YELENA AND HER INJURY

MOSCOW (RUS): Coach of pole vault star Yelena Isinbayeva Yevgeniy Trofimov clarified situation with current shape of Yelena and explained her tactics at the Shanghai Diamond League event where Yelena took the victory with 470 cm. “Yelena has been jumping injured in Shanghai. We even thought to reject the competition as she felt a strong pain in the leg. She used very soft pole and ran “on one leg”. That is why she was so happy with 470 in second attempt but I did not allow to jump further. I think Yelena performed too excited, it is always so in China.” Trofimov also said that her current problem with leg is an aftereffect of old injury she has got in Formia 2-3 years ago. “We’ll have examination of that injury in China and will make decision about further preparation afterwards. We have two months before Moscow championships to make some corrections” added Trofimov.

VLASIC VS. BARRETT

NEW YORK (USA): Return of Blanka Vlasic will be one of the top issues to follow at Saturday´s third leg of IAAF Diamond League in New York City. At the adidas Grand Prix her main rival will be the US olympic medalist Brigeta Barrett who leads the current world lists with 199 cm. Top battle is expected in men 400 m hurdles with Javier Culson and Johnny Dutch rematch from Ponce with the hope that Michael Tinsley will be back healthy. In the men 400 m Jeremy Wariner and Kevin Borlee are the top names. Interestingly in the men 110 m hurdles current world leader Orlando Ortega of Cuba should face world record holder Aries Merritt.

TIRUNESH FOR 5K

EUGENE (USA): Tirunesh Dibaba, in many people’s eyes the greatest women’s long distance runner ever, will return to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene to headline a loaded women’s 5000m field at the 39th edition of the Prefontaine Classic on 1 June. Dibaba has also never lost at Hayward Field, twice setting meet records in winning over 5000m in 2010 and 10 000m last year. Her last 5000m race was at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where she finished third, but she will definitely be aware that her younger sister Genzebe ran a 2013 world-leading time of 14:45.92 at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai on Saturday. Challenging Dibaba will be a quartet of outstanding Kenyans: two-time IAAF World Championships silver medallist Sylvia Kibet and former World junior champions Veronica Nyaruai, Viola Kibiwott and Mercy Cherono. In addition, a lot of eyes will also be on Ethiopia’s 2012 World Junior Championships 5000m gold medallist, Buze Diriba, who is still a junior and potentially could challenge Dibaba’s World junior record of 14:30.88.

OTHER NEWS

MOSCOW (RUS): Reigning world champion in women javelin Mariya Abakumova informed about her competition schedule the All Sports news agency. After Beijing on Tuesday the 27-years-old Russian plans to compete at two competitions in USA (Diamond League events in New York and Eugene), then in Slovenia in Velenje on June 4 and then will come back to Russia to perform at Moscow Challenge on June 11. “I’ll perform a lot this season as I thin
k I hadn’t enough competitions last year” explained Abakumova.

KYIV (UKR): Press-service of National Olympic complex “Olimpiyskyy” informs that Ukrainian athletics federation (FLAU) plans to bid for the European Team Championships 2017. FLAU’s president Ihor Hotsul told about that after the visit of EA vice-president Jean Gracia. “We have very serious plans for main athletics arena in Ukraine and want to hold there European and international meetings. As a result of first stage of our negotiations we plan to bid for European Team Championships 2017” underlined Hotsul.

ZURICH (SUI): European Championships 2014 in Zurich will be expecting 1400 athletes from 50 countries on August 12-17. Also 2000 media representatives and in total 250 000 spectators are expected. The interest for tickets is big, daily from 27 000 places around 18 000 will be for sales, from that 5000 for foreign visitors.

INDIANAPOLIS (USA): USA Track & Field has announced the men’s marathon team that will compete for Team USA at this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Seven-time USA road champion Mo Trafeh will lead the squad at his first world championships. Jeffrey Eggleston is the lone returning member of the 2011 World Championships marathon team, where he finished 39th. Carlos Trujillo improved his personal best by five minutes at the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon to finish 18th in 2:14:21. This will be Trujillo’s second time representing Team USA after running on the 2009 Chiba Ekiden team.

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Oscar Pistorius has ruled out returning to the track for the rest of the year to focus on his upcoming court case. His case will be back in court on 4 June in the North Gauteng High Court. The Paralympian’s coach Ampie Louw said Pistorius turned down invitations to take part in major international athletic events-. Louw said Pistorius was not psychologically ready to take part in any events. “He is nowhere close to being in a position to train. He just does fitness exercises in the morning with his family.”

NAIROBI (KEN): Cross country legend and former Olympic silver medallist, Paul Tergat, begins his long walk to global sports administration executive job this weekend in Lausanne. Tergat, 44, who is also a former world marathon record holder, was on Wednesdayaccompanied to the Swiss capital by National Olympic Committee of Kenya chairman, Kipchoge Keino, to meet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Dr Jacques Rogge and other key personalities. “Dr Keino travelled to Lausanne with Tergat to meet the IOC top brass to kick start the process,” Nock Secretary General, FK Paul told FeverPitch on Friday.

ZURICH (SUI): Former Swiss top runner Anita Weyerman expects triples. The 35 years old 1997 World bronze medalist in the 1500 m ended her career in 2008 and has already a daughter (one and half years old).

MANCHESTER (GBR): Olympic 200m champion Allyson Felix is to take on double Olympic 100m gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as they split the difference and go head-to-head over 150m at the BT Great CityGames Manchester on Saturday. It will be the third time the 27-year-old American has competed at the street meeting. On Felix’s first appearance three years ago she produced a world 200m best performance time of 22.55 and 12 months later went even faster, clocking 22.12 in the 200m as well as 16.48 in the 150m. Olympic gold medallists Greg Rutherford and Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic also confirmed their participation. Informs Athletics Weekly.

DERBYSHIRE (GBR): Olympic champion Jessica Ennis wore a winning smile on Sunday as she married her long-term partner at a church in Derbyshire’s Peak District. Bystanders in the picturesque village of Hathersage broke into spontaneous applause outside the Church of St Michael and All Angels as Ennis arrived to marry fiance Andy Hill. Following the service, the newlyweds both smiled broadly as they posed for photographers outside the church, parts of which date back to the 14th century. UK media are informing.

RESULTS

REHLINGEN (GER, May 20): The 49th „Pfingstsportfest” in Rehlingen was staged in rain and cold weather. Despite this some good results as in the 3000 m Cyrus Ruto of Kenya clocked 7:46.81 personal best ahead of Cornelius Kangogo 7:47.71. In the 1500 m Ethiopian Zebene Alemayehu 3:38.02 over Carsten Schlangen 3:38.19. Briton Mark Lewis-Francis beat Nigerian Egwero Ogho-Ogene in the 100 m as both were timed with 10.48 (-0.1). Olympic silver medalist Bjorn Otto cleared 570, Raphael Holzdeppe no-heighted at 550. Another home star Christian Reif after five fouls won the long jump with 778 (+0.5). Slovak Peter Horak got the high jump with 221 in wet conditions. Sensational Polish junior record for Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz in the 400 m 52.48. Ethiopian Almaz Ayana clocked 9:40.13 in women steeple ahead of Fancy Cherotich 9:40.19 and German Antje Moldner-Schmidt 9:43.37. Christina Obergfoll produced good 64.53 in javelin over Linda Stahl 62.44. Carlin Hingst won the pole vault 435 (Czech Eurowinner Jirina Svobodova no-heighted at 435) and French Melanie Melfort 186 in the high jump (Ariane Friedrich 180 tied for 4th).

KINGSTON (JAM, May 18): Asafa Powell pulled up in men’s 100m at the JAAA All-Comers Meet held at the National Stadium. Informs Trackalerts. “It’s the same right hamstring as in Australia, I thought it was better .. I felt great in training and just wanted to see where I was,” said Powell. Julian Forte won the race in 10.14 seconds (+1.4) ahead of Oshane Bailey 10.19 and Rasheed Dwyer 10.20. In the women’s 100m, Anneisha McLaughlin topped the field in 11.23. Ansert Whyte ran a personal best 49.98 in the men’s 400m hurdles. Christine Day won the women’s 400m in 51.91. Rusheen McDonald topped the men’s 400m in 45.90 ahead of Oral Thompson 46.03 and Edino Steele 46.18.

HULST (NED, May 20): Hurdles duel here won by Koen Smet in 13.66 (+0.1) over Gregory Sedoc 13.72 (in heats 13.68, -0.4).

VILLENEUVE D´ASCQ (FRA, May 19): At French Interclub meet Christophe Lemaitre sprinted to 10.17 (-0.6). Senegal guest Mamadou Kasse Hann clocked new personal best 48.78 in the 400 m hurdles. His country mate Ndiss Badji leaped to 801 (+0.2) in the long jump. In the triple Harold Correa with 16.92 (0.0) beat Teddy Tamgho 16.86 (-0.4).