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Defar’s Distance Double Caps World Athletics Final in Stuttgart
Posted September 14th, 2008 at 7:55 PM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Bouncing back from personal disappointment at the Olympics Games, Meseret Defar capped her season with a double victory to highlight the second and final day of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on Sunday.
For the second straight day, Defar outkicked Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, this time in the 3000m, winning in 8:43.60 to win her fifth straight WAF title over the distance. Cheruiyot, who was fifth in the Olympic Games 5000 and beat Defar in the Brussels 5000 last weekend, led for much of the race until Defar kicked past her with 250 meters to go. Cheruiyot clocked 8:44:64.
In 2008, Defar, 24, last year’s IAAF Athlete of the Year, saw both her world record in the 5000 and her Olympic title in the event fall to her Ethiopian compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, who did not compete this weekend. This was the second season-capping double for Defar, who also won both events in 2005 in Monaco.
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In Cool and Wet Conditions, Tactical Races Rule Day One in Stuttgart
Posted September 13th, 2008 at 2:17 PM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Tactical victories by Meseret Defar and Bernard Lagat were the key performances on the middle & long distance program of the first day of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final on Saturday.
Defar bounced back from a pair of stinging defeats to take the 5000m in 14:53.82 to edge Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (14:54.60), to avenge her loss of a week ago in Brussels over the same distance. The Kenyan led much of the race before Defar took over with just over 200m to go, covering the final lap in 58.7. Defar, who this event in 2005, will come back on Sunday and line up in the 3000.
Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia, the World Indoor 3000m silver medalist third in 14:58.76.
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World Athletics Final Preview: Sprints
Posted September 11th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Rankings, World Standings
The fourth installment in our preview series for the IAAF’s season-ending championship looks at the sprinting events and how they will affect the final World Points Standings.
Mens’ 100 meters: Usain Bolt is done for the year, but has clinched the #1 ranking. Asafa Powell likewise is locked in to #2 and if Walter Dix competes he will hold his #3 ranking.
Men’s 200 meters: Bolt is #1 here as well and will stay that way. Dix is all but assured of holding his #2 ranking, but Wallace Spearmon must run decently to hold off Brian Dzingai for third.
Men’s 400 meters: Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt enter the meet tied for first in this event, so naturally the winner will end up #1 for the season. Chris Brown will be third in the rankings regardless of what happens in the race.
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World Athletics Final Preview: Throwing Events
Posted September 10th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Rankings, World Standings
On Saturday and Sunday the IAAF World Athletics Final will be held in Stuttgart. Coverage will be live on both the new Universal Sports TV channel and its website, UniversalSports.com (formerly WCSN.com). The webcast will be free of charge.
The third in our preview series covers the throwing events. The IAAF’s preview ishas been posted, and here is how the World Athletics Final will affect our World Points Standings.
Men’s Shot Put: This one will go down to the wire. Olympic champ Tomas Majewski, World Indoor champ Christian Cantwell, and Olympic Trials champ Reese Hoffa are separated by just three points. The World Final will determine their season-ending rankings.
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World Athletics Final Preview: Hurdles
Posted September 9th, 2008 at 10:28 AM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Rankings, World Standings
Continuing where yesterday’s preview left off, we go on to the hurdles. The IAAF has posted its own hurdles preview, and here is how this weekend’s season-ending meet will affect our World Points Standings.
Men’s 110 Hurdles: The standings are extremely close, with Olympic champ and World Record holder Dayron Robles just five points ahead of David Oliver, and Oliver could concievably pass him for the top spot. But Robles would have to finish worse than second, which he has not done all year.
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World Athletics Final Preview: Jumps
Posted September 8th, 2008 at 1:02 PM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Rankings, World Standings
The IAAF’s tour-ending World Athletics Final will take place this Saturday and Sunday in Stuttgart. It is the second-most important competition of the year.
Coverage will be live on Universal Sports TV and UniversalSports.com from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday. The webcast will be free, but available only in the USA.
Today, a preview of the jumping events has been released. Here is a preview of how the meet will affect the World Points Standings in each jumping event…
Men’s High Jump: Russia’s Olympic champion, Andrey Silnov, has clinched first place in the standings. Stefan Holm (second) and Yaroslav Rybakov (third) are separated by just two points, and whoever places higher out of the two will claim the runner-up spot.
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U.S. stars invade Shanghai
Posted September 27th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Hariz Siddiqui
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Team USA standouts Tyson Gay, Sanya Richards, Jeremy Wariner, Michelle Perry, Allen Johnson and Lauryn Williams will lead an accomplished group of U.S. stars Friday at the 2007 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in China.
This third edition of the Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai has been designated as a qualifying event for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final 2008. Competing athletes at the meet will have the opportunity to get an early start on qualifying for next year’s final, to be held September 13-14.
Current world and U.S. men’s 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay will compete in the 100 meters in a field that includes fellow Americans JJ Johnson and Marcus Brunson. The men’s 110m hurdles also should prove interesting as four-time world champion Allen Johnson and 2007 World Outdoor Championships bronze medalist David Payne do battle with world record holder and reigning world and Olympic champion Liu Xiang, who will compete in front of an enthusiastic hometown audience.
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Brad Walker named USATF Athlete of the Week
Posted September 26th, 2007 at 5:59 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Brad Walker has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the men’s pole vault at the 2007 World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.
The reigning World Indoor and Outdoor champion, Walker won the men’s pole vault with his clearance of 5.91 meters/19 feet 5.75 inches, topping the rest of the field by 5 cm. Walker, who owns the top two clearances in the world so far this year, equalled the #3 performance with his winning effort at Stuttgart.
Now in its sixth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
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Americans take four wins at World Athletics Final
Posted September 22nd, 2007 at 4:45 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
World champions Michelle Perry and Reese Hoffa stayed true to form, while Walter Davis and LaShawn Merritt also picked up victories Saturday in the first day of competition at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.
Repeating their finishes from the World Championships in Osaka, Hoffa and Adam Nelson went 1-2 in the men’s shot put with throws of 20.98m/68-10 and 20.95m/68-8.75, respectively. Dan Taylor was fourth with 20.74m/68-0.5, Christian Cantwell fifth with 20.25m/66-5.25, and Garrett Johnson eighth with 19.26m/63-2.25.
Two-time world champion Michelle Perry won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.68 seconds, .02 ahead of Spain’s Josephine Onyia in second. American Lolo Jones, Sally McClellan of Australia and Susanna Kallur of Sweden - who had dominated Golden League competition since Osaka - all were disqualified in a second and third false start.
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3-Peat for Jamal Highlights First Day in Stuttgart
Posted September 22nd, 2007 at 3:32 PM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Yet another dominating display in the 1500m by Maryam Yusuf Jamal was the highlight of the first day of action at the 5th IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
Running in unseasonably warm and pleasant conditions, Jamal proved for the fourth consecutive race since taking the world title in Osaka late last month that at the moment, she is without peer in the metric mile. Biding her time behind early leader Viola Kibiwott, the 23-year-old old took control of the race with just over two laps to go before sprinting from the midway through the final bend en route to a sizable victory in 4: 01.23.
“I’m very satisfied,” said Jamal, after bringing her season to and end. “This year was really big for me. I plan to continue like this next year.”
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The Final Sprint
On March 15, 2010
SDrunner said:
Great review, I wrote one on the Ironman Road Trainer HRM, which is similar to this one, without the...