Alfonz Juck's EME News: January 25

EME NEWS (JAN 25, 2010)

SHAHEEN BACK INDOORS

KARLSRUHE (GER): Steeple world record holder Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar is the latest addition of BW-Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe /IAAF Indoor Permit/ this Sunday. He will run the 3000 m and it will be his first indoor race since 2006. Veteran and former world and olympic winner Allen Johnson is entered into the 60 m hurdles. There the leading time of entrants this year has Czech Petr Svoboda with 7.56.

VLASIC IS READY

TRINEC (CZE): High jump world champion Blanka Vlasic opens the season on Tuesday in Trinec, Czech Republic during second stage of 6th Moravia High Jump Tour. „I had best winter preparation ever. So I am looking forward to the competitions. First goal is always two meters and then we will see. I think the year 2010 could be for me very special. World record is in the air, but nothing is granted. I will do my best for that this season,“ she was quoted. Women´s high jump starts at 5 pm (live results and pictures at www.beskydskalatka.com). Her main rivals will be Czech Iva Strakova and US Champion Chaunte Howard-Lowe with this years 192 marks and good attempts at 195 last Saturday in Hustopece. The hall in Trinec is sold out since some days /around 2000 spectators/ and many expectations are also connected to men´s competition. Russian Ivan Ukhov is in excellent shape and both meet records /197 and 233/ should be in danger.

JELIMO ANNOUNCED FOR MOSCOW

MOSCOW (RUS): Organisers of IAAF Indoor meet Russian Winter on February 7 in Moscow announced very interesting entries for women 800 m. Olympic winner Pamela Jelimo is entered with 2007 world champion Janet Jepkosgei and European indoor champion Mariya Savinova. In men´s 60 m reigning world indoor champion Olusoji Fasuba of Nigeria will run against US Mark Jelks.

BRATHWAITE FOR BOSTON

BOSTON (USA): In the 60 m hurdles world champion Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados will be the main name at Reebok Boston Indoor Games on February 6. He will clash against former world champion from France Ladji Doucoure. Also running is US Aries Merritt. In women´s 60 m hurdles. Perdita Felicien against Virginia Powell is the headline. In the women 1000 m mile world leader Erin Donohue will clash with USA Anna Pierce (formerly Willard).

HOLMES AND WORLD INDOOR 2003 GOLD

LONDON (GBR): Insidethegames.biz reports, that a campaign has been launched to get the silver medal Britain‘s Dame Kelly Holmes won in the 1500 meters World Indoor Championships in Birmingham seven years ago upgraded to gold after the winner, Regina Jacobs was exposed as a drug cheat. The American pipped Dame Kelly to the title at the National Indoor Arena in March 2003 but later that year tested positive for the same designer anabolic steroid as Britain‘s Dwain Chambers and was banned for four years. Now KOS Media, the publishers of Kent on Sunday, has started a campaign that they hope will force the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to strip Jacobs of her title and instead award it to Dame Kelly, who is from Hildenborough, near Tonbridge.

SAVIGNE BACK TO DUSSELDORF

DUSSELDORF (GER): Women´s triple jump will be another headline for Dusseldorf EA Permit indoor meet on February 3. Three time past winner here and current world champion Yargelis Savigne of Cuba should return. Also in the list World silver medalist Mabel Gay, fourth placer from Berlin Biljana Topic and Slovak record holder Dana Veldakova.

 OTHER NEWS

BUDAPEST (HUN): All-Athletics.com announced middle- and long-distance runners and steeplechasers of the Year. Middle-distance runners of the year are Augustine Choge and Maryam Jamal. Long-distance number ones are Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar and steeplechasers of the year Ezekiel Kemboi and Ruth Bosibori. More at www.all-athletics.com.

DUBLIN (IRL): World race-walking silver medalist, Olive Loughnane, was crowned The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council ‚Sportswoman of the Year 2009′ Athletics Ireland writes. Loughnane was presented with the award for her performance at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin where she took the silver medal in the 20km walking competition to be only the fourth Irish ever to win a world championships medal. „I am delighted to be selected as Sportswoman of the Year and it is an enormous honor to be in the company of other sports stars like Katie Taylor, Derval O‘Rourke and Mary Cullen. It is a great way to round off a very successful sporting year for me. The World Championships was a significant step for me and has given me the confidence I need for the next two years, in looking forward to London 2012“ Loughnane was quoted. Irish Athletes Derval O‘Rourke, Ciara Mageean and Mary Cullen were also recognized at the gala event as monthly winners.

DRESDEN (GER): Friday´s jumping gala meet in Dresden on January 29 was forced to register two important cancellations in men´s high jump. Raul Spank is passing the indoor season and because of his knee also world medalist Sylwester Bednarek of Poland will not come. Instead US olympic fourth placer Jamie Nieto and Russian Aleksey Dmitrik were attracted to come. In women´s pole vault apart of solid group of home jumpers also British Kate Dennison and Czech Jirina Ptacnikova will come.

GUADALAJARA (MEX): Mexican city Guadalajara has withdrawn its bid to host the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games announces inside the games. It is said Guadalajara stepped back following a poor evaluation report from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In the report it was clear the city was placed firmly behind rival cities Nanjing and Poznan after the IOC evaluation commission chairman Frankie Fredericks warned that if Guadalajara were chosen to host the Games then it would represent significant risks, particularly financially. Officially the government claimed it has withdrawn to give top priority to the organization of the 16th Pan American Games in 2011.

MADRID (ESP): The Spanish athletics federation pre-selected Paquillo Fernández for the 20km walk at the Race Walking World Cup, which will be held in Chihuahua (Mexico) in May, and the 50km walk at the European Athletics Championships. Later last week  after pressure from the Spanish Sports Council, changed the selection criteria which basically meant that Fernández was not  pre-selected. Spanish media are informing. European champion Fernández is under investigation by the Spanish Civil Guard after EPO was found in his house back in November. He has  not  been charged with anything by anyone (police, sports authorities etc) so far.

RESULTS

CARLSBAD (USA, Jan 24):  In the half-marathon, Kenyans Wesley Korir, last year‘s City of Los Angeles Marathon champion in 1:04:04, and Jane Kibii in 1:14:00 defended their titles.  In the marathon, former Cal Poly runner Brian Baker made his marathon debut, and qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials by breaking 2:20 in 2:18:39, writes RRW.

ADDIS ABABA (ETH, Jan 24):  Koreni Jelila, the 2009 Ethiopian Airlines Great Ethiopian Run 10km winner, and unknown Gishu Jida were the winners of the women‘s and men‘ senior titles at the 3rd Sululta Cross Country meeting- the fourth part of the domestic cross country series organized by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) - in Sululta, 20 kilometers north of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Writes IAAF.

LAS PALMAS (ESP, Jan 24): Kenyan James Kutto won the Gran Canaria Marathon with 2:17:40 ahead of Spanish Miguel Angel Vaquero /2:18:30/. Ethiopian Ture Chatumoha was the best woman in 2:40:31.

MEXICO CITY (MEX, Jan 23): Solid 45.71 400 m by Dominican Arismendy Peguero at University meeting here.

CHRISTCHURCH (NZL, Jan 23-24): Olympian Rebecca Wardell scored 5988 points in heptathlon here.

TORONTO (CAN, Jan 24): New national indoor record for St. Vincent as Clayton Latham leaped to 785 cm.

MOSCOW (RUS, Jan 24): Excellent pole vault at Moscow City Championships. Yulia Golubchikova cleared 460 to beat Tatyana Polnova /same 460/ and young Valeriya Volik who improved to 450. Viktoriya Klyugina started her season with 192 clearance and Yevgeniya Zinurova clocked 800 m world leading 2:01.27.