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Lead Stories: Thursday, January 8, 2009

Doping ban toughened for European Championships

Posted March 8th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Drugs In Sports

European athletes returning from a two-year doping ban will have to wait an additional two years before they’re allowed to compete at their continental championships, European Athletics, the sports’ governing body in Europe announced.

At its meeting after the conclusion of the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, the European Athletics Council voted to impose a minimum two-year period of ineligibility from all European Championships beginning on the day a suspended athlete is cleared to compete by the IAAF after a doping suspension.
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Who is Cosimo Caliandro?

Posted March 4th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

When he crossed the finish line with his arms raised up, almost everybody in the National Indoor Arena asked: “Who’s he?”

Italy’s Cosimo Caliandro was a stunning surprise winner yesterday at the 29th European Indoor Championships, taking the gold medal in the 3000m ahead of pre-race favourites Bob Tahri, Jesus Jesus España, Halil Akkas, Mo Farah, Alistair Cragg, and Gunther Wedlinger.
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Chojecka completes double & Spanish men sweep 1500m at European Indoors

Posted March 4th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Lidia Chojecka of Poland became the first woman ever in the history of the European Indoor Championships to win double gold in the 1500m and 3000m, while the Spanish men became the first team ever to sweep the podium in the men’s 1500m as the 29th European Indoor Championships concluded here today at the National Indoor Arena.

Chojecka, 30, who was also the defending champion in the 3000m, won today’s 15-lap race easily in 8:43.25 off of an honest pace set by Britain’s Jo Pavey. Chojecka was content to follow Pavey closely, who led nearly every lap, along with Spain’s Marta Domínguez. Both Chojecka and Domínguez possess fierce kicks, and the race was setting up perfectly for the Pole.
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Chojecka poised for historic double at Euro Champs

Posted March 3rd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With her convincing victory in today’s 1500m final at the 29th European Indoor Championships here, Poland’s Lidia Chojecka is poised to complete a historic double victory should she also win the gold medal in tomorrow’s 3000m. She is the defending champion in that event, winning gold in Madrid in 2005, and is definitely the favorite again this year for gold.

In today’s race, Chojecka (who pronounces her name Hoy-ET-ska), bided her time while Britain’s Helen Clitheroe set the pace for most of the race.

Indeed, Clitheroe led for the first five laps and ensured a relatively quick pace, passing the 1000m point in 2:46.02.
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Rugged racing marks first day of European Championships

Posted March 2nd, 2007 at 3:39 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Mo Farah’s fall in this morning’s 3000m qualifying foreshadowed more rough racing later in the day as the 29th European Indoor Championships continued at the National Indoor Arena here. In one particular case, the consequences were severe.

After Oksana Zbrozhek of Russian won the first of four heats in the women’s 800m in 2:03.67, things turned ugly in the second heat. Just past the 400m mark, Karen Harewood of Great Britain was tripped from behind by Mariya Shapayeva of Russia. The Briton fell hard to the track, clutching her left knee, screaming in pain. Her fall set off a chain reaction which saw Maria Carmo Tavares of Portugal and Eléni Filándra of Greece, also fall to the track.

The Portuguese and the Greek were also hurt, but less severely than Harewood who, according to a British team official, had a “suspected broken leg.” Harewood had to be removed from the floor on a stretcher, wearing an oxygen mask and tethered to an IV line in her arm.
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Despite fall, Farah advances to 3000m Euro Champs

Posted March 2nd, 2007 at 7:51 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

One of Britain’s top medal hopes at these 29th European Indoor Championships, Mo Farah, survived a big scare today when he was tripped and fell during the first heat of the 3000m.

Farah, the reigning European cross country champion, was accidentally tripped from behind by Austria’s Günther Weidlinger in the seventh lap of the 15-lap race. Tumbling hard to the track, Farah became disoriented and actually began to run in the opposite direction after getting up, before turning around to rejoin the race.

“This guy clipped my leg and I went down,” said Farah after the race. “When I went down the Spanish guy (European 5000m champion Jesus España) picked up the pace.” He added: “I don’t know what happened, personally.”

España won the heat in 7:52.50, with Weidlinger second in 7:53.04 and defending champion Alistair Cragg of Ireland in third in 7:53.18. Farah, lifted by the cheers of the British crowd in the National Indoor Arena, fought his way back to finish sixth in 7:55.36, getting the second of four time qualifiers (the first four in each heat advanced automatically). He was relieved to advance to tomorrow’s final, but his come-from-behind effort today had taken its toll, physically.
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Cragg faces big challenges in 3,000 meter title defense

Posted March 2nd, 2007 at 2:53 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

At the last European Indoor Championships in Madrid in 2005, Irishman Alistair Cragg romped to victory in the 3000m, beating his nearest opponent, Briton John Mayock, by more than five seconds.

But here in Birmingham, as the 29th European Indoor Championships opens this morning, he is admittedly not sharp, and will be facing strong challenges from European Cross Country champion Mo Farah of Britain; European 5000m champion, Jesus España of Spain; and one of the continent’s top steeplechasers, Bob Bahri of France.
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