by Larry Eder
Aregawi allowed to run for Sweden
STOCKHOLM (SWE): Swedish media are infoming that female world class miler Abeba Aregawi is free to compete for Sweden. She can even bid to run for her new country at the European Indoor Championships in March. Aregawi (22) was olympic 1500 m fifth placer for Ethiopia and improved last summer to national record 3:56.54 and won Diamond League meetings in Rome, Oslo and Zurich. Swedish federation announced at the annual Christmas dinner pre-selected athletes for the European Indoor event in Goteborg. In total 8: Ebba Jungmark and Emma Green (high jump), Angelica Bengtsson (pole vault), Moa Hjelmer (400 m), Helena Engman (shot put), Michel Torneus (long jump), Philip Nossmy (60 m hurdles) and Johan Wissman (400 m). Aregawi could be the ninth. She is since 2009 married to a Swedish citizen and has since lived much of the year in Stockholm, where she will compete for Hammarby club.
Laureus nominations
LONDON (GBR): Britain’s numerous triumphs at London 2012 have seen them receive five nominations for the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards with Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Andy Murray, David Weir and Bradley Wiggins all shortlisted for prizes. The Laureus World Sports Awards are widely considered the most prestigious sporting awards on the planet and the nominees were unveiled in Rio de Janeiro, where the ceremony itself will take place next year on March 11. From athletics Usain Bolt is shortlisted for the top male award and will be a serious contender to claim his third Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. Ennis heads the women’s category after winning Olympic heptathlon gold medal while Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also makes the shortlist after successfully defending her 100m Olympic title along with triple medalist Allyson Felix. The European Ryder Cup Team also feature in the Laureus World Comeback of the Year category alongside Ethiopian athlete Tirunesh Dibaba, South African golfer Ernie Els, Australian cyclist Anna Meares, Germany’s men’s Olympic eights team and 400 metre hurdler Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic. In the World Breakthrough of the Year Category 400 m olympic winner Kirani James is listed.
Krauchanka back in training
GOMEL (BLR): Beijing Olympic silver medalist in decathlon Andrei Krauchanka already began to enjoy his usual trainings after surgery on achilles area which was done in Finland on the eve of London Olympics. After medical examinations the doctor concluded that achilles is ok and just cleaned up the space around the bone. Krauchanka came back Gomel in a couple days after surgery. But rehabilitation’s period turned for a long time. “I have been in crutches more than three weeks. Now I have the usual training and don’t feel any problems with the, ” said Krauchanka. Now 26-year old Belarus athlete is training in Gomel coached by former decathlete and current director of Olympic Gomel regional center Igor Sivodedov. “I have no plan to perform this winter and aim to be prepared for summer World Athletics Championships in Moscow. I m not planning any results. To go through all ten events in decathlon from start to finish is my first and main goal” Krauchanka added.
Mosop for Dubai Marathon
DUBAI (UAE): Gulfnews informs that Kenyan Moses Mosop, who is 2005 track Worlds medalist has confirmed for the 2013 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, which looks set for a record turnout. Recently awarded its second consecutive Gold Label status by the IAAF the January 25 race is on course to break its own record of 17,141 runners, who competed in January 2012. In Boston last year, Mosop and Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest times ever recorded for a marathon — 2:03:06 and 2:03:02 respectively — shattering the Boston course record by nearly three minutes, although the times were not officially recognised. This year Mosop was third in Rotterdam in spring in 2:05:03 and then because of injury gave up his olympic spot. Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the marathon is expected to see nearly 20,000 runners competing over the three events in January 25.
OTHER NEWS
PARIS (FRA): Former world champion Eunice Barber wants to return to the competition. L´Equipe informed she plans to do the long jump during the coming indoor season.
NAIROBI (KEN): Kenya’s javelin sensation and African champion, Julius Yego, has a dream which is to reach a medal at the World Athletics Championship next year in Moscow. The continental champion who is training at his base in Kasarani, Nairobi, says any medal will just do for him at a global event as he continues to strengthen his muscles to win a gold medal in future. Yego is working on his physique at the gym and nursing the injuries he sustained during the year. He says he has already discussed the coaching issue with Athletics Kenya(AK) and his manager, Jukka Harkonen is optimistic he will have a trainer by early next year. He hopes to compete at Diamond League meetings next year.
BRUSSELS (BEL): Belgian distance runner Kim Ruell has changed coach and will now be guided by just retired athlete Pieter Desmet. Under the tutelage of his new coach Ruell hopes to connect with his former best times over 1500 m, he told losseveter.nl.
PORT OF SPAIN (TRI): IAAF still has not contacted the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA) concerning Semoy Hackett’s positive test for the banned stimulant, Methylhexaneamine. NAAA secretary Alan Baboolal said the IAAF still has nothing recorded in the case between LSU and the NCAA.
NORMAL (USA): Former Illinois State distance runner Aisha Praught (23, 4:35 miler) signed her first professional contract last week, as she enters her post-collegiate career running for the Oregon Track Club (OTC) Elite in Eugene. The deal came after six months of negotiations between Nike and agent Chris Layne of Total Sports U.S.
VIENNA (AUT): Vienna is considering a bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but will need approval of its residents before going ahead. The city council of Vienna says the possible Olympic bid will be one of the issues in a March 2013 referendum, in which over 1.1 million residents will be eligible to vote.
MOSCOW (RUS): Double Olympic champion and pole vault record holder Yelena Isinbayeva was named the head of the main athletes’ village of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi reports instapaper.com. “We have chosen Yelena Isinbayeva to be the mayor of the athletes’ village in the coastal cluster,” Sochi 2014 chief Dmitry Chernyshenko told reporters following a board meeting of the Russian Olympic Committee.
LAUSANNE (SUI): AIPS website writes that Carlin Isles (23) a pocket rocket American sprinter who ran the 100 m in 10.24 and a wind-assisted 10.13 is the latest Rugby sensation, blitzing on to the Rugby Sevens scene and devoting himself to the nailing an Olympic medal in Rio when Rugby Sevens makes its debit.
TOKYO (JPN): Olympich hammer bronze winner Koji Morufushi was named Japanese Athlete of the Year 2012. The Excellence Award was given to 6th placer in Olympic marathon Kentaro Nakamoto and the 4×100 m men team for the 5th position at the Games. Rising Star Award went to sprinter Ryota Yamagata who improved to 10.07 in Olympic heats. On the women side 17-years old sprinter Anna Doi who was the youngest Olympian after Second World War. Japan Athletics Federation Award went to 10th placed javelin thrower Genki Dean.
LONDON (GBR): Changing sports priorities at the BBC, the UK’s publ
ic-service broadcaster, and Channel 4, the commercial network, are reflected in a new deal unveiled under which the domestic rights for athletics 2013 IAAF World Championships have changed. Informs Sportscal. Moscow 2013 will be so brodcasted in UK by BBC.
EDINBURGH (GBR): UK Athletics informs that following her dominant performance in Budapest last weekend, European under-23 Cross Country Champion Jess Coulson will once again pull on the GB & NI vest in the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday 5th January at Holyrood Park. Other teams competing will be the USA and Team Europe in the IAAF World Cross Permit series event on the first weekend of 2013. Two of Scotland’s finest athletes will line up alongside Coulson in what is an exceptionally deep senior women’s squad. Scotland’s 2008 Olympian and Commonwealth 1500 m bronze medallist Steph Twell returns for her sixth outing at the Edinburgh international, with London 2012 marathon runner and Edinburgh local Freya Ross (nee Murray) lining up alongside her. Steve Vernon will look to follow up a top-10 finish and British senior men’s team bronze medal at last weekend’s European Cross with another strong outing as he captains the GB & NI men’s team in his fifth Edinburgh International.
LAUSANNE (SUI): Sebastian Vettel, Novak Djokovic, Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Andrea Iniesta, David Rudisha, Michael Phelps and Bradley Wiggins are among the nominees for the AIPS Best Male Athlete of the Year 2012. Members of world media are invited to vote on the AIPS website. thletics representatives in women category are Jessica Ennis, Allyson Felix and Sally Pearson. In the Best Press Facilities 2012 among candidates not only Olympic Games but also World Indoor Championships and European Championships in Istanbul and Helsinki.
KINGSTON (JAM): Two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Michael Frater has parted company with the MVP Track Club and is set to join the Glen Mills-led Racers group, the home of world superstar Usain Bolt. Frater who has been with MVP for close to a decade was recently voted in as third vice president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) on the Dr. Warren Blake-led executive, however, his election seemed to have not gone down well with MVP head coach Stephen Francis writes trackalerts.com.
PARIS (FRA): Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt, who retained his three Olympic titles at the London Games, was named sportsman of the year by French daily L’Equipe, while American tennis player Serena Williams took the women’s prize the newspaper announced. He was awarded the prize at The Devon House an exclusive establishment form the late 19th century. “Getting all these awards is always nice. Specially when you beat persons who achieved also something special,” said Bolt.
SAN DIEGO (USA): Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI) unveiled the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Tour Schedule for the 2013 series. The series includes 26 destinations in North America as well as it will feature 6 European cities including Nice, Edinburgh, Madrid, Oslo, Dublin and Lisbon.
NEW YORK (USA): Registration for the 2013 New York City Marathon was originally scheduled to open on December 12th, but is on indefinite hold writes Runnersworld. “Wish marathon 2013 application opening as planned on 12-12-12, but still working hard on resolution of all 2012 issues. Thx 4 patience,” New York Road Runners CEO Mary Wittenberg wrote on Twitter.
LONDON (GBR): Twitter has spoken, and makes Mo Farah the runaway favorite for the British Sports Personality of the Year Award 2012. That is the verdict from the Hit Search Reputation Management software. Using innovative online reputation management software, mentions of each contenders name was tracked in relation to the event.
HENGELO (NED): The city of Hengelo has confirmed the FBK-Games will receive 100.000€ in order to organize the event in 2013. The added amount by the city of Hengelo is enough to stage the event with a full budget.
MOSCOW (RUS): 2011 European U23 walking champion Tatyana Mineyeva has been banned for two years after failing a drug test, the Russian athletics federation said on Friday. “Mineyeva was banned for two years starting from November 17 2012 after showing abnormal hemoglobin levels in her blood sample,” Russian media are saying. The 22-year-old from Mordovia was World Junior Champion in 2008 but this year raced only in winter at Russian Winter Walking Championships in February.
LOUGHBOROUGH (GBR): Athletics Weekly writes that Rana Reider, one of UKA’s new full-time coaches at Loughborough, believes keeping his fragile athletes in one piece will be key to optimising their podium ambitions. The highly-rated American, who has moved from Florida to UKA’s high-performance institute, is now guiding Dwain Chambers, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Christian Malcolm, Chris Tomlinson, James Ellington, Tiffany Porter and Shara Proctor. Last week the 2011 USA Track and Field coach of the year said the emphasis was on keeping his charges injury-free.
RESULTS
LUSAKA (ZAM, Dec 12): South African junior Akani Simbini after fast 100 m won also the 200 m at African Sports Zone 6 Games in good 20.68 (-1.9).
