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Lead Stories: Sunday, November 23, 2008

Radcliffe to Contest Great South Run

Posted October 9th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Britain’s Paula Radcliffe will test the progress of her marathon training by competing in the BUPA Great South Run in Portsmouth, England, on October 26, organizers Nova International announced today.

“It is excellent news Paula’s first appearance since the Olympics will be on British soil,” commented David Hart, the communications director of the ten mile race where the fastest-ever women’s time was 51:00 set by Irishwoman Sonia O’Sullivan in 2002.

Although widely regarded as one of the world’s best-ever road runners, Radcliffe has not contested a ten mile race during her professional career. As a teenager in 1990 she recalled running a U.K. championship race over the distance and “squeezed under the hour,” she said. However, when she ran her career best over the half-marathon distance in the BUPA Great North Run in 2002, she passed the ten mile mark in an unofficial 50:01, according to records kept by BBC statistician Mark Butler, one of the fastest ten mile times ever recorded by a woman.
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BUPA Great Manchester Run Set for Sunday

Posted May 13th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

The BUPA Great Manchester Run boasts the fastest 10-K course in Great Britain and organizers have assembled a top-flight field of athletes to take advantage of it. Elite athletes manager Andy Caine has invited world marathon champion, Luke Kibet of Kenya; seven-time European cross country champion, Sergey Lebid of Ukraine; and former European 10,000m champion, Chema Martinez of Spain, to lead the men’s field.

The women’s field is just as strong, featuring three-time European Cup medalist and defending champion Jo Pavey of Great Britain; two-time world marathon champion, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya; two-time Olympic gold medalist Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia; and road running ace Anikó Kálovics of Hungary, who finished second in Manchester last year.
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Kenyans Kibet and Cheruiyot Claim BUPA Great South Run Titles in Portsmouth

Posted October 29th, 2007 at 10:20 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results

Luke Kibet and Rose Cheruiyot added their names to the list of Kenyan’s who have triumphed at past BUPA Great South Runs in Portsmouth on Sunday.

The pair of African stars who despite awfully wet and windy conditions at the south coast venue, both showed their rivals a clean pair of heels in one of the world’s top 10 mile road races.

Neither they or the 18,500 entrants were deterred by the weather and slippery conditions after Portsmouth FC’s goalkeeper David James set them off a scenic journey through the historic naval city.

Kibet after his emphatic World Championships marathon produced another flowing victory emulating the feats of previous Kenyan winners Benson Masya (1995), Christopher Kelong (1997), Simon Kashmir (1999), Simon Kismamili (2002) and last year, Simon Arusei.
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On the Road & Around the Track: TFS News Briefs
September 11, 2007

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 1:18 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, TFS News Briefs

Live Internet Video Broadcasts of Brussels and Berlin Golden League Meets
Sportnet will have live video broadcasts of the Memorial Van Damme meet (Brussels, Belgium) on 9/14/2007 and the DKB-ISTAF meet (Berlin, Germany) on 9/16/2007. Both meets have storied histories so new world records are not out of the question. Watch the meets and read more at: [Sportnet][Memorial Van Damme][DKB-ISTAF]

Bergqvist Calls it Quits for ‘07; Sets Sights on Beijing
Kajsa Bergqvist, ‘05 world champ in the high jump, has ended her ‘07 season saying, “it does not seem meaningful or fun to carry on competing the way things feel right now.” Having missed the ‘04 Olympics in Athens, she is now focusing on the ‘08 Olympics in Beijing. Read more at: [Guardian Unlimited]
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Defar Leads Top Women’s Field in London 5-K

Posted September 11th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

Reigning Olympic and world 5000m champion, Meseret Defar, leads a top-notch field at Sunday’s Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in London’s Hyde Park, a 5 km road race. The 23 year-old Ethiopian is also the world record holder for both 5000m on the track (14:16.63) and 5 km on the road (14:46).

“Naturally we are very pleased to have the world and Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar, fresh from her victory in Osaka heading up our elite field in London, the UK’s premier 5-k women’s road running event,” said Dave Bedford who directs the race. Bedford is also the race director of the Flora London Marathon.

Bedford has also invited a strong group of challengers to face Defar, led by Australia’s Benita Johnson, America’s Lauren Fleshman, Russia’s Inge Abitova, and Britain’s Jo Pavey and Liz Yelling.

This will be the tenth edition of the Challenge which organizers said had 20,000 entrants last year. The course record of 14:51 was set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003.
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Hoffa reaches 22.43 (73-7.25) and Gay, Wariner and Richards dominate in London

Posted August 3rd, 2007 at 12:12 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Shot Putter Resse Hoffa stole the spotlight from the sprinters at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix tonight.

The U.S. champion won the event with a mammoth 22.43 (73-7.25) effort in the final round to wrestle the victory and the 2007 world lead from compatriot Christian Cantwell. It was a massive personal best for the 29-year-old, his first beyond 22 meters outdoors, and an effort which lifted the reigning world indoor champion to spot No. 11 on the all-time world list. This was Hoffa’s seventh win in 10 outings outdoors this season, setting him up as a strong favorite for the world title later this month in Osaka.

The pre-meet 100m world record hype turned out to be just that, but Tyson Gay did dominate the short dash with a commanding 10.02 win, well ahead of European champion and Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal who clocked 10.18.
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Lagat looking for strong Osaka tune-up in London

Posted August 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With just over three weeks remaining before the start of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, American 1500m record holder Bernard Lagat will be looking for one last high profile tune-up tomorrow night at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix in the British capital.

Lagat, who won the 5000m and finished third in the 1500 at the U.S. championships in late June, will be aiming for his first solid outing over the shorter distance since his runner-up finish in the Prefontaine Classic mile on June 10. In his most recent 1500m races, Lagat was a distant seventh at the Golden League meet in Paris on July 6, and a well-beaten third at the Norwich Union International on July 15.

Alan Webb, who’s been on a tear over the past month after his world-leading 3:30.54 victory in Paris, his U.S. record in the mile and a sub-1:44 career best in the 800 last week in Heusden, Belgium, has opted out of the London race to nurse a sore hamstring.
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Britain Makes First World Champs Team Selections

Posted July 31st, 2007 at 2:59 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field

UK Athletics released their first team selections this morning for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics which commences in Osaka, Japan, on August 25.

The first selections to the team are as follows (data courtesy of Tilastopaja Oy):

MEN -
800m: Michael Rimmer (Liverpool, Pembroke & Sefton), 03-Feb-1986, 1:45.23 PB.
1500m: Andy Baddeley (Harrow), 20-Jun-1982, 3:34.74.
5000m: Mo Farah (Newham & Essex), 13-Mar-1983, 13:09.40.
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Abeylegesse, Pollmacher take European Cup 10,000m titles

Posted April 7th, 2007 at 2:56 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results

Competing in warm and windy conditions, Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey and Germany’s André Pollmächer cruised to victory at the European Cup 10,000m in Ferrara, Italy, today.

Taking command over the final two kilometres, Abeylegesse produced an overwhelming victory in 31:25.15 to become the first woman to win back-to-back titles in this competition. In her debut over the distance, Ukraine’s Tetyana Holovchenko, the European cross country champion, was a distant second in 31:59.98, with Belgian record holder Nathalie De Vos (32:07.62) third.

Briton Jo Pavey, also making her track debut over 10,000m, was fourth in 32:21.19, missing both the ‘A’ and ‘B’ qualifying standards for next summer’s IAAF World Championships.
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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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