3000 meters
(includes no-pacemaker championship-type 5k races)
1. Meseret Defar, 68
2. Meselech Melkamu, 42
3. Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet, 38
4. Tirunesh Dibaba, 38
5. Gelete Burka, 35
6. Ejegayehu Dibaba, 32
7. Kim Smith, 28
8. Olga Komiagina, 26
9. Ruth Bisibori Nyangau, 26
10. Grace Momanyi, 21
World Indoor champion Defar is still the best at this distance, but hasn’t yet run against her rival, 5k world-record-breaker Tirunesh Dibaba.
5000 & 10,000 meters
1. Tirunesh Dibaba, 74
2. Gelete Burka, 50
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Meet records fell across all event groups, none bigger than Brad Walker’s American record in the pole vault, and Maria Mutola had a historic exit Sunday at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.
The fourth event of USATF’s Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic drew a meet-record 14,221 fans to Hayward Field, site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field June 27-July 6. They were treated to a formidable show, including no fewer than eight meet records and Walker’s AR.
The 2007 world champion, Walker looked magnificent throughout the competition. He had just one miss, at his opening height of 5.70m/18-8.25, then passed to 5.90m/19-4.25, which he cleared on his first attempt and which won the competition for him. Walker then elevated the bar to 6.04m/19-9.75. On his very first attempt, he cleared, brushing the bar just a bit, but leaving it up.
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Tirunesh Dibaba made her first outing of the summer a memorable one after breaking the world record in the 5000m at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games in the Norwegian capital.
For the second straight year, the Oslo meet played host to a new women’s standard in the event. This time around, it was Dibaba smashing the record that her compatriot Meseret Defar smashed last year.
This is a very joyous day for me today,” said Dibaba after her stunning 14:11.15 performance which eclipsed Defar’s performance by more than five-and-a-half seconds. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and this is a very special day for me.”
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Bislett Games To Wean Golden League Million Dollar List
That list of contenders for the Golden League million dollar jackpot always looks impressive after the first meet of the year. It only starts becoming meaningful, though, after the second meet, because only undefeated athletes can contend for the million dollar prize. The list below should be quite a bit shorter after this weekend’s Bislett Games, the 2nd installment of the six-meet series:
Men
100m - Nesta Carter (JAM)
400m - LaShawn Merritt (USA)
1500m - Augustine Choge (KEN)
400m Hurdles - Bershawn Jackson (USA)
Long Jump - Hussein Al-Sabee (KSA)
Javelin Throw - Tero Pitkämäki (FIN)
Women
200m - Sherone Simpson (JAM)
800m - Pamela Jelimo (KEN)
100m Hurdles - Josephine Onyia (ESP)
High Jump - Blanka Vlasic (CRO)
IAAF
Gatlin Decision To Be Published On Friday
Track fans around the world will know the fate of disgraced sprinter Justin Gatlin by Friday afternoon when the CAS publishes its decision. Gatlin is hoping o get a two-year reduction of his four-year suspension, which would make him eligible to try qualifying for the US Olympic Trials which will be held later this month in Eugene, Oregon.
AFP
Adam Goucher: Kara In Best Shape Of Her Life
As Kara Goucher prepares to face world-record holder Meseret Defar in the Prefonaine Classic 5000m, her husband Adam has stated that she is “strong. Hands down, the best shape of her life. So strong, and ready to go. It’s going to be a great year.”
USA Today
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Event organizer Arjan Pathmamanoharan is hoping to bring the women’s world record for 10,000m to the Dutch city of Utrecht in 2009. Pathmamanoharan has secured financial the backing to offer a 100,000 Euro (USD 158,000) bonus to the women who can beat the 15 year-old standard of China’s Wang Junxia set in Beijing in 1993: 29:31.78. Wang’s mark remains the only sub-30:00 10,000m clocking by a woman.
“The organization will invite the best athletes as Lornah Kiplagat, Tirunesh Dibaba, Ejegayehu Dibaba, Meseret Defar, Paula Radcliffe and Vivian Cheruiyot for this spectacular event, in which they can win the bonus of 100,000 Euro,” Pathmamanoharan explained in a press release.
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After thoroughly reviewing the race video, officials at the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships reinstated 18 year-old Deresse Mekonnen of Ethiopia as the winner of the rough and tumble men’s 1500m final, giving that African nation a second gold medal today after Meseret Defar’s earlier win in the women’s 3000m.
Mekonnen, who had crossed the finish line first with an apparent victory, was disqualified immediately after the race under IAAF rule 163.3, which covers all manner of lane violations. He was cited for stepping into the infield after contact with another athlete. The Ethiopian delegation immediately lodged an official protest, as did the New Zealand delegation because Nick Willis was also disqualified.
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The 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships opened here today at the Palau Lluis Puig, and nearly all the top entrants in the men’s and women’s 3000 meters advance to their respective finals.
The first heat of the women’s qualifying round offered perhaps the best glimpse of tomorrow’s final when defending champion, Meseret Defar (Pictured)of Ethiopia, and one of her top challengers, Kim Smith of New Zealand, broke away with three laps to go to finish 1-2 in 8:51.02 and 8:52.82, respectively. Their times were particularly impressive, considering they ran the first kilometer in a pokey 3:06.22.
“It was easy,” Defar said after the race, speaking in English. “I keep for tomorrow.”
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Three Sub 2:07 Marathoners Added To Rotterdam Marathon Entry List
Organizers of the Rotterdam Marathon have ensured another fast race in 2008 by adding three sub 2:07 marathoners to the entry list. The three runners, Robert Cheboror, William Kipsang and Joseph Riri, are Kenyans, of course. The race will be held on Sunday, April 13th, 2008.
Read more at: [IAAF]
Another Strong Women’s Field For 2008 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon organizers have announced that thee of the top women marathoners in the world will be running in the 112th Boston Marathon to be held on April 21st, 2008, the same weekend as the US Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials. Lidiya Grigoryeva, the defending 
champion, will race 2006 winner Rita Jeptoo and two-time runner-up Jelena Prokopcuka.
Read more at: [Earthtimes, UK]
Maria Mutola Award Created At Pre Classic
Tom Jordan, the meet director at Eugene, Oregon’s Prefontaine Classic, has created a new award to honor the meet’s outstanding athlete. Fittingly, it will be called the Maria Mutola Outstanding Athlete Award. After all, Mutola has won the Pre Classic 800m an astonishing FIFTEEN TIMES!
Read more at: [The Register-Guard, OR]
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There aren’t too many athletes who would describe the fourth fastest performance in history as “disappointing”. But Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar is not your typical athlete.
After crushing a solid 3000m field by more than 11 seconds at tonight’s Sparkassen Cup in front of a raucous packed house, clocking 8:27.93 in the process, the 25-year-old Ethiopian sounded almost apologetic after her performance on the same track where she set the world record of 8:23.72 one year ago.
“I came here for the record,” she said, “and I’m a little disappointed. I’m in good shape, so I don’t know what happened. Maybe after the Boston race –it was very hard in Boston– I am a little bit tired.” A week ago at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, Defar chopped more than a dozen seconds from the previous world best over two miles, clocking 9:10.50.
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Michael Johnson: I Played No Part in Wariner’s Decision
World-record holder Michael Johnson says he played no role in Jeremy Wariner’s decision to split with long-time coach Clyde Hart. He also said that it won’t affect Wariner’s chances of winning the 400m gold medal in the Beijing Olympics.
Read more at: [Guardian Unlimited]
Defar To Try For 3000m WR in Stuttgart
Coming off a world-best in the unofficial 2-Mile Run in Boston, Meseret Defar is gunning for a world record in the 3000m at the Sparkassen Cup meet in Stuttgart this weekend. She holds the current record of 8:23.72. Her 2-Mile time of 9:10.50 in Boston was equivalent to a 8:29.8 in the 3000m.
Read more at: [IAAF]
IAAF Preview of 101st Millrose Games
The IAAF Valencia ‘08 site (the home of the 2008 Indoor Track & Field Championships) is featuring a preview of the 101st Millrose Games. The meet will be held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Read more at: [IAAF]
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Meseret Defar produced an impressive front-running victory in the 3000 while Edwin Soi became the first man to capture the 300/5000m double to highlight the second and concluding day of the 5th IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
After a slew of world records and bests, her first world title and an undefeated season, Defar raced as […]
The women’s 5000m was to be one of the highlights of the 5th IAAF World Athletics Final. Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar, the world record holder (14:16.63), was in the race, as was Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot. Defar had an audacious sprint at the gun, opening up a 10m lead after just 200m. She then settled down, allowing […]
With Meseret Defar of Ethiopia withdrawing from the race, having decided to hang up her spikes after an outstanding world-record-setting season, it was a six-woman 5000m race at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany. Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, second fastest of all time with a 14:22.51 run in Oslo this past June, was the […]
World Athletics Final Middle- and Long-Distance Preview
In the latest WAF preview there are speculations about who will run the middle- and long-distance events this late in the season and why they will do it. Runners to watch (men): Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (800m), Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (1500m), Craig Mottram (3000m), Paul Kipsiele Koech (3000m SC), Sileshi Sihine […]
Sanya Richards and Yelena Isinbayeva each won a $500,000 share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot after their respective victories at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin today, the final meet of the six-meet Golden League series.
In front of a near-capacity crowd of 70,000 –the third consecutive announced Golden League sell-out – Richards yet again crushed […]
In a stunning display of powerful solo running, Meseret Defar crushed her own world best in the 2 miles to highlight the 31st edition of the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels tonight.
Defar, the reigning world and Olympic champion in the 5000m, broke from Kenyan Priscah Jepleting with three laps to go to cross the line […]
Ethiopian Meseret Defar, current Olympic and World Champion in the women’s 5000m Run, obliterated her world record in the 2-Mile Run at the Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels, Belgium. She ran 8:58.58, besting her previous world record of 9:10.47 by a whopping 11.89 seconds. Her mile splits were 4:33.07 and 4:25.51. Priscah Ngetich […]
Live Video Broadcast of IAAF Golden League Memorial Van Damme
Sportnet will host a live video broadcast the IAAF Golden League Memorial Van Damme meet. Live coverage runs from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM (ET). For more information and to view the broadcast: [Sportnet]
Event-By-Event Breakdown of Brussels Meet
Runnersweb.com has a detailed breakdown of every event […]
Kenenisa Bekele’s assault on his own 10,000m world record is set to take center stage when the Golden League series resumes at the 31st edition of the Memorial Van Damme in the Belgian capital on Friday night.
At this competition two years ago, Bekele lowered his own record in the event to 26:17.53. Then, he was […]
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 […]
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