SPIEGELBURG
GREAT OPENER: 477 NATIONAL RECORD

LEVERKUSEN
(GER, Jan 15): Pole Vaulter Silke Spiegelburg started into the season on a high
note. She cleared at regional championmships in first attempt 477 and improved
her own national indoor record from 2011 by 1 cm. It is also for her overall
best, outdoors her top mark is 475 cm. She started with 440 in second, 455 in
first and 465 in third. Spiegelburg is now 7th best all-time indoor performer
and 4th best ever European indoors. African wins in the 60 m races, Vida Anim of
Ghana clocked 7.31 and Peter Emelieze of Nigeria 6.70.

HOUSTON
FULL OF RECORDS

HOUSTON
(USA, Jan 15): Race Results Weekly informs that while it was hard to match the
excitement of Olympic Marathon Trials here, the top competitors in the Chevron
Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half-Marathon gave it their best shot,
toppling the men’s and women’s course records in both races. The event marked
the 40th running of the marathon here. The record breaking started in the
half-marathon. With pacemaking help from Kenya’s Philemon Limo, Ethiopian
Feyisa Lilesa, the reigning IAAF World Championships Marathon bronze medalist,
went out at a fast clip, hitting 5-K in 14:01 and 10-K in 28:02. His
nearest challenger, compatriot Tilahun Regassa, was nearly a minute back.
Limo left the course after 10-K, leaving Lilesa–who only decided to run the
race a week ago–to run the remaining kilometers alone. He clocked an
excellent 59:22, to smash Ryan Hall’s 2007 course record of 59:43. His was the
fourth-fastest half-marathon ever on U.S. soil. The women’s half-marathon
offered considerably more drama. Reigning Boston Marathon champion Caroline
Kilel of Kenya was running shoulder-to-shoulder with Belaynesh Oljira, an
Ethiopian who won last month’s Corrida de Săo Silvestre in Luanda, Angola, with
200 meters to go. The pair jostled as they made the final left hand turn into
the 184-meter homestretch in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Oljira went wide, then accelerated away from Kilel to take the win in 1:08:26,
two seconds ahead of the Kenyan and 1:15 under Shalane Flanagan’s 2010 course
record. Oljira said that she was counting on her track speed to get the win.
Behind the men’s winner, two Americans ran noteworthy times. Scott Bauhs of the
Mammoth Track Club clocked 1:01:30 in third place, while former University of
Oregon star Luke Puskedra ran 1:01:36 in fourth. Both marks were personal
bests, and Puskedra made his debut at the distance. In the marathon, Ethiopia’s
Tariku Jifar broke away from compatriot Debebe Tolossa in the 38th kilometer,
then ran alone to the finish in a course record 2:06:51 (previous
2:07:04). Jifar, who was struck by a car in Addis Ababa in 2009 and
suffered broken bones, was beaming after his victory and personal best. The
women’s race boiled down to a time trial for Ethiopia’s Alemitu Abera.
Aided by a male pacemaker, Daniel Gathei, Abera ran away from the field to
win in 2:23:14, over five minutes ahead of Australia’s Benita Willis. Abera
broke Teyba Erkesso’s 2010 course record by 39 seconds. Both Jifar and Abera
won $35,000 in prize money, plus a $10,000 bonus for breaking their respective
course records. Amongst athletes trying to qualify for the Olympic Games,
Willis did best. Her 2:28:24 was well inside of the Australian federation
standard of 2:32:00, so she is very likely to make the team. Behind Willis,
Hungary’s Zsofia Erdelyi clocked 2:36:56 in fifth place, which may get the USC
steeplechaser selected for the London Games (the IAAF „A” standard is 2:37:00).
For Erdelyi, 24, today’s race was her second marathon in just 42 days. On the
men’s side, there was less success. Australia’s Shawn Forrest ran 2:14:37
(fourth place) and Canada’s Simon Bairu 2:19:52 (sixth). Neither athlete made
their national federation’s qualifying standards. Reports Race Results Weekly.

ETHIOPIAN
WINS

ROVERETO
(ITA, Jan 15): Ethiopian wins at jubilee 35th Cross della Vallagarina (EA CC
Permit). Kinde Atanau was the best in men´s 8.69 km in 25:27 ahead of Haftu
Fikadu 25:36 and Mokashaw Kassa 25:43. Multiple European CC gold medalist
Sergiy Lebid of Ukraine was the best European in 26:10 as 5th. Best Italian
Gabriele De Nard as 8th (26:17). Afera Godfay got another top position when
winning the 5.59 km in 19:16 ahead of Gidey Roman 19:19 and third best European
home runner Agnes Tschurtschenthaler 19:38.

DAMIAO
AND FELIX NATIONAL 15 KM CHAMPIONS

BENAVENTE
(POR, Jan 15): Manuel Damiao won the national 15 km road title in 44:09 ahead
of European CC medalist Jose Rocha 44:12 and Youssef El Kalai 44:13. Team title
went to Maratona Clube de Portugal with 10 points ahead of Conforlimpa 34 and
Maia 56. Another European CC medalist Dulce Felix won the women race in 49:45
clearly ahead of Ana Dias 50:37 and Leonor Carneiro 50:56. Also here Maratone
Clube de Portugal retained its title with 10 points clearly before Braga 38 and
Serena 64.

NDIKU
BEATS STRONG FIELD

LE MANS
(FRA, Jan 15): The 31st edition of the biggest cross country in France, the
Cross Ouest France saw last year world junior champion Caleb Ndiku of Kenya
winning the men´s 10.4 km in 29:32. Second Mike Kigen 29:36 and third Samuel
Tsegay 29:50. Fourth Joseph Ebuya the former World CC Champion in 29:55. Best
European was the Kenyan Polat Kemboi who represents Turkey in 30:26 as 6th and
best French runner Mourad Amdouni as 8th 30:42. Ethiopians dominated in women
6.3 km. Azemre Gebre won in 20:30 ahead of Tigist Kiros 20:34 and Bertukan
Feyisa 20:38. Best French Sophie Duarte as 9th 21:25.

OTHER RESULTS

INDOOR

KIYIV
(UKR, Jan 13-14): Inna Ahkozova improved her long jump indoor best to 645 to
beat olympic heptathlon winner Natalya Dobrynskaya at Ukrainian opening meet
(641). World University Games medalist Ghanna Knyazeva leaped to 14.31 personal
best in the triple jump.

LEE
VALLEY (GBR, Jan 15): Samson Oni cleared 226 in the high jump and attacked
Istanbul standard of 229. St. Lucia´s Darvin Edwards was second with 220 cm.

HANAU
(GER, Jan 15): European steeple junior record holder Gesa Felicitas Krause
achieved paced by a male runner 9:12.76 in the 3000 m.

OTTAWA
(CAN, Jan 14): Canadian Michael Robertson posted 33.40 in the 300 m and Moussa
Sissoko of Mali achieved 16.27 in the 150 m.

ROMA
(ITA, Jan 15): Italian Marzia Caravelli improved to 8.09 at a local meet
in the 60 m hurdles.

WARSZAWA
(POL, Jan 15): Olympic finalist Artur Noga started the season with 7.91 at 60 m
hurdles.

SAARBRUCKEN
(GER, Jan 15): Long jumper Bianca Kappler leaped to 650 at regional
championships. Simon Kirch won the 400 m in 47.23.

GENT
(BEL, Jan 15): Dutch hurdler Sharona Bakker again improved her best to 8.15 at
a local meet.

LUXEMBOURG
(LUX, Jan 15): Former British sprinter Tim Abeye who now represents Ghana
clocked good 21.11 in the 200 m here.

LUDWIGSHAFEN
(GER, Jan 15): Julia Hutter 440 ahead of Kristina Gadschiew 430 at regional
championships.

KARLSRUHE
(GER, Jan 15): Last year junior Gregor Traber improved his best at 60 m hurdles
to 7.74. 200 m favorite Tobias Unger was disqualified for running out of his
lane.

OUTDOOR

MALIANO
(ESP, Jan 15): Kenyan Hosea Macharinyang won the 24th Cross Internacional Ayto
de Camargo Punta de Parayas with 29:35 at 10.09 km. Second Eritrean Yonas Kifle
in 29:51. In the women 6.9 km Eritrean Nazareth Weldu was the best in 23:34
with Spanish Jacqueline Martin second in 24:41.

PHOENIX
(USA, Jan 15): Local media are informing that winning times as expected were
slow in Sunday’s P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon, but that didn’t
make the winners any less compelling. Peter Omae Ayieni, a Kenyan who
plans to relocate his U.S. training base to Phoenix, won his third marathon in
four tries over seven weeks in 2:24:47. Trisha Miller was the best woman in
2:49:12.

CARDIFF
(GBR, Jan 15): The McCain Cardiff Cross Challenge – the third instalment in the
McCain Cross Challenge Series – delivered yet another top day of cross country
in Blackweir Fields, this time on a crisp sunny winters day, and saw Frank
Tickner retain his title in the senior men’s 10.1 km race, despite pressure
from youngster Jonny Hay who made another sprint finish (32:10-32:16). Lauren
Howarth won the women 6.8 km in 24:18. Informs UK Athletics.

HAMILTON
(BER, Jan 13-15): Tesfaye Duba of Ethiopia won the marathon during the Bermuda
Race Weekend in 2:24:17, best woman was Russian Elena Orlova in 2:46:34. Dube
also won the mile 4:19.0, here the best woman Jamaican Korene Hinds 4:57.0.

KYOTO
(JPN, Jan 15): Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden (9 stage marathon distance) was
won by Osaka in 2:16:37 ahead of Kyoto 2:17:33 and Chiba 2:17:49.