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Lead Stories: Friday, November 21, 2008

On Eve of Title Defense, Kiplagat in “Right Mood”

Posted October 13th, 2007 at 4:45 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results

lornah kiplagat winning 2007 nyrr new york women's mini 10k When she sets out to defend her World Road Running title on Sunday, Lornah Kiplagat will be also be aiming to join some fine company.

Counting the now discontinued World Half Marathon Championships, only Kenyan Tegla Loroupe and Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, both three-time winners, have managed to defend their road running titles. And the Kenyan-born Dutchwoman, all around one of the finest road runners ever, is optimistic about joining that illustrious pair.

“Everything is going normally and everything is going well,” said Kiplagat, who last year lowered the world record in the 20km to 1:03:21 with her victory in the first edition of the reconstituted championships in Debrecen, Hungary. “I’m in the right mood going into the race. I’ve spent the last week in Italy, so it could be a good result.”

Kiplagat followed up with an overwhelming victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa last March, and is now on the rebound from a minor calf injury that sidelined her from the World Championships on the track in Osaka in August.
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IAAF issues statement on betting

Posted April 1st, 2007 at 1:36 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: News & Results

The IAAF Council, meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, after the World Cross Country Championships, resolved that:

All members of the IAAF Family including, but not limited to, officials, athletes, athlete representatives, managers, coaches, meeting organizers and trainers, should be forbidden from taking part, either directly or indirectly, in betting, gambling and similar events or transactions connected with athlete competitions under the rules of the IAAF or its Members.
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Daegu, Moscow to host 2011, 2013 IAAF World Champs

Posted March 27th, 2007 at 12:22 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

Daegu, South Korea, and Moscow were selected to host the 2011 and 2013 editions of the World Athletics Championships, the IAAF announced on the final day of the IAAF Council Meeting in Mombasa, Kenya.

The bids by South Korea’s third largest city and the Russian capital beat back the bids presented by Brisbane, Australia, and Barcelona, Spain.

Kim Bum-Il, the Mayor of Daegu who served as the Marketing Director for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, said the biggest challenge facing his city will also be their primary goal, which is to create “a new athletics culture in the emerging countries.”
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Bekele: World Cross Demise Due to Mombasa Conditions

Posted March 25th, 2007 at 5:22 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

kenenisa-bekele-2007-world-cross-country-championship-kenya-the-final-sprint.jpg A day after his shock defeat at the World Cross Country Championships here, five-time defending champion Kenenisa Bekele blamed his withdrawal from the race’s waning stages on by the harsh conditions runners faced on the course at this Kenyan seaside resort city near the equator.

The 24-year-old Kenyan appeared on the verge of his record sixth straight title before he succumbed to the conditions, eventually dropping out midway through the final two kilometer lap.

After experiencing some stomach problems mid-race, Bekele said:

“Suddenly I felt that my coordination was not good and that my mind was dizzy. I even started to doubt about how many laps I still had to run.”

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Even for Bekele, Mombasa’s heat and humidity to be primary challenge at World Cross Country Championships

Posted March 23rd, 2007 at 6:13 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

When it comes to cross country running, Kenenisa Bekele is no stranger to making history. Since his first long and short race double victory in 2002 –the first ever double of its kind– to his fifth consecutive double win last year in Fukuoka, the 24-year-old Ethiopian has, like clockwork, added chapter upon chapter to his cross country legacy.

When he toes the line Saturday afternoon on the Mombasa Golf Course, a long stone’s throw from gentle waves of the Indian Ocean, he will again be chasing history. Few doubt that he’ll fail to succeed.
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Bekele to run World Cross Champs after all

Posted March 7th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenenisa Bekele will have an opportunity to win his 11th individual senior title at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, on March 25, the IAAF reported today. Bekele, who had previously said many times that he would not contest these championships, has been added to the Ethiopian team, along with Gelete Burka on the women’s squad.

Bekele’s addition to the team lifts the fortunes of the Ethiopian squad to take back the team long-course gold they had won in 2005 in St. Galmier, France.
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Kenya reassures IAAF on World XC security

Posted March 6th, 2007 at 1:08 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Responding to a statement issued by U.S. officials on Monday, the Kenyan government today reassured the IAAF that a “specific security plan” is already in place for the upcoming World Cross Country Championships taking place in Mombasa, on March 24.

On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in the Kenyan capital Nairobi warned of a possible “unspecified terrorist attack” from “alleged extremist elements” at the upcoming world championships, but gave no further details.

Today, the Kenyan Government told the IAAF, the sport’s international governing body, that security measures:

“Involving all branches of the country’s military and police authorities, is already in place to protect all athletes and participants during their stay in Kenya.”

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EAF hopeful on Bekele’s participation at World Cross

Posted February 28th, 2007 at 12:45 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) is hopeful that five-time double world cross country champion Kenenisa Bekele will overturn his “retirement” decision and compete in the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombassa, Kenya, on March 24.

After winning the fifth and last world cross double in last year’s edition in Fukuoka, Japan, Bekele had flatly stated more than once that he would not return to the annual championships.

But EAF Technical Director Dube Jillo says he is hopeful that the 24-year old will overturn his decision and compete in Mombassa.