by Larry EderThe Zatopek 10,000m is held in honor of the great Czech distance runner and nationalist Emil Zatopek. Zatopek, a skilled tactician in athletics and a gracious sportsman, would great many of his competitors in their native languages before his great races.
Bett sub 28
MELBOURNE (AUS, Dec 8): Lara Tamsett and Ben St Lawrence have been crowned Australian women’s and men’s 10,000m champions at the ZATOPEK:10 at Lakeside Stadium. They were both second in the races with foreign winners. US Neely Spence was top woman with 32:16.51 in her track debut at the distance. Tamsett clocked 33:03.84 and that has ensured her selection to the Australian Flame for the 2013 IAAF World Championships after setting a new personal best and IAAF ‘B’ qualifier of 32:01.60 at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto in April. St Lawrence, who is a Commonwealth Games finalist, becomes a three-time consecutive national champion in a time of 28:35.92, finishing second behind the Kenyan world leader Emmanuel Bett (27:59.23). As the winner of the Selection Trial, he now needs to run an IAAF ‘B’ Standard prior to 29 July 2013 to ensure his selection for the IAAF World Championships. Former national champion Josh Ross clocked 9.82 against -1.4 wind at 100 yards.
European Games confirmed
ROME (ITA): The European Olympic Committees (EOC) decided in Rome to stage the inaugural European Games. Azerbaijan’s Baku will host the first edition of European Games in May 2015. “The National Olympic Committees (NOC) have received assurance that the event will not cost them a penny, but bring financial gains,” the EOC said. There should be around 15 sports in the programme, media are reporting. Baku was the only bidder. Dates are not fixed, should be held in late spring or early summer. BBC writes that it was a major worry for some of the larger sports in the Olympic movement, with the IAAF particularly opposed to any new addition to the international schedule. An IAAF spokesman told BBC Sport: “The IAAF position remains as voted few months ago with other summer Olympic IFs and we support European Athletics Association position not to accept to participate. This is our position.” EA General Director Christian Milz said for Athletics Weekly website: “First of all, we have already signed contracts with organisers, signed contracts with cities, signed contracts with television and signed contracts with sponsors. It means for us it would not be the right thing to lose the trust and confidence we have with these partners and to go for 2015. We believe it is a bit too early. Talking about 2019, we believe that a multi-sport championship could be the future as long as we respect the value of our sport and autonomy of our sport.” In 2015 in Europe the European Indoor Championships will be held in March in Praha and European Team Championships in Cheboksary, Russia in June. Also the European Championships 2014 in Zurich and 2016 in Amsterdam are set. And in 2013 the place for European Championships 2018 should be decided.
Rudisha plans for future
NAIROBI (KEN): The Nation writes that the World record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha says the word is yet to see the best of him. “One would say I have it all…a World title, Olympic title and the world record but I always have something to motivate me,” said the 23-year-old following yet another accolade, the Kenya Sports Personality of the Year. The runner from Kilgoris said he still had a strongest desire and motivation to retain his World title next year in Moscow before going for a hat trick in Beijing in 2015. “From there I will focus on defending my Olympic title at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro. I also want to be referred to as double World champion, triple World champion and double Olympic champion,” Rudisha said.
Pishchalnikova case now confirmed
MOSCOW (RUS): RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency) writes in a release that IAAF following an All-Russia Athletics Federation return on the Sample A reported by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Lausanne, provisionally suspended Russian discus olympic medalist athlete Darya Pishchalnikova from October 31, 2012. The sample was collected on May 20, 2012 on behalf of the IAAF. In late November the case was forwarded to RUSADA. When confirmed all her results since May 20 this year will be deleted including the olympic second place.
EURO CC NEWS
BUDAPEST (HUN): The 19th Euorpean CC Championships will be for first time held in Hungary and the entry lists are full of participation records. The biggest number of runners is entered with 539 (previous record 468, 318 men and 221 women), the highest number of countries (35, previous record 34). Also the highest number of runners is entered in senior and U23 races, only in junior races there have been larger fields in the past (94 boys and 56 girls, records 112 boys and 93 girls). In the U23 races new record is 103 men and 68 women (previous 102 and 67). And good sign for European running are the top figures for senior races with 121 men and 97 women, previous highs 106 men back in 1995 and 80 women in 2001 and 1995. Last year in Velenje there were only 76 men and 54 women. Other figures are 11 broadcasters and in total 1500 accredited people.
BUDAPEST (HUN): In terms of top appearances clear record holder is Sergiy Lebid with 18 participations, followed from this year participants Italian Gabriele De Nard with 15. On the women side Serbian Olivera Jevtic and Dutch Adrienne Herzog are having 11 from 2012 participants. Followed by Spain´s Alessandra Aguilar 10 and Serbian Sonja Stolic and Italian Silvia Weissteiner having 9.
BUDAPEST (HUN): Special figure to follow will be the 100 in terms of UK medal statistics. They so far have won 92 medals and could achieve the necessary 8 to have the 100. At last championships in Velenje Great Britain won 12 medals. So far 26 countries won medals in the history of the event. For Sunday the snowy tough course expects the runners, also temperatures below zero celsius. All teams arrived despite the Airport closure in Budapest on Friday. Around half of the teams came on Saturday to the Hungary.
BUDAPEST (HUN): In short previews for the races – senior men will have legendary Lebid but what is his shape, the same goes for title defender Bekele, top ranked strong Spanish team with Lamdassem, French headed by Chahdi and Italians with Meucci. Waiting behind Turkish (Kenyans) Akdag (Langat) and Arikan (Kemboi). In the women race Britton wants to defend, but Portugal duo Felix-Moreira will be tough to beat, with Belete, French, British runners added with Herzog and Ejaffini with some chances too. Men U23 has top Spanish runners (Abadia, Merzogui) with French Denissel, maybe top favoritr Ibrahimov (what about the snow) and Norways 1500 European champion Ingebrigtsen. Women U23 is of high calibre with in-shape Britons Coulson and Walker, German Harrer, Abdullayeva of Azerbaijan and Aydemir of Turkey. Junior women are having in Briton Gorecka a clear favorite (not to forget Terzic and Rehberg), open the situation in junior boys (Spanish, French, British, Belgian, Turkish runners and Russian Strelkov).
OTHER NEWS
ROME (ITA): It was a mistake for Rome’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics to be abandoned but they will try again for 2024, the city’s Mayor promised. Gianni Alemanno made his comments at the opening session of the 41st European Olympic Committees General Assembly. The Italian capital withdrew its bid on the eve of having to deliver financial guarantees to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the Government of Prime Minister Mario Monti decided not to back the bid because of Italy’s economic crisis. Writes insidethegames.
LONDON (GBR): London are set to officially learn next week if they have been successful in their bid to stage the 2017 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Athletics Championships. London are the clear favourites to stage the competition, which they are looking to host back-to-back with the International Associ
ation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 2017 World Championships. They do face competition from the Qatari capital Doha, who have put in a joint bid for the 2015 IPC World Athletics Championships, as well as the 2017 competition. But the IPC look set to favour London for 2017 after being hugely impressed with the 2012 Paralympic athletics competition this summer, which saw an unprecedented 1,185,976 tickets sold. The move would leave Doha as the overwhelming favourites for 2015, although announcement will not be made until earlier next year as all the agreements are not yet in place. Writes insidethegames.
NEW YORK (USA):Race Results Weekly informs that DyeStat.com, which established itself as the most important website in American high school cross country and track and field before it was purchased by ESPN and eventually shuttered, will be revived through a new partnership with RunnerSpace.com.
REIMS (FRA): Top European steeple runner and olympic silver winner Mahiedine Mekhissi is glad is case finished with a handshake. At CREPS sports center in Reims the act of mediation happened. Still expected is a joint press release of both parties. The incident happened on October 22 and since then he was not allowed to travel to training camp in Albuquerque, USA. Next training camp for Mekhissi will bot South Africa in January and will spend next 2-3 weeks in Portugal. He still plans 2-3 indoor races just to break the training practice. Informs L´Equipe.
RESULTS
BLOOMINGTON (USA, Dec 7): First day of Hoosier Open meet saw Ryan Hill clocking solid 13:43.52 in the 500 m. Interesting to note that olympic high jump medalist Canadian Derek Drouin achieved in heats of 60 m hurdles respectable 7.98 (he had 8.00 from 2011 indoor). Morganne Phillips (20) improved to fast 37.70 at the 300 m.
AMES (USA, Dec 7): Jamaican Romel Lewis won the 60 m in 6.73 at the Holiday Prewiew indoor meet. Nick Efkamp posted 33.93 at 300 m at the oversized track here.
CHARLESTON (USA, Dec 7): Barbados hurdler Greggmar Swift posted 7.79 at 60 m hurdles at Early Bird meet here.
NAIROBI (KEN, Dec 8): World Half Marathon bronze medallist, John Mwangangi and newcomer Pauline Njeru won the 15 kmsixth Safaricom Imenti South Road Race with 47:26 and 56:30 at hilly course. Stephen Mungatia as second got 47:44 and in women race second Philomena Chepchirchir 57:00.
CANTIMPALOS (ESP, Dec 8): Former European winner Jose Manuel Chema Martinez won the 41st CC of Cantimpalos with 32:13 at the 10 km. In women 6.5 km Estela Navascues achieved 22:42 as the best.
