Thompson, Bolt, Lemaitre, 2011 Compeed Golden Gala Roma,

                              photo by PhotoRun.net

Per our friend, Alfons Juck, here is the preview from EME News that gives you an insider view into the Golden Gala Roma, that will be held tomorrow in the Stadio Olympico. Are the athletes ready? You bet. Some superb racing tomorrow coming out of Rome tomorrow, I believe. Bolt could run quite fast tomorrow, probably 9.82-9.84. And watch for the first sub 14:30 this year, in May!, with the battle surpreme from Meseret Defar and Vivian Cheruiyot! It would be nice to see Renaud Lavillenie clear 6 meters, as he looked like a meet away from clearing that height last weekend.

Defar vs Cheruiyot, 2012 Doha DL, photo by PhotoRun.net

NOT
ONLY MEN´S 100 M BUT ALSO WOMEN 5000 M AND 800 M

ROME
(ITA): Compeed Golden Gala meet started in 1980 and another excellent version
is ready for Thursday as this years third Samsung Diamond League meet.
Organisers are hoping for 46 000 fans in the Olympic Stadium in nice summer
evening. All eyes will be on the 100 m seeing Usain Bolt in duel against Asafa
Powell and Christophe Lemaitre. But very special also Meseret Defar vs Vivian
Cheruiyot in the 5000 m and classy fields in other women races (800 m and 100 m
hurdles). Fast times are expected also in men´s steeple and 400 m hurdles. From
technical events Renaud Lavillenie in pole vault and first years duel Adams vs
Ostapchuk in the shot put should be the highlights.

Preview by events

Men

100 m:
Bolt wants to show fast time after Ostrava, against him not only Collins and
Clarke like last Friday but also Powell and Lemaitre.

800 m:
The only non-DL individual event has Kenyan junior record holder Kosencha
against solid European field (Osagie, Reina, Lewandowski, Holusa).

Steeple:
Koech is the world leader, Kemboi wants to run fast, but look for season debut
of Mekhissi.

400mH:
The top field of the year with unbeaten Culson, world champ Greene, Batman and
again in shape Felix Sanchez.

HJ:
Would be Chondrokoukis able to repeat Doha win? J. Williams again there, but
season openers for Ukhov and Mutaz.

PV:
World leader Lavillenie is going against top Germans Mohr and Otto and olympic
winner Hooker.

LJ:
Britons Rutherford and Tomlinson vs Mokoena and Menkov. Phillips and Saladino
not yet ready from injuries and Germans not here.

DT: Even
field – Kovago, Malachowski, Hadadi, Kanter.

4×100 m:
Canada, Germany, Britain and home team can go for fast times.

4×400 m:
Belgium, South Africa and Britain with Italy.

Women

100 m:
Jamaican elite here among themselves: Fraser-Pryce, Stewart, Simpson.

800 m:
That is a field, not only Semenya, Magiso, Jelimo as in Ostrava but also
world champ Savinova and former gold medalist Jepkosgei. Like olympic final.

1500 m:
Genzebe Dibaba in another solo effort.

5000 m:
For second time this year after Doha: Vivian Cheruiyot vs. Meseret Defar.

100mH:
Another exclusive field: Harper, Wells, Porter, PLS, BFH, Lolo and former world
champ Perry.

400mH:
Jamaicans (Walker, Spencer) against Europeans (Antyukh, Shakes-Drayton,
Hejnova). Will Demus show increased shape?

TJ: All
three Daegu medalists for first time competing together this year: Saladukha,
Rypakova, Ibarguen.

SP: First
outdoor clash Adams vs Ostapchuk.

JT:
Spotakova wants to win after Ostrava again over Abakumova, this time also top
German rival Obergfoll is added.

OTHER NEWS

DURBAN
(RSA): The 87th Comrades Marathon on Sunday the world’s largest ultra-marathon,
is a “down” run this year from Pietermaritzburg (670m above sea level) to
coastal Durban. The distance will be 89.28 km, the same as it was in 2010. „It”
in the first sentence refers to two sides of the same coin: If Stephen Muzhingi
wins again, he will be the first runner since Bruce Fordyce in 1988 to take
four titles in a row. (Fordyce, of course, won eight in succession.) And
he will be the first male runner since Derek Preiss in 1975 to win the Two
Oceans and Comrades in the same year. One can start a discussion of the
women’s race with a question, too, but it is not the usual one about which
of the Nurgalieva twins is going to win. Olesya has had a baby (she was
not injured, as previously announced), and Elena will be on her own (as she was
in the Two Oceans). Informs RRW. The former double world cross-country champion
Zola Pieterse, who turned 46 on Saturday and still holds three world junior
track records and four SA senior and junior records, tested the ultra waters
(almost literally, considering the weather!) at the Two Oceans and came away
with a fifth place in the veteran category. Then she won the category in
the Loskop 50 km, finishing fifth overall. She is also an interesting entry.

MOSCOW
(RUS): Website Rian.ru informs that the KGB in Belarus has arrested the head
coach of the national track and field team, a local sports website
reported Wednesday. The circumstances of Anatoly Baduyev’s detention are
unclear, including where and why he was seized, according to the website of one
of the country’s leading sports publications, Pressball. A KGB spokesman,
Alexander Antonovich, refused to comment when contacted by RIA Novosti. Tuesday’s
report says Baduev is incriminated in two alleged offenses: extortion and
misspending sponsorship funds raised by the deputy chairman of the Council of
the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Potupchik.

NEW YORK
(USA): Race Results Weekly informs that the officials from adidas announced
that USA 800 meter runner Robby Andrews had been signed to an endorsement
contract. The 21 year-old, originally from Manalapan, N.J., but now living and
training in Charlottesville, Va., was the 2011 NCAA 800m champion and the 2010
IAAF World Junior Championships bronze medalist.

BOSTON
(USA): The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that Geoffrey Mutai,
the world’s fastest marathoner, will defend his title at the second annual
B.A.A. 10K on Sunday, June 24. Defending B.A.A. 10K champion, Caroline Kilel
will square off with reigning Boston Marathon champion Sharon Cherop. The race
starts and finishes on Charles Street between the Public Garden and historic
Boston Common. A partial list of elite athlete biographies is attached to
this release.

RESULTS

KLADNO
(CZE, May 30): At special pole vault (but in the stadium) Jan Kudlicka improved
to olympic qualifier of 573 cm.

ATHENS
(GRE, May 30): At women-only Filothei meet Bulgarian Mirela Demireva won the
high jump with 190 clearance and home Niki Panetta was the best in the triple jump
14.15 m.

ORIMATTILA
(FIN, May 30): Antti Ruuskanen achieved with javelin 82.60 m.

BREST
(BLR, May 29): During first day of Belarus junior championships the best result
in high jump by Andrey Churilo with 228 personal best clearance.

WAGENINGEN
(NED, May 30): At 10 000 m race Bahraini Hassan Mahboob won in new national
record 27:21.40. Second Eritrean Nguse Amlosom improved to 27:28.10 and
personal best also for third Mexican Juan Lino Barrios 27:28.82. Fourth place
for former Kenyan now running for USA Joseph Chirlee also lifetime best
27:43.96.