC World Service, Radio Australia and The Japan Times among others. He has been a regular freelance contributor to several international sports organisation websites, most prominently those of the FIVB and International Tennis Federation. Mulligan has worked on many major sporting events including the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Championships and IAAF Grands Prix in Osaka, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and has covered a variety of sports as a journalist, from Formula One to figure skating.
MOSCOW (RUS): High jump olympic bronze medalist Russian Yaroslav Rybakov plans to open the season at Prefontaine Classic on June 7 in Eugene. The world indoor champion 2006 is aiming for a success at World Championships and will select his competitions very carefully. He competed four times in the indoor season and at all meetings jumped at least 230 cm. As tilastopaja confirms, his average of ten best results (indoors and outdoors) is high quality 236.8 cm. In Eugene a clash with Olympic winner Andrey Silnov is highly possible. With home jumper Jesse Williams who just last weekend improved his outdoor PB to 234 this event should be one of the highlights in technical department.
KIGALI (RWA): Rwanda‘s top long distance runner Dieudonne Disi will not take part in this year‘s Kigali international marathon scheduled for May 24, informs The New Times. Disi told Times Sport over the weekend through e-mail that he will not take part in the marathon because he is still nursing a leg injury he sustained during the Paris marathon last month. „I will just be a spectator because I can‘t run,“ Disi said. The 28-year-old however, expects to be fit for the World Championships Marathon in August.
RESULTS
CATANIA (ITA, May 8): Anna Incerti clocked a solid 5000 m with 15:29.06.
ORLANDO (USA, May 10): Bahamian former Commonwealth winner Debbie Ferguson showed impressive shape before her Manchester street race. She clocked fast 11.11 (+0.8) at Central Florida Twilight meet over 100 metres. Second 2005 long jump world champion Tianna Madison improved her best to 11.22 (and achieved only 608 in her special event). Jamaican Steve Mullings registered 10.27 (+1.2) winning the men´s 100 m ahead of Briton Rikki Fifton (10.32) and 2004 olympic medalist at 200 Bernard Williams (10.35). In the 200 m Williams got 20.67 (-0.3) over Fifton (20.79). Another Jamaican wins for Dwight Thomas at 110 m Hurdles (13.62, -1.2), Aleen Bailey at 200 m (23.26, +0.1) and Atlanta 1996 Long jump Olympic medalist James Beckford (797, -0.1).
GLASGOW (GBR, May 10): 19 year old World Cross Country silver medallist Linet Masai of Kenya dominated the Ignis Asses Management Glasgow Women’s 10k with a runaway victory in a time of 31:30. The Olympic Games 4th placer won by exactly one minute from European Cross Country Champion Hilda Kibet of Netherlands who won the sprint finish with another Kenyan Grace Momanyi for 2nd and 3rd (32:30 to 32:34) and former track world champion Sally Barsosio who was fourth in 33:17.
Special thanks to Alfons Juck, EME News.
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