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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Planning Ahead, Utrecht Hopes for 10,000m World Record in 2009

Posted April 15th, 2008 at 11:17 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

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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TFS News Briefs: 4/07/08

Posted April 7th, 2008 at 4:37 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, TFS News Briefs

Ethiopian Wins Carlsbad 5000
Terefe Maregu Zewdie of Ethiopia did what Alan Webb was hoping to do. He outkicked everyone to win the 2008 Carlsbad 5000. His winning time was a slow 13:34, one second ahead of Mo Farah. Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot won the women’s race in 15:14.
Read more at: [IHT]

Webb DNFs at Carlsbad Debut
Already hurting just 800m into the race at the 2008 Carlsbad 5000, Alan Webb walked off the course at 2 1/2 for his second straight DNF. These recent performances may have been caused by his more-intense training regimen in 2008. “I’m always trying to push deeper and go harder and get better. I might have dug myself a little hole I’ve got to slowly get out of,” said Webb.
Read more at: [San Diego Union Tribune]

800m Olympic Gold Medalist Critiques Kenyan Selection Process
Paul Ereng, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s 800m and now head cross-country coach at UTEP, offers his critique of the Kenyan teem selection process. He has some harsh words for Athletics Kenya, writing that “either [Athletics Kenya] does not understand the facts about training adaptation or they just want to harvest from where they did not sow.”
Read more at: [AllAfrica.com][UTEP]
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TFS News Briefs: 3/24/08

Posted March 24th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

Kenyan Athletes To Restore Country’s Tarnished Image?
Athletes on the world stage, like it or not, are often ambassadors for their nations. It looks like it’s up to the diminutive distance runners of Kenya this time. An article om allafrica.com states that Joseph Ebuya and crew have the “extra burden of restoring the country’s soiled image” at the upcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Read more at: [All Africa]

Speaking of Great Kenyan Runners…
Is Margaret Wangari, who made her first Kenyan world cross-country team last week ahead of even the great Vivian Cheruiyot, the next Kenyan world beater? She certainly seems to have the right attitude, saying that ” As part of the team, I expect to perform well” at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 30th.
Read more at: [Standard, Kenya]

IOC President: Olympic Marathon Bigger Than Haile
IOC President Jacques Rogge was doing some major PR today for the Olympic movement, saying not only that “the Games are far stronger than the individual” (translation: Haile Gebrselassie’s withdrawal doesn’t diminish the Beijing Olympic Marathon. Yeah, right!), but that awarding the 2008 Games to China was a good idea in the first place.
Read more at: [Canadian Press][Reuters]
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IAAF World Athletics Final: Women’s 3000m

Posted September 23rd, 2007 at 10:12 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

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 Cheruiyot to catch up.

Defar passed the 1000m mark in 2:51.49, a whopping 6.5 seconds faster than the 1st 1000m of the men’s 5000m race earlier.
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IAAF World Athletics Final: Women’s 5000m

Posted September 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

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 clear favorite.

Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (KEN) led at 1000m with a time of 3:00.66, a 15:03.30 pace. Cheruiyot then took over, running through 2000m in 6:02.70 (1000m split: 3:02.04). Masai took the lead back at 3000m passed in 9:05.69 (1000m split: 3:02.99). They were now on pace for a 15:09.48.
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Richards, Isinbayeva Split $1 Million Jackpot as Golden League Series Concludes

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 8:32 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

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 all opposition en route to a 49.27 dash, another world-leading performance for the 22-year-old American.

“Nobody knows how hard this year has been for me,” said Richards, who after early-season illness, finished fourth at the U.S. championships in June and missed a spot on the world championships squad. “I feel much stronger now than I did two months ago.”

It was the second perfect six-for-six Golden League campaign for Richards, who last year took a smaller share of the prize pot. But for Isinbayeva, the world record holder in the pole vault and one of the sport’s biggest stars, it was the first time her event was given GL status, and she took full advantage over the three month campaign to share half of the sport’s biggest prize. Next up for the 25-year-old Russian, she said, was an assault on her own 5.02m world record which has stood for more than two years.
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Bekele’s 10,000m W.R. Assault Tops the Bill in Brussels

Posted September 13th, 2007 at 3:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

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 paced by his brother Tariku, who took him through the first half in just over 13:09, before he eventually lowered the mark with a 57-second closing lap.

“A record is not easy every time,” said Bekele, who’ll be making his first start since winning his third consecutive world title over the distance late last month. “You can have it if you work hard, and if the conditions are right, but it’s not easy.”
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Plodding Pace Helps Defar to 5000m Gold

Posted September 1st, 2007 at 1:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Meseret Defar, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record holder at 5000m, claimed her first outdoor world title on the pentultimate day of the 11th IAAF World Championships at Nagai Stadium.

Helped by a plodding pace set by fan favorite Kayoko Fukushi, who was doubling back from the 10,000m, Defar did little but wait for 11 of the 12 and one-half laps. In the early going, she simply trailed a step behind Fukushi who was turning gentle 74 and 75 second laps. It wasn’t until the 11th lap that Vivian Cheruiyot tried to jump start the race with a sub-72 circuit. At the bell, Defar applied the pressure, but held her big sprint for the end.

“In the last 400 meters I increased the length of my stride,” said Defar after the race as if teaching a class. “And in the last 200 meters I used my sprint to win.”

Elementary, my dear Watson! Her 58.6 second final lap gave her a more than adequate cushion at the finish, grabbing the gold medal in 14:57.91, Ethiopia’s third of these championships.
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USA sweeps 4×100 relays, Walker takes first U.S. gold in pole vault

Posted September 1st, 2007 at 12:10 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Team USA swept the men’s and women’s 4×100m relays for the first time in 20 years, and Brad Walker won Team USA’s first-ever men’s pole vault gold Saturday night at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Nagai Stadium.

With one day of competition and six final events remaining, Team USA remains atop the medal tables with 22 medals, including 11 gold.

The men’s 4×100m victory made Tyson Gay the third man in World Championships history to win three gold medals at a single championship, but that feat was by no means assured heading into the relay.
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Meseret Defar Wins Women’s 5000m Gold; Rhines Bests Flanagan

Posted September 1st, 2007 at 7:45 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Live Race Coverage

The Women’s 5000m final of the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics from Osaka, Japan was certain to be a showcase for world record holder Meseret Defar who, with a PB of 14:16.63, was 8.05 seconds faster than any other woman coming into the race.

Kayoko Fukushi, a sub 15 minute 5000m runner from Japan, took the race from the gun with a first 1000m time of 2:59.22, a sub 15 minute pace. Defar and the Kenyan team were right behind her.

The field went through the 2000m mark in 6:04.69 with Fukushi still in the lead, having taken the field through the 2nd 1000m in 3:05.47, now outside a 15 minute pace.

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