Alfonz Juck's EME News: January 15

EME NEWS (JAN 15, 2010)

SASCOC AGAINST SEMENYA COMPETING

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Timeslive.co.za informs about the statement from South Africa‘s governing sports body Sascoc. Its president Gideon Sam says in the statement that 800 m world champion Caster Semenya is not eligible to run and that her coach was irresponsible to say she had been cleared to compete.  „As things stand, Caster Semenya is not eligible to run in any sanctioned meeting or race,“ Sascoc president was quoted. „The matter over the results of her gender test are still sitting with the international parent association, the IAAF. They are still conducting their work and the process is ongoing. And we have to respect the privacy of the athlete, so any confirmation is premature. Sascoc is waiting for the IAAF to consult with Caster Semenya on a personal level and the matter is between them and her.  When things are resolved we will all be in a better position, but until the case is closed, it would be irresponsible for us to clear our world champion to compete again. Semenya‘s coach, Michael Seme, acted irresponsibly and without jurisdiction in saying she was going to compete against women in the forthcoming ASA season.“

PIERRE THINKING ON HER GRANDMOTHER

RALEIGH (USA): Sprinter Barbara Pierre celebrated new national 60 m record for Haiti last Friday in Chapel Hill with 7.25 but now her thinking is different. As espn.com writes she is a native of Port-au-Prince, represented Haiti in the 2008 Olympics and her relatives have been immigrating to the United States over several decades, and one of the last to come was going to be her father‘s mother. Pierre had been helping her father file paperwork and cut through immigration red tape for several years in an attempt to bring her grandmother from Haiti—and it looked like that might finally happen in December. But the process got delayed. And now no one can reach the grand mother Seliecene, who lived on the mountainside in Port-au-Prince in a house with a garden where she grew peppers and roses. The family is hoping. Pierre also clocked last summer 100 m and 200 m Haiti national records 11.18 and 23.28. At Beijing Olympic she made it from first to second round at 100 m.

MUMBAI TOP NAMES

MUMBAI (IND): The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 on Sunday aims of the men‘s field to clock a time below 2:10 and the women‘s field gunning for a winning time of between 2:27 to 2:30. Organizers are saying in a release.  While last year‘s winner Kenneth Mugara, who set the course record of 2:11.51 in men‘s, is missing from this year‘s line up due to injury, last year‘s runner-up David Tarus will be a front runner to take the winner‘s purse of USD 35,000 going by his current form. Tarus ran 2:09:24 at Eindhoven in October 2009 and will have to contend with another strong challenge from compatriot, Daniel Kiprugut Too, who has returned the fastest timing in 2009 from among the field, clocking 2:08:38 in the Paris Marathon.  Moldova‘s Balkan marathon record holder with 2:10:15 Iaroslav Musinschi represents the European challenge. The women‘s field is more competitive than ever before. It will be an interesting contest between three-time Mumbai Marathon champion Ethiopian Mulu Seboka, who has returned after a one-year hiatus, and defending champion compatriot Haile Kebebush. There are another 11 Ethiopians in the women‘s field, with youngster Firehiwot Dado.  The Kenyan challenge will be spearheaded by Alice Chelangat, with Irene Jerotich and Rose Kosgei the other notable names. There are high hopes from Russia‘s Natalya Volgina too. „I like to come to India for its famed history and vast culture,“ she said about her second visit to the country. She won the Pune Marathon in 2002.

NO INDOORS FOR SHARMAN

LONDON (GBR): Top British hurdler and World Championships fourth placer William Sharman had an accident in a hurdle session on Monday in practice.  He broke his wrist and had to undergo a surgery Tuesday morning. The operation went well but forces Sharman to withdraw from all indoor meets. He wanted to compete at World Indoor Championships in Doha.

ANOTHER AWARD FOR VLASIC

WARSZAWA (POL): Another honor for Croatian High Jump world champion Blanka Vlasic. She was voted European Sports Woman of the Year 2009 by the European Sports Press Union UEPS. She will get Evgen Bergant Trophy. Second was Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini ahead of another track athlete pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. Best man by UEPS is Swiss tennis player Roger Federer. Nobody from athletics got votes here.

OTHER NEWS

WASHINGTON (USA): Endurance Enterprises LLC has announced a new race, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon, to be held in the Washington, D.C.  area, on Sept. 19.  The race will use a point-to-point course beginning at the Mount Vernon home of George Washington in Alexandria, Va., and will end at the luxury National Harbor resort in the neighboring state of Maryland.  Informs RRW.

KINGSTON (JAM): Former world record holder Maurice Greene believes first time drug offenders should be banned for life from track and field, he said that for trackalerts.com. Greene who once ruled the world of sprinting said it hurts to see cheats enter the sport. Greene, who is currently in Kingston for Saturdays Douglas Forrest invitational at the national stadium, was quoted „I always have a stance where drugs does not belong in our sport and if you get busted once I think it should be a lifetime ban, that‘s my opinion, that‘s how I feel and that‘s how I‘ll always feel.“ Greene also said Usian Bolt‘s performances over the last year‘s have been great for the sport.

KINGSTON (JAM):  The RJR sports foundation has named Usain Bolt and Brigitte Forster-Hylton as Jamaican‘s sportsman and sportswoman of 2009. Bolt, who broke the 100m and 200m world record this year, was also presented with the people‘s choice awards said „I would like to thank everybody that voted for me, and I‘m just looking forward to another great season.“  At the same time Berlin‘s world 100H champion Brigitte foster-Hylton took the award on the women‘s side. „On behalf of my colleagues, Melaine Walker and Shelly Ann-Fraser, we trained so hard and we know how hard it is. I accept this award and say we are all champions“ Foster-Hylton was quoted on trackalerts.com

ALBUQUERQUE (USA): The University of New Mexico starts off an ambitious indoor season this weekend. Saturday‘s events will be the first of six UNM home meets at The Albuquerque Convention Center who has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of America‘s premier venues.  Also to be hosted this winter are the 2010 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb.  27-28), the NCAA Division II Championships (March 12-13), and five Saturday night high school meets (Jan. 16-Feb. 21).

RATINGEN (GER): TV Ratingen has withdrawn its complaint against organizer Horst Becker and the IAAF Combined Events Challenge meet is saved for future.  TV Ratingen confirmed an agreement was made that made the complaint unnecessary.

BARCELONA (ESP): H.M. Juan Carlos I de Borbón has answered positively to the proposal of the 20th European Athletics Championships 2010 Organizing Committee and will function as President of the Barcelona 2010 Honorary Committee. The Royal Household has confirmed this. The Organizing and Executive Committee are proud to count on the presence of H.M. Juan Carlos I de Borbón. Organizers are informing in a release.

NEW YORK (USA): Reigning decathlon world champion Trey Hardee will compete in men´s 60 m hurdles at Millrose Games on January 29. After that he plans to do a triathlon in Goteborg on Feb 2 at SamsungGalan (EA Indoor Permit).  Hardee as world leader 2009 is invited for the world indoors heptathlon in Doha.

NEW YORK (USA): Olympic 2008 decathlon gold medalist  Bryan Clay declares himself „in the greatest shape of my life.“ The injuries that wrecked his 2009 season and kept him out of the World Championships have long since mended. Honolulu Advertiser writes.  Clay informs about incredible workouts since resuming full training in September and 30th birthday celebration on January 3. He expects to reach another top day in two to four weeks — when he and wife Sarah greet their third child. And in late May he‘s determined to have a major assault on another a decathlon score over 9000 points and a possible world record in Gotzis, Austria. Clay plans to compete in a low-key heptathlon event at Harvard University later this month to demonstrate his full fitness and score a possible result to qualify for world indoors or get one of two wild cards as he cannot be invited based on last year results.  For summer he also plans for USA Nationals, June 24 to 27 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, and perhaps a third and final decathlon for the year at Talence, France, in early September. His major targets are Worlds 2011 in Daegu and Olympics 2012 in London.

INDIANAPOLIS (USA): This years indoor Visa Championship Series has only three meets, the system to determine the winners remains as in past years.  Athletes will fight for the best single result (according to IAAF Scoring Tables) at Millrose Games in New York (Jan 29), Reebok Boston Indoor Games on February 6 and US Championships in Albuquerque (February 27-28). Winning prize is 25 000 USD. Informs USATF website.

DOHA (QAT): Gulf Times are informing that the organizing committee of the World Indoor Championships has appointed Virgin Megastore as its official ticketing agent for the event. The agreement makes Virgin Megastore a National Supplier category partner. According to the organizers, tickets will be issued for five sessions, each priced at a nominal QR10 (USD 2.75).

COPENHAGEN (DEN): 800 m world record holder Wilson Kipketer is no longer employed by the Danish Athletics Association. Informs Hardloop Krant.  In last six years he had an advisor role. But the federation has no more funds for that position. He is also world indoor record holder at 800 m and 1000 m, lives in Monaco and represents IAAF as its ambassador.

NAIROBI (KEN): The Logo of the African Senior championships 2010 which will take place in Nairobi from 28th July to 1st August 2010 has been unveiled by the Kenya athletics federation. Informs African Confederation website. Also championships website has been launched and all information regarding the championships are available on the following address: www.nairobi2010.com

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DUBLIN (IRL): Patsy McGonagle will head up the Athletics Ireland squad of Team Managers and Deputy Managers for international competitions during the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons. McGonagle, who served as Irish Track & Field Team Manager at both the Sydney and Beijing Olympics, will be the Senior Team Manager for all major games over the next two years including the European Track & Field Championships in Barcelona next July. The vastly experienced Donegal man is currently in the Algarve with a group of Irish athletes on a two week warm weather training camp. Informs Athletics Ireland website.

WEEKEND UPDATES

 ROVERETO (ITA): Austrian top runner Gunther Weidlinger will not run at Vallagarina European Permit CC race. As he says he was contacted by the organizers, but did not confirm his participation.

SEVILLA (ESP): Changes in Italica IAAF CC race start list. In men competition not running in comparison with EME NEWS preview is Ugandan Moses Kipsiro and Ethiopian Humegaw Mesfin. In women race World champion Florence Kiplagat is not running, also young Dibaba Genzebe will not be there. But added are top Russians Mariya Konovalova (recently Russian indoor 2000 m record) and Yelena Zadorozhnaya, also in the start list British hope Stephanie Twell and top Portugal runner Jessica Augusto.

RESULTS

 CALGARY (CAN, Jan 9): Still to report from last weekend fast 60 m sprints by Canadian world relay finalist Sam Effah (from tilastopaja). He clocked 6.66 in heats and 6.68 in finals at local meet.

SAD NEWS

COTTBUS (GER): Former East German 400 m hurdles champion Birgit Uibel-Sonntag died last Sunday at age of 48. The cause was a internal disease. She was 6th at European Championships 1982 in Athens and her best was 54.68 in 1984. She could have been also olympic medalist but the 1984 Los Angeles Games were boycotted by Eastern Bloc. In 2000 she admitted to recieve doping substances as youth athlete without knowing what she is getting.