from:"R. Schmidt"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/4401611.stm

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled that hammer thrower
Adrian Annus and discus thrower Robert Fazekas must forfeit their the
Olympic gold medals.

The Hungarians were found guilty of doping offences in Athens and
banned for two years by their own federation.

CAS upheld the International Olympic Committee's decision to strip the
duo of their medals.

Fazekas refused to provide a complete post-event sample, while Annus's
samples indicated possible tampering.


ENDS

t-and-f: Spearmon named world athlete by Track and Field

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2027983

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas sprinter Wallace Spearmon Jr., who broke a
U.S. record and won an NCAA title last season, was named the world's
indoor track athlete of the year by Track and Field News, the
university announced Friday.

The latest issue also named the two-time national champion the U.S.
and Collegiate Male Athlete of the Year.

For the honors, Spearmon beat out 400-meter world-record holder and
Florida sprinter Kerron Clement, former East Carolina star LeShawn
Merritt and Russian high jumper Yaroslav Rybakov. But one would never
know the Fayetteville native was voted to be the best athlete on the
planet by his humble attitude.

I guess it is a great honor, said Spearmon, who will begin competing
in the outdoor campaign at the Texas Relays in Austin on April 7-9.
This year I had a great season record-wise. It was great to reminisce
on that. But I am not the only one stepping up.

Spearmon, a sophomore, became the first University of Arkansas athlete
to win the national indoor 200-meter title as he set the American
record twice in one night at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field
Championships. Only Namibia's Frankie Fredericks, who holds the world
record at 19.92, has posted a faster time.

Spearmon finished in 20.21 in the preliminaries before cruising to a
record time of 20.10, less than 90 minutes later. Spearmon also won
the 200-meter Southeastern Conference crown in a meet record time of
20.35. Both of his first-place finishes helped Arkansas earn its 40th
NCAA title and 75th conference championship. Spearmon never lost
during the season and in the process had world-leading times in his
six victories.

He put together a string for great times, Arkansas coach John
McDonnell said. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. He is talented,
which goes without saying. He is also a fierce competitor. When you
get combination like that you have a great athlete.

But Spearmon began to make his name last year when he won the
200-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Now, the 6-3,
175-pound sinewy star is blowing past older competitors.

He made such a big impact as a freshman, McDonnell said. He is
everyone's hero on the team. You wouldn't think he was a freshman.

Spearmon has relied on good genes and a strong work ethic, McDonnell
said, to get where he is. His father, Wallace Sr., was a two-time
All-American sprinter for Arkansas in the early 1980s. The younger
Spearmon, however, did not concentrate his attention on track until he
got to Arkansas. He was a three-sport star at Fayetteville High School
and played football and basketball.

McDonnell recalls seeing him perform well in the long jump moments
after coming out of basketball practice.

I knew this kid was an athlete, and you can do a lot with athletes,
McDonnell said.

Spearmon said it has been difficult to devote all his time to track
when he watches his friends play on the hardwood or gridiron.

It's hard to be able to focus on one sport, he said. I miss playing
football and basketball. But I am focusing on track. Right now I am
satisfied.

And McDonnell said he has the right to be.

If he stays healthy, I think Wallace can be real outstanding, he
said. To be the American record holder in the 200 meters with all the
great sprinters, it is amazing.


ENDS

t-and-f: Court toes Rogge's tough line

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1450694,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Saturday April 2, 2005
The Guardian

Nearly eight months after the Olympic games in Athens the fall-out
from the various drugs cases that blighted the event continue to
rumble on.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne yesterday upheld the
decision of the International Olympic Committee to strip the
Hungarians Robert Fazekas and Adrian Annus of the gold medals they won
in Athens. It followed a threat earlier in the day from Jacques Rogge
that the IOC would conduct its own investigation if the disgraced
Greek sprinters Kostas Kederis and Ekaterina Thanou tried to compete
in the 2008 games.

Fazekas and Annus were stripped of the Olympic titles they won in the
discus and hammer after they were found guilty of trying to evade
drugs tests afterwards. They had appealed to the CAS for the return of
the medals but the international court backed the IOC decision.

The IOC welcomes today's decision which is a clear backing to
President Rogge's zero-tolerance policy in the fight against doping
and emphasises that any violation of the IOC anti-doping rules and
procedures can result in an athlete being excluded from the Olympic
games, said Giselle Davies, the IOC spokeswoman. This is in fact the
first time in Olympic history that athletes have been excluded for
refusals to provide samples.

Rogge's zero tolerance is also set to extend to Kederis and Thanou,
who were cleared by the Greek federation last month of all charges
related to missing three doping tests. It is expected that the
International Association of Athletics Federations will refer the
matter to the CAS.


ENDS

t-and-f: IAAF appeal over Greek sprinters

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/sport.html?in_article_id=343413in_page_id=1771in_a_source=

22:22pm 1st April 2005 The IAAF have appealed against the decision to
clear Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou of doping
violations.

Kenteris and Thanou were last month excused by the Greek Athletics
Federation after missing a series of dope tests, although their former
coach Christos Tzekos was suspended for four years.

But the IAAF have referred the case to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport, describing the decision to exonerate the pair as erroneous.

Both athletes will be suspended, pending the outcome of the CAS decision.

Kenteris, gold medallist in the 200metres at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
and Thanou, silver medallist in the 100m, were accused by the IAAF of
failing to submit to drug tests on the eve of last year's Games in
Athens.

They had also been charged with missing other tests last year, in Tel
Aviv in July and Chicago in August.

They subsequently pulled out of the 2004 Olympics, in which both
expected to be medal winners.

However, the Greek Athletics Federation concluded that Kenteris and
Thanou were not to blame for missing the August 12 drug test in
Athens, as Tzekos had failed to inform them that they were being
sought by IOC officials.


ENDS

t-and-f: Carroll rubbishes US switch talk

2005-04-03 Thread R. Schmidt

Irish athlete Mark Carroll has rubbished reports that he could switch
allegiance to the United States.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4403355.stm

Carroll is among a number of high-profile athletes who have been
controversially dropped from the Irish Sports Council's grants scheme.

However, the Corkman has reversed his decision not to compete in
another championship on the track.

The plan is to represent Ireland in the 10,000m at this year's World
Championships, Carroll told BBC Sport.

Running for Ireland means a lot more to me than 11,000 Euro.

I had a very good offer on the table in 1998 to run for the US and I
was more of less told that if I became a US citizen that I would get a
substantial contract.

But I turned it down then and I have no intention of running for the US.

Like a lot of people, I'm angry about the grants situation but I'm
not so angry that I'm going to run for another country.

It appears to me that if you are not viewed as a candidate to win an
Olympic medal, that you're going to get dropped (from the grants).

But I feel as a country, we're not really in a position where we can
expect a large haul of medals.

Despite the grants furore, Carroll is upbeat ahead of his outing in
the BUPA road race in Dublin next Saturday.

The Florida-based athlete has abandoned plans to run a marathon this
spring and after the Dublin race plans to run a 10,000m on the track
at Stanford in California on 1 May before competing in the BUPA event
in Edinburgh a week later.

I've had a pelvic problem for a couple of years but I got the problem
diagnosed by a top specialist in Germany and I'm now having regular
treatment and I'm getting stronger and stronger.

Carroll believes he is capable of knocking around 25 seconds off his
current Irish 10,000 record (27:46.82) this year and his target for
5000m is to run around 13:10.

After hopefully competing in the World Championships in Helsinki, the
Corkman plans to run a marathon either in the autumn or next spring
and the success of the treatment has convinced him that he can make an
impact over the 26 mile distance.

I don't want to get to 16 or 18 miles and the pelvis starts to
tighten up and my hip starts tightening up and I have to pull out.

Carroll acknowledges that medals on the track are probably out of
reach and his aim now is to get the most out of the sport for myself
that I can.

If John Treacy or whoever is expecting me to come back from Helsinki
with a medal then we're not on the same page.

I'm realistic about the guys that are out there. There's some
fabulous talent. There are younger men, there are better men and there
are men who are taking drugs.

It's unlikely that that I will win a medal. My goals are to break the
Irish record for 10,000m and to break it well and to put it in line
with my 3K (7:30.36) and 5K (13:03.93) national records.

I've run some good times in my career but to be almost considered
that I've failed and that people in authority seem to allude to that,
really, really bothers me.


ENDS

t-and-f: Dibaba ties world road record at Carlsbad 5000

2005-04-03 Thread R. Schmidt

Associated Press

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Results Sunday from the Carlsbad 5000: ^Men=

1, Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopia, 13 minutes, 10 seconds.

2, Craig Mottram, Australia, 13:20.

3, Shadrack Kosgei, Kenya, 13:24.

4, Sammy Kipketer, Kenya, 13:34.

5, Boaz Cheboiyo, Kenya, 13:34.

6, Meshack Sang, Kenya, 13:42.

7, Dathan Ritzenhein, Boulder, Colo., 13:48.

8, Luke Kipkosgei, Kenya, 13:54.

9, Mohamed Awol, Ethiopia, 14:16.

10, Jason Hubbard, Alamosa, Colo., 14:27. ^Women=

1, Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia, 14:51.

2, Isabella Ochichi, Kenya, 14:55.

3, Meselech Melkamu, Ethiopia, 15:16.

4, Kim Smith, New Zealand, 15:30.

5, Madai Perez, Mexico, 15:50.

6, Haley McGregor, Australia, 16:17.

7, Erika Aklufi, Los Angeles, Calif., 16:26.

8, Carrie Messner, Aspen, Colo., 16:36.

9, Eloise Wellings, New Zealand, 16:41.

10, Sarah Bouchard, Great Britain, 16:53.

t-and-f: Gebrselassie out of London race

2005-04-05 Thread R. Schmidt

Ethiopians Haile Gebrselassie and Gezahegne Abera have withdrawn from
the London Marathon because of injury.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4375405.stm

Double Olympic champion Gebreselassie has only just returned to
training after tendonitis in his left Achilles tendon and has opted
not to take part.

Olympic and world champion Abera has failed to make a recovery after
undergoing tendon surgery last autumn.

I am really sorry to take this decision but I hope to come back again
in 2006, said Gebrselassie.

Abera was also disappointed to pull out of the race but he admitted
his fitness was a concern.

After not being able to defend my Olympic title, I was looking
forward to London as the next best thing, he said.

Although I have been training well, I am not at the level it takes to
compete in London.

Gebrselassie made his Marathon debut in London in 2002 while Abera
triumphed in 2003, edging out Italian Stefano Baldini in a thrilling
finish.


ENDS

t-and-f: Mayock expects Carroll to figure

2005-04-06 Thread R. Schmidt

John Mayock is expecting Mark Carroll to run well on home soil in
Saturday's Great BUPA Ireland Run in Dublin.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4417083.stm

The British veteran agrees that Australia's Craig Mottram will go in
as favourite but he expects US-based Carroll to be in contention.

I don't think Mark's flying in from Boston just to re-acquaint
himself with Ireland, said Mayock.

The Briton is himself hoping to make an impact in the race after
missing the 2004 event because of illness.

Last year Mayock expected to challenge in the 10km race in Phoenix
Park but was struck down by a mysterious bug on arrival at the meeting
hotel.

I still felt I could run but when I woke up on race day I felt even
worse than the night before, said Mayock.

Having won the European Indoor Championships 3,000m silver medal last
month, the Yorkshire-born star believes he can also run well over the
longer distance.

Craig Mottram, given he is an experienced 10,000m runner, must start
favourite, he said of the Australian winner of the race for the last
two years.

But you never know what might happen on the day. Certainly I'll be
going all out to challenge him despite his excellent run in the USA
last Sunday.

Against world class opposition, Mottram finished second in the
Carlsbad 5K road race in California behind Dejene Berhanu, the
Ethiopian winner of last autumn's BUPA Great North Run.

Carroll finished well adrift of Mayock and Irish winner Alistair Cragg
in the European Indoor 3,000m final, but it has since been revealed
that the Corkman was running with a cracked rib picked up in a
training fall on the day of the race.

Mark will be determined to put on a top showing in what I've been
told will be his first-ever road race in Dublin and I know first hand
he is in good shape, added Mayock.

Carroll will arrive in the Irish capital on Thursday, 24 hours later
than when expected after his original flight from Boston was
cancelled.


ENDS

t-and-f: Kipketer to quit after Europeans

2005-04-08 Thread R. Schmidt

Middle-distance legend Wilson Kipketer will retire from athletics
after the 2006 European Championships in Sweden.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4424481.stm

The 32-year-old, who switched nationality from Kenya to Denmark, won
world titles in 1995, 1997 and 1999.

But he is best known for bettering Briton Sebastian Coe's 800m world
mark and still holds the record of one minute 41.11 seconds set in
1997.

Kipketer was European champion in 2002 and won Olympic silver in 2000,
as well as a bronze medal at the 2004 Games.


ENDS

t-and-f: Armed thieves attempt to steal Kemboi's gold medal

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2030949

Reuters Internet Delivery System

NAIROBI, April 6 - Armed thieves burst into Olympic 3,000 metres
steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi's home on Monday and attempted to
steal his gold medal.

Kemboi, who was not at home at the time, said the intruders ordered
his wife to hand over the medal and other valuables.

They kept asking my wife where it was, but luckily I have deposited
it in a bank vault for safe keeping, he told Reuters by telephone on
Wednesday.

The intruders made off with money and a camera but their attempt to
flee in Kemboi's car failed after it stalled in the driveway. Two
suspects were arrested on Tuesday.


ENDS

t-and-f: IAAF: World record holder Kipketer to retire after title defence

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29071.html

Saturday 9 April 2005

Denmark's Wilson Kipketer, the World record holder both indoors and
out for the men's 800m has decided to retire after he has attempted to
defend his European title in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2006.

It was in Gothenburg that I won my first World Championships in
1995,'' PA International reported that Kipketer had told TV2. So I
want to finish my career there where it all began in earnest.

At this moment in time he won't be running at the World
Championships, confirmed Lars Nielsen, who trains the Danish
athletics team. He has been in Kenya for some time and he doesn't
feel he's in the form he should be in. His ambitions are also not as
great as they used to be, Nielsen added.

Kipketer, 34, who won three World championship outdoor titles for the
two laps, feats which were sandwiched between the Olympics of Altanta
and Sydney, is one of the greatest ever runners at 800m.

Due to his transfer of nationality from Kenya he was barred under IOC
rules from competing in the 1996 Olympics, and so as the reigning
World champion at the time had to watch as Norway's Vebjorn Rodal took
the laurels in Atlanta.

Immediately, the next winter Kipketer put in a stunning performance at
the 1997 World Indoor Championships in Paris where he set a World
indoor record in his heat (1:43.96), took the semi-final a day later
in more modest fashion (1:48.49), and 24 hours later demolished the
World indoor record further with a 1:42.67 clocking taking gold.

That summer Kipketer was to make the first of two successful defences
of his outdoor World crown but with due deference to fine wins in
Athens (1:43.38 - 1997) and Seville (1:43.30 - 1999), the greatest
moments of his career were to come in that summer of 1997, firstly in
Zurich when he improved Sebastian Coe's World record which had stood
since 1981 (1:41.73) to 1:41.24. Then eleven days later in Cologne he
took the mark down a further notch to 1:41.11 (24 August, 1997).

Kipketer last set a World record in 2000 when running to the World
Indoor mark for 1000m (2:14.96), and it was to be that summer that he
would get the first of two Olympic medals (silver), while in Athens
last year he took bronze.

Having suffered from a serious bout of malaria in the off-season after
his illustrious 1997 campaign, Kipketer was a shadow of himself at the
European championships of 1998 finishing an exhausted eighth, and he
had not quite recovered enough by the winter of 1999, just failing to
retain his World Indoor title in Maebashi, Japan by 0.02.

2002 finally brought him the continental title which he won in Munich,
the following summer he was agonizingly fourth in the World
Championships in Paris.

Chris Turner and PA International for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Kenya Vs Tanzania - Stramilano Half Marathon PREVIEW

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29070.html

Friday 8 April 2005

Milan is set to celebrate the 34th edition of its famous Stramilano
half marathon race on Sunday 10 April, a race which will feature a
fierce battle between Tanzania and Kenya.

This popular Italian race was highlighted in the past by marathon
World record holder Paul Tergat who began his legendary road racing
career with six consecutive wins in Milan between 1994 and 1999 and a
famous World record of 59:17 set in 1998.

The Italian record was also set at the Stramilano by Rachid Berradi,
an Italian of Moroccan origin, who won surprisingly in the northern
Italian city in 1:00:20 in 2002 beating John Yuda, Marco Mazza and
Charles Kamathi.

The 2005 Stramilano race on the flat Milan course promises to live up
to its reputation as one of the fastest in the world. The course from
Piazza Castello to the Arena Civica Stadium has been made faster than
last year by eliminating a tough section which slowed the final time
last year. This indicates that a final time under the 1-hour barrier
is within reach of the top runners on Sunday morning.

The young Kenyan Robert Kipchumba, World junior champion in the 10,000
metres in Santiago de Chile, winner of the junior World cross country
race in 2000 and a 27:25.55 performer in Brussels 2001, returns to
Milan to defend his 2004 Stramilano title which he clinched in
1:00:21.

Kenya also sets its hopes on the in-form Wilson Kebenei Kiprotich who
has recently finished third in an outstanding 59:27 on a downhill
course at the Lisbon Half Marathon on 13 March in the race won by Paul
Tergat in 59:10. Kiprotich ran 1:00:29 to finish third at last year's
Stramilano.

Not to be written off are other Kenyans in the field like Enock Mitei,
who finished fourth at last year's Stramilano in 1:00:32, and Solomon
Bushendish, a former 10,000 metres World junior bronze medallist in
Kingston 2002 and a 1:00:42 performer over the half-marathon in Berlin
in 2004.
 
Joseph leads strong Tanzanian squad

The 20-year-old Fabiano Joseph, two-time silver medallist at the IAAF
World Half Marathon Championships in Villamoura 2003 and New Dehli
2004, leads a strong Tanzanian contingent which also includes the 2003
Stramilano winner John Yuda and the 2003 World Half Marathon bronze
medallist Martin Sulle.

Joseph, who also ran a PB of 27:32.63 in the 10,000 metres in Brussels
in 2003 and finished runner-up behind Uganda's Boniface Kiprop at last
summer's IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, competes for the
third consecutive year in Milan where he finished fourth in 2003 and
sixth in 2004.

Sulle finished third in 2003 and second last year in his PB of 1:00:29.

Yuda, a two-time World Half Marathon bronze medallist in 2001 and 2002
and World cross country silver medallist in 2002, returns to the Milan
race after his first attempt over the marathon distance in London
where he finished ninth in 2:10:13.

Morocco's Salah Hissou, World 5000 metres champion in Seville 1999 and
a former 10,000 metres World record holder with 26:38.08 set at the
Brussels Memorial Van Damme in 1996 will test his road racing
ambitions in Milan.

The two-time Italian cross country champion Giuliano Battocletti, who
holds a PB in the half marathon of 1:00:47 set in Udine in 2002 (the
third Italian fastest time in history) and finished third in the 2001
Stramilano, carries the best Italian hopes. The former 10,000 metres
and cross country European junior champion Vasyl Matvichuk completes
the line-up.

Also a women's race

For the second consecutive year the Stramilano will also feature the
women's race. Hungary's Aniko Kalovics, the European cross country
bronze medallist in 2003 in Edinburgh behind Paula Radcliffe and Elvan
Abeylegesse, starts as the favourite against the Italian marathon
specialist Tiziana Alagia, who returns to competition after her
encouraging second place at the Rome Marathon on 13 March in 2:31:46.

Kalovics will compete for the second time in 2005 over the half
marathon distance after finishing third in The Hague on 19 March in
1:11:08.

Italy is also represented by cross country and road race specialist
Vincenza Sicari (PB 1:13:42), who was the best Italian in the long
course in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in
St-Etienne/St-Galmier, and by Silvia Sommaggio (PB 1:12:14).

Sicari starts as the favourite for the Italian half marathon army
championships which are incorporated in the 2005 Stramilano.

Until 2003 the Stramilano Half Marathon was scheduled on Saturday, the
day before the non-competitive race. Last year the Milan organizers
decided to rejoin the top runners race with the mass race in one day.

The 50,000 amateurs will start at 9.00 on Sunday morning from Piazza
del Duomo and will run 15km across the centre of Milan to finish in
the Arena Civica stadium named after the late Milan sports writer
Gianni Brera. The elite runners will start at 11.15 from Piazza
Castello where the Castello Sforzesco and will

t-and-f: IAAF considers rules on false starts, nationality switches

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2032708

Associated Press

LONDON -- Track and field's governing body is considering changing the
contentious false-start rule and making it tougher for athletes to
switch nationalities.

The International Association of Athletics Federations will debate the
two high-profile issues this weekend at a meeting in Doha, Qatar. The
IAAF Council then will recommend any changes to the full IAAF
Congress, which meets in August just before the world championships in
Helsinki, Finland.

Consensus might be tough to find on a proposed no false-start rule,
where a runner jumping the gun would be immediately disqualified.

Under the current rule that went into effect two years ago, the first
false start is charged to all runners in the field -- no matter the
offender. After that, any runner who jumps the gun is disqualified.

The rule created chaos at the world championships two years ago in
Paris. After being called for a false start and disqualified, American
Jon Drummond flopped on his back in his lane, folded his arms across
his chest, and refused for five minutes to leave the track.

The IAAF implemented the rule to cut down on the number of false
starts. Under the previous rule, each runner was allowed one false
start and disqualified for a second.

In a poll on the IAAF Web site, almost 80 percent of 1,351 respondents
were against a no false-start rule. Former world 200-meter champion
Frank Fredericks, a member of the IAAF athletes commission, conducted
a survey of top sprinters. He found opinion divided with 26 opposed to
a no false-start rule and 18 in favor.

It is hard to imagine ever finding unanimous agreement whether we
revert back to the previous rule, or stay with the present version, or
undertake new proposals, IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said.

On the other key issue, the IAAF is expected to make it harder for
athletes to switch nationalities.

The subject provokes many questions, Gyulai said. Should there be a
waiting period at all? The answer to which seems logically, yes.

Dozens of top athletes from Kenya have changed nationalities in recent
years, most seeking lucrative financial deals in the Gulf countries of
Qatar or Bahrain.

In the best-known case, former Kenyan runner Stephen Cherono switched
to Qatar and changed his name to Saif Saaeed Shaheen. He won the
steeplechase gold medal for his new country at the 2003 world
championships in Paris.

The IAAF council is expected to consider a so-called transfer of
allegiance policy similar to one used by the International Olympic
Committee.

In most cases, athletes have to wait three years after new citizenship
is acquired before competing for their new country. The waiting period
would be reduced to two years if both national federations agreed. In
truly exceptional circumstances, the waiting period could be
eliminated.

From http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=512/newsId=29077.html

General Secretary's Report

45th IAAF Congress

The following deadlines were agreed regarding the 45th IAAF Congress
in Helsinki (2/4 August):

Rule Change Proposals with Council's recommendations will be sent to
Member Federations by 2 May 2005.

Submissions of Nomination for the Election of a third woman member of
IAAF Council must be received by 2 May 2005.

The Congress Agenda will be sent to Member Federations by 2 June 2005.
 

Video Distance Measurement

The IAAF's Partner Epson has developed a system to measure the Long
and Triple Jumps instantly, using video and new technology. Following
a presentation of the VDM (video distance measurement) at the European
Indoor Championships in Madrid last month, witnessed by eight Council
Members and five Members of the Technical Committee, it was confirmed
that the measurement accuracy of VDM was 100% accurate when compared
with the usual measurement made in competition. Council officially
approved the system and agreed to use this system at the World
Championships in Helsinki, in addition to the official measurement
provided by Seiko.

Advertising Regulations

It was agreed that, in a rapidly changing world in which there was
increasing competition from other sports for sponsorship, it was
important to constantly monitor and amend the IAAF Advertising
Regulations to ensure that they give IAAF Member Federations and
Meeting Organisers the best possible opportunities to compete in the
sponsor market place. At the end of a long process, a number of
proposals which had been prepared by the Circuits Working Group and
supported by the Competition Commission, were approved by Council.

Sponsor logos may now be displayed on video boards during competition
(max 5 seconds without sound).

Virtual advertising will be allowed

In-field boards may be used to promote the competition title both on
the home straight and outlining the safety line for the long throws.

National team clothing must be the same colour on both the front and back.

Landing Beds may now be used to

t-and-f: Texas' Hooker makes big early leap in outdoor season

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2033018

Associated Press

AUSTIN -- Texas' Marshevet Hooker made some big leaps into the new
outdoor track and field season.

The runner-up at the NCAA indoor championships last month, Hooker set
a Texas Relays record on Friday with a jump of 21 feet, 10 inches.

The winning mark came on her second jump on a clear, sunny day at one
of the first major outdoor meets in the country. She seemed ready to
go even farther if Texas coach Bev Kearney hadn't cut her off after
her third attempt, which was six inches shorter.

I had to beg her for the third jump, Hooker said. I felt like I was
on a roll. I feel like have a few more inches.

Hooker said Kearney told her to back off because she still has plenty
of work to do at this meet. On Saturday, she'll run the 100 meters and
the 400- and 800-meter relays.

The sophomore has been eyeing the NCAA outdoors long jump national
title since her second-place finish indoors last month.

When I left that meet, I knew it would carry over to outdoors, she said.

Hooker has emerged as a dominant force for the Longhorns in her second
season. She scored 26 points for Texas at the Big 12 indoors
championships, winning the long jump and finishing second in the 60
and 200 meters.

Already considered a top sprinter, she finished third in the
100-meters at the NCAA championships as a freshman, Hooker's future as
a long jumper is unlimited, Kearney said. She's already made great
strides over her 32nd place finish at the NCAA outdoors championships
here last year when she jumped 18-3 3/4.

She's trying to take that step up to be a national champion and an
international competitor, Kearney said.

Hooker's meet record leap Friday smashed the previous mark of 21-5
1/2, set in 1997 by Texas' Kim McGruder. The jump of 21-10 was also
the best women's collegiate outdoor mark of the young season. The
previous best of 21-6 1/4 was held by Tina Harris of LSU, who finished
second Friday. Her best jump was eight inches short of Hooker.

Hooker's mark was a quarter-inch off the Texas school record and was
the third best in the world this year. She said she's pushing to pass
22 feet but suggests she can go even farther.

I don't want to put a limit. I don't want to put a wall up there, she said.

Kearney said Hooker rarely missteps on her approach and is so
naturally gifted as a jumper that she doesn't let her practice more
than once a week.

I don't want her to over-think the event, Kearney said. You never
want to coach to the point you take the athlete out of them.

In the men's long jump, Arizona State's Trevell Quinley leaped 26-9
3/4, the best American mark of the year.

Florida's men posted the fastest college time this year in the 400
relay preliminaries, finishing in 39.1 seconds, nipping LSU's 39.25.

Sophomore Kerron Clement, who last month set the world record in the
indoor 400 meters in 44.57, ran the relay anchor leg for the Gators.

North Carolina's Vikas Gowda, who competed for India in the 2004
Olympics, won the men's discus with a throw of 202-2, beating
runner-up Sheldon Battle of Kansas by 14 feet.

Texas Tech won its fourth straight Texas Relays title in the men's
sprint medley relay as Johnathan Johnson turned in a 1:46.4 anchor leg
in the 800. Johnson has anchored all four of Tech's winning teams.

Arkansas won the 6,000 relay for the sixth straight with a time of 15:24.42.

The meet continues Saturday with finals in the sprint events.


ENDS

t-and-f: O'Sullivan loses out to Rudolph

Sonia O'Sullivan has been narrowly beaten by America's Amy Rudolph in
a tight finish to the BUPA Ireland Run.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4417083.stm

Rudolph pulled away from the Irish star in the final 100 metres of the
10k race in Dublin's Phoenix Park, setting a course best of 32 minutes
16 seconds.

O'Sullivan finished two seconds behind with Irish cross-country
champion Jolene Byrne third in 32mins 21secs.

Former Olympic 5,000 silver medallist O'Sullivan took part just eight
days before running in the London Marathon.

Not many runners preparing for a marathon can run as fast as that, she said.

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan's training partner Craig Mottram scored an easy
third successive win in the men's race.

Mottram won from Chris Davies in a time of 28:35, just nine seconds
shy of his course record.

Davies, back in serious action after falling off his bike and
sustaining what was thought at first to be broken back, showed good
form with a respectable time of 29:07.

There was a close battle for third place when Mark Miles surprised
John Mayock by out-sprinting the European indoor 3000m silver
medallist.


ENDS

t-and-f: Paris marathon leading results

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2033903

Reuters Internet Delivery System

PARIS, April 10 - Leading results in the Paris marathon on Sunday: 1.
Salim Kipsang (Kenya) two hours eight minutes four seconds 2. Paul
Biwott (Kenya) 2:08:18 3. Gashaw Melese (Ethiopia) 2:09:39 4. Peter
Chebet (Kenya) 2:11:47 5. Daniel Cheribo (Kenya) 2:13:58 6. Patrick
Tambwe (Congo) 2:16:21 7. Rodgers Rop (Kenya) 2:18:50 8. El Hassan
Lasshini (France) 2:21:53 9. Ambessa Tolosa (Ethiopia) 2:25:31 10.
Girma Tola (Ethiopia) 2:30:07

ENDS

t-and-f: Kiprotich in the world’s fastest time of 2005 takes Stramilano honours

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29086.html

Sunday 10 April 2005

Milan, Italy - Kenyan Wilson Kebenei Kiprotich won today's 34th
edition of the Stramilano Half Marathon in a new world seasonal best
of 1:00:11**. The women's race saw a victory by Hungary's Aniko
Kalovics who took a gun to tape win in 1:11:57.

The course from Piazza Castello to the famous Arena Civica Gianni
Brera stadium, which since last year was made faster by the organizers
who eliminated an uphill section in the last 2km, produced the three
best times in the world this year.
 
Tanzania' s John Yuda, who won the Stramilano in 2003, finished
runner-up in 1:00:25. Third was the kenyan Lawrence Kiprotich who
started as a pacemaker but felt well after the 12 km and decided to
finish the race and came in third in 1:00:30. Robert Kipchumba, who
won the 2004 Stramilano in 1:00:22, crossed the finish-line fifth in
1:01:39 behind the young Tanzanian Fabiano Joseph, fourth in 1:01:00.

Men  Decisive attack at 15km

The race started at a very fast pace. Lawrence Kiprotich and last
week's Berlin Half Marathon winner Paul Kimugul and six of the main
contenders like Robert Kipchumba, John Yuda, the two-time World Half
Marathon silver medallist Fabiano Joseph, Wilson Kiprotich and Solomon
Bushendich ran the first 5km in 14:32. After his exertions last week
Kimugul was of course only using the Stramilano as a test and
accomplished his pacemaking task and finished his race after 10km.
 
Lawrence Kiprotich, Yuda, Wilson Kiprotich and Joseph pushed the pace
and pulled away from the rest of the group by the 13 km point.

Wilson Kiprotich launched his decisive attack at the 15km, producing a
split between 15km and 16km of 2:45. He reached 18km in 51:03, which
indicated a final time of under the 1- hour barrier was in prospect
but Kiprotich slowed down in the last 3 km and any hopes of a sub-1
hour time were dashed in the last kilometre.

The 25 year-old winner who finished third here last year (1:00:28), is
in very good form and is intent on an illustrious Marathon career.

The weather conditions were perfect and the course was very fast and
flat, confirmed Wilson Kiprotich. I came here to improve on last
year's third place and possibly to win. I realised that I could win
with 7km to go when I launched my kick. I want to run in the San Diego
(Marathon) in May where I aim at running a 2:09 race. I come from a
village which is located 30km from Eldoret. I have six brothers and
sisters. This year I prepared well with the same group of Martin Lel.

WOMEN  Kalovics unchallenged

In the women's race Hungary's Aniko Kalovics took a gun to tape win in
1:11:57. Kalovics, who competes for the Italian Cover Sportiva Mapei
team, produced her usual front running race from the early stages.

I wanted to run fast from the first kilometres and stay with a group
of men who could push the pace, confirmed the winner. Unfortunately,
I had to slow down after the 17km because I felt pain in my knees. The
final time is a bit disappointing for me but I am happy with my first
win in a road race in 2005.'

Kalovics plans a track season in the 5000 metres and the 10,000
metres. The World Championships in Helsinki and the European Cross
Country Championships in Holland are my next two big goals for the
future.

Vincenza Sicari from Italy finished second in 1:12:39. Sicari, who was
the best Italian in the long course at the IAAF Cross Country
Championships, plans to qualify for this summer's World Championships
at the 10,000 metres.
 
Away from the Half Marathons the popular non-competitive event of 15km
Fun Run attracted about 50,000 amateur runners who started from Piazza
del Duomo and crossed the finish-line in the Arena Civica.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF


** Improves the previous 2005 best time of 1:00:45 set by James
Kwambai at the Roma-Ostia race (27 February). Not counted are the
times on the slightly down-hill course in Lisbon (13 March), which was
won by Paul Tergat (59:10), a race in which today's winner Wilson
Kebenei Kiprotich came third clocking 59:27.


Results from the Stramilano Half Marathon:

Men:
1 Wilson Kebenei Kiprotich  (Kenya) 1:00:11
2 John Yuda(Tanzania) 1:00:25
3 Lawrence Kiprotich   (Kenya) 1:00:30
4 Fabiano Joseph   (Tanzania) 1:01:00
5 Robert Kipchumba   (Kenya) 1:01:39
6 Solomon Busendich   (Kenya) 1:02:23
7 Salah Hissou   (Morocco) 1:02:39
8 Giuliano Battocletti   (Italy)  1:02:45

Women:
1 Aniko Kalovics   (Hungary) 1:11:57
2 Vincenza Sicari   (Italy)  1:12:39
3 Ivana Iozzia(Italy)  1:13:43
4 Tiziana Alagia   (Italy)  1:14:10
5 Silvia Sommaggio   (Italy)  1:14:25

ENDS

t-and-f: Kipsang and Grigorieva pull off surprises in Paris Marathon

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29090.html

Sunday 10 April 2005

Paris, France  Kenyan Salim Kipsang and Russian Lidiya Grigorieva
were the surprising winners today out of a record 35,500 runners who
took part in the 2005 Paris Marathon. Both smashed their personal
bests applying similar tactics to win their first major international
marathons.

MEN  Final sprint decides 'team' race

The four pacemakers opened the race gently on a fresh and dry morning
in Paris streets, and were followed by a large group of runners,
composed mainly of Kenyans and Ethiopians.

Several attempts to open a gap occurred after 10km was reached
(30:11), but they had no other effect than to increase the pace and
leave 2004 edition winner Ambesa Tolosa 20 seconds behind.

It was now also clear that the 2:06:33 course record was not in
danger. No changes occurred in the group of about fifteen runners
which included all the favourites, Kenyans Rodgers Rop, Paul Biwott
and Daniel Cheribo, Ethiopian Gashaw Melese and French El Hassan
Lasshini.

As the leaders reached half-way in 1:04:09 runners started to drop
back off the pace so that one hour and 30 minutes after the start,
only six runners were left in the hunt for the victory: Rop, Cheribo,
Biwott, David Kirui, Salim Kipsang and Peter Chebet.

The increased pace in the downhill part of the race opened hopes for a
final finishing time of under 2:08, faster than most athletes'
personal bests.

Due to the fast pace and head wind, the pack was gradually reduced to
four runners, and by five kilometres to go, Rop faded to let Biwott
and Kipsang fight for first place.

Biwott, with his small strides, couldn't reply to Kipsang's move in
the last couple of kilometre, which made him one of the most
surprising winners in Paris Marathon's history, crossing the line in
2:08:04, 13 seconds ahead of Biwott. It was a tremendous improvement
for Kipsang, 25, former World Junior 10,000m silver medallist, who
before today had complied a modest career at the Marathon: 17th in
Rotterdam (2:14:55) and 7th Amsterdam (2:12:44) in 2004.

It's fantastic, I still can't believe I won the race, that's the best
day of my life, said the delighted winner.

Biwott also beat his personal best in this his second Marathon ever,
after his 3rd place in Paris last year, confirmed, we did (ran) a
team race until the last metres and Salim deserved the win today.

WOMEN - Grigoryeva's successful switch to the Marathon

The women's race was anticipated as a battle between African
specialists Asha Gigi, Florence Barsosio, Leila Aman, and the
experienced Russians Irina Permitina (37-years-old), Larisa Zyusko
(36), Irina Timofeyeva (35) and Lidiya Grigoryeva (31).

Nevertheless, it was the Italian Rosaria Consolo who took an early
lead, from Ethiopian Gigi and Aman, Kenyan Barsosio and France's
Corinne Raux.

The Russians remained quiet until the 15th kilometre when Grigoryeva,
a 30:57.83 performer at 10,000m, who was 9th and 8th respectively at
the last two Olympics, joined the leaders. Timofeyeva progressively
joined the group, and let the Africans make the pace into the wind.

Florence Barsosio, former Paris winner who recently came back to
competition after maternity leave, was the only one to follow
Grigoryeva closely after the Russian upped the pace as the women
passed the 35km mark (2:02:11).

The outcome was similar to men's race, as with an acceleration in the
last couple of kilometres Grigoryeva became the winner. Emulating
Kipsang, Grigoryeva erased her personal best (2:32:40) by about 5
minutes, in 2:27:03, 16 seconds ahead Barsosio who set a second best
lifetime performance.

Pierre-Jean Vazel for the IAAF

Official results:

Men
1. Salim Kipsang (KEN) 2:08:04.
2. Paul Biwott (KEN) 2:08:18.
3. Gashaw Melese (ETH) 2:09:25.
4. Peter Chebet (KEN) 2:10:12.
5. Daniel Cheribo (KEN) 2:10:15.
6. Patrick Tambwe (RDC) 2:10:27.
7. Rodgers Rop (KEN) 2:10:33.
8. El Hassan Lasshini (FRA) 2:11:07.
9. Ambessa Tolosa (ETH) 2:11:42.
10. Girma Tola (ETH) 2:12:40.

Women
1. Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS) 2:27:03.
2. Florence Barsosio (KEN) 2:27:19.
3. Asha Gigi (ETH) 2:27:41.
4. Rosaria Console (ITA) 2:28:05.
5. Corinne Raux (FRA) 2:28:51.
6. Irina Permitina (RUS) 2:29:46.
7. Irina Timofeyeva (RUS) 2:30:13.
8. Elena Fetizon (FRA) 2:34:45.
9. Carmen Oliveras (FRA) 2:36:04.
10. Claire Mouthon (FRA) 2:36:06.

 

Unofficial intermediate times for leaders:

Men  Women
5K 15:12  17:11
10K 30:11  34:41
15K 45:28  52:23
20K 1:00:50 1:10:06
25K 1:15:42 1:27:20
30K 1:30:38 1:44:40
35K 1:45:47 2:02:11


ENDS

t-and-f: IAAF Council Meeting – News Briefing, Day Two

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=512/newsId=29094.html

Sunday 10 April 2005

Doha, Qatar - We are pleased to provide this news summary covering all
the major decisions and discussions from the second day of the IAAF
Council meeting.

New Change of Nationality Rule Agreed

Although there were more than 300 IAAF Rule Change proposals on the
table, Council decided to implement just one new provision with
immediate effect in accordance with its powers under Rule 6.11c and
subject to confirmation by the Congress in Helsinki.

Council agreed that IAAF Rule 5.2 d, which relates to Changes of
Nationality, will be changed so that the period of ineligibility of an
athlete who had competed for one Member Federation and wanted to
change to another, would only begin when the athlete received
citizenship.

An athlete shall not represent his new Member in an International
Competition under Rules 1.1 for a period of three years following the
acquisition of new Citizenship. This period may be reduced to 12
months with the agreement, in writing, of the Members concerned.

Up until now, the period of ineligibility began from the last time an
athlete competed for his or her original federation, regardless of
when the athlete actually obtained new Citizenship.

For all the other Rule Change proposals, Council has to decide whether
to approve, or not approve, each individual proposal so as to provide
guidance for IAAF Congress delegates who will be called on to vote in
Helsinki. This work was not completed today and a further session is
scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Please note that 26 rule proposals were considered to be simply
editorial and therefore will not be discussed by Council.

The complete list of Rule Change Proposals with Council's comments
will be sent to Member Federations by 2 May 2005.


Debrecen to host 2006 World Road Running Championships

Following an impressive presentation, IAAF Council agreed to award the
first ever IAAF World Road Running Championships in 2006 to the city
of Debrecen.

The delegation from Debrecen, which is the second largest city in
Hungary, was headed by the city's Mayor Lajos Ksa, the Vice President
of the Hungarian Athletics Federation (and European Athletics
Association) Agoston Schulek and Mihaly Orendi, the Director of the
city's renowned training centre (already recognised by the IAAF as
part of its Accredited Training Centres network).

Debrecen was described as the engine of athletics in Hungary, and
has already organized a number of international sports events
including the 2001 edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships which
was a great success. We plan to have a number of popular road running
events linked to the IAAF event so that we can fully involve the
public. We have organized a number of road running races over the
years and are very confident that we will have thousands of
enthusiastic spectators lining the course to cheer on the world's best
road runners, said Mayor Ksa.

Details about the competition, including the date and timetable, will
be confirmed at a later date.

Ostrava to host 2007 World Youth Championships

Council agreed to award the 5th edition of the IAAF World Youth
Championships in 2007 to Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The Ostrava delegation was led by the Deputy Mayor of Ostrava, Jaromir
Chalupa, and Karel Pilny, who was recently elected for the seventh
time as President of the Czech athletics Federation

The city is home to the Golden Spike meeting (the 44th edition takes
place this year), which has been recognized since 2002 as an IAAF
Super Grand Prix Meeting. The city also hosts other international
sporting events. We are proud to be known as a city of motion, of
sport and of culture, said the Deputy Mayor. Ostrava's athletics
club was founded in 1924 and has fostered stars like Jan Zelezny, but
we were also the home of tennis legend Ivan Lendl. I am sure that the
World Youth Championships will be very strongly supported by the
population of Ostrava. The young athletes coming to this city will be
welcomed very warmly and will leave with great memories.

Ostrava, which was founded in 1267, is a city of 320,000 people and is
the biggest city in the Moravia region and became a major industrial
city in the 19th century.

Details about the competition, including the date and timetable, will
be confirmed at a later date.

Progress Reports

2005 World Youth Championships in Marrakesh

Aziz Daouda, General Director of the Royal Moroccan Athletics
Federation, presented a report summarising the progress of
preparations for the 4th edition of the World Youth Championships. The
main points he raised were that:

Mohamed VI, King of Morocco, has agreed to act as Patron of the event;

Live coverage will be guaranteed on Moroccan Television;

The stadium, which has permanent seating for 5000 spectators, will
have its capacity increased to 10,000 spectators with temporary
seating. The aim is to have a world festival of youth, so a maximum
attendance will be

t-and-f: Greene brings home 4x100m win in 38.48 – Texas Relays

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29081.html

Sunday 10 April 2005

Austin, Texas, USA - It was the annual Saturday of Speed at the
Texas Relays yesterday, and former World and Olympic champion Maurice
Greene looked like his old self as he anchored an HSI foursome to two
sprint relay victories before a crowd of 22,500.

Ten years ago, Greene came here an unknown and won a wind-aided 100
metres in 9.88, beating Carl Lewis, John Drummond and Tim Montgomery.
Who?! asked Lewis.  Now everyone here knows who he is, and the
three-time 100m World champion basks in the applause when he is
introduced. They applauded even louder after he ran.

The HSI team ran in the same order for both the 4x100m and 4x200m
relays: John Capel, Leonard Scott, Kaaron Conright, and Greene.  In
the 4x100 Greene crossed the line in 38.48 - the world's fastest time
of 2005 - ahead of two USA all-star teams which ran 38.68 and 38.93
with a minimum of practice earlier in the week.

The 4x200 was won in 1:21.49, just a tad faster than Mississippi
State's 1:21.57 which won the university division race.

Greene, a people's champion if ever there was one, spent a lot of
time after the races talking with the spectators and posing with them
for their friends to photograph. He was also his usual - when healthy
and winning - ebullient self with the press.

Aiming for sub-10 clocking number 60!

It's always fun to come back here to Texas, he said. It opens our
[HSI] season and gives us a break from training. John's (John Smith)
been beatin' on us pretty hard. The fans are great. When they
[announce] my name, they go crazy!

I have two goals this year, he added. One is to win the World
Championship. The other is to run under 10 flat 60 times. I've done it
56 times so far.

Greene said he would concentrate on the 100 metres, with perhaps an
occasional 200. But, he said, the 100 is the race I love the most. 
I mean - it's me!

Speaking of the World record which he lost to Tim Montgomery in 2002,
Greene said, This year I want to run as fast as I can, and I know I'm
capable of running faster than I have.

Fast wind aided sprinting

There were plenty of other fast performances, but most of them were
wind-aided. 100-metre victories were won by Walter Dix of Florida
State University (9.96, +4.5 m/s), DaBryan Blanton of Oklahoma (10.07,
+4.2), Mark Jelks (10.01, +3.6) of Greene's native Kansas City, and
Steve Mullings (JAM) (10.06, +2.5).  Mullings also contributed a
strong leg to Mississippi State's excellent 4x200 time of 1:21.62.

There were fast 4x400 races, too, capped by a USA Red team anchored
by Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner and timed in 3:01.91.

Hosts dominate women's division

The women's university races were dominated by the host University of
Texas, which posted times of 43.25 (4x100), 1:31.97 (4x200), and
3:31.29 (4x400) Texas' star was Marshevet Hooker, who added to her
Long Jump win of 6.65 Friday with anchor legs in the two shorter
relays and a close loss to NCAA indoor champion Tremedia Brice in the
100 metres, 11.00 to 11.03 (+5.7)

Statistically, Texas' women hurdlers perhaps did even better. Melaine
Walker won the 400 hurdles final in 55.37; Ashlee Williams clocked a
legal (+0.8) 100m Hurdles victory over Priscilla Lopes (CAN), 12.83 to
12.89; and 2004 Texas graduate Nichole Denby won her 100m hurdles race
in a slightly windy (+2.3) victory over NCAA indoor champion Virginia
Powell, 12.66w to 12.70w.

The fastest women's 4x400 was turned in by another USA Red which ran
3:28.53 included former Texas sprinters Raasin McIntosh and Sanya
Richards, who anchored in 50.2.

James Dunaway for the IAAF

FULL RESULTS  http://www.texassports.com/results/tr2005/index.htm

t-and-f: Jimmy Muindi wins Rotterdam marathon

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2033939

Associated Press

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- Jimmy Muindi won the Rotterdam Marathon on
Sunday, breaking away after 23 miles to finish in 2 hours, 7 minutes,
49 seconds and lead a Kenyan sweep.

Jackson Koech was second in 2:08:01 and defending champion Felix Limo
was third in 2:09:01.

In the women's race, Zhor El Kamch of Morocco won in 2:26:38. Madai
Perez of Mexico was second in 2.27.08, and Russia's Jelena Burykina
took third in 2.30.15.

The top three men's finishers were in a pack until Muindi abruptly
increased the pace late in the 26.2-mile race.

After a moment's hesitation, Koech -- running his first official
marathon -- attempted to follow him, while Limo, the pre-race
favorite, continued without trying to match the acceleration.

A leading group of 10 reached the 12.4-mile mark in under an hour, but
the pace slowed slightly after that because of rain.


http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29088.html

Muindi ends Limo's plans for defence in Rotterdam Marathon
Sunday 10 April 2005

Rotterdam, The Netherlands  Felix Limo, the winner of last year's
Fortis Marathon Rotterdam was the hot favourite to defend his title
but the victory in the 25th edtion of the race was taken by his far
more experienced compatriot Jimmy Muindi. The 31-year-old East African
crossed the finishline on the Coolsingel in the heart of Rotterdam in
2:07:49. Kenyan born but now Dutch citizen Lornah Kiplagat took the
women's honours in 2:27:36.

The silver anniversary edition of the Rotterdam event was plagued by
rain, wind and very low temperatures (11 degrees C). In the beginning
it looked as if the weather would be not be too much of a hinderance
with the 12,500 field starting under an overcast sky but as the race
progressed the weather got increasingly worse.

MEN  Limo hindered by hamstring problems

Jim Svenoy, the Norwegian steeplechaser who lives in Rotterdam, was a
perfect pacemaker. He led a big leading group of fifteen which
included all the favourites through the first 5km in 14:55, and
clocked 10km in 29:44 at 10 kms and went through 15km in 44:36. The
race was very fast with all these split times inside those of Paul
Tergat when he ran the World record of 2:04:55 in Berlin two years
ago.

However, after 15km the weather gods were no longer with the runners.
It started to rain and the north western wind became far stronger.
Later a lot of athletes complained about the cold and cramps in the
legs.
 
At 20kms ( 59:56) the leaders had lost eleven seconds on Tergat's
split and halfway (1:03:20) the difference with the World record split
(1:03:04) was already sixteen seconds. By 25kms (1:15:19) there were
nine runners in the leading group: the Kenyan pacemakers Samson
Barmao, Simon Kiprop and James Kwambai, followed by Felix Limo, Titus
Munji, Tadeyuki Ojima (Jap), Jimmy Muindi, Yusuf Songoka and Jackson
Koech.

By 30kms (1:30:22) the final pacemakers finished their job and at this
point Munji dropped back just as did Ojima and Songoka.

So three runners, Muindi, Koech and Limo passed 35kms (1.45.40) in the
lead and it was clear that the winner would come from this trio.

The decisive moment came between 37 and 38 kilometres in the Kralingse
Bos (Kralingen Wood), where the course is a little bit on an upward
slope as the race leaves the part of Rotterdam which is 6.5 metres
below sea level, Muindi accelerated. Suddenly, the four times winner
of the Honolulu marathon, was away an clear.

Koech was aware of the break but suspecting something might still come
from his training partner Limo, who was clearly in trouble at that
point, waited too long to answer Muindi's move, and the race was
effectively over.

So the 31-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:07:49, to improve on
his previous best of 2:08:25 (2002, 5th Berlin). Jackson Koech who
finished second (2:08:01) in what was his debut at the Marathon
distance later confirmed, I saw that Felix (Limo) had problems and I
decided to go but Muindi was too far away.

Muindi said he was very happy with the victory - I felt very strong
after 30 kms and as I saw that Felix Limo was in trouble at 35kms I
decided to go.

Limo for his part was not surprisingly upset. It was a disappointment
for me. But I cannot blame anybody. Around 32/33 kilomtres I felt my
right hamstring, which was already troubling me. At the moment Muindi
went away I could not follow. I hope to meet him again in a better
shape.

WOMEN  An 'ill' Lornah Kiplagat takes an easy win

Lornah Kiplagat was an easy winner of the women's event but the run
itself was not easy for the Kenyan born Dutchwoman.

From the beginning it was clear that no woman in the field would
threaten her but Kiplagat had for several days before the race been
plagued by a severe cold and a headache, and while on the day of the
race she felt better she was not hundred percent.

I had the hope of bettering my personal best of 2:22:22 here but that
was impossible today. The

t-and-f: Marathon woman

Jacqueline Gareau was deprived of her triumphant moment at the Boston
Marathon 25 years ago, but she's indomitable, JAMES CHRISTIE writes

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050406/GAREAU06/TPSports/TopStories

By JAMES CHRISTIE

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

The race doesn't end at the finish line for Jacqueline Gareau.

For Canada's outstanding female marathoner of the 20th century, the
final steps of a long grind quickly become the first steps over a new
threshold.

I'm studying massage for sport therapy and prenatal therapy, the
52-year-old running star says from her rented townhouse in
Saint-Bruno, Que. I'm about to start my fourth career.

There is nothing but good cheer and enthusiasm in her voice. There's
not a hint of regret about the twists of fate that could have made
Gareau a bitter woman -- no anger about the infamous cheat named Rosie
Ruiz who deprived Gareau of her greatest moment of glory at the Boston
Marathon 25 years ago this month. She doesn't weep over the economic
downturns in the United States that crushed the great American dream
she and husband, Gilles Lapierre, lived recently and landed a
globetrotter back in rural Quebec, where she began.

t-and-f: Lagat switches allegiance to US

Kenya's 1500m Olympic silver medallist Bernard Lagat has become a US citizen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4440823.stm

Lagat, who won silver in Athens last August and bronze in Sydney in
2000, has lived in the United States since 1996 and has a home in
Tucson, Arizona.

The decision means Lagat will not be able to compete at the World
Athletics Championships in Helsinki in August.

He said: I thought long and hard before changing my nationality but,
at 30, I have to look to my future after my running career has come to
an end.

Lagat could be free to represent the US within 12 months if Athletics
Kenya agrees to his transfer, although they could decide to enforce a
three-year transition period.

I hope to continue running at the very highest level until at least
the 2008 Olympics, said the Washington State University graduate,
whose 1500m personal best of three minutes 26.34 seconds is the second
fastest in history.

I realise that changing my nationality makes me ineligible to compete
at the 2005 world championships.

But I look forward to trying to run as fast as possible in other
meetings this summer, with the aim of inspiring and uplifting Kenyan
and American athletics fans alike.

The decision to change my nationality was not one I took lightly as I
am very proud of my Kenyan heritage.

Lagat is the latest high-profile Kenyan athlete to switch allegiance.

Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said: We're shocked at
Lagat's decision to change his nationality at a time when we're
preparing for the World Athletics Championships.

Although Kenya has many talented runners, Lagat was currently the
best in the 1500m.

He can't run for the US now in any major championship like the world
championships until after the expiry of three years according to the
new rules.

That can be reduced to one year if the US federation and ours agree.
But he's free to take part in the Grand Prix meetings as an
individual.


Ex-Kenyan athletes 'not welcome'
The trend of Kenyan athletes changing nationality has prompted sports
minister Ochillo Ayacko to call for all defectors to be banned from
training in Kenya.

But Kiplagat said: It's not possible since, like any other foreigner,
they have a right to move anywhere.

That's our position as the body in charge of athletics. 


ENDS

t-and-f: O'Sullivan closes on Aussie move

Irish athlete Sonia O'Sullivan is a step closer to representing
Australia at next year's Commonwealth Games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4440333.stm

O'Sullivan is set to lodge her application for residency, which will
in turn lead to an attempt to get Australian citizenship.

The 35-year-old hopes dual nationality would enable her to still
compete for Ireland in other competitions.

I don't know how long it will take - hopefully it will be fairly
quickly, said her coach and partner Nic Bideau.

There is nothing we can do to control it but just see what happens.

Bideau added that if residency is granted, pressure can be brought to
bear to speed up the application for citizenship if it can be shown a
delay could have an adverse effect on the applicant - known as the
hardship system.

The pair believe the Commonwealth Games Federation's constitution
should open the door to the former world and European 5,000m champion
being eligible to compete in Melbourne.

One of the articles in the constitution says: A competitor who is a
citizen or subject of two or more countries at the same time may
represent either one of them, as he/she may elect.

Bideau also said that citizenship would make the time O'Sullivan
spends each year in Australia more conducive to training.

O'Sullivan spends six months each year training Down Under and
currently only qualifies for a visa that runs for three months at a
time, forcing her to leave the country in order to renew it.

Bideau himself is Australian, the pair have two Australian children
and also have homes in both England and Australia.

While the Australian trials for the Commonwealth Games take place in
February, O'Sullivan is looking to compete in more long-distance road
races and might hope to earn a discretionary spot on the team courtesy
of her previous record.

O'Sullivan finished last in the 5,000m final at the Olympics in Athens
after suffering from a badly upset stomach, but there was speculation
she may retire.

Instead, Bideau confirmed she is now relishing the challenge of the
marathon, in which she will compete in London this Sunday, although
her future on the track is uncertain and it is possible she may not
return to track racing.

He said: Sonia never gave any indication she would retire - that was the media.

She was ill in Athens but then came back to win her next race (the
Flora Lite 5k challenge).

It (the marathon) is a new challenge for her.

At the moment she is interested in testing herself in the marathon.
She is enjoying training and she likes to run far.

Who knows where that may lead? Maybe Beijing but that is
three-and-a-half years off.


ENDS

t-and-f: Olympic champ wants London title

Olympic champion Stefano Baldini is even hungrier for success after
his victory in last August's Athens Games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4441033.stm

  By Sarah Holt

The 33-year-old Italian is competing in this Sunday's Flora London
Marathon for the sixth time and is determined to add the title to his
Olympic gold.

I won the most important medal for an athlete but I have more to do
now, said Baldini. I have to look forward.

My first goal on Sunday is to go out and improve myself, but I want
to bring home a result.

Baldini came second on his debut over 26.2 miles in London eight years
ago and matched that performance in 2003.

He set a personal best time of two hours seven minutes and 29 seconds
over the capital's course in 2002 - although that time was only good
enough to earn him sixth place.

The Olympic champion faces a tough battle as he seeks to capture his
first London crown.

Among the ranks of a high-quality men's field are defending champion
Evans Rutto, world record holder Paul Tergat and world champion Jaoud
Gharib.

I know there are a lot of good athletes in London who are faster than
me, admitted Baldini. But I am still in good physical shape and I
like to fight out there.

The course is better this year and the conditions could be too.

If I can run 2:06 then that would be nice but it all depends on the
pace. I will have to go out there and do my best.

The gold medal is only one step and now I have something more to do.


ENDS

t-and-f: Radcliffe ready to answer critics

Buckle your seatbelts Britain - it's time for another ride on the
Radcliffe rollercoaster.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4440209.stm

  By Scarlett Elworthy

That's Paula Radcliffe, the 31-year-old Bedford lass who has won a
special place in the nation's heart in recent years.

Let's begin with despair.

Remember when she just missed out on a 10,000m medal in the Sydney
Olympics in 2000 and again in the 2001 World Championships where she
was overhauled by three Africans on the final lap?

But Radcliffe has also made us proud - 2002 was a brilliant year with
a winning debut in the London Marathon, 10,000m success at the
Commonwealth Games and European Championships, and a world record in
the Chicago Marathon.

Then she had us in awe when she smashed the marathon record again in
London in 2003.

Radcliffe, with her nodding head and flaying arms, seemed invincible.

But then came the heartache as the dream of 2004 Olympic marathon
glory melted in the heat of Athens.

Her decision to run the 10,000m a few days later met a mixed reaction
and few were surprised when that also ended in tears.

But fast forward eight months and Radcliffe is a different animal to
the one we saw defeated and distraught in Greece.

Having bounced back with victory in November's New York Marathon, a
resurgent Radcliffe is now determined to silence talk that she is on
the brink of burnout.

What happened in Athens has made me tougher and more determined, she
told BBC Sport ahead of her third London Marathon.

Now I care less about criticism and what other people think.

I'm never going to eradicate the experience entirely - and I know I
am going to be reminded of it at every press conference I do - but I
am not going to let it affect the rest of my career.

It is in the past and I will not allow myself to become bitter and
dwell on it.

Olympic 10,000m silver medallist and former London Marathon winner Liz
McColgan is reported to be one of those who fears Radcliffe has been
pushing herself too hard and is now past her best.

But Radcliffe is defiant when talking about her winter schedule, which
began with that victory in New York, took in 10 weeks altitude
training in New Mexico and finished with a second place behind Kenya's
Isabella Ochichi in the New Orleans Crescent City Classic 10km in
March.

And she insists the stomach problem she suffered in Greece because of
the anti-inflammatory drugs she was taking to treat a leg injury is
now under control.

Some people may say I was wrong to run New York so soon after the
Olympics, but I felt I could win and I did, she said.

The people around me were happy I ran the race, and they are the ones
I listen to.

Athens taught me that you can't please everyone but you can please
yourself. I now know the importance of doing what is right for me.

Radcliffe celebrates her marathon record in London in 2003
You cannot wrap yourself in cotton wool. When you are a marathon
runner, sooner or later, you have to get out there and put the miles
in.

Naturally, I didn't enjoy being beaten in New Orleans. I should have
run faster given the training that I had done, but perhaps I carried
too many miles into that race.

But it wasn't a disaster. I don't feel I am past it. I am fully
focused on London and feel the Paula Radcliffe star is still shining
brightly.

I may be getting older but I'm stronger and have more endurance than
I used to, and my speed is no different.

I've had to make adjustments to my diet to help increase my energy
absorption rates. I'm off things like wheat, gluten and dairy, but it
just means I eat more rice and potatoes.

They say people only have a certain number of marathon wins in them -
but that number is different for everyone and you can't put a limit on
how many races you do.

And after London? Well things are never dull in Paula world, and
whatever happens this weekend three big questions will remain.

What will she run at the World Championships in Helsinki in August -
the marathon or 10,000m?

Will she ever skip London to run Boston and so complete the big city
marathon grand slam?

And will she make the Beijing Games in 2008?

On Tuesday, at a pre-London press gathering, she gave some hints.

What I run at the Worlds is going to be a tough decision and I've got
to think about it, Radcliffe said.

As for Boston, she added: It is difficult because at some point I do
want to run that race.

I want to run all of the 'big city' marathons that I can fit in, but
it's going to clash with London every year and it will be hard to turn
away from that.

But on the Olympic question she is clear.

Even before Athens I always said I wanted another Games and if London
wins 2012 then I'd hope to make the team for that too.

So brace yourself and stock up on the hankies for Sunday, because
record-breaking triumph or demoralising defeat, Radcliffe's compelling
career appears to have quite a way to go.


ENDS

t-and-f: Sprinter Jones set for 400m race

American sprinter Marion Jones returns to action in a 400m race
against Australia's Olympic 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman on
Sunday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/059.stm

It will be Jones' first race since failing to win a medal at the
Athens Games last summer.

Jones has endured a year of doping accusations despite never failing a
drugs test.

But her new coach Steve Riddick said he expected the 29-year-old
sprinter to run very well in Los Angeles.

Jones, who won five medals in the Sydney 2000 Games, competed in the
long jump and 4x100m relay in Athens without success.

And she failed to make the USA Olympic team in either the 100m or 200m.

Riddick, a former sprinter who began working with Jones last
September, said: Marion is fit. She is ready to go. She is going to
run, and run tough.

I guess 'very well' could be anywhere under 50 seconds.

Once she gets one [race] under her belt, it is going to be tough for
the rest of the world.

I think she is back where she wants to be.

Riddick said giving birth to a child in 2003 had affected Jones'
performances last year.

I figured it would take a couple of years for her to come back, he
said. When you give life you lose a little bit.

Riddick said Jones was striving to make the USA team for August's
Helsinki World Championships in both the 100m and 200m and the 4x100
and 4x400 relays.

Her manager Charles Wells said Jones had no plans to compete in the
long jump this year.


ENDS

t-and-f: Chepkemei devises Radcliffe plan

Susan Chepkemei has admitted she will have to change her tactics if
she wants to beat arch-rival Paula Radcliffe in Sunday's London
Marathon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4445391.stm

Chepkemei, 29, narrowly lost out to Radcliffe in a sprint finish for
the New York Marathon last September.

I've never been close to Paula like in New York. It gave me a lot of
morale and motivation, said the Kenyan.

I think I should not have stayed behind - I couldn't concentrate. I
should have run shoulder-to-shoulder.

Chepkemei has not ruled out taking the race to Radcliffe in the early
stages rather than wait for a sprint finish.

She said: In New York I knew I could come close to Paula but I could
have run the race better.

Paula was strong at the beginning of the race but she didn't run away
from the group. If it is possible, I want to try to get away from her.

I'd like to run a good time and break my best time and that's what
I'm going to try.

I'm confident for myself and I believe one day I will win a marathon
- and I hope it will be on Sunday.


ENDS

t-and-f: Tergat focused on title not times

World record holder Paul Tergat insists he is chasing the Flora London
Marathon title and not his own record when he contests the race on
Sunday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4442527.stm

 By Sarah Holt

The Kenyan set the world mark of two hours four minutes and 55 seconds
in Berlin two years ago but has now set his sights on a first London
title.

I'm here to do the best I can and to try and win London if all goes
well, Tergat told BBC Sport.

I'm not talking about times but if it comes then I will be celebrating.

Tergat has twice finished as runner-up in London, on his debut over
the distance in 2001 and again in 2002.

The 35-year-old will line up against a high-class field which includes
Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, world champion Jaoud Gharib and
defending champion Evans Rutto.

Tergat goes into the race as 5-2 favourite but the experienced long
distance runner believes the odds are stacked against him.

I don't want to underrate anyone, warned Tergat. I know we have a
strong race and there are great runners here.

Everyone is going to fight to win this race, no-one is going to let
this go easily.

And even before we talk of who is going to win we need to look at all
sorts of factors in terms of the weather, the pacemakers and the
course.

Organisers have quickened the course by about 40 seconds which should
help Tergat, who favours a quick sprint to the line.

But the Kenyan, who has won five straight world cross country titles,
is not taking anything for granted after his experience at the
Olympics where he faded badly and finished in 10th place.

Tergat suffered stomach cramps after failing to take on board his
pre-prepared drinks in the closing stages of the race.

I want to get what happened in Athens behind me completely, said Tergat.

It was a big disappointment for me so now I'm looking forward to the
race and staying really focused.

If I win the 25th London Marathon that would be nice but I'm just
keeping my fingers crossed that I can give my best as usual.


ENDS

t-and-f: Rupp hires law firm to clear way at Oregon

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2036708

Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. -- Runner Galen Rupp has hired a law firm to help clear
the way for him to join the University of Oregon track team.

Rupp, who went to Portland Central Catholic and holds national prep
records in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, has been seeking clearance from
the NCAA to compete.

His parents hired the firm of Bond Schoeneck  King to help.

They gave us some advice, said father Greg Rupp. They told us we
need to be completely honest with Galen's travel expenses, and things
like clothes and supplements he might have taken. We have nothing to
hide.

Rupp's family submitted canceled checks, credit card statements and
other documents for the NCAA review to show that he did not compromise
his amateur status while training with the Nike-funded Oregon Project
and coach Alberto Salazar.

Rupp, 18, graduated from Central Catholic last June. He enrolled at
Oregon earlier this month.

If he is cleared by the NCAA, Rupp will be working with volunteer
distance coach Pat Tyson. Oregon track coach Martin Smith resigned on
March 15.


ENDS

t-and-f: Arkansas track signs seven athletes

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2036471

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Seven athletes have signed with the Arkansas
track and field team, including three indoor national champions and
the 2004 Footlocker Cross Country Champion, the university announced
Wednesday.

This is the best recruiting class we've had in some years, as far as
the depth goes, Arkansas coach John McDonnell said. We're a little
top heavy in the distances. But my philosophy has always been if there
are good athletes out there you have to get them, no matter what event
they compete in. Good athletes win championships.

McDonnell has won 40 national championships.

Among the signees, Arkansas inked six distance runners and one field athlete.

Chris Barnicle of Boston highlights the class. The Newton North High
School star currently has the best 3,200-meter (8:53.00) and two-mile
(8:56.20) times in the U.S. and won the 2004 Foot Locker Cross Country
Northeast Championship.

Other indoor national champions signed on were Colin Costello, a
distance runner from Meath County, Ireland, and Nkosinza Balumbu, a
triple jumper from Union City, Calif.

Distance runners Daniel LaCava from Hurst, Texas; Scott MacPherson
from Plano, Texas, and Ben Schulz from The Woodlands, Texas, also
signed on.

J'Mee Samuels, a sprinter from Winston-Salem, N.C., signed with
Arkansas last November.


ENDS

t-and-f: '2:07 is okay, but 2:06 would be nicer' - Baldinis European record mission

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29127.html

Wednesday 13 April 2005

London, UK - After the distractions of his post-Olympic Games
celebrations, Stefano Baldini is back doing what he likes best ...
running fast.

Baldini's surprising victory in the Olympic Marathon in Athens proved
so popular in Italy that he topped all newspaper sports polls - even
ahead of the adored Michael Schumacher who has brought amazing success
to the Ferrari formula one team.

Distractions

But it also meant he was so much in demand that his running took a
backseat for a while and it has come as a relief to him now to be
getting back into the groove.

He said: After the Olympics it was like a storm. I was doing a lot of
travelling, meeting important people, and for two months I was not
really an athlete. I met many important people, but I prefer to think
of the thousands of people who wanted to meet me rather than the most
important. But it is good to be back concentrating on my running, and
there are many things I want to achieve.

Baldini, 34, lines up in Sunday's Flora London Marathon against a
quality startlist full of leading Africans such as World record holder
Paul Tergat and defending champion Evans Rutto, but he has proved in
the past he doesn't fear a distance running nation that everyone else
seems to put on a pedestal.

He has shocked the Africans before, winning the 1996 World
Half-marathon Championships in Majorca and, more notably, the Olympic
title in Athens last year.

Pinto's mark in his sights

And having taken a Marathon gold at the European Championships (1998),
he would now like to prove the fastest the continent has ever
produced. Antonio Pinto ran 2:06:26 in London five years ago to set a
European record, and if Baldini could break the Portuguese runner's
time it would at least bring some belated consolation for 1997, when
Pinto won in London by two seconds from the Italian.

Baldini holds the Italian record with 2:07:29 but admits that time
does not satisfy him. He said: My personal best is not a true
personal best. I believe I can run faster than I have done. My
motivation is still high, and running a fast time is one of my targets
- as well as retaining my Olympic title in Beijing in 2008. I've been
in this sport for 25 years but I do not want to stop, and there is no
reason why I can't still be in good shape for Beijing.

But more immediately, I want to run faster than I have ever done
before. 2:07 is okay, but 2:06 would be nicer.

I am hungry for more success

Baldini, married to Italian 400m record-holder Virna De Angeli, ran
61:17 in last month's Lisbon Half Marathon, where he was more than two
minutes behind Tergat (59:10). But he is not concerned, insisting he
is not a specialist half marathoner (even though he won the World
title at that distance) and he says his training in Namibia has left
him in shape to run well on Sunday.

The Olympics was only a step, I am hungry for more success. The
European record would be nice, but it depends on how the race is run.
I want to run negative splits and I will be giving my all. I don't
want to waste all the good training I've done.

There is a very good field, but I do not stand on the start line
fearing the Kenyans. If you look at the world's top-100, maybe 60 are
Kenyans and not many are in the lists are non-Africans, but it's not a
problem to me. I will still be going out to win.

Organisers have been asked for a first half of 63 minutes, and with a
slight course change taking out the infamous cobbled section at 22
miles there could be a scorching second half. London Marathon official
Tim Hutchings said: I believe the course change has taken out 18
bends on the route as well as the cobbles, and it is estimated it will
make it 45 seconds quicker.

Bob Frank for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Chepkemei determined to force pace on Radcliffe

http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=629462

By Mike Rowbottom

15 April 2005

Susan Chepkemei, whom many regard as the most likely runner to
frustrate Paula Radcliffe's ambition of winning a third Flora London
Marathon title on Sunday, believes she will benefit from the lessons
she learned in her narrow defeat by the Briton at last November's race
in New York.

The 29-year-old Kenyan, formerly world record holder in the half
marathon, admitted yesterday that she felt she had made some mistakes
in the final stages of that race, in which she was outsprinted by
Radcliffe over the final 200 metres in Central Park, having shadowed
her over the final six miles.

I think I should not have stayed behind - I couldn't concentrate. I
should have run shoulder-to-shoulder, said Chepkemei, who will seek
to stay even closer to Radcliffe this weekend. I knew I could come
close to Paula but I could have run the race better than I did there.

Paula was strong at the beginning of the race but she didn't run away
from the group. If it is possible I want to try to get away from her.
I'd like to run a good time and break my best time and that's what I'm
going to try.

But if Chepkemei does intend keeping in touch with Radcliffe from the
start, she will have to run the first half race a little quicker than
the 69 minutes target she has set herself. Radcliffe has asked for her
pacemakers, Restituta Joseph and Leah Malot, to cover the first 13.1
miles in a time 30 seconds faster than Chepkemei feels she can
comfortably cope with.

Chepkemei, a former Rotterdam champion who has also finished second in
Berlin, will nevertheless travel in hope. I'm confident for myself
and I believe one day I will win a marathon - and I hope it will be on
Sunday, she added.


ENDS

t-and-f: Tulu versus Simon battle set for Nagano Marathon - PREVIEW

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29126.html

Wednesday 13 April 2005

The seventh annual Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon, one of the only
two mass-elite combination marathons in Japan (the other being the
Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo each August), will take place on Sunday
17 April. The race runs from Nagano Sports Park to the Nagano Olympic
Stadium, the site of the opening ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Winter
Olympic Games.

From the first to the fifth edition of the race, the Nagano Marathon
was run over a course with steep downhill in the first 5Km, however,
since last year the race now has a new route without the steep
downhill in the beginning.

WOMEN: a Two-way tussle in prospect

The fastest entrant is Romania's 2001 World Marathon champion Lidia
Simon who has a national record best of 2:22:54 from winning the Osaka
Marathon in 2000, the year she won Olympic silver. Simon who came back
from the maternity leave in 2003 is slowly but surely getting faster. 
She ran 2:40:54 in the 2003 Chicago Marathon, followed by 2:30:40 in
the 2004 Vienna Marathon.  Although Simon dropped out of the 2004
Olympic Marathon, in her last outing at the Osaka Ladies Marathon in
January, Simon was fifth with 2:27:01.

Ethiopian Derartu Tulu, with a marathon best of 2:23:57, is the next
fastest.  Tulu perhaps is the greatest women's track runner of her
generation, having won three Olympic medals and two World
Championships medal at 10,000m (gold in 1992, 2000 and 2001, silver in
1995 and bronze in 2004), and has a 10,000m personal best of 30:17.49.
 Although she won the 2001 London Marathon with 2:23:57 and also took
the Tokyo race the same year (2:25:08), Tulu has yet to fulfill her
true potential at the marathon.  In her last three races, she was
eighth with 2:30:21 in the 2004 Chicago Marathon, 10th with 2:26:33 in
the 2003 London Marathon, and 9th with 2:28:37 also in the British
capital in 2002.

The third fastest runner in the women's field is Albina Ivanova of
Russia, who has a Marathon best of 2:25:35, which was recorded in the
2003 London race.  Albina is a prolificrunner.  Last year, in addition
to finishing third in the Honolulu Marathon, Albina was fourth in
London with 2:27:25 and fifth in Chicago with 2:28:22.

Two other invited runners from abroad, Tatina Borisova and Gladys
Asiba, whose marathon bests, 2:30:39 and 2:35:13 respectively were
both recorded in 2004 are another two major contenders.  Asiba was
also 15th in the 2003 New York Marathon with 2:37:47, while Borisova
recorded 1:12:30 for the Half Marathon in 2004.

MEN: Defending champion returns

Moges Taye of Ethiopia, the defending champion who won the last year's
edition with 2:13:09 is back to defend his title.  In 2004, besides
his Nagano victory, Taye was also fourth in the Prague Marathon with
2:12:51, and holds a PB of 2:09:21 (1998 Vienna marathon).

However, John Nada Saya of Tanzania is the fastest overseas runner.
Saya has a personal best of 2:08:57 from the 2001 Milan marathon but
his last six races have been much slower  2:13:01 Fukuoka (2002),
2:11:10 Turin (2002), 2:10:13 Seoul (2003), 2:25:49 from the 2003
World Championships, 2:21:08 Beppu (2004), and a DNF from the Olympic
Games.

The fastest runner in the field is 'local' Ryuji Takei, who recorded
2:08:35 in his victory at the 2002 Lake Biwa Marathon. Takei was once
one of the most promising distance runners in Japan.  He was the first
high school runner in Japan to break 14 minutes for the 5000m and was
a double champion at both the national inter-high school championships
and national inter-collegiate championships.  Takei won a silver medal
at the 10,000m in the World University Games and also a bronze medal
at the marathon in the 2002 Asian Games.  Takei's most recent marathon
was the 2004 Lake Biwa Marathon, where he was tenth with 2:11:42.  It
is reported that the Nagano Marathon will be the last marathon of his
career, for he has announced his retirement from elite competition. 
As with many of the elite marathon runners in Japan, he will move onto
coaching.

Two other invited runners from abroad, Isaac Macharia and Grigory
Andreyev have personal bests of 2:11:26 and 2:11:53 respectively -
both from 2004 - and thus there may be a lot of room for improvement. 
Also in 2004, Macharia recorded 1:01:52, 1:02:01 and 1:02:05 for the
Half marathon, while Andreyev was 19th at the Olympics with 2:16:55.

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Invited Runners: 

Men
John Nada Saya (TAN)2:08:572001 Milano
Moges Taye (ETH)   2:09:21   1998 Wien
Isaac Macharia (KEN)   2:11:26  2004 Berlin
Grigory Andreyev (RUS)  2:11:53  2004 Hamburg

Ryuji Takei  2:08:35  2002 Lake Biwa
Seiji Kushibe  2:11:22  2002 Hofu
Koichi Inagaki  2:12:25  2003 Beppu
Tomonori Michikata   Debut  1:03:13  2001 Marugame Half

Women
Lidia Simon  (ROM)  2:22:54  2000 Osaka
Derartu Tulu  (ETH)  2:23:57   2001 London
Albina Ivanova (RUS)  2:25:35   2003 Chicago
Tatiana Borisova  (KYR)  2:30:39  2004 Austin
Gladys Asiba

t-and-f: Radcliffe's rival in the running

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;sessionid=LRUHCZHBDVWG1QFIQMFCM5OAVCBQYJVC?xml=/sport/2005/04/15/soknigh15.xmlsSheet=/sport/2005/04/15/ixsport.htmlsecureRefresh=true_requestid=19400

By Tom Knight
(Filed: 15/04/2005)

It has been a long time since Paula Radcliffe had a genuine rival and
no one is more surprised than Susan Chepkemei that she will fill that
role in Sunday's London Marathon.

Chepkemei and Radcliffe have been racing each other since they were
juniors. Radcliffe holds a 16-5 advantage in race wins but their
careers changed course over the final few miles of last November's New
York Marathon.

The two old friends ran stride for stride through Central Park and it
was Radcliffe's drive for redemption following her Olympic failures
that proved the decisive factor. The Briton produced a sprint over the
last 200 metres to win by four seconds in one of the most thrilling
marathon finishes ever seen.

Victory may have made Radcliffe feel better but the race also fired
Chepkemei. The 29-year-old has finished fourth and fifth in London and
believes the New York experience has given her the confidence to beat
Radcliffe.

Chepkemei said: I've raced a lot of marathons and I've never been as
close to Paula as I was in New York. No one thought it would be me who
was closest to her. It gave me a lot of motivation that I can do it.

I haven't won the London Marathon yet but maybe one day I will.
Hopefully, that will be on Sunday.

Chepkemei comes to London after a topsy-turvy winter that included
victory in the Lisbon half-marathon but also a short-lived 12-month
ban from the Kenyan federation for her late arrival at the national
training camp.

The federation were outraged that Chepkemei had chosen to race in
Puerto Rico instead of travelling to Kenya for the camp which
traditionally precedes the World Cross-Country Championships in March.
She was banned from all competitions for a year and it was only after
much negotiation that the penalty was waived.

It was all a misunderstanding, said Chepkemei, who has been training
hard for London with a regime that included more speed work.

She said: I recovered very quickly after New York because I was so
excited about the result. I realised that I did not have enough speed
in my legs for the finish so I have been working on that.

The problem for Chepkemei and the rest of the women's elite field on
Sunday will be staying close enough to Radcliffe to make their
finishing speed count.

Radcliffe set her world record of 2hr 15min 25sec on the London course
in 2003, when she was aided by two male pacemakers. This year, in a
women-only race, she has asked for pacemakers to take her to halfway
in 68min 30sec. Such a pace would put Radcliffe on target for 2-18-56,
the women-only course record that could earn her bonuses of over
£100,000.

Chepkemei and Margaret Okayo, the defending champion, shook their
heads at the thought of running so quickly for the first 13 miles.

Benita Johnson, the Australian who won last year's world cross-country
title, is looking for a massive improvement on the 2-38-04 she clocked
in New York but admitted her halfway target would be nearer 72min.

Much will depend on Radcliffe's tactics on a day when runners could
have to battle the wind and rain. On paper, she is four minutes
quicker than the rest of the field and, it is understood, the Bedford
athlete has been training exceptionally hard for this London Marathon.

Her aim was to improve her world record but those plans had to be
modified when she was surprisingly beaten over 10km in New Orleans
three weeks ago. That is why marathon organisers and Radcliffe have
targeted the slower record of 2-18-56. Alan Storey, UK Athletics'
technical director for endurance running, who was the London
Marathon's general manager between 1992-2001, said: Given the
conditions, setting off at 68-30 is probably ideal and quick enough to
get Paula clear of the opposition, but not that fast to cause her
problems.

It remains to be seen, however, if Radcliffe is in that sort of form
and whether Chepkemei and the rest can raise their game.

The unknown factor could be Sun Yingjie, the Chinese world
half-marathon champion who was injured when she finished seventh last
year. She is the second-quickest in the field with the 2-19-39 she
clocked in 2003.

The marathon lost one of its principal starters yesterday when Lord
Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said he had to be in Berlin to
present the city's Olympic bid at the Sport Accord Convention.

ENDS

t-and-f: Without running there would be no school

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29121.html

Wednesday 13 April 2005

There would be no school in Kipsomba had it not been for Paul Koech's
outstanding distance running career. The Kenyan athlete, who has been
one of the best long distance track runners in the world and since
2003 has turned his attentions to the marathon, has funded the
building of a primary school outside this small Kenyan village, which
is 30km north of Eldoret.

The Silgich Hill Academy was opened in January 2004 and has 80 pupils.
And as Paul Koech, the 1998 IAAF World Half Marathon champion explains
there are plans for another charity project concerning education at a
secondary school for older children.

Built and funds the school - feeds the children

It all started after Koech had bought some farm land near Kipsomba. I
then thought that I should do something for the community, explained
Paul Koech. As a successful athlete he wanted to give back something
to his country. Since there was no school in the area Koech decided to
build one, and so bought another piece of land for the building.

I started running at primary school, said Koech. When he became a
serious athlete he realised that a lot of other athletes had no
education. Either this was because there was no school where the
athletes lived or it was simply because they were not motivated to go
to school.

Koech employs eight teachers and five non teaching staff at his
school, which houses 80 pupils at present. School starts at 7 am and
goes on until 4.30 pm. There are three breaks: Morning tea at 10 am,
lunch and evening tea. Most of the food served at Silgich Hill
Academy comes from my own farm, Koech explained. The children are
between three and eleven years old at present, but will stay at the
school until they are 14. The school is semi-private, which makes sure
that the level of education is higher than usual. The teachers are
eager to teach the children, commented the 35 year-old runner.

In contrast to most of the primary schools English is the main
language at Silgich Hill Academy while Swahili is a subject. Normally
it is the other way round. The people in the community are very happy
that they have a school for the children  this is very encouraging
for them. There is a fee for attending the school. But if parents
have not enough money Paul Koech helps out. At present he pays the
fees for eleven children and hopes to find more funding for his
school.

Financing education in secondary school too

And there is a second charity project he will support. This is in
conjunction with Kimbia Athletic, the management group recently
founded. Koech belongs to the Kimbia team and they plan to support a
number of Kenyan children by financing their education in secondary
school, which is normally not provided in Kenya. May be some of them
could go on to university and become athletes, said Koech. But again
the primary objective is not the sport but to support the education of
the children.

When I will retire from running one day I intend to live at Kipsomba.
It will then be my aim to find young children who are talented for
running and help them with education. At present four of the boys at
the school do run and look quite promising. But of course it is not a
condition for the pupils that they start running when they start going
to the school.

The goal is now Chicago

Meanwhile, Koech continues his career. Originally he intended to run
the Boston Marathon on 18 April. But there were some problems during
his build up training. So he decided to do shorter road races in the
spring. Recently he had won the Dallas 8km. The big goal this year is
the Chicago Marathon in October. My aim is to break my personal
best. It was two years ago, when Koech was second in Chicago in
2:07:07. It was his debut at the distance.

So Koech continues two campaigns  his athletics career and his
involvement for the children back in his home country. Without
running there would be no school, he says. But of course he would be
happy to find further funds. Just 400 US Dollars pay a child's annual
fee, including teaching, meals and school's clothing.

Jrg Wenig for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Chepkemei ready to shed 'nearly' tag

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1460201,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Friday April 15, 2005
The Guardian

Susan Chepkemei believes the experience of coming close to beating
Paula Radcliffe in the New York City marathon last November will help
her finally shake off her reputation as someone who is always close
but rarely wins the big races.

The 29-year-old Kenyan is expected to be one of Radcliffe's closest
challengers in the London marathon on Sunday and has drawn
encouragement from New York, where she was beaten by only four seconds
after being dropped in the final 200 metres of the 26.2-mile race.

I thought I could have done much better if I'd not stayed behind
Paula, said Chepkemei. Sometimes the body will not accept what you
are trying to do. I've competed in a lot of marathons and never been
as close to Paula as I was in New York. It gave me a lot of motivation
to think that I could beat her.

New York was one of three occasions Chepkemei has finished second in a
major city marathon. She also has three silver medals from the world
half-marathon championships and one from the 10,000 metres at the 2002
Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Chepkemei also finished fifth and
fourth respectively when Radcliffe won the London marathon in 2002 and
2003.

I've never won the London marathon before and would like to think I
will do it one day, said Chepkemei. Hopefully, that will be on
Sunday. The field is very strong and any one of them can rise to the
great challenge. In New York no one knew it would be me who would come
closest to Paula. Perhaps it will be me again.

I recovered very quickly [after New York] because I was very excited
about the result. I'm very confident. I've trained very well and I've
been doing a lot more speed work. I did not have enough at the finish
in New York.

Another threat to Radcliffe could be Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan, the
2000 Olympic 5,000m silver medallist. She still has to translate that
potential to the marathon, having finished 12th in New York three
years ago, the last occasion she ran the distance.

I feel like it is all new to me, said the 35-year-old O'Sullivan. I
had no plans beyond London and this will be a defining chapter.

She does, however, hope to compete in the Commonwealth Games in
Melbourne next March after her decision to take Australian
citizenship.


ENDS

t-and-f: Not just Radcliffe in London marathon

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29133.html

Thursday 14 April 2005

London - Susan Chepkemei's epic tussle with Paula Radcliffe in
November's New York City Marathon has thrust her into the role of
chief danger to the British No.1 when they renew acquaintances in
Sunday's Flora London Marathon.

The 29-year-old Kenyan finished just four seconds behind Radcliffe in
New York and has been working on her speed in case they again have to
battle in the closing stages on Sunday.

New York revenge for Chepkemei?

Chepkemei, who has run a scorching 65:44 for the half-marathon - on a
Lisbon course that drops 40m in elevation - now hopes to make a big
name for herself at the marathon. She said: I had a good battle with
Paula in New York but I realised my speed was not good enough. I have
been working on it so hopefully on Sunday I will be better prepared
for a sprint finish, although ideally I'd like to break away from
Paula before the end.

Chepkemei was due to run the World Cross Country Championships but was
suspended by the Kenyan Federation for failing to attend a training
camp, and initially banned until the end of the year which would have
ruled her out of Sunday's race.

The ban was reduced and she insists it did not affect her
preparations, saying: I was in very good shape for the World Cross
Country Championships, but it was not to be. But you will see on
Sunday that I am running very well.

Okayo eager to defend her title

Chepkemei's compatriot Margaret Okayo is the reigning champion and she
is back in London hoping to retain her title. She has a best of
2:20:43 and would love to go under 2:20 for the first time on Sunday,
but winning is more important.

She will surely have to run faster than the 2:22:35 with which she won
last year but she arrives in determined mood hoping to make up for the
disappointment of failing to finish the Olympic marathon in Athens.

She said: I've spent half my time training in Kenya and half in
Italy, and I feel I am in good shape. I will try to go through halfway
in 69:30 and then try to run a good second half and hope it's enough
to win.

Radcliffe is looking to run through 13.1 miles in 68:30 while
Chekpekmei has stated a preference for 69:00, but there will surely be
others in the equation.

World Half Marathon champion Sun Yingjie also in the field

Sun Yingjie of China has run 2:19:33 and is the reigning World Half
Marathon champion, but she has yet to prove herself in marathons
outside Asia.

Thirteen of her 20 marathons have been in China, and while she ran
superbly on the track at the 2003 World Championships in Paris she has
yet to do the business when travelling to marathons.

Lyudmila Petrova of Russia is 36 but only began racing seriously 10
years ago. She has become a consistent marathoner and was second to
Okayo last year. Her biggest win was in New York in 2000 and her best
time of 2:22:33 came two years later in London when she placed third.

Constantina Dita of Romania is another Eastern European who has made a
name for herself in London, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. She
tends to go out at a blistering pace and has been known to open up a
big lead, but she often pays for her early exuberations.

That was never more evident than at the 2003 World Championships when
she was 32 seconds clear after just 5km but she was reeled in and
later failed to finish.

Training partners O'Sullivan and Johnson aiming at new PBs

Two athletes set to smash their personal bests are Benita Johnson and
Sonia O'Sullivan, who are training partners and potentially team-mates
at next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia.

O'Sullivan, the double World Cross Country champion in 1998, hopes to
run for Australia in Melbourne although she insists she will continue
to compete for Ireland in other competitions.

She said: I certainly plan to improve my visa situation. When I'm in
Australia I have to leave every three months which isn't ideal when
you've got children in school. I want to get permanent residency and I
would then consider citizenship, and if they asked me to run for them
in the Commonwealth Games I would definitely be interested.

I live just a stone's throw from the stadium being used for the
Commonwealth Games and it would be great to compete, although it
wouldn't affect my status with Ireland as it doesn't come under the
IAAF. It would just be a one-off.

O'Sullivan has run two marathons to date and neither have shown
anything like the form she has produced over other distances. The
former World best holder over 10 miles said: I ran my first in Dublin
in 2000 and didn't prepare for it other than running for two hours a
week before, and I ran 2:35:40.

Then I trained really hard for New York in 2002 and only ran three
minutes quicker (2:32:06) so I've gone in between this time. I feel
I've done enough training, but not too much.

As for her expectations, she laughs: I've given myself a window of
times to aim for and it's very wide. I guess anything between

t-and-f: Determined Radcliffe feeling a million dollars

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/04/13/soaths13.xml

By Tom Knight 
(Filed: 13/04/2005)

Paula Radcliffe's ability to earn vast sums of money from racing could
reach comic proportions if she wins Sunday's London Marathon, where
prize money and bonuses totalling $255,000 would be paid on a world
record that is three minutes slower than her best time.

A third London victory for Radcliffe, who has been paid $500,000 just
to turn up, would also mean substantial bonuses from her various
sponsors and leave the British runner with a cool $1 million
(£530,000).

It was, however, an unusually diffident Radcliffe who arrived in
London yesterday to learn that the organisers are still recognising
her winning time of 2hr 18min 56sec from 2002 as the world record.

That is because the London Marathon is determined that only records
set in women-only races should count.

That is not the view of the International Association of Athletics
Federations, the world governing body, who list 2hr 15min 25sec as the
world best - the time Radcliffe established in 2003 when the London
Marathon provided her with two male pace-makers.

Already a multi-millionaire, Radcliffe, 31, insisted she was not here
for the money. I don't run for the money, she said. Winning is what
is important and I've come here to run as hard as I can.

She will have to. The field includes Kenya's Margaret Okayo, the
defending champion, and Susan Chepkemei as well as China's Yingjie
Sun. All are said to be in very good shape, especially Chepkemei, who
pushed Radcliffe to the line in November's New York Marathon.

Radcliffe claimed to be very fit after 10 weeks of altitude training
in New Mexico. I'm happy with the way things have gone, she said,
and although it's difficult to compare training and times, I don't
think my fitness is much different than it was in 2003.

For all this, the Briton has still to shake off the psychological and
physical effects of failing to finish the marathon and 10,000 metres
at last summer's Olympics.

There was redemption of sorts in New York, where victory came in the
relatively slow time of 2hr 23min 10sec.

This year, however, her training for London started late when
Radcliffe had further problems with the stomach upset she suffered in
Athens because of the high doses of anti-inflammatories she was taking
to treat a leg injury. Those stomach problems are understood to be
under control but not cured.

Radcliffe insisted that the Olympic disasters had made her stronger
and forced her to care less about criticism.

But many within the sport believe that her performances in Athens and
New York signalled the start of her inevitable decline as a marathon
force.

Among her critics is the 1996 London Marathon champion, Liz McColgan,
who recently suggested in a Sunday newspaper that Radcliffe was past
her peak and should have taken more time off after the Olympics.

McColgan said: Paula is not on her way up to a peak. She has turned
that corner where she's run at her best. She will maintain that for a
couple of years but now you see the breakdown because of all the work
she's done. She's not the young thing that she was and her body can
only take so much.

Radcliffe said she had not read McColgan's interview but she will have
learned about every word from her husband, Gary Lough, who studies
everything written about his wife.

Radcliffe believes she can match her world record form of two years
ago and would love to prove her critics wrong.

David Bedford, the London race director, called her the greatest
female distance runner of all-time.

Win or lose, she remains the most fascinating.


ENDS

t-and-f: Paul Tergat: food that changed my life

I'm now a top marathon runner, but as a child I starved 

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/comment/0,10083,1460267,00.html

 Paul Tergat
Friday April 15, 2005
The Guardian

Marathon running has taken me a long way from my roots in the small
town of Baringo in Kenya's Rift Valley. I grew up knowing what it was
like to be poor and hungry. Whenever I come to London or other cities
in the developed world to compete in marathons, I enter a different
universe where choice, opulence and opportunity characterise people's
lives.

It has been fascinating to follow the debate in Britain about school
meals. I have listened to the arguments about whether children should
be allowed to eat Turkey Twizzlers, or beefburgers and chips. I wish
it could be the same the world over. While nutrition is a serious
matter for any child, for me and my classmates it was never really a
case of what we might choose to eat, but rather whether we would eat
at all.

Most kids in Baringo had to help their families earn a living.
Education was out of the question or, at best, something only one
child in the family could pursue. For the lucky ones like me, who
could go to school, the three-mile trek each morning on an empty
stomach made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to concentrate on
lessons.

When I was eight, that changed. The UN began distributing food at the
schools in the area and a heavy burden was lifted from our shoulders.
My friends and I no longer worried about being hungry in class. We ate
a simple meal each day and could stay focused during lessons. Those
who had dropped out of school came back; others who had never attended
were sent by their parents. I often ask myself: without the benefit of
school meals, would I have become a literate, healthy, successful
long-distance runner?

While British school administrators argue that it is almost impossible
for them to provide a healthy, balanced diet for 35p per child each
day, the UN's World Food Programme is able to feed a nutritious meal
to a hungry child for as little as 10p. I am not suggesting that
Britain saves money by calling in the WFP to feed its schoolchildren.
I am simply encouraging those captivated by the debate about nutrition
in schools to think more about the heart-rending challenges faced by
hungry pupils in the developing world.

The WFP wants to dramatically increase the number of schoolchildren it
is feeding, from about 15 million each year to 50 million by the end
of 2007. This will require a big injection of funds from donor
governments, private corporations and the public.

School feeding can dispel hunger, double school attendance and boost
educational performance. The highly successful postwar programmes in
Europe, the US, Japan and other countries helped transform war-torn
nations into strong societies and economies in just one generation.
The same can be done for developing countries.

Over 100 million children do not attend school and 300 million are
chronically hungry. With a collective commitment to school feeding,
the international community could help to reduce these numbers
quickly. Doesn't every child deserve the chance to achieve his or her
dreams?

· Paul Tergat is the world marathon record holder and an Ambassador
Against Hunger for the World Food Programme; he is among the
favourites to win the London Marathon on Sunday

www.wfp.org


ENDS

t-and-f: 'Slow' London record worth $1m to Radcliffe

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1458387,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Wednesday April 13, 2005
The Guardian

Paula Radcliffe can become the first female athlete in history to earn
$1m (£530,000) for a single day's work if she wins the Flora London
Marathon on Sunday - and she will not even have to run as fast as she
has before to collect the money.

Race officials said last night that they would pay Radcliffe a
world-record bonus of $125,000 even if she finished as much as three
minutes outside the time she ran there in 2003.

The situation has arisen because the 31-year-old will not receive help
from male pacemakers, as she did two years ago when she ran 2hr 15min
25sec, a time no other woman has come close to.

Instead she will compete in a race against only the other female
runners, so the race director David Bedford has decreed the time she
will be aiming for is the women's only world record of 2:18.56 she
set on her debut at the distance in London in 2002.

Nevertheless Radcliffe will not complain if she collects a total of
$255,000 in published prize money and bonuses for running the slower
time to add to the reported $500,000 she is receiving just to run. She
will probably earn at least another $250,000 in unpublished bonuses
from the London Marathon and other sponsors.

Yesterday she refused to entertain suggestions that she would never
again scale the peaks. It is a question that will not go away and Liz
McColgan, whom she succeeded as Britain's greatest female distance
runner, had said it in print this week.

McColgan, the 1996 London winner, maintained in a Sunday newspaper
that Radcliffe made too many excuses when she did not win and ran in
too many big-city marathons, which the Scot said did not really
matter.

Radcliffe said: Liz is someone I look up to and I don't want to get
into a slagging match. She hasn't spoken to me since this time last
year and if she was genuinely concerned I'm sure she would have
contacted me.

Asked yesterday about the view of Rob de Castella, the Australian who
won the world title in 1983, that runners have a maximum of four
really top-class marathons in them, Radcliffe said: I don't think
that, although I can't put a number on it. That changes from person to
person.

London will be her sixth marathon and she has twice broken the world
record and set three of the four fastest times in history.


ENDS

t-and-f: Clock is ticking down for Radcliffe

Highest-paid athlete in Sunday's London Marathon may be best advised
to take the money and run

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/comment/0,10083,1456789,00.html

 John Rawling
Monday April 11, 2005
The Guardian

The organisers of the London Marathon are always a little coy about
what they pay the elite athletes to run in the race. But the word is
that the highest-paid runner in this year's event will once again be
Paula Radcliffe. Just for taking her place on the starting line in
Greenwich Park next week the world record holder will pocket something
in the region of £500,000 and she will get the same figure again in
the unlikely event that she improves on the world best time she set
when she ran the race in London two years ago.

By any stretch of the imagination it is a huge sum of money for an
athlete whose Olympic failures last year divided the normally genteel
athletics world and, to an extent, the sporting nation. For some
Radcliffe was an athlete beaten by the conditions and the course;
others lined up with indecent haste to plunge in the knife, saying she
was a quitter and, by not finishing the marathon or the 10,000m, she
had let down not only herself but also her country.

The truth was more complex. Radcliffe blamed a reaction to
anti-inflammatory pills used to treat a haematoma, which was an
attempt to explain away medically the most disappointing week of her
running life. And, proving a point to herself more than anyone else,
she was back racing only 11 weeks later to win the New York Marathon
and pick up another fat cheque in the process. Victory then may have
been a cathartic experience but she must have known that the standard
of her New York performance would have been unlikely to have brought
her success on the altogether more testing Athens course.

Charlie Spedding, a former London winner and a wise pundit who also
happens to have a medical background, was adamant in his belief that
stress had played a big part in Radcliffe's undoing. In his opinion
the weight and burden of public expectation had created a pressure
with which she was unable to cope. Although her preparations had been
intense and she went into the Olympic marathon knowing she was the
fastest woman in the field, Spedding suspects Radcliffe was distracted
to a point where she was incapable of doing herself justice.

The real question now is whether she can ever again be the athlete who
looked invincible when she broke world records in Chicago and then
London. Or is it - and here I would dearly love to be proved wrong -
that we have now seen the best years of Radcliffe and, at 31, the
psychological scarring of Athens may mean that she can never be the
same athlete again. A recent defeat in a 10km road race in New Orleans
was brushed aside at the time, with Radcliffe claiming her
preparations for her forthcoming London appearance were going well,
but once more the doubts have surfaced.

It was Steve Ovett, one of the most naturally gifted and versatile
runners ever to wear the British vest, who told me after watching the
Athens defeat that Radcliffe has the style of a track time-triallist
who has taken her metronomic and relentless clock-watching into the
marathon. His argument was that she is suited to the fast and flat
city road race marathons where she is, to an extent, protected by
pacemakers but she will always be vulnerable in competitive races, on
stiffer courses, where her inability to respond to pace changes can be
exposed.

Rewind four decades and men's distance running was dominated by the
great Australian Ron Clarke. Like Radcliffe he was a front-running
world record-breaker at 5,000m and 10,000m, three miles and six miles,
but in the cut-throat world of Olympic competition he never won a gold
medal. Years later Clarke visited the legendary Czech runner Emile
Zatopek, who had won 5,000, 10,000 and marathon golds in the 1952
Olympics as well as the 10,000m gold medal in 1948. Famously Zatopek
gave Clarke a small package before the Australian left his modest
Prague home, saying he was not to open it until he was on the plane.
Inside the package Clarke was to find one of Zatopek's medals along
with the message that he deserved to have won one so he was to keep
it.

This weekend Liz McColgan similarly suggested that Radcliffe deserved
to win a gold medal but that she was instead risking burn-out by too
often pursuing big-money marathon prizes. McColgan speaks with
authority as a London Marathon winner but also the 10,000m gold
medallist at the 1991 world championships. The Scottish athlete says
there is a limit to the number of world-class marathons an athlete can
produce. She's not the young thing she once was and the body can only
take so much, she said, adding that there was an inevitable price for
Radcliffe to pay for her 145-miles-a-week training regimes.

Perhaps McColgan is correct in her analysis but a decade of near
misses suggests to me that the Ovett analysis is harsh but may also be
accurate.

t-and-f: Baldini ready to milk Marathon

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1458921,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Thursday April 14, 2005
The Guardian

If Stefano Baldini wins the Flora London Marathon on Sunday his father
will celebrate the same way he did when his son won the Olympic
marathon in Athens last summer.

He will milk the 200 cows on his farm, said the Italian runner.
They need milking twice a day - once at five in the morning, again at
five in the afternoon. They produce milk for Parmigiano Reggiano,
Italy's biggest cheese manufacturer. Since Athens they have also been
sponsoring me.

Baldini was born and brought up in the Reggiana region of Italy and
still returns occasionally to his father's farm to drive a tractor. He
is the eighth of 10 children and had the kind of hard rural upbringing
familiar to his African rivals, walking miles to go to school.

That's my Kenya, stretching along the banks of the Crostolo River,
down to the Po, he said with a broad sweep of his arm.

It was in this setting that the seeds of Baldini's success in Athens
were sown. He started as a nine-year-old, inspired by his older
brother Marco, and has been running ever since.

All that effort came to fruition when he crossed the line first in
Greece at the age of 33, and he explained his longevity as a runner by
saying: I train well and I race well. I don't use drugs. I respect
myself and my body. If you don't do that you don't run for so long.

That success made a deep impression on his four-year-old daughter
Alicia. After Athens she wanted the Italian flag and the garland. She
understands I did something special, said Baldini, who is divorced.

His victory defied the experts who had said that the gold medal was
destined for an African runner and that a European could not possibly
win.

In every big-city marathon we have 15 or 20 Africans, said Baldini.
Perhaps only five of them will arrive at the finish line but they are
one . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five; then it's Baldini.
Every year the problem is bigger. But they have some problems in the
championships. They don't have pacemakers, the weather is hot,
sometimes the course is tough and they find it hard. My big quality is
that I like these races.

Baldini has always been an impressive performer in the London Marathon
and has never finished outside the top 10 in his six appearances. But,
until now, he has never been a headline-grabbing star. Even his second
places here in 1997 and 2003 passed largely unnoticed.

In Italy, though, it is a different matter. In the same manner as
Kelly Holmes did in Britain after the Athens Games, Baldini swept the
end-of-year popularity polls, finishing ahead of Italy's motorcycling
hero Valentino Rossi in every one. It was because the marathon has
such a big history in Italy, he said.

He was referring in part to the success of Gelindo Bordin, Italy's
1988 Olympic champion with whom he shares a coach in Lucio Gigliotti.
But the most famous Italian marathon runner probably remains Dorando
Pietri, who collapsed within sight of winning the 1908 Olympic
marathon in London, a race that established the current distance for
the event of 26 miles 385 yards.

Baldini's birthplace of Castelnuovo di Sotto is only 15 kilometres
(9.4 miles) from where Pietri was born. The legend of Pietri lives on
in Italy. Every time there is a marathon shown on television he is
mentioned, said Baldini.

It is strange sometimes how history comes together. Pietri was
subsequently disqualified because he was helped across the line by an
official but he was awarded a special cup by Queen Alexandra.

The next occasion on which that happened was in Athens 96 years later
when the Brazilian Vanderlei De Lima was given a special award by the
International Olympic Committee after he was attacked by a
London-based Irish priest while leading in Athens.

Baldini claimed he would have caught De Lima anyway. When I decided
to go after him I picked up 25 seconds in two kilometres, he said.

Baldini is receiving about $250,000 (£144,000) to run in London on
Sunday and there have been other bonuses from sponsors. I'm at the
level of a Serie A [football] player, he said of his earning
potential.

I have enough riches - but I'm not like a really top soccer player.

Still, when he retires, there are always those cows which need milking
twice a day . . .


ENDS

t-and-f: Two decades on, Spedding can't believe he is still the speediest

2005-04-16 Thread R. Schmidt

By Simon Turnbull, Athletics Correspondent

17 April 2005

So where does a retired master of the marathon go, after crossing the
final finishing line and hanging up his shoes? To Wallsend, naturally.
Charlie Spedding runs a pharmacy there, in the Tyneside town at the
end of the wall that Hadrian's Roman legions built across the far
north of England. Not that the Gateshead Harrier ever encountered the
marathon foot-soldier's wall, the point at which the body runs out
of glycogen and starts to feel, and act, like one of those toy bunnies
with its batteries fully drained.

Spedding strode to victory in the London Marathon in 1984, won a
bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in Los Angeles later the same
year, and in the London race of 1985 set an English record as
runner-up to the Welshman Steve Jones. The record he set that day, 2hr
8min 33sec, still stands 20 years later.

Jones, the British record-holder, has settled in the United States, so
Spedding - as well as being the fastest Englishman of all time - can
claim to be the fastest marathon man resident in Britain, too. He also
happens to be the last British winner of a marathon medal in a global
championship - the Olympic Games or the World Championships. He is the
only Briton to have done so, in fact, since Basil Heatley took Olympic
silver behind Abebe Bikila in Tokyo in 1964.

Now 52, and back in London to work as a summariser for BBC Radio Five
Live on the 2005 Flora London Marathon today, the softly spoken,
affably self-effacing Spedding is more bemused and saddened about his
lasting place in the record books than he is proud of it.

http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=630213

t-and-f: Radcliffe ready to face test of time

2005-04-16 Thread R. Schmidt

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;sessionid=IVAMVGCUYRELZQFIQMFCM5OAVCBQYJVC?xml=/sport/2005/04/17/somara17.xmlsSheet=/sport/2005/04/17/ixsport.htmlsecureRefresh=true_requestid=18316

By Simon Hart
(Filed: 17/04/2005)

Time has always been on Paula Radcliffe's side in London. But, as she
glances at her wristwatch during her 26.2-mile journey through the
capital's streets today, a bigger clock will be ticking; its sound
having grown steadily louder since her collapse in Athens last summer.

Where there was once certainty and invincibility, now there are
questions. At the age of 31 and in her sixth marathon, can she still
touch the heights of 2003 when she obliterated the world record? Has
she been damaged by her Olympic meltdown, and was it really caused by
anti-inflammatory tablets? Was her defeat in a recent 10km road race
in New Orleans an aberration or part of a trend? Is her golden age now
over?

All will be revealed in a fascinating Flora London Marathon today, the
25th running of the much-loved event.

She insists her training times show no sign of falling away but admits
the race is a voyage of discovery. ''It's a chance to test myself,
she says. You think you know where you are in your training, but you
never know 100 per cent until you get out and race.

Last week Liz McColgan, who won in London in 1996, ignited a debate
about Radcliffe's career by suggesting she may already be past her
peak. Radcliffe maintains it is too early to talk of decline and sees
no point in speculating about her biological clock.

''What can I do about it? You can't worry about things you don't know.
You run and run as hard as you can and hopefully each time things are
improving. You never know when you're going to start coming down the
other side. You know it's going to happen because you can't be running
personal bests at 90 years of age, but in training I don't see that
happening yet.

More conclusive evidence will be available today in a race that,
though it includes several formidable opponents, would have held
little fear for the Radcliffe of old. Against her are Susan Chepkemei,
whom she beat in New York last autumn, Sun Yingjie, the half-marathon
world champion, and Margaret Okayo, who won in London last year in
Radcliffe's absence. None has come close to matching the
Englishwoman's time of 2hr 15min 25sec in 2003. Anything less than a
Radcliffe victory will be seized upon by the doubters.

She is certainly thinking positively. She has asked the race
organisers to provide pacemakers that will take her through the
halfway mark in 68 min 30 sec, which would put her on course for a
time of 2 hr 17min - or even less given that in both her previous
London Marathons she ran the second half faster than the first.

Unlike two years ago, Radcliffe will not be provided with male
pacemakers this time but she believes her world record is still
beatable given the right conditions.

''It's definitely possible, she says. Even with male pacemakers, you
still have to run every step of the way, and in 2003, most of the time
I was running alongside them not behind them. Running with them wasn't
helping me or pushing me or sheltering me from the wind.

''I don't feel the time I set two years ago is just way up there and
that I can never get near it again. But, at the same time, I've always
said that when I come to London it's all about winning the race. It's
about running well and having fun out there and enjoying it.

''In 2003 a lot of things came together. We had good weather and
really good support. Everything just clicked and I felt great on the
day. I would love all those things to happen again here to give me
another chance to do that, but the most important thing is to win.

Afterwards she will take a holiday before deciding whether to contest
another marathon at this summer's World Athletics Championships in
Helsinki or to switch to the 10,000m - the same dilemma she faced
before Athens. Her decision will be dictated by how she fares today
and how quickly she recovers.

While London represents a key part of the post-Athens healing process,
Helsinki offers a much bigger prize - the chance to claim her global
championship title. Maybe even her last chance.

''I think it's a very good chance, but I don't know about my last
chance, she says. Look at Kelly Holmes. She had her best chance at
the age of 34. Had you asked her when she was 31, she probably would
have said she was worried about ever winning a title. Of course she
would have been worried.

If Athens has taught Radcliffe anything, it is not to obsess about the
future and to make the most of the present. Things are not always
predictable in sport, and that's why people watch it, she said. It's
not as if you are going to draw your pension at a certain age and that
everything is mapped out. It's not. You just have to take what can,
whenever you can.

ENDS

t-and-f: Radcliffe on target , says Kristiansen

Former winners predict British victory but will it be a record, asks
David Martin

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1461642,00.html

 Sunday April 17, 2005
The Observer

Ingrid Kristiansen predicted Paula Radcliffe will return to world
record-breaking form in today's London Marathon.

In her 1985 victory, Kristiansen, who won the race four times, set a
world record of two hours 21minutes six seconds that lasted for 13
years. The Norwegian is now backing Radcliffe to not only win a third
title but break her own world record of 2hr 18min 56sec she achieved
on her marathon debut.

Radcliffe missed last year's race after winning on the previous two
occasions, preferring to fine-tune for what turned out to be a
disastrous Olympic Games.

Kristiansen admitted she had wept watching Radcliffe abandon her gold
medal bid in Athens with four miles of the race remaining. 'I felt so
sorry for Paula,' she said. 'I was crying with her. She didn't run
like she usually runs. I think she started to think negative early in
the race and that saw her use so much energy up. She was constantly
watching the girls around her, who normally wouldn't be good enough to
be near her.'

Kristiansen believes Radcliffe, who won the New York marathon 11 weeks
after her Athens disaster, will continue to dominate the event,
saying: 'At the time I didn't think it was smart to run there but
after the race she knew she could again be a great marathon runner.'

The pair had a lengthy conversation at the marathon's official dinner
on Thursday night and that convinced Kristiansen she was talking with
today's winner.

'For Paula to run under 2:20 isn't difficult and I'm sure she can
break the record again. I think she is well prepared for pushing
herself.'

Radcliffe's main challengers should be the Kenyan pair of Susan
Chepkemei and Margaret Okayo and China's Sun Yingjie, one of only four
women to run under 2hr 20min.

Kristiansen added: 'The field is very, very strong but Paula is well
focused on winning. I think Paula will run a really great race. I'm
sure she will win and I'm sure she can make the world record.'

'I feel there is so much more to come from her, but like other good
runners Paula has to be careful in the year leading up to the Olympics
[in 2008].

'I think she should take a rest the year before what will be another
tough competition.'

Eamonn Martin firmly believes Paula Radcliffe's competitive spirit
will win her a third London Marathon title.

Martin, who won the men's race in 1993 and is the last male British
winner, disagrees with Kristiansen saying he does not think Radcliffe
will break the world record, but is adamant she will control the race.

Martin believes the 31-year-old is resilient enough to triumph in
London. 'I honestly believe Athens may have done her just a little
psychological damage,' he said Martin.

'I think she's good enough to win here - definitely - there's no doubt
about that, but I don't reckon she'll run 2:15. She'll run fast and do
more than enough to win - but not in that sort of area.'

Recalling his own triumph 12 years ago, Martin added: 'I wasn't going
to run around at a steady pace - I was going to have a go and yes, the
wheels might have come off.

'Now I'm sure Paula's got her self-belief back tenfold. Great runners
will have a bad day for whatever reason and unfortunately hers came at
the Olympic Games. Also great runners will bounce back - that's a true
measure of a great athlete. Paula has done so, as she showed in New
York.

'That recovery after the Olympics was about spirit. She also showed it
throughout her career, even after finishing out of the medals at major
championships. Then she started winning races including the Chicago
and London marathons - she's got that spirit which is a requisite of
any champion.

'I don't think Paula will run like she did when she ran her world record time.'

However, Martin sees no reason why Radcliffe cannot better her race
world of 2.18:56 that she achieved on her marathon debut in London
three years ago.

That is the target race organisers have set Radcliffe and if
successful she would earn just over £66,000 plus the winner's purse of
more than £29,000.

'That's probably well within her capabilities and she could well do
that,' said Martin. I would be surprised if she didn't. But the race
will ask a lot of questions of her.

'She has tried to answer questions already in New York, but I think
Athens might take the edge off her performances from now on. It's hard
to run a marathon and suffer like that.'

Evans Rutto defends his men's title, with fellow Kenyan Paul Tergat
aiming to achieve victory in his fourth London appearance.

The Olympic marathon champion, Italy's Stefano Baldini, is also in the
field where the British challenge will be led by Jon Brown, who
finished fourth in Athens.


Radcliffe record bid backed by Kristiansen
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1461074,00.html

t-and-f: Athletes bare their soles to beat injury

Marathon runners and fashion-conscious joggers are turning to
'barefoot trainers' for safer racing

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/theobserver/story/0,10541,1461861,00.html

 David Smith and Denis Campbell
Sunday April 17, 2005
The Observer

The 35,000 runners lining up for today's London Marathon probably
believe that, after months of gruelling training, they are at the peak
of physical fitness.

From the moment the starter's gun is fired, however, they risk an
array of injuries and illnesses to which the average couch potato is
immune. And for all of those who have taken up jogging as a way of
keeping fit, similar problems may be ahead, mainly because they have
the wrong footwear.

Stress fractures, twisted knees, torn Achilles tendons, ruptured
hamstrings and 'runner's nipple' - where the rubbing of a sweat-soaked
vest can draw blood - are among the hazards facing those tackling the
26-mile, 365-yard course. The marathon, one of sport's great
challenges, also exacts a heavy toll in blisters, broken toenails,
chafing and fatigue.

According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, up to 60 per cent
of sports injuries are caused by worn-out or unsuitable footwear.
Experts warn that the wrong trainer can do more harm than no trainer
at all, a view that has fuelled a boom in shoes that replicate 'going
barefoot'.

Thousands of Britons - including Cherie Blair and, last week, Jemima
Khan - have turned to Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) trainers, whose
uneven soles apparently encourage wearers to move in the same way as
East Africa's Masai tribespeople walking barefoot in the sand. These
trainers force wearers to engage core muscles to maintain balance, and
are said to reduce back pain, arthritis and cellulite.

Aware that many great African runners began their careers training
barefoot, sportswear companies have been exploring the technology's
potential for years. A barefoot runner's foot hits the ground at a
much shallower angle than if a shoe is worn, distributing the pressure
more evenly and enabling the foot's 26 bones to interact. The latest
innovation is the Nike Free trainer, which went on sale for £60 this
month and has been used by Paula Radcliffe in her preparation for
today's race. It has deep grooves and slices on the sole, heel pockets
to allow more natural movement, and slices to make the top more
flexible. It is intended as a training aid rather than a running shoe.

Mike O'Neill, a podiatric surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital in
Windsor, said: 'The idea of the Nike Free is that is has a very thin
sole with deep grooves so your feet will act as a natural spring. It
has hardly any stability or motion support and will be a bit like
wearing a sandal. For someone light and biomechanically stable, it's
probably OK for short distance running. I wouldn't advise anyone doing
longer distance running to wear it.'

O'Neill said he saw many injuries caused by the wrong kind of
trainers. 'A lot of people come in here with knee problems, shin
problems, back problems. So many of them are wearing crappy trainers,
I can't believe it.

'The London Marathon is a big problem for us. People will see it on
Sunday and think, I'll do it next year. They'll put on old trainers
or buy some for £20 or £30 and start running. Or people can spend £70
to £100 but often the staff in the shop don't know what they're
selling.'

The marathon will test some footwear - and bodies - to destruction. Dr
Jonathan Folland, an expert in exercise physiology at Loughborough
University, said: 'There are 10 or 20 injuries that are reasonably
common among endurance runners. The marathon puts a big strain on the
body, especially with all the training involved.'

Running such a long distance also leaves athletes vulnerable to
infection. New research from Teesside University found that 77 per
cent of those taking part in a half-marathon suffered flu-like
symptoms afterwards.


ENDS

t-and-f: Radcliffe must rise to the occasion

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4445563.stm   

By Steve Cram
BBC Sport

Paula Radcliffe is favourite to capture the women's crown at the 2005
Flora London Marathon - but it is not going to be easy.

I'm glad Paula rediscovered her competitive edge when she was forced
to battle it out with Susan Chepkemei to win the New York Marathon
last November.

Paula needs to be gutsy because none of her marathons from now on will
be cake walks.

When she won the London title in 2003 there were two different races -
her and the rest of the elite women - but it won't be the same this
time around.

Having said that she is well capable of winning London for a third
time. She's in pretty good shape and seems quite relaxed.

Paula has stayed away training in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a longer
period than she would have in the past which has helped her focus on
her preparations.

She has had no problems and has done all the training she wants to do.

But does that mean Paula is going to run phenomenally fast in London?
Well, I'd be very, very surprised.

Paula's world record time of two hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds is
not the sort of target we should expect of her.

She will have help from some female pacemakers but I don't expect her
to do anything silly, she will be patient.

Don't expect the race to be over at the halfway stage either - there
will be plenty of athletes who will be within striking distance if
Paula starts to falter.

Defending champion Margaret Okayo is a very, very good athlete and is
well capable of being a threat.

The Kenyan also dropped out of the Athens Olympics where she was
second favourite behind Paula to take the title, so she will also want
to deliver.

China's Sun Yingjie runs with an unusual style with her arms straight
down by her sides and so she is one to watch out for.

Yingjie is a bit of a reluctant marathon runner but she could produce
a quick time. I don't think she would have come to London if she
wasn't expecting to do well.

The big question mark in the women's race is about Australian Benita Johnson.

People keep ringing me up and telling me she will be a threat but I'm
not convinced. She is a tough athlete but at this point in her career
the marathon is a little bit of a stretch for her.

As for the men's race, well I couldn't pick a winner. It is an
excellent field and it will be a really intriguing race.

If I were a betting man I would be tempted to go for world record
holder Paul Tergat - although it is a big test for him.

In the same way we look at what happened to Paula in Athens, Tergat's
display in the men's marathon (he finished 10th) was a big, big shock
in Kenya.

Against him Olympic champion Stefano Baldini is capable of running a
fast time on a new course.

The Italian will run a different style of race to Tergat. He is always
more circumspect and you won't see him at the front.

Baldini and Tergat are both likely to hang around and grind out a
tactical race, picking off the runners one by one.

Defending champion Evans Rutto is also in the mix as he has a
phenomenal record in marathons, winning all three he has entered.

But I still think Tergat and Baldini will battle it out for the men's title.

And one more thing, which the organisers might not thank me for, I'm
not expecting any world records to go this year.


ENDS

t-and-f: Rutto's World record 'wait and see' London Mens race PREVIEW

Saturday 16 April 2005

London, UK - It speaks volumes for the elite men's field put together
for Sunday's Flora London Marathon (17 April) that the absence of
Haile Gebrselassie, Khalid Khannouchi and Gezahegne Abera will hardly
be noticed. Despite the withdrawal through injury of such distance
running legends there is a phenomenal line-up of talent gathering for
the race's 25th anniversary.

Rutto - Unbeaten record

The defending champion Evans Rutto returns to London with a 100 per
cent record at the marathon distance still intact.

His first marathon came in Chicago in 2003 when looking to run around
2:06-2:07, that ambition proved a conservative estimate as he blasted
to victory in 2:05:50, the fastest ever debut at the distance. He
arrived in London last year looking to run even quicker, but those
hopes were ended as he tripped over a security barrier and slid across
a road-soaked road, suffering cuts to his knees.

But he picked himself up to win in 2:06:19 and then followed up with
victory in Chicago in October. His halfway split in the Windy City was
62:24, leading to hopes of a World record, but strong winds took their
toll and he had to settle for the win in 2:06:16. It may have been his
slowest marathon to date but he won by almost a minute-and-a-half and
it still left him unbeaten at the distance and boasting an average
time of 2:06:08.

Rutto seeks quality rather than quantity when it comes to racing. He
hasn't raced for six months, Chicago being his last competitive
outing, but he is not concerned by that. I've been training in
Boulder and everything has gone well, Rutto confirmed. I don't feel
I need to race, I will save that for Sunday. I was a little
disappointed not to set a personal best in London last year so I hope
to make up for that, but whether I can break the World record we will
have to see.

But the important thing is to win the race and I will be very happy
if I do that. I was very happy when I read that the course is changing
slightly this year. They have removed the section where I fell last
year and it should make it a faster course.

Tergat - on-form half

One man out to end Rutto's unbeaten sequence is world marathon
record-holder Paul Tergat, who warmed up with a 59:10 Half Marathon
(slightly downhill) in Lisbon last month.

Only Tergat himself has run faster than that, but at the marathon he
has yet to enjoy the success he did at the half distance. He may be
World record holder with 2:04:55, but that Berlin victory is his only
success at the distance to date. Since that Berlin victory, Tergat was
forced to pull out of last year's London Marathon with a leg injury
and he was 10th at the Olympic Marathon having been haled back due to
stomach cramps.

But he's clearly in great shape and is looking to run well. I've got
plenty of miles behind me and good speed work but there is a very
competitive line-up,' said Tergat. All I can say is I will be up
there with them and looking to win.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29134.html

t-and-f: Ndereba and Cherigat return to defend titles in Boston Marathon - PREVIEW

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29144.html

Saturday 16 April 2005

The 109th B.A.A. Boston Marathon on Monday 18 April 2005 will be
highlighted by the return of the defending champions, the Kenyans
Catherine Ndereba and Timothy Cherigat.

WOMEN  number four for Ndereba?

Ndereba's attempt to take the women's race title for an unprecedented
fourth time (2000, 2001, 2004 her previous wins) is of course the
headline attraction. Ndereba, 32, won her third title last year, eight
months after claiming a World Championships gold medal. She is the
second fastest woman in history, her African record coming in 2001
when she won the Chicago Marathon (2:18:47 PB).

Ndereba is now one of the all-time greats of the discipline, with
three Boston victories (+ a second and a sixth), two Chicago wins (+ a
second place), and two New York and one London second place finishes,
as well as a World Championship gold and an Olympic silver to her
credit.

One of only five women to have broken 2:20, the Kenyan ace has three
such clockings on her career CV, which is the same number as Britain's
Paula Radcliffe the World record holder, a remarkable feat considering
that none of the other three women have run sub-2:20 more than once.

One of Ndereba's stiffest previous opponents, Margaret Okayo, who beat
her to the Boston title in 2002 is in London this weekend to defend
her title in that rival race where she will face another Ndereba
nemesis Radcliffe. But the absence of this duo should not give any
impression that the defending Boston champion will be unopposed.

In particular Ndereba will face two other high profile national record
holders, Russia's 2003 Boston winner Svetlana Zakharova (2:21:31 PB)
and Ethiopian Gete Wami (2:22:19 PB). The Russian, 35, who finished
ninth in the 2003 Worlds and last year's Olympics, won the Chicago
Marathon in 2003, though her PB stands thanks to her fourth place in
Chicago in 2002, the year in which she also finished second in London
(2:22:31). Wami's illustrious track pedigree needs no repeating but
her marathon best which she set on her debut in Amsterdam now dates
back to 2002.

Italian Bruna Genovese (2:25:35 PB - 2001), the tenth-place finisher
at the Olympics, who won the Tokyo Marathon last November in 2:26:34
is another name to look out for, as is Romanian Nuta Olaru, 34, who
was also in form last autumn taking second in Chicago (2:24:33).

However, the closest challenge could again come from Elfenesh Alemu of
Ethiopia, who finished second to Ndereba last year and was also behind
the Kenyan in third in 2002, which was the year that Okayo beat them
both.

Ndereba and Alemu had another battle at the Olympics last summer when
in the scorching heat and humidity of the Greek capital, Ndereba took
the silver while the Ethiopian finished just out of the medals in
fourth. Alemu has a consistent record of quick marathon races, with a
victory in Tokyo in 2003 (2:24:47), last year's Boston runners-up spot
(2:24:43) and a fourth place in Osaka in 2000 (2:24:47  NB same time
as Tokyo), all in the region of her current personal best of 2:24:29
which she set in London in 2001.

NOTE. National record holder Oliviera Jevtic of Serbia and Montenegro,
a sixth-place finisher at the 2004 Olympics, has had to withdraw due
to a calf injury.

Just like in 2004, the elite women will hear the gun separately. The
group of approximately 60 will start at 11:31 a.m.  For the second
year in a row, the top female finishers are expected to reach Copley
Square before the winner of the men's open division.

MEN  visa problems deny Cheboror

Kenyan Robert Cheboror, the 2004 Boston runner-up who would have been
the fastest entrant in the men's field this weekend with a personal
best of 2:06:23 - the third fastest performance in the world of 2004 -
has not been able to travel to Boston in time due to problems with the
issuing of an US-visa. Cheboror only received the permission that his
P1-visa was granted by the US Authorities on 15 April (20:00 CET).

In 2004, Cheboror caught up with the lead pack at the 18-mile mark
only again to be dropped by countryman Timothy Cherigat shortly after,
and eventually finished a distant second (2:11:49), with Cherigat
winning in a time of 2:10:37.

Cheboror whose personal best came when winning in Amsterdam last
autumn was to have been one of ten elite starters on Monday with bests
of sub-2:10. The fastest in the Boston field is now Kenyan Wilson
Onsare, whose PB of 2:06:47 came when placing third in the 2003 Paris
City Marathon. The 28-year-old has run four marathons in his career
and has so far finished third on 3 occasions and fourth in another.

Moving away from pure times, Boston has recalled the defending
champion Timothy Cherigat (2:09:34 PB), and 2003 winner Robert
Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who was a late addition this week to the elite
field of 32 athletes. Following his gutsy victory in 2003 (2:10:11
PB), Cheruiyot dropped out of last year's race after running 25 miles.

t-and-f: Macharia and Ivanova take Nagano Marathon titles

Sunday 17 April 2005

Surging away at 30.5Km and covering each kilometre from 30Km to 32Km
under 3 minutes, Kenyan Isaac Macharia won the 7th annual Nagano
Olympic Memorial Marathon with 2:10:59 today, improving his personal
best by 27 seconds.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29151.html

Re: t-and-f: London Marathon results and articles

Radcliffe leaves rivals trailing

By Steve Cram
BBC Sport

If anyone ever doubted it, Paula Radcliffe has proved once again that
she is in a league of her own when it comes to the marathon.

Her victory in London on Sunday was another superlative piece of
distance running.

One or two athletes thought about trying to go with her in the early
stages of the race, but they just can't live with it.

I think it surprises Paula that some of her fellow competitors don't
feel as though they can commit to that sort of pace early in the race.

I know she feels that many of her rivals should be running quicker
than they are - but she cannot do anything about that and it should
not detract from her performance on Sunday.

And all that with an unscheduled toilet stop towards the end.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4454313.stm

London Marathon pictures
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/photo_galleries/4453365.stm

Radcliffe apologises for stopping
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/sport.html?in_article_id=345270in_page_id=1771in_a_source=

Radcliffe swats away rivals and doubters alike
http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=630546

Radcliffe sets new record - and still has time for a pit stop
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1462209,00.html

Luckless Brown falls just short again
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1462210,00.html

Radcliffe powers to third London win in 2:17:42
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29155.html

In pictures: Radcliffe's victory
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowFramesetFrag.jhtml?xml=/sport/gallery/londonmarathon/upixmara.xml

Relieved Radcliffe says sorry
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/04/18/sofron18.xmlsSheet=/sport/2005/04/18/ixsport.html

On 4/17/05, Ryan Hill [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Top 10 Men:
1. Martin Lel, Kenya, 2 hours, 7 minutes, 26 seconds.
2. Jaouad Gharib, Morocco, 2:07:49.
3. Hendrick Ramaala, South Africa, 2:08:32.
4. Abdelkader El Mouaziz, Morocco, 2:09:03.
5. Stefano Baldini, Italy, 2:09:25.
6. Jon Brown, Britain, 2:09:31.
7. Toshinari Suwa, Japan, 2:10:23.
8. Paul Tergat, Kenya, 2:11:38.
9. Sammy Korir, Kenya, 2:12:36.
10. Evans Rutto, Kenya, 2:12:49.

Top 10 Women:
1. Paula Radcliffe, Britain, 2 hours, 17 minutes 42 seconds.
2. Constantina Tomescu-Dita, Romania, 2:22:50.
3. Susan Chepkemei, Kenya, 2:24:00.
4. Margaret Okaya, Kenya, 2:25:22.
5. Lyudmila Petrova, Russia, 2:26:29.
6. Benita Johnson, Australia, 2:26:32.
7. Joyce Chepchumba, Kenya, 2:27:01.
8. Sonia O'Sullivan, Ireland, 2:29:01.
9. Mulu Seboka, Ethiopia, 2:30:54.
10. Mara Yamauchi, Britain, 2:31:52.

BBC - Radcliffe races to London victory:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4445391.stm
BBC - Lel springs London Marathon shock:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4453571.stm
IAAF - Radcliffe powers to third London win in 2:17:42:
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29155.html

--
Ryan Hill
Webmaster: Hillrunner.com

t-and-f: Jones finishes last in first race since Athens Olympics

Associated Press
Track and Field News Wire

WALNUT, Calif. -- Marion Jones has a long way to go to resurrect her
once sparkling track career.

Jones faded badly down the stretch and finished a distant last in the
400 meters Sunday at the Mount San Antonio College Relays, her first
meet since her disastrous performance in the Athens Olympics. She
finished in 55.03 seconds in the race, which Novlene Williams won in
51.49.

Jones drew loud cheers from the sparse crowd of some 6,000 in the
15,000-seat Mount SAC stadium when she was introduced. One young girl
yelled, Go Marion, -- to no avail -- as Jones turned for home.

Jones and her boyfriend, sprinter Tim Montgomery, were quick leaving
the stadium after her race, however. Neither would speak with
reporters.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2039489

t-and-f: Trinidad Tobago turn in best ever performance - CARIFTA Games - Day Three

http://www.iaaf.org/WYC05/news/Kind=2/newsId=28988.html

Tuesday 29 March 2005

Trindiad  Tobago - Needing just nine medals to equal its best showing
ever at the CARIFTA Junior Track  Field Championships, the hosts of
this years games Trinidad  Tobago instead went overboard, with 13
podium finishes on the final day of competition at the Dwight Yorke
Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago. Jamaica topped the table with 59 medals,
but the big story was the home team.

Mile honours split

Trindiad  Tobago (TT) took gold in the under-17 women's and men's
4x400m relays. Individual one-lap champion Britney St Louis crossed
the line in 3:44.05 after taking over from Sade St Louis, Kelly-Ann
Romeo and Cadajah Spencer, with Jamaica (3:46.42) and Bahamas
(3:49.39) second and third in the women's race.

The individual champion led TT again in the men's race. Kervin Morgan
turned in a fantastic run to finish in 3:15.09, a new Games record by
over three seconds. Morgan's team was second when he got the baton,
but he gave the crowd of 3000 its money's worth, leaving Jamaica
(3:15.39) and Bahamas (3:18.71) trailing.

Jamaica came back in the U-20 races. Jamaica took gold in 3:36.91, TT
(3:44.08) silver, and Bahamas (3:45.93) bronze. TT (3:10.32) would
have been disappointed to settle for silver in the men's race, with
400m champion and silver medallist Renny Quow and Jamil James, but
Jamaica held on for a 3:09.94 win.

Sprint doubles sealed

Antigua-Barbuda's Daniel Bailey came into the XXXIV CARIFTA Games with
a mission, and he completed it with victory in the U-20 men's 200m
dash. World Junior Championships finalist Bailey ran 21.36 seconds to
hold off Jamaica's Mekel Downer (21.49) and Trinidad  Tobago's Marcus
Duncan (21.64).

Similarly, TT's (and, more specifically, Tobago's) Kelly Ann Baptiste
came to do the double. To do so, she had to beat Jamaica's World Youth
Champion, Anneisha McLaughlin. But Baptiste (23.25) did just that,
just edging the Jamaican (23.28) and leaving Grenada's Sherry Fletcher
(24.03) in third.

Yohan Blake did the 100-200 double as well, in the U-17 men's
division. The Jamaican posted a 22.19-second finish, ahead of TT's
Kervin Morgan. Jamaica's Latoya King (23.68) and TT's Britney St
Louis (23.98) denied Antigua-Barbuda's Anika Jno- Baptiste (24.07)
what would have been a second gold medal.

Hurdles swept

After taking all the intermediate (300m and 400m) Hurdles titles, the
Jamaicans added gold medals in all of the sprint Hurdles races as
well. They got underway with Natasha Ruddock (13.72), who took a third
consecutive U-17 women's 100m hurdles crown, ahead of teammate
Shermaine Williams.

Keiron Stewart continued the impressive Hurdles trend for the North
Caribbean giants, streaking over the sticks in 13.41. In an incredibly
tight race, he was trailed by Martinique's Livan Midonet (13.47) and
Montano Palicious (13.47) of the Bahamas, in third.
 
World Youth Championship silver medallist Lotoya Greaves successfully
defended her U-20 women's 100m Hurdles title, crossing the line in
13.82 seconds. She was followed across by compatriot Kimberly Laing
(14.35) and Alexandria Oembler (14.45) who took third for Bahamas.
 
2004 CARIFTA 400m Hurdles champion Markino Buckley (14.34) made a
successful transition to the shorter distance. He captured the U-20
men's 110m Hurdles for Jamaica, into a slight headwind. Barbados' Ryan
Brathwaite (14.64) was second, with Martinique's Stevy Telliam (14.74)
taking third.
 
Jamaica takes Austin Sealy Award
 
The 800m run produced a meet record, as U-17 men's 1500m champion
Theon O'Connor completed a middle distance double for Jamaica. He held
onto his two-lap title in 1:53.72, with compatriot Andre Thomas
(1:56.63) second. O'Connor was named most outstanding performer and
received the Austin Sealy Award.
 
Natoye Goule, O'Connor's fellow countrywoman, also did the middle
distance double, as Jamaica again went 1-2 in the 800m run. Goule came
across the line in 2:14.16, just holding Teneisha Davis (2:14.44) off
by a couple of steps. Barbadian Latoya Smith (2:15.13) was third
across the line.
 
The US Virgin Islands took their first gold medal at these Games
through Snany Eugene. Eugene (2:12.75) won the U-20 women's race. The
Bahamas men, through Ramon Miller (1:54.53) and Codero Charles
(1:54.86) also did their part to show that Jamaica does not yet hold
exclusive sway in the middle distances.
 
Rounding out track action, Event U-20 men's 1500m champion Andrae
Drummonds dominated the men's open 5000m run. The Jamaican ran
16:08.27, well ahead of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
duo of St Lucia's Shawn Adams (16:28.36) and St Vincent  the
Grenadines' Junior Ashton (16:38.52).
 
Jumps produce more doubles
 
In the field, Martinique ruled the U-17 women's Triple Jump. Keisha
Willix got a just-legal tailwind of 1.9 m/s to record her best effort
of 12.29m, whilst Myriam Lixfe (12.25m) had a tailwind of 2.1 m/s,
just over the allowable limit. 13-year-old British

t-and-f: Dieter Hogen German coach, Kenyan magic

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=28982.html

Monday 28 March 2005

There is no doubt that Dieter Hogen is the most successful German long
distance running coach, yet he doesn't train a single German runner.
Instead he concentrates on a group of international runners,
especially Kenyans.

In order to be able to support his athletes in the best possible way
Hogen and US manager Tom Ratcliffe have recently founded a new
management group: KIMbia Athletic, that will concentrate on long
distance track events, cross country and road races, especially the
marathon.

Elite group  a memory of Kim

At present the group consists of about 25 runners. Among them are the
Kenyans Evans Rutto, who has won all his first three marathons and set
an unofficial world debut record in Chicago in 2003 (2:05:50), Timothy
Cherigat (winner of the Boston Marathon 2004), Sammy Kipketer and
Abraham Chebii. The latter was second behind Kenenisa Bekele in the
short course event at last weekend's World Cross Country
Championships.

Frenchman Bouabdellah Tahri has recently chosen Dieter Hogen as his
coach just as Bob Kennedy (US) and Elana Meyer (South Africa) had done
earlier. Among those who have joined the management team are former
long distance runner Godfrey Kiprotich, who had been one of the first
Kenyans coached by Dieter Hogen in the mid 90ies, and Jane Howarth,
who had been working for the late Kim McDonald.

Tom Ratcliffe, who had been Kim McDonald's business partner for many
years, and Dieter Hogen chose the name and spelling KIMbia for two
reasons. Kimbia' is from the Kenyan language Swahili and means 'to
run'. The name is an acknowledgement of the impact Kenyan runners have
on international athletics and also serves as a reminiscence to Kim
McDonald who had been one of the world's most respected athletes
managers before his sudden death in 2001. Today his name as well as
his philosophy lives on in KIMbia, says Tom Ratcliffe.

From the very beginning to Pippig's brilliance

Dieter Hogen has worked as a coach for more than 25 years. Originally
coming from Thringen in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR)
he had joined one of the renowned East German clubs in 1973: ASK
Potsdam. He was then coached by the well known Bernd Diener, who had
for example guided Olaf Beyer to his famous win against Sebastian Coe
at 800 metres in the 1978 European Championships.

Dieter Hogen was a promising middle and long distance runner. But by
the age of 22 his career as a runner was already over in 1975 due to
an injury. He then concentrated on his teaching studies at Potsdam
University. But it was not long and before graduation, when ASK
Potsdam offered him a job as a coach. Since top level sport was more
interesting for me than school teaching, I took charge of a group of
13 to 15-year-old runners, Hogen explains. A couple of years later in
1986 he took over as a coach for adults for long distance and marathon
at ASK Potsdam. It was then when he met Uta Pippig.

Hogen then guided Pippig to international class and she was third in
the 1989 World Marathon Cup. But none of the two, who had a personal
relationship until a few years ago, felt comfortable in the GDR's
system. Hogen felt he could not realise his true potential. For
example most of the requests for races abroad were turned down.
Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down in late 1989 he and Uta Pippig
left for Stuttgart but soon returned to Berlin when the political
circumstances had finally changed.

Negative experience  total commitment

Despite negative experiences Hogen's thoughts about the past are not
all bad. In the GDR you learned what absolute commitment to a goal
meant and to accept only the highest standards. You don't always get
that with athletes these days. They give much less than 100 percent
and average performances are too quickly described as good, both in
Germany and America. If you want to become world class, it takes much
more commitment and hard training than many imagine, says Hogen.

You have to prepare yourself professionally. The GDR had many
professionals and that brought success. In long distance running
doping played no role. But unfortunately one was strongly tormented by
the GDR government both politically and personally. That destroyed the
good points.

It has always been Hogen's aim to give maximum support and provide as
much individual supervising of training to his athletes as possible.
In his view, the most important step towards world class results is
creating a professionally organised environment for the athlete, with
every detail in daily life taken into account.

Pippig had been the most prominent German athlete Hogen coached. She
was a triple winner of both the Berlin and the Boston Marathons.
Additionally until today the national record holder for the classic
distance (2:21:45) and the half marathon (67:58) is the only German to
have won the New York Marathon. Hogen coached a number of other
runners from his home country in the 90s. One

t-and-f: Home talent takes on African challenge in Carlsbad

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=28999.html

Wednesday 30 March 2005

Carlsbad, California, USA - Dathan Ritzenhein, the former World Junior
Cross Country bronze medallist, who defeated a classy Kenyan line-up
in January's IAAF cross country permit race in Belfast has joined the
world class 5km road race field assembled for the 20th anniversary
running of the 'Carlsbad 5000', this Sunday 3 April.

Ritzenhein, who was recently profiled in the 21 March issue of Sports
Illustrated in a feature titled Ready to Take on the World, joins
Ethiopia's two-time defending champion Dejene Berhanu, three-time
former champion and course record holder Sammy Kipketer of Kenya, and
Craig Mottram, Australia's World Cup 3000m winner.

However, Ritzenhein, 22, who lives and trains in Boulder, Colorado,
will have his work cut out especially after a sub-par performance at
the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on 20 March where he
finished 62.

The women's field is expected to feature an exciting duel between
defending champion Isabella Ochichi of Kenya and Ethiopian youngster
Tirunesh Dibaba, 19, fresh from her double gold medal performance at
the World Cross Country.

Ochichi comes to Carlsbad following an impressive victory at the
Crescent City 10K in New Orleans (March 26) where she beat Briton's
World record holder for the distance Paula Radcliffe in the second
fastest time ever run (30:27). Ochichi also had top five finishes in
both the long (5th) and short (3rd) World Cross races less than a
fortnight ago.


ENDS

t-and-f: Benjamin Limo takes 10km victory in Berkane

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=28994.html

Tuesday 29 March 2005

Berkane, Morocco - Kenyan Benjamin Limo won the third edition of the
Foules Internationales de Berkane 10km which was organised
yesterday by L'Association Beni Snassen des oeuvres sociales, a
charitable body headed by double Olympic champion (1500-5000m) Hicham
El Guerrouj.

Limo, 30, the 1999 World Cross Country Championship short race winner
succeeded his compatriots Peter Chebet (2001) and Richard Limo (2002)
as the 10km winner. The event was not contested in 2003 or last year.

Taking control of the pace, Limo won in a time of 28:29, ahead of
compatriot Chamba Luniac Kipro (28:44), with Morocco's Mohamed Amyne
occupying third place in 28:55.

There was also a Mile race held, with several of the best Algerian and
Moroccan runners from their national teams contesting the title, the
only notable exception being Morocco's double Olympic champion Hicham
El Guerrouj who was of course organising this year's event.

Winning the Mile was Morocco's Adil El Kaouch, who had had to be
content with second place in both 2001 and 2002. However this year the
man who had triumphed on both those previous occasions Youssef Baba
could only finish fifth. El Kaouch, who was the 1998 World Junior
1500m champion, won yesterday in 3:59, thanks to a sprint in the final
metres. He was followed home by two young talents Yassine Bensghir,
the 2002 World Junior 1500m winner (second, 4:02) and Mohamed
Moustaoui, who was fourth at last year's World Junior Championships
over 1500m (third 4:06).

The women's 5km was won by Morocco's Zhor El Kamch from compatriot
Bouchra Chaabi, and Bahrain (formerly Moroccan) Nadia Jafini. El
Kamch, the five-time World Military Cross Country champion, finished
first in 16:13, so retaining the title she won in 2001 and 2002.
Chaabi was second (16:36), way ahead of Jafini in third (17:16).

The men's 5km was dominated by a trio of Moroccans. Ahmed Beday took
first place in 14:49, followed by Abderrahim Hajji (14:52), and Ahmed
Fadel (14:56).

Before the start of the main racing, 6000 kids of 12 years of age and
under took part in a 2000m fun run.

A delighted organizer, El Guerrouj assured that though the event was
not on the official calendar of the Moroccan Federation this year, I
have taken on the organization to assure that it will continueI will
begin the preparation of the next edition so that it achieves a high
international status.

Mohammed Benchrif for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Kenyans take all four races in Paderborn

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=28997.html

Wednesday 30 March 2005

Elijah Sang set a new course record at the traditional Paderborn
Easter Road Race when winning the Half Marathon in 61:49 on Saturday
(26 March). The Kenyan was well ahead of his fellow countrymen Bellor
Miningwo (62:17) and Joseph Kipkorir Samoei (64:46). There was a clean
sweep for Kenya since the Kenyans won all four events. 7170 runners
had entered the Paderborn Easter Road Race.

22 year-old Elijah Sang is a relatively new face in German road
running. He is managed by Volker Wagner and thus belongs to same group
of runners that include big names like Tegla Loroupe or Joyce
Chepchumba.

Beatrice Omwanza, 31, won the women's Half Marathon in 1:11:32. During
the first part of the race Claudia Dreher looked fine following the
later winner. But in the later stages of the race the German, who
concentrates on the Hamburg Marathon on 24th April, could not cope
with Omwanza who is a fomrer Paris Marathon winner. Dreher was second
in 1:13:19. I hoped for a faster time, but after my training camp in
South Africa I did not yet feel fresh enough, Dreher said. Her goal
in Hamburg is a time around 2:30. Viola Bor (Kenya) was third in
1:14:03.

In the 10km race Moses Kipkosgei Kigen (28:33) was the winner. For the
Kenyan it was a good test for his next race: the Berlin Half Marathon
next Sunday. Kigen's countrymen Francis Kibiwott (28:34) and Stanley
Kipkosgei Salil (28:37) took the next places. There was bad luck for
German Carsten Eich. He twisted an ankle and thus had to drop out, and
he will now not be able to compete in the Berlin Half Marathon.

Eunice Jepkorir was the women's 10km winner in 32:16. Once again the
first three places went to Kenya with Carolyne Kiptoo second in 33:04
and Pauline Wangui third (33:05). There was slight disappointment for
Luminita Zaituc. The German did not show convincing form when
finishing fourth in 33:21. My training was good so I keep being
optimistic, Luminita Zaituc said. She also aims to compete in next
Sunday in  Berlin.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Ochichi has 10km record possibilities in Manchester

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29001.html

Wednesday 30 March 2005

Isabella Ochichi, who decisively defeated Paula Radcliffe over 10km
last Saturday in New Orleans, will compete in this year's BUPA Great
Manchester Run, in Manchester, England on 22 May 2005.

The 25-year-old Kenyan who is the Olympic 5000m silver medallist ran
the world's second fastest ever 10km time of 30:27 for the distance
when decisively beating the current World record holder Paula
Radcliffe by 18 seconds in the Crescent City Classic race in New
Orleans.

Ochichi was just six seconds short of the World record (30:21, Paula
Radcliffe, San Juan, PUR 23 Feb 2003) and will be expected to make her
mark again in the sell-out 20,000 participant race in Manchester.

We're not setting Isabella any targets, but I see no reason why she
cannot challenge the UK-All Comers record time of 30:38, said the
event's athletics director Matthew Turnbull. That performance was
achieved by Radcliffe in London's Richmond Park, in September 2002.

Certainly the form Ochichi is in at present, suggests the record is
there for the taking and the class of her opponents will, I'm sure,
ensure a fast race if the weather is on the runner's side.

The Netherlands' Kenyan-born Lornah Kiplagat, who took her own famous
10km victory over Radcliffe in San Juan in 2004, Latvia's Jelena
Prokopcuka, the winner of the recent Osaka Marathon (2:22:56), and
defending champion Sonia O'Sullivan of Ireland will offer the Kenyan
top opposition.

Meanwhile, Ochichi will be in action again this weekend when competing
over 5Km in Carlsbad in the United States where 12 months ago she won
superbly in 14:53.


ENDS

t-and-f: Four-time winner Chepchumba joins field of 18,000 for Berlin Half Marathon

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=28996.html

Tuesday 29 March 2005

Berlin, Germany - Joyce Chepchumba has once again chosen this Sunday's
Bewag Berlin Half Marathon (3 April) as her final test race before the
London Marathon two weeks later. The Kenyan could become the first
athlete to win the Berlin Half Marathon for a record fifth time. The
course record holder (68:22 minutes) and defending champion has won
the race in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004.

Opposition in Sunday's race will come from fellow Kenyans Mary
Ptikany, Emily Kimuria and Irene Jerotich. Additionally Luminita
Zaituc could be in with a chance. The strongest German road runner at
present has been 18th in the Olympic Marathon in Athens and then ran
to sixth place in New York last year.

Kenyan men are looking for their eighth win in ten years in Sunday's
race. Patrick Ivuti is the fastest men in the field with a personal
best of 59:45. On the slightly downhill course in Lisbon he had run
even 14 seconds faster. Other Kenyans to watch will be Joseph
Ngolepus, the Berlin Marathon Champion from 2001, and Moses Kipkosgei
Kigen. Olympic Marathon silver medallist from 1996, Bong-ju Lee (South
Korea), has also entered Sunday's race. It will be his first start in
Berlin.

A record number of about 18,000 athletes are expected to take part in
what is the biggest and best quality German Half Marathon.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF


ENDS

t-and-f: Ochichi confirmed for Manchester

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4393923.stm

Kenya's Isabella Ochichi, who beat Paula Radcliffe into second over
10km in New Orleans last week, will compete in May's Great Manchester
Run.

The 25-year-old Olympic 5,000m silver medallist defeated Radcliffe -
the world record holder for the distance - by a massive 18 seconds in
Louisiana.

Organisers of the Manchester event say they expect Ochichi to
challenge Radcliffe's UK all-comers' record.

Radcliffe set a mark of 30 minutes, 38 seconds at Richmond Park in 2002.

We're not setting Isabella any targets, but I see no reason why she
cannot challenge Paula's outstanding performance, said Matthew
Turnbull, athletics director of the Manchester race.

Her winning time of 30:27 in New Orleans clearly suggests she can
make a genuine attempt of breaking the record.

That time was just six seconds slower than Radcliffe's world record
run in Puerto Rico in 2003.

Certainly the form Ochichi is in at present makes it a strong
possibility, Turnbull said.

And the class of her opponents will, I'm sure, ensure a fast race if
the weather is on the runners' side.

Turnbull has already signed up Kenyan-born Lornah Kiplagat, who now
runs for the Netherlands, and Osaka Marathon winner Jelena Prokopcuka
for Manchester.

They're top-notch 10km runners and Sonia O'Sullivan is defending her
title, so certainly on paper a fast race will be on the cards, added
Turnbull.


ENDS

t-and-f: Athletes asked to help doping war

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/4392213.stm

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has appointed an athletes'
committee in order to foster closer links with sportsmen and women.

The 13-strong committee will be chaired by Russian ice hockey player
Viacheslav Fetisov and includes athletes from a range of sports and
regions.

Wada president Dick Pound said: Clean athletes are the most powerful
force against doping in sport.

Through their experience they will assist us in our fight against doping. 


ENDS

t-and-f: Jets out-bid for Olympic stadium

The New York Jets have been out-bid in their attempt to buy the site
for the proposed 2012 Olympic stadium.

The American football team had led the hunt to purchase the land from
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and build the Olympic
centrepiece.

But rivals Cablevision, who own Madison Square Garden stadium, and
TransGas Energy have offered more money.

The MTA will make a final decision on Thursday after Olympic chiefs
warned the row is threatening New York's bid.

A Manhattan rail yard has been earmarked for the Olympic Stadium but
owners MTA have not decided who to sell it to.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4393101.stm

t-and-f: Hurdler Green dies

 Former world record holder dies

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4395713.stm

American hurdler Milton Green, who boycotted the 1936 Berlin Olympics
in protest at Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, has died at the age of
91.

Green was a former joint world record holder in both the 40m and 60m hurdles.

My room-mate and I both qualified for final tryouts - then we got a
call from the rabbi at our temple, Green told The Palm Beach Post in
1997.

He suggested the boycott, and we talked it over with our families and
decided. I never regretted it.


ENDS

t-and-f: IOC grandee rates London neck and neck with Paris

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/london2012/story/0,14213,1447758,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Wednesday March 30, 2005
The Guardian

A leading member of the International Olympic Committee has given
London's bid to host the 2012 games a huge boost by declaring that it
has now caught up with Paris, the favourite since the process began.

Two of the five cities are neck and neck and the others can't be
discounted, said Australia's Kevan Gosper, an IOC vice-president.
Conventional wisdom is saying Paris has probably got its head still
in front and has been a constant bidder but London is also performing
very, very well.

It is unusual for an IOC member, let alone one so senior, to comment
on how the bidding process is going and Gosper's insight gives a rare
glimpse into what is happening in the byzantine world of sports
politics that will ultimately determine to which city the games are
awarded.

It also emerged yesterday that the first draft of the IOC's evaluation
report, to be published in June, puts London level with Paris and New
York and says the city's three technical bids are so good they cannot
be separated.

Coe and his team are said to have won the best marks for their
presentations to the commission, who visited the capital last month.
Especially impressive is that Coe appears to have convinced the
commission that London's oft-criticised transport system is capable of
supporting the games.

Coe will want to drive home that message on Saturday in Brisbane, when
he addresses the 15-member Oceania National Olympic Committees - of
which Gosper is the president and which includes countries scattered
throughout the Pacific from Guam to American Samoa, Fiji and New
Zealand. The meeting will hear 15-minute submissions from London,
Paris, Madrid, Moscow and New York.

Coe has decided to make the trip to Australia despite the recent death
of his 74-year-old mother, whose funeral is tomorrow. Coe will be
joined by Keith Mills, the bid's chief executive, and Craig Reedie,
one of Britain's three IOC members. Jacques Rogge, the president of
the IOC, will officially open the meeting.

With less than 100 days to the final vote at an IOC meeting in
Singapore on July 6, all five cities are engaged in an exhausting
schedule of travelling around the world to try to influence voters.
Other trips Coe will undertake during the next few weeks include
journeys to Berlin and Accra, Ghana, while the culture secretary Tessa
Jowell is currently visiting India to try to secure support.

It's not so much that we're a big constituency of the Olympic
movement, said Gosper, a former senior executive with Shell, of ONOC.
But under today's rules they [the bidders] take any opportunity to
make contact with IOC members who can vote. We have five [IOC voting
members] out here of 115. We're not big boys but we are a part of it.

Gosper played a key role in the bid process in 1993, when Sydney won
the right to host the 2000 games. The Australian city was trailing
until the night before the vote in Monte Carlo but ended up beating
Beijing by two votes. He said: From our own experience these
decisions can be changed by just one voter.


ENDS

t-and-f: Wariner loses to Williamson again in 400

Associated Press
Track and Field News Wire

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jeremy Wariner can beat anyone in the world at 400
meters -- except his former teammate.

In a crowd-pleasing duel of Olympic gold medalists, Darold Williamson
outran Wariner in the stretch Saturday to win the feature race in the
Drake Relays.

Williamson also beat Wariner in a meet at Baylor a week ago and was
the only runner to beat him in the 400 last year, when the lanky
sprinter in the dark glasses burst onto the international scene by
winning the gold medal in the Athens Olympics.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2050750

t-and-f: Brits off the pace in Penn Relays

Olympic gold medallists Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis-Francis were
unable to steer a Great Britain team to victory in the Penn Relays in
Philadelphia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4484633.stm

The quartet of Gardener, Lewis-Francis, Chris Lambert and Tim Abeyie
clocked a time of 39.56 seconds to come home in fourth in the men's
4x100m event.

Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin anchored the host nation's Red
team to first spot in a time of 38.58seconds.

Its back-up side was 0.12sec behind, with Jamaica clocking 39.38sec.

There were no excuses from the Britons.

We only had an hour practice yesterday, but obviously we'll be
starting serious preparations for this summer's World Championships
very shortly, said Gardener.

The US women also performed brilliantly, the Red side winning with a
world-leading time for the year of 42.68sec.

The Blue team finished second in 43.15sec, with third-placed Jamaica
clocking 43.50sec.


ENDS

t-and-f: Jamaica upsets Team USA in 1,600-meter relay

Associated Press
Track and Field News Wire

PHILADELPHIA -- American Tyree Washington fell, and Team USA lost the
1,600-meter relay Saturday at the Penn Relays, beaten by a Jamaican
team in one of six all-star events.

Washington clipped the heels of Bahamas' runner Chris Brown on the
second leg and fell hard to the ground. He ripped down his jersey in
disgust and did not continue.

Jamaica took over and the team of Michael Blackwood, Sanjay Ayre,
Jermaine Gonzales and Davian Clarke won in 3 minutes, 2.63 seconds,
holding off another American team that finished second in 3:03.02.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2050764

t-and-f: Jones gets back to winning ways

US sprinter Marion Jones won her first race in 11 months after
claiming victory in a 100m on the Caribbean island of Martinique on
Saturday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4492833.stm

But her boyfriend, world-record holder Tim Montgomery could only
finish fourth behind Maurice Greene in his 100m.

Jones, who struggled in her first two races this season, clocked a
time of 11.28 seconds, well off her personal best of 10.65.

Greene won his race in 10.03 seconds with Montgomery managing 10.19.

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has accused Montgomery of doping
violations and he is awaiting a hearing before the Court of
Arbitration for Sport in June.

Jones has also been investigated by the USADA, but she has not been charged.

The sprinter, who won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has
also never failed a drugs test.

In December, BALCO founder Victor Conte accused Jones of using
performance-enhancing drugs and she has filed a $25m defamation suit
against him.


ENDS

t-and-f: Kinyanjui wins Country Music Marathon

Associated Press
Track and Field News Wire

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nephat Kinyanjui won the Country Music Marathon
title Saturday, making up a 25-second deficit in the final 2 miles for
another victory by a Kenyan in this race.

He won in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 37 seconds. Defending champion Luke
Kibet of Kenya finished second in 2:16:04, edging Yuriy Hychun of
Ukraine by six seconds. Kenyans have won all six Country Music
Marathons.

Irina Safarova of Russia was first in the women's division in 2:33:53,
defeating two-time champion Aurica Buia of Romania, who finished in
2:35:40.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2050503

t-and-f: Lewis-Francis makes medal pledge

Olympic sprint relay champion Mark Lewis-Francis has vowed to win a
medal at this summer's World Championships.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4498949.stm

The 22-year-old, who won silver in the 60m at the European Indoor
Championships last month, is now looking forward to the outdoors
season.

I've had a disappointing couple of years and not lived up to my
expectations, said the 22-year-old.

I've trained hard this winter. I want to prove my critics wrong. I'm
going to get a medal this time - definitely.

Lewis-Francis is racing in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday
along with fellow gold medallist Jason Gardener, who beat him at the
European Indoors.

Gardener, now 29, is also determined to make an impression in the
World Championships in Helsinki.

I really want to realise my full potential and that's my main focus
this summer - to fulfil my true worth.

That's what it's all about - raising your level of competiveness on
great occasions and producing special performances.


ENDS

t-and-f: Burika shocks Defar in Addis Ababa Municipal Championships - REPORT

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29239.html

Saturday 30 April 2005

The shock defeat of Ethiopia's Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar
and a return back to form for two of the country's upcoming stars,
Abebe Dinkessa and Dejene Berhanu, were the highlights of the action
in the 22nd MOHA Addis Ababa Municipal track championships in Addis
Ababa (April 23-28 2005).

But this was a meet that saw its fair share of upcoming stars and
veterans alike as the best of the best from Ethiopia's capital
gathered for the six-day meet.

Unhealthy Defar shocked by Burika

The race of the championships was undoubtedly the women's 3000m that
saw the return to competition of the country's Olympic 5000m champion
after electing to skip the World Cross Country Championships and major
road races to prepare for the track campaign.

But in Gelete Burika, she found a worthy opponent who gave an early
warning to her rivals that she is ready to rise up to the challenging
senior competition. In March, Burika stormed past the Kenyan challenge
to win the women's junior race at the World Cross Country
championships with unheralded authority.

Here she was even more commanding stopping the clock at 9:00.99 more
than eighteen seconds faster than Defar, who looked to be struggling
throughout the race and later confirmed that she was ill and
recovering from a knee injury incurred in training.

After the race, Burika said that she was happy to have beaten Defar
and confirmed that she will be moving up to the 3000/5000m category in
the track season this summer.

I am naturally happy, she said. It gives me encouragement to
prepare for the track season where I will be competing over the 3000m
and 5000m.

Dinkessa and Berhanu return back to form

In the men's 5000m, there was little surprise as Abebe Dinkessa,
fourth in the long course race in St-Etienne/St-Galmier last March,
won the race in 13:53.32 with Zenbaba Yigezu, who finished behind
Dinkessa in the 2004 TOTAL Great Ethiopian Run, coming home for a
repeat of the one-two finish.

Dinkessa, one of the favourites to medal in France, might have been
upset with his outcome two months ago, but after another imperious
performance on home soil, he was back to confident that he is
returning back to his best.

I had been a little upset of my result in France, but now I am back
to my form and ready for the rest of the season.

But Dinkessa is fully aware that he faces stiffer competition when the
Ethiopian championships take place next week. It will be difficult,
but I am ready, a confident Dinkessa said.

One of the strongest challengers Dinkessa missed in the 5000m race was
Dejene Berhanu, who instead elected to compete in the 1500m for speed.
But there is no stopping the tall and slender runner who beat
established 1500m runner Seifu Nebse to take a comfortable victory in
3:42.04.

In other races held over the six-day race programme, Bezunesh Bekele
took the women's 5000m ahead of African 5000m champion Etalemahu
Kidane. Genet Getaneh, winner of the 2004 TOTAL Great Ethiopian Run
10k race, finished a close third.

In the women's 10,000m, there was little stopping Merima Hashim
completing her comeback after missing the 2004 season through injury.
The 25-year-old Prisons club runner and a member of Ethiopia's World
Cross squad took a commanding win in 33:41.27 beating Aheza Kiros and
Belaynesh Zemedkun.

Solomon Molla, another of Ethiopia's World Cross squad members, took
the win in 10,000m in 29:25.86 ahead of Demes Girma and Ayalew Ahmed.

Elshadai Negash for the IAAF 


ENDS

t-and-f: Thomas slammed and dropped

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1473619,00.html

 Duncan Mackay
Saturday April 30, 2005
The Guardian

Iwan Thomas's coach has severed his relationship with him after the
runner decided to take part in ITV's new reality show Celebrity
Wrestling.

Nick Dakin felt appearing on the programme - which started last
Saturday and in which the Welshman competes under the name Dragon -
was incompatible with being an elite athlete.

He didn't want me to do it and we argued about it, so we're no longer
together, said Thomas. He said you can't do both, but I disagreed.
Athletics hasn't always been good to me; I still have goals but I'm
hoping to develop a career in television as well.

Mainly because of injuries, Thomas has failed to fulfil the potential
he showed in 1998 when he won the European and Commonwealth 400m
titles. Dakin wanted the 31-year-old to concentrate on what remains of
his career.

Basically I gave Iwan the choice because I don't believe that to get
to where he wants to be as an athlete, running sub-45 seconds, that he
can do both, said Dakin. I understand his ambitions and at this
stage of his career he needs to look ahead. Top-level athletics
requires total commitment.

Insurers were also worried about Thomas's decision to compete in the
series and refused to give him any cover. I had to self-insure to be
allowed on the programme, he admitted.


ENDS

t-and-f: Greene set for Showdown in Glasgow

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29232.html

Thursday 28 April 2005

Former Olympic 100 metres champion Maurice Greene will take on
Britain's best sprinters at the Norwich Union International in Glasgow
in June.

Greene will compete for the USA over 100m in the three-way match
against Great Britain and Russia at Scotstoun Stadium on 5 June.

He said: The Norwich Union International will be a good test for me
as I prepare for the World Championships in Helsinki in August and I'm
hoping to put on a great show.''

The 30-year-old won bronze in Athens last year in a time of 9.87
seconds in the fastest Olympic 100m final in history.

However, he was beaten into second place on the anchor leg of the
4x100m relay when Mark Lewis-Francis held on to take the gold for
Britain but Greene is confident he can reverse that outcome.

He said: It will be good to run against Britain's best sprinters who
are very talented but still have a lot to prove in the individual
event.

They are Olympic gold medallists in the 4x100m relay but the 100m is
the biggest challenge and the main goal for any sprinter.''

The 'Kansas Cannonball' intends to recapture the World title he won on
three consecutive occasions between 1997 and 2001.

He said: 2005 is an important year for me and I'm aiming to regain my
100m World title later this summer. I proved last year that I'm still
a force to be reckoned with and I know I have what it takes to add a
fourth 100m World gold medal to my collection.''

PA International for the IAAF

ENDS

t-and-f: Bid leaders deny damage after u-turn

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/london2012/story/0,14213,1473618,00.html

 Saturday April 30, 2005
The Guardian

Officials for London's 2012 Olympic bid are confident the controversy
surrounding their embarrassing u-turn on the £15m incentives package
has not affected support.

The bid chairman Sebastian Coe and chief executive Keith Mills have
spent much of the past week speaking to key officials around the world
and do not believe it has caused lasting damage. The package included
free air and train fares for thousands of athletes and team officials,
£30,000 of credits to help them offset the cost of pre-games training
camps in Britain, and other perks.

However, some senior IOC officials believe more damage has been done
by the hysterical press coverage in Britain that has accompanied the
withdrawal. It reinforced their fear that if London is awarded the
games the IOC can expect to come under closer scrutiny than ever
before.

Watching London's problems has at least caused amusement among
officials of the favourites Paris. They had been increasingly
irritated by the high-profile media and marketing campaign that London
had launched and were hoping for a problem.

Paris organisers claim they have been spreading their message more
discreetly. This includes the French government offering to waive visa
charges to members of the Olympic family and their spouses who enter
the country during 2005.

Many within the IOC think that offer is pushing the boundaries of what
is acceptable but the French Olympic Committee announced the plan
during the visit of the evaluation commission to Paris in February and
cleverly secured the endorsement of its chairwoman Nawal El
Moutawakel.


ENDS

t-and-f: Lindgren enshrined in track HOF

2005-05-01 Thread R. Schmidt

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Gerry Lindgren beat Billy Mills, Steve
Prefontaine and Jim Ryun on the race track, but the man many consider
the greatest high school distance runner in history is little known
compared to his legendary contemporaries.

That is starting to change.

Long a virtual recluse, Lindgren has just published an autobiography.
He was recently elected to the Track and Field Hall of Fame. And one
of his 40-year-old high school records was just broken.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/04/14/bc.run.returnoflindgren.ap/

t-and-f: Gatlin queries false start change

American sprinter Justin Gatlin is opposed to moves by the
International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to change the
false start rule.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4521963.stm

Under the current rule, the athlete making the second false start of a
race is disqualified regardless of whether they were responsible for
the first.

But the IAAF wants the first athlete to make a false start to be disqualified.

But America's 100m Olympic champion said: Just a flinch or a leg
cramp could cost you a year's worth of work.

Gatlin, who also won 4x100m relay silver and the 200m bronze medals in
Athens last summer, added: I think the current system works
efficiently.

Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell, Zhanna Block - the 2001 world
100m champion - and Jamaican high hurdler Maurice Wignall have also
expressed reservations about the proposed reform.

However, four-times world 110m hurdles champion Allen Johnson
reluctantly agreed that there should be a change.

My personal feeling is that 10% of false starts are real accidents,
90% are due to insecurity or lack of focus. If you focus, you don't
false start, the American said.

ENDS

t-and-f: Stevenson keeps Pole Vault in the headlines - Modesto

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29304.html

Sunday 8 May 2005

Modesto, California - As has so often been the case in the recent
history of the Modesto Relays, the Pole Vault took centre stage, as
Olympians Toby Stevenson and Jillian Schwartz put on dazzling displays
for the capacity crowd in the cozy stadium at Modesto Junior College
at the 64th edition of the meet.

The American record is definitely in reach

For Stevenson, the silver medallist at the Athens Games, yesterday was
a return to the site of his memorable six-metre jump last year, an
achievement which gave him a self-confidence boost and put the
helmeted vaulter onto a roll which lasted through the long summer.

Today's 5.85 winning jump, coming on his third attempt at that height,
lifted him out of a first-place tie with Russ Buller, who finished in
second at 5.75 after chronic Achilles problems resulted in no-heights
in his previous two outdoor appearances.

Stevenson then called for 6.04 - a would-be American record - at which
he had only one solid attempt.

Yes, I was a little tired today, said Stevenson, but I put it up
there because you never know what will happen.

Unlike last year's competition at Modesto, when all the vaulters
received an assist from the usual aiding winds here, today's meeting
provided no such bonus, coming as it did during changing
meteorological conditions between rainstorms.

The wind today wasn't helping us, Stevenson admitted, but it wasn't
hurting us, either.

I was a little rusty today, not as smooth as I had planned, he
continued in his assessment.  But after last year, Modesto will
forever be a special place for me.

At times like this, I always like to recall something I heard from
(German vaulter) Tim Lobinger (who finished third here on 5.65.  He
said that 'the places I like to jump the most remind me of my living
room'.  Modesto is my 'living room', observed Stevenson.

Looking ahead to the rest of the outdoor season, he said that the
American record is definitely in reach.  You saw that today.  I was
already taking shots at it in May.  His next shots will come in a
week's time at a competition in Phoenix, followed by the Palo Alto
IAAF Grand Prix II meeting and the Prefontaine Classic (IAAF GP).

Also jumping 5.65 in this very deep Pole Vault competition were Derek
Miles and Jeff Hartwig, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.  
Approaching his 38th birthday at the end of the summer, Hartwig
deserves special notice for continuing to successfully attack
world-class heights far past an age when most vaulters would have
retired.

Part of the fatigue to which Stevenson alluded came from the unusually
long waiting time needed for the conclusion of the Women's Pole Vault
which preceded the men's event and yielded the day's sole
world-leading mark, a 4.55 by Jillian Schwartz.

Mary Sauer and Dana Buller followed with 4.45 and 4.35, respectively. 

It was only my second competition since the Olympics, said Schwartz,
the other being a 4.43 last weekend at Drake.  Two stress fractures
of her right (take-off) foot had necessitated a lengthy hiatus during
the winter, but the protge of Earl Bell was highly pleased that her
return to competition after the long pause has been at a high level.

Scott 'moves on' from American football to 10.06 dash

Warm temperatures and a fast track have traditionally combined to
produce fast sprint times, and today's competition added another
chapter to this theme.

Leonard Scott was impressive with a 100m clocking of 10.06 while
running into a slight headwind of -0.2.   Behind Scott were Jason
Smoots (10.20) and Mark Jelks (10.22).

It was my first 100 of the year, said Scott, who had three April
outings with his HSI teammates in the 4x100 relay.  I'm just trying
to piece things together.  I had a good indoor season, but outdoors is
where it's at.

The former Tennessee sprinter credited new coach John Smith with
remoulding him after his return from a short fling with professional
football.

I found out that I really didn't know how to run, Scott admitted. 
He (Smith) has taught me so much.  That's why my times dropped like
they did during the indoor season.

But surrounded by American sportswriters, Scott found the subject
gravitating once again toward (American) football.  Yes, football is
really my first love.  I miss it, he said of a parallel sports career
which culminated with a short tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 
But in order to do what I'm doing now, I've got to forget it
completely.  I have good memories from those football years, but it's
time to move on.

Outstanding sprint hurdling  he's going to be good

Both hurdle races were outstanding.  Michelle Perry opened her outdoor
hurdling season with a brilliant 12.78 performance.  It was not far
from her career best of 12.74 which came during last year's Olympic
Heptathlon competition where she placed 14th overall.

The Men's 110 Hurdles race was won by Anwar Moore in 13.23,
representing a 0.12-second

t-and-f: Powell's 9.84 stuns and Bolt's 20.14 delights in Kingston

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29306.html

Sunday 8 May 2005

Several World-leading performances highlighted the second Jamaica
International Track  Field Invitational, Saturday evening (7 May) at
Kingston's National Stadium. Under the theme 'Athens Recreated,' the
North and Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Area Permit Meet
featured 50 Olympians, including 20 medallists and 12 finalists from
the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad.
 
It was a terrific night for the youngsters, the sprints in particular
reflecting the recent successes of many of these competitors at World
Junior Championships. The six sprint races included three World
leading times, and the oldest of the six winners is not yet 23 years
old, whilst the youngest is still well short of his 19th birthday.
 
Jamaicans lead the World
 
Jamaican Olympian Asafa Powell is the first man under 10 seconds for
the men's 100m in 2005. The 22-year-old led a Jamaican sweep with a
new national record 9.84 seconds, the fastest time on the planet, with
a trailing wind of 1.8 metres per second. The young Jamaican was
number one in the 2004 IAAF World Rankings, and currently holds top
spot in the 2005 Rankings.
 
Going into Kingston, the fastest time in the world was Maurice
Greene's 10.03, precisely one week earlier (30 April) in Fort de
France, Martinique. Powell's performance is jointly the third best
ever. Canada's Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin have also run 9.84. Only
Americans Maurice Greene (9.79) and World record holder Tim Montgomery
(9.78) have run faster.
 
Delighted as the large Jamaican crowd would have been to see Asafa
better the 9.87 he clocked last year at National Trials, they were
ecstatic to see Jamaicans command all three podium places. Dwight
Thomas was second in 10.05, Michael Frater third in 10.09 - Trinidad 
Tobago's Darrel Brown (10.12) was fourth, Great Britain's Mark
Lewis-Francis (10.13) fifth.
 
Jamaicans also secured the top two places in the women's 100m. Sherone
Simpson was just short of her personal record, the 20-year-old
clocking 11.03 for the win, with a trailing wind of 0.8 m/s. Aleen
Bailey (11.07) was second. Olympic silver medallist Lauryn Williams
(11.08) was third, with fellow Americans Muna Lee (11.30) and Inger
Miller (11.46) fourth and fifth.
 
Half-lap heroics
 
There was further delight for the Jamaicans in the 200m races. Just
over a week shy of her 23rd birthday, Olympic champion Veronica
Campbell won the women's half-lap in 22.53 - second fastest time of
2005 -, ahead of Lee (23.02) and Lashauntea Moore (23.25) of the USA.
Jamaica's Sherika Williams (23.38) was fourth, with 35-year-old
compatriot Beverly McDonald (23.47) fifth.
 
World junior record holder Usain Bolt stopped the clock in 20.14 to
win the 200m. Still just 18 years old, the tall, elegant Jamaican
smashed the meet record of 20.53, leaving the American duo of Leo
Bookman (20.34) and defending champion Coby Miller (20.51) in his
wake. Jamaicans Chris Williams (20.65) and Ainsley Waugh (20.83) were
fourth and fifth.
 
Young Americans shine
 
Americans won both quarter-mile races. World junior champion Lashawn
Merritt improved on his fine start to 2005, the 18-year-old crossing
the line in a personal best 44.66 to win from Andrew Rock (44.75),
also of the USA. Merritt's and Rock's 2005 World leading times put
Jamaica's Sanjay Ayre (45.26) and Michael Blackwood (45.32) into third
and fourth.
 
Sanya Richards won the women's one-lap race in 49.96, the first woman
this year to go under 50 seconds. Monique Hennagan (50.83, not to be
confused with the younger Monique Henderson, also of the USA) was
second. Jamaica's Lorraine Fenton (51.78), Novlene Williams (52.07)
and Sandie Richards (52.07) trailed the American duo.
 
Kipkurui, Sinclair conquer
 
Kenya's Benjamin Kipkurui ran 1:46.86 to win the men's 800m run,
upstaging Athens silver medallist Bernard Lagat (1:47.07) of the USA.
Kipkurui, the World junior record holder for the men's 1000m run, is
making something of a comeback at the age of 24. Americans Derrick
Peterson (1:47.44) and Elliott Blount (1:48.17) followed Lagat in
Kingston.
 
Jamaica's own 24-year-old, Kenia Sinclair, took a relatively easy win
in the women's 800. Her previous fastest time of 2:02.80 was the
fastest in the world, but her 2:00.05 in Kingston handily eclipsed
that. Hazel Clark (2:01.17) was second. The 27-year-old American was
followed across the line by Marian Burnett (2:02.13), Guyana's former
NCAA indoor champion.
 
Felicien improves World lead 
 
Arguably the most anticipated race of the evening was the women's 100m
Hurdles, with Olympic champion and IAAF World Ranked number one Joanna
Hayes (USA), World champion Perdita Felicien (CAN), Olympic silver
medallist Melissa Morrison (USA), Jamaica national record holder
Brigitte Ann Foster-Hylton, and Jamaicans Delloreen Ennis-London,
Vonette Dixon and Lacena Golding-Clarke.
 
At the end of the day, it was the Caribbean-born Felicien who stopped
the clock in 12.67

t-and-f: Kibet and Cheruiyot head Kenyan parade Berlin 25km

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29310.html

Sunday 8 May 2005

Berlin, Germany - Neither wind nor cool temperatures of less than ten
degrees Celsius could stop the Kenyans in the 25th edition of the Run
Berlin. The jubilee edition of the race, which was formerly known as
25 km von Berlin and had been the first big West German city road
race back in 1981, produced another great demonstration of Kenyan
talent. At the end the athletes from East Africa took the first twelve
places in the men's race. And there was great quality since the first
eight runners finished within 1:15.

Seventh quickest all-time



Luke Kibet (KEN) in 1:13:51 wins the 2005 Berlin 25km
(Marisa Reich)
There were two sorts of comebacks: Luke Kibet returned to Berlin after
finishing second in last year's race, which had been won by Paul
Kosgei in 1:12:45. That time still stands as World record today. This
time Kibet won, though he was just one second ahead of Simon Kiprop.
Despite the wind he achieved a great winning time of 1:13:51 with
which he now ranks seventh in the world all-time list for the
distance. After having been absent from international athletics for a
longer period Rose Cheruiyot came back to win the 25km race in Berlin.

Difficult weather conditions

Spectators in Berlin's newly rebuilt Olympic Stadium saw another
sprint finish in the women's race. Cheruiyot just held off the
challenge by Ethiopia's Dire Tune Arusei, who crossed the line on the
stadium's blue track just a second behind. Rose Cheruiyot clocked
1:24:46, which was the fastest time in the race for six years. She
missed Susan Chepkemei's course record of 1:24:29 by just 17 seconds.

Despite the difficult weather conditions we saw great races. So we
are very happy with the jubilee edition of our race, said race
director Derk Kogelheide. Additionally we had a 20 percent increase
of entries. All together 9672 athletes had entered the event. 6101 of
them ran the 25km race while about 2300 participated in a 10km fun
run. There were events for inline skaters and children as well. Last
year the event had a total of 8000 entries. Next year we hope to have
more than 10,000 athletes.

MEN  fast opening

While one gets used to the fact that no German elite runners were in
the race (they would not have been able to play a role anyway) the
Kenyans pushed the pace after passing 5km in 14:50. The next five
kilometres were run in a very quick 14:00 minutes in this very flat
passage of the course. The wind in the back may have helped a bit. Ten
Kenyans were on their own in the first group at the 10km point
(28:50).

If they had been able to stick to this sort of pace the World record
would have been smashed once more. But in the second half of the race
the wind was coming from the front and the pacemakers were out. 15km
was reached in 43:40. During an uphill stretch back towards the
Olympic Stadium the leading group was reduced to five runners: Kibet,
Kiprop, Mitei Enock, who later finished third in 1:13:56, Stanley
Salil and Francis Kiprop. It was not before the approach to the
stadium on the last two kilometres that this group broke up.

If the weather would have been better we could have run faster. Maybe
there would have been a chance to go for the record, Kibet said. He
had been unlucky a year ago, finishing second in 1:12:52, which is
still the second fastest time ever run at the distance. I had come
here to break the world record in 2004, but at the end Paul Kosgei was
a bit faster than me. This time he was determined to win. When I
entered the stadium and Simon was still with me I was a bit nervous
because I thought about last year. But in the end Kibet had the
stronger finish. It was the fourth time in a row that the Kenyans took
at least the first three places in this race.

Kibet had placed 17th in the recent London Marathon, clocking 2:16:40.
He now intends to run the 10,000m in the Kenyan trials for the World
Championships in Helsinki. In autumn he plans to run another marathon.

Women  close finish

In the women's race Rose Cheruiyot made it five wins in a row for
Kenya at this race. But it was getting very close. From start to
finish Cheruiyot and the 20 year-old Ethiopian Dire Tune Arissi ran
shoulder to shoulder. Until the very end I was not sure if I would be
able to beat her, said Cheruiyot. But the strong opposition was the
reason why it was possible to run so fast despite today's weather
conditions.

Cheruiyot had won a major race in Berlin before. Three years ago she
had clocked 69:32 in the Berlin Half Marathon. Since then little was
heard about her. That is right  I disappeared for some time, the 29
year-old said and explained: I gave birth to a girl in March 2003.
But now I am back.

Cheruiyot plans to run in the Kenyan 10,000 m trials as well. I know
that it will be very hard to qualify for Helsinki but I will try. The
Eldoret based athlete then intends to run her marathon debut in
autumn. I would like to come back here and run

t-and-f: Lewis-Francis eyes quick start

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1478604,00.html

 David Martin
Saturday May 7, 2005
The Guardian

The Olympic gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis is hoping to get his
outdoor season off to a flying start in Jamaica today.

Lewis-Francis, who ran the anchor leg in the sprint relay in Athens
last summer, contests his first 100 metres of the season at an
international meeting in Kingston. The 22-year-old will line up
against the reigning world champion Kim Collins as well as the highly
talented Asafa Powell, of Jamaica, and Trinidad's Darrel Brown.

As well as wanting to compete in front of his father, who lives
nearby, Lewis-Francis has another target in mind. The Birchfield
Harrier wants to make amends for being disqualified in last season's
European Cup final and is looking to earn selection for this year's
event in Florence in June.

If they pick me, they pick me, but really what is important is that I
run a fast time in my first race. That's what's on my mind, said
Lewis-Francis.

The selectors are set to announce the Great Britain team for the
European Cup on June 7 and will take early season form into account -
particularly the finishing order at the international match in Glasgow
two days earlier. Last year Lewis-Francis got their vote but then
suffered the indignity of producing two false starts which saw him
excluded. Great Britain ended up a disappointing fourth overall.

Of course I'd like to be chosen again, he said. It's an honour to
run for my country.

At the back of his mind, though, Lewis-Francis must be wondering
whether the selectors will opt for a safety-first policy and choose a
more consistent starter, which might see Jason Gardener get the spot
for Italy.

The Bath sprinter, who won a third successive European indoor 60m
title in March, insists Great Britain's sprint standards are still
high despite the disappointment of not a single man reaching either
the Olympic 100m or 200m final last year.

All of the top sprinters in Britain are going out there to prove
themselves, he said. That's certainly my aspiration and my first aim
of the summer is I want to run the 100m in the European Cup.

The 29-year-old will leave for a training camp in Greece soon before
competing there on May 30. It's very important for me to run a 100m
race on that weekend to get myself back into racing shape, said
Gardener. Greece is my first race and Glasgow is going to be my
second. I suppose who runs the quickest or whoever comes out top in
Glasgow will get the cup slot. That I suppose is a fair way to select
the spot.

ENDS

t-and-f: Sepeng tests positive for norandrosterone

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2054317
Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

By Craig Ray

CAPE TOWN, May 6 - South Africa's former Olympic 800 metres silver
medallist Hezekiel Sepeng has tested positive for the banned steroid
norandrosterone, Athletics South Africa (AFA) said on Friday.

Sepeng, who won the silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics nine years
ago, was tested out of season in his home town of Potchefstroom, north
west of Johannesburg, in February.

Sepeng, who was not available to comment, has until Monday to explain
to the ASA how the substance came to be in his system and whether or
not he wants his 'B' sample to be tested.

Norandrosterone is the metabolite of the steroid nandrolone, which
shows up in a urine sample.

Dr Ismail Jakoet, a member of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)
observer team to the 2001 World Athletics Championships, offered a
glimmer of hope for the 30-year-old athlete.

There have been hundreds of cases where athletes have escaped a ban
because nandrolone has been found in contaminated supplements, he
told Reuters.

Springbok rugby player Cobus Visagie won a case in 2001 when he proved
his body naturally produced excessive levels of nandrolone under
stressful conditions.

ENDS

t-and-f: Kastor returns to Bolder, takes aim at 4 of a kind

De Reuck, Rhines will round out U.S. women's team

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/running/article/0,1713,BDC_2413_3743787,00.html

By Michael Sandrock, For the Camera
May 1, 2005

Once a runner wins an Olympic medal, she has reached the highest
echelon of long-distance running, commanding large appearance fees and
having the freedom to be selective about races.

That is why Saturday's announcement that 2004 Olympic marathon bronze
medalist Deena Kastor will be returning to Boulder on May 30 to try
for her fourth Bolder Boulder title shows the race is firmly
entrenched among the top road competitions in the world.

I love the race, Kastor said in a telephone interview Saturday
night. I didn't do it last year because of the Olympics and was
definitely sad not to be there.

Joining Kastor, 32, on the U.S. women's team that will race in the
International Team Challenge in the 27th annual Bolder Boulder are
fellow 2004 Olympic marathoners Colleen De Reuck and Jen Rhines. The
three also comprised the U.S. team that won the 2002 Bolder team title
and were part of the U.S. squad that placed second in the IAAF World
Cross Country Championships the same year.

It is just fabulous to have Colleen and Jen on the team with me,
said Kastor, 32. They are my favorite teammates when we travel
together, and I am excited to have this team put together.

Added Ryan Lamppa of Running USA, Deena has said often that she loves
the race, and with three individual titles she obviously has developed
deep roots, many positive memories, and a following at the Bolder
Boulder.

According to Bolder Boulder professional athlete coordinator Rich
Castro, defending team champ Mexico, along with Romania, Japan, Kenya,
Ethiopia and Russia should be the top competition for the U.S. squad.

De Reuck, 41, is a four-time Olympian who lives in Boulder. In
February, she won her second-consecutive U.S. 8K cross country
championship and has been sharpening up with wins in a couple of local
races since then. De Reuck has run the Bolder Boulder 11 times, and
has finished second three times.

Rhines, 30, won five NCAA titles as an undergrad at Villanova. She is
an experienced international racer who is coming off a win in the U.S.
15K road championships in March.

It is Kastor, however, who brings star power to the Bolder Boulder.
She has won 18 national titles since leaving the University of
Arkansas, is the U.S. marathon record holder at 2 hours, 21 minutes,
16 seconds, and last August capped her stellar career by taking the
bronze medal at the Athens Olympic Games.

In that race, Kastor showed the patience that helped her to three
consecutive Bolder wins, starting in 2001. Battling the heat as well
as world record holder Paula Radcliffe and the best marathoners in the
world, Kastor gradually moved up through the slowing field to take the
bronze. It was the first U.S. medal in the Olympic women's marathon
since Joan Benoit Samuelson's gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

So far in 2005, Kastor has picked up wins in the U.S. women's 8K
championships in New York, and she also set the pending U.S. 8K record
of 24:36 at the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago.

Kastor said the hoopla and the tens of thousands of fans who pack
Folsom Field to watch the professional runners race are part of the
Bolder Boulder's attraction.

It is the reason we all come back year after year, said Kastor.
(Husband) Andrew and I used to live in Colorado, and this is a good
excuse to come back and visit friends and be in the great spirit of
Memorial Day.


Julian will lead Team USA in Bolder

Hubbard, Graff round out crew for Memorial Day race

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/running/article/0,1713,BDC_2413_3756875,00.html

By Michael Sandrock, For the Camera
May 6, 2005

Peter Julian was on call last May, poised to run for Team USA in the
2004 Bolder Boulder International Team Challenge if his friend Alan
Culpepper was forced out because of a foot injury.

Culpepper recovered in time to help the United States upset Team Kenya
by a point in the Bolder team race, while Julian, a long-time Boulder
resident, was left on the sidelines watching the race for the 10th
time.

That will change this Memorial Day when Julian, 33, headlines the U.S.
squad that will race against some of the best international road
runners in the world in the 27th annual Bolder Boulder. The race,
which annually draws more than 40,000 runners and walkers to the
streets of Boulder, is one of the largest and well-organized races in
the world.

Clearly, every elite athlete wants to have a chance to run in the
Bolder Boulder, and I am excited about it, Julian said in phone
interview Thursday. With only three Americans on the team it is
really competitive to get selected. Things fell in place this year. My
fitness is good, and when (Professional Athlete Coordinator) Rich
(Castro) asked me if I wanted to be on the team, I jumped at the
chance.

Joining Julian, a four-time All American the University of Portland,
will be

t-and-f: Bekele aims for fast time in opening outdoor race

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2055572

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

By Sabrina Yohannes

NEW YORK, May 8 - Olympic 10,000 metres champion Kenenisa Bekele is
aiming for a fast time in his opening race of the northern outdoor
season at an international meeting in Hengelo, Netherlands on May 29.

Bekele's manager Jos Hermens told Reuters Bekele had been training in
the United States since the middle of last month.

He's doing very well, Hermens said.

Ethiopian Bekele lost two indoor track races this year while mourning
the sudden death of his teenage fiancee Alem Techalem in January.
Devastated by the tragedy, Bekele's training was interrupted but he
rallied to win his fourth world cross country double in March while
replicating his 2004 feat of leading Ethiopia to the men's team
titles.

Last year in Hengelo, Bekele broke his distinguished compatriot Haile
Gebrselassie's 5,000 metres record. He captured Gebrselassie's 10,000
mark nine days later and then won the Olympic 10,000 gold and 1,500
silver.

The Hengelo meeting had traditionally been the outdoor season opener
for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic 10,000 champion Gebrselassie, who set
several world records there before retiring from the track after the
Athens Olympics to focus on the marathon and road races.

In Hengelo, Bekele will be joined in the 10,000 by Abebe Dinkessa and
2001 world silver medallist Assefa Mezgebu. The field is also
scheduled to include Uganda's world junior champion Boniface Kiprop
and Tanzania's 2002 world cross country silver medallist John Yuda.

World women's junior cross country champion Gelete Burka, who won the
Ethiopian 1,500 metres title on Tuesday, will contest the same event
in Hengelo.

Bekele's team mate and Olympic 10,000 metres silver medallist Sileshi
Sihine will run the 5,000 metres.

Hermens said Bekele was still considering whether to attempt a
5,000-10,000 double in Helsinki. Two years ago he finished first in
the 10,000 and third in the 5,000 at the Paris world championships.

ENDS

t-and-f: Gatlin, Liu victorious at Japan Grand Prix

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2055068

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

OSAKA, Japan, May 7 - Olympic champion Justin Gatlin stormed to
victory in the men's 100 metres at the Japan Grand Prix on Saturday.

The American clocked 10.15 seconds to edge out compatriot Brian Lewis
and Obadele Thompson of Barbados in the IAAF meeting, though he failed
to beat Maurice Greene's season-best 10.03.

Overall it was a good opener, said Gatlin. Hopefully, I can
continue like this. It was my first race but I feel good and I think I
can get better and better.

China's Olympic gold medallist Liu Xiang set the fastest time of the
year in the men's 110 metres hurdles as he raced to an easy win in
13.12.

It was good enough for my first international race of the season,
said Liu, who equalled Briton Colin Jackson's world best mark of 12.91
in winning Olympic gold in Athens last year.

I'm still not 100 percent. I will need to improve to be in peak form
for the world championships (in Helsinki in August).

Teenage prodigy Allyson Felix won the women's 100 metres in 11.30
ahead of fellow American Angela Daigle.

http://www.iaaf.org/GP05/results/eventCode=3359/index.html
OSAKA, Japan, May 7 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Grand Prix
Japan Men/Women on Saturday

Men's 100m 1. Justin Gatlin (United States) 10.15 2. Brian Lewis
(United States) 10.28 3. Obadele Thompson (Barbados) 10.30
Men's 400m 1. Alleyne Francique (Grenada) 45.89 2. Jun Osakada (Japan)
46.06 3. Yuzo Kanemaru (Japan) 46.16
Men's 1500m 1. Bernard Kiptanui Kiptum (Kenya) 3:41.37 2. Fumikazu
Kobayashi (Japan) 3:41.89 3. Josephat Muchiri Ndambiri (Kenya) 3:42.38
Men's 110m Hurdles 1. Xiang Liu (China) 13.12 2. Masato Naito (Japan)
13.53 3. Yuji Ohashi (Japan) 13.71
Men's 400m Hurdles 1. James Carter (United States) 48.42 2. Ian
Weakley (Jamaica) 48.58 3. Kenji Narisako (Japan) 48.71
Men's 3000m Steeplechase 1. Wesley Kiprotich (Kenya) 8:17.31 2.
Richard Matelong (Kenya) 8:17.60 3. Julius Nyamu (Kenya) 8:19.83
Men's 4 x 100m Relay 1. International Team 39.69 2. Japan B 40.21 3.
Japan 40.24
Men's Pole Vault 1. Dmitri Markov (Australia) 5.75 2. Brad Walker
(United States) 5.75 3. Daichi Sawano (Japan) 5.70
Men's Triple Jump 1. Hristos Meletoglou (Greece) 16.78 2. Tim Rusan
(United States) 16.42 3. Junjie Gu (China) 16.24
Men's Hammer Throw 1. Vadim Devyatovskiy (Belarus) 80.17 2. Krisztian
Pars (Hungary) 78.08 3. Libor Charfreitag (Slovakia) 76.67
Women's 100m 1. Allyson Felix (United States) 11.30 2. Angela Daigle
(United States) 11.39 3. Tomoko Ishida (Japan) 11.73
Women's 800m 1. Miho Sugimori (Japan) 2:02.79 2. Brigita Langerholc
(Slovenia) 2:03.00 3. Michelle Ballantine (Jamaica) 2:03.68
Women's 5000m 1. Lucy Wangui (Kenya) 15:06.12 2. Jane Wanjiku (Kenya)
15:08.57 3. Philes Ongori (Kenya) 15:09.49
Women's 400m Hurdles 1. Andrea Blackett (Barbados) 56.15 2. Satomi
Kubokura (Japan) 57.10 3. Makiko Yoshida (Japan) 57.29
Women's 4 x 400m Relay 1. Japan 3:36.36 2. Japan B 3:47.69 
Women's Long Jump 1. Maho Hanaoka (Japan) 6.82 2. Grace Upshaw (United
States) 6.59 3. Yingnan Guan (China) 6.55
Women's Hammer Throw 1. Wenxiu Zhang (China) 72.34 2. Olga Kuzenkova
(Russia) 69.77 3. Yuan Gu (China) 69.46

ENDS

t-and-f: Kenyan coach concerned for future

Former national head coach Mike Kosgei has predicted a bleak future
for Kenyan athletics after the defection of another top-class distance
runner.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4529395.stm

Nicholas Kemboi, 22, has followed in the footsteps of several
compatriots by becoming a Qatar citizen.

He will be eligible to compete for the Gulf state at this summer's
world championships in Helsinki.

Kenyan athletics is threatened. I can't imagine what the situation
will be in the next 10 years, said Kosgei.

Athletics Kenya secretary general David Okeyo said that he had heard
that a dozen other Kenyans were on their way to representing either
Qatar or Bahrain.

Several other top athletes have already made the switch to Qatar,
including world steeplechase champion and world record holder Saif
Saaeed Shaheen.

Bernard Lagat, who won silver in the 1500m at the Athens Olympics,
recently became a US citizen.

Kemboi came to prominance in 2003 when he lost narrowly over 10,000m
to Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie in Brussels.


ENDS

t-and-f: Europe snubs Balco-linked Jones

US sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery will not be invited to
race in Europe this summer because of links to the Bay Area Laboratory
Cooperative.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4533055.stm

Balco founder Victor Conte is accused of supplying steroids, and he
claims he gave Jones performance-enhancing drugs.

British promoters Fast Track confirmed the Euro-Meetings Group had
agreed the couple would not be asked to compete.

A spokesman said: There's no presumption of guilt but they carry far
too much baggage to be invited.

Speaking later on Tuesday, Jones's agent, Charles Wells, said: It's
news to me. I know nothing about that.

All I know is that I have been talking to promoters in Europe all
week about putting both of them in meets.

Jones and Montgomery have both been active on the American circuit
with Jones, 29, winning her first race of the season in the Caribbean.

But Montgomery, who holds the world record for the 100m, has been
charged by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) with serious doping
violations.

Usada has built its cases on verbal evidence given to the federal
investigation into Balco rather than test results - neither Jones or
Montgomery has ever failed a drugs test.

Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, has launched a
defamation lawsuit against Conte.


ENDS

t-and-f: Court to rule on US relay victory

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has begun its deliberations to
decide if the US 4x400m relay team should lose their 2000 Olympic gold
medals.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4533963.stm

The squad included Jerome Young, who has since been banned for life
after failing two drugs tests.

The International Association of Athletics Federations ruled Young's
positive test meant the six-man squad should all be stripped of their
golds.

But the US Olympic Committee wants the IAAF's decision overturned by CAS.

Olympic 200m and 400m legend Michael Johnson stands to lose his fifth
and final Olympic gold won in the relay.

Antonio Pettigrew, Angelo Taylor, twins Calvin and Alvin Harrison, who
have both since been suspended for drugs violations, also face losing
their medals.

Young tested positive for nandrolone in 1999 but competed at the
Sydney Games as the US authorities chose to take no action against
him.

The 28-year-old ran in the opening rounds and the semi-final but was
not among the quartet that ran the final.

Young failed a test for EPO in July last year and was then handed a
lifetime ban.

However, when news of his first failure emerged the IAAF ruled all his
performances over two years from the time of the positive test in 1999
- including his Olympic relay contributions - be declared null and
void.

CAS began its discussions in Lausanne on Tuesday but could not predict
when a final decision would be made.


ENDS

t-and-f: Rome to defy Jones deal

http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=637623

By Mike Rowbottom

12 May 2005

Organisers of the Golden Gala in Rome are planning to defy an
agreement among European promoters this summer by inviting Marion
Jones to compete.

The Euro-Meetings Group, whose members organise nearly 50 events,
recommended in March that no athletes involved in the Balco doping
investigation should be signed up until the case is concluded. Jones
and her husband, the world 100 metres record holder Tim Montgomery,
are among a number of athletes being questioned.

But a spokesman for the Golden Gala - whose director, Luigi D'Onofrio,
was at the March meeting - denied yesterday that Jones would be turned
away from the Olympic Stadium on 8 July. We are not saying 'no', he
said. It's true we have been talking to Marion Jones, although I
can't say whether she will appear because it is too early to say. He
could not confirm that an offer is being made to Montgomery.

A spokesman for British promoters Fast Track, who endured torrid
publicity last season when they honoured an existing invitation for
Jones to compete in Gateshead, said that Rome would be in a minority
among European meetings.

The general feeling at the meeting was that people did not want to
invite Balco athletes to what are supposed to be opportunities to put
the sport in the shop window, the spokesman added. There's no
presumption of guilt, but unfortunately they carry far too much
baggage to be invited to our meetings.

According to the rules of the International Association of Athletics
Federations, promoters are free to invite whoever they choose to their
meetings.
 

ENDS

t-and-f: Kemboi joins fellow-Kenyans in Qatar

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2056095

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

NAIROBI, May 9 - Kenyan distance runner Nicholas Kemboi has joined
several compatriots by becoming a Qatar citizen and will be eligible
to compete for the Gulf state at the Helsinki world championships in
August.

Athletics Kenya secretary general David Okeyo told Reuters he had
received a letter from the world governing body confirming Kemboi was
now a Qatar citizen.

I also have word that a dozen other Kenyans are on their way to
either Qatar or Bahrain, Okeyo said.

Kemboi, 22, emerged as one of the world's best 10,000 metres runners
in 2003 when he lost narrowly to Ethiopia's twice Olympic champion
Haile Gebrselassie in Brussels.

Kenya have also lost Olympic 1,500 silver medallist Bernard Lagat who
recently became a U.S. citizen.

Several other top athletes have moved to Qatar, notably world
steeplechase champion and world record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen.

Athletics is threatened in this country, said former national head
coach Mike Kosgei. The game is going down. With athletes like Kemboi
and Lagat going, I can't imagine what the situation will be in the
next 10 years.


ENDS

t-and-f: Jones's agent unaware of European ban for sprint stars

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2057554

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

By Gene Cherry

RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 10 - Marion Jones's agent admitted to
being unaware of a move to bar the former triple Olympic champion and
her boyfriend Tim Montgomery from competing at European meetings
because of their association with the BALCO laboratory in California.

It's news to me, Charles Wells told Reuters in a telephone interview
from his office in Texas on Tuesday.

I know nothing about that.

All I know is that I have been talking to promoters in Europe all
week about putting both of them in meets, Wells said.

Two sources who declined to be named told Reuters those discussions
included the Golden League meeting in Rome on July 8.

There could be earlier meetings as well, the sources said.

A spokesman for British promoters Fast Track said earlier on Tuesday
the Euro-Meetings Group, whose members organise nearly 50 meetings,
had agreed Jones and Montgomery would not be invited to Europe this
year.

There's no presumption of guilt, the spokesman said.

But unfortunately they carry far too much baggage to be invited to
our meetings.

World 100 metres record holder Montgomery has been charged with
serious doping violations by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which has
also investigated Jones.

Both athletes have been linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative
(BALCO) near San Francisco that is at the centre of an international
doping scandal.

Montgomery's appeal against a possible life ban will be heard by the
Court of Arbitration for Sport in San Francisco in the week beginning
June 6.

Neither Jones nor Montgomery has ever tested positive for
performance-enhancing drugs and both have denied taking them.


ENDS

t-and-f: Powell to run first European race in Ostrava

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2056953

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

LONDON, May 10 - Jamaican Asafa Powell, who clocked a year's best 9.84
seconds over 100 metres at his national championships on Sunday, will
run in the Ostrava international meeting on June 9.

Only Americans Tim Montgomery and Maurice Greene have run faster than
Powell, who told reporters he could have broken Montgomery's world
record of 9.78 seconds if he had not eased up over the final metres.

The meeting in the Czech Republic will be Powell's first race of the
year on the European circuit.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ostrava organisers said Olympic 400 metres
champion Jeremy Wariner would also compete.

The American, who has targeted Michael Johnson's world record of 43.18
seconds this year, said he hoped to run under 45 seconds.

I need to go to European meetings and learn lots of things, Wariner said.


ENDS

t-and-f: Jones invited to race in Milan

2005-05-12 Thread R. Schmidt

Sprinter Marion Jones will race in Milan next month despite reports
which suggested she will not be invited to compete in Europe this
summer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4541375.stm

Reports said that Jones and boyfriend Tim Montgomery would be excluded
because of links to the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative.

But race organisers said: We can confirm the presence of Marion at
the Grand Prix Regione Lombardia in Milan. However, organisers of the
Essone meet in Paris have withdrawn their invite.

The Balco scandal has rocked American sport with founder Victor Conte
accused of supplying steroids.

He also claims he gave Jones performance-enhancing drugs.

British promoters Fast Track confirmed that the pair would not compete
in Britain with a spokesman saying: There's no presumption of guilt
but they carry far too much baggage to be invited.

Jones and Montgomery have both been active on the American circuit
with Jones, 29, winning her first race of the season in the Caribbean.

But Montgomery, who holds the world record for the 100m, has been
charged by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) with serious doping
violations.

Usada has built its cases on verbal evidence given to the federal
investigation into Balco rather than test results - neither Jones or
Montgomery has ever failed a drugs test.

Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, has launched a
defamation lawsuit against Conte.


 Gatlin targets victory in Qatar
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4540447.stm

Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin is the star attraction at the
Qatar Super Grand Prix on Friday.

The American runs in the 100m and will be up against Francis Obikwelu,
the man he beat into second in Athens, and Olympic 200m champion Shawn
Crawford.

Home hopes will be focused on naturalised 3,000m steeplechase world
champion Saif Saaeed Shaheen.

The Kenyan-born Qatar international is hoping to set a world best in
the 2,000m steeplechase.

Shaheen competed for Kenya as Stephen Cherono before switching
allegiances to the Gulf state for financial reasons in 2003.

I expect a fast race. I am sure people will enjoy the race tomorrow.
I will certainly go for a new record, he said.


ENDS

t-and-f: Szabo hangs up spikes

Former Olympic 5,000m champion Gabriela Szabo has announced her
retirement from competitive athletics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4546811.stm

The 29-year-old Romanian dominated the event between 1997 and 2000,
winning the 2000 Olympic title as well as three world championship
golds.

But after a series of defeats, Szabo ended her 2004 season last
February citing exhaustion.

Everything has to come to an end. Too much competition stress, too
much hard training, that's enough, she said.

Last year I felt blocked after 16 years of competition at the highest
world level.

Now I think it is better to put an end to the happiest chapter of my life.

Earlier this week Szabo was named as the Romanian Athletic Federation
vice-president.

ENDS

t-and-f: Obikwelu beats Olympic champion Gatlin in Qatar

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfieldid=2059675

Reuters Internet Delivery System
Track and Field News Wire

DOHA, May 13 - Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu got his
revenge over champion Justin Gatlin by winning the 100 metres at the
Qatar Super Grand Prix on Friday.

The Portuguese won in 10.05 seconds ahead of Olympic 200 metres
champion Shawn Crawford (10.14), who finished with the same time as
Gatlin but edged him out in a photo-finish.

I'm not at all surprised with this result, said Obikwelu. It's a
sweet revenge for me, for my defeat at Athens. I've been training very
hard and it paid off here today.

The Nigerian-born athlete said he was not under any pressure to race
against Gatlin, who beat him in Athens after Obikwelu only entered the
100 metres as a warm-up for the longer sprint.

I never take pressure. I'm always cool and I know how to run, be it
against Gatlin or anybody else, he said.

Gatlin insisted there was no need to panic so early in the season and
expressed confidence that he would improve in time for the world
championships in Helsinki in August.



NO PANIC

There's no need to panic. This is just a build-up to my new season.
There is no need to read more into this race, he said.

I'll be racing at Prefontaine on June 4 and there are many more races
to follow before Helsinki, added Gatlin referring to the IAAF Classic
grand prix eventand the worlds.

Gatlin's fellow American Crawford was very happy with his second place.

It's good result in what was the first race of the season for me, he
said. I'm satisfied with my performance.

This race told me what to do for the next, added Crawford, who
skipped last week's Grand Prix in Osaka.

The men's 110 metres hurdles was won by European champion Stanislavs
Olijars with a year's best of 13.11 seconds ahead of Olympic silver
medallist American Terrence Trammell (13.18).

Qatar's 3000 metres steeplechase world champion Saif Saeed Shaheen's
made a brave attempt to establish a new record in a non-Olympic event,
the 2000 metres steeplechase.

The Kenyan-born athlete failed by a whisker as he clocked 5:14.53
against the 15-year-old mark of 5:14.42 set by Kenya's Julius Kiriuki
in Riveto, Italy, in 1990.


World Junior 3000m record and a 100m upset top a thrilling night in
Doha - updated REPORT
http://www.iaaf.org/GP05/news/Kind=2/newsId=29366.html
Friday 13 May 2005

Doha, Qatar - Friday may have been the local rest day, but the
athletes at the Qatar Super IAAF Grand Prix certainly weren't taking
part. There were stadium and meet records galore, an African and two
Asian records/bests, a World Junior record, two Olympic champions
beaten, and a 'local' a whisker away from a World best.

Kipchoge's win, as Choge follows in with a World Junior record

Pick of the bunch has to be the men's 3000 metres. Last year when 2003
World 5000m victor Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya beat three other World
champions, Saif Saaeed Shaheen (2003 Steeplechase), John Kibowen (98 
00 World Cross) and Richard Limo (2001 World 5000m), it looked like a
hard act to follow. But Kipchoge managed it. He led all the way after
the pacemakers dropped out, and came home in 7:28.56. Yet right behind
him was 18-year-old compatriot, World Junior Cross and 5000m track
champion, Augustine Kiprono Choge, in a World Junior record of
7:28.78. Ben Limo crashed his way back to form in third place, with
7:29.60. All three were well under Kipchoge's meet record of 7:33.37.

One bemused spectator was former Moroccan superstar Said Aouita,
hosting the local TV coverage for Al Jazeira. Just 20 years ago,
Aouita ran a world record (one of five he held consecutively) of
7.29.45 for this distance, and he was out on his own.

Defar defies Burika's youthful talent

Choge was only just shy of victory, but if his female counterpart as
World Junior Cross champion, Gelete Burika of Ethiopia had had more
tactical awareness, she might have beaten her two illustrious
colleagues, Meseret Defar and Berhane Adere. But when she had them
straining to keep up, she slacked off the pace so much, she let them
back in for victory, for Olympic champion Defar, in 8:39.75, and
second for Adere in 8:39.87, with Burika out-leaned in 8:39.90.

Obikwelu upstages the Americans

The men's 100 metres proved you don't need super fast times to have a
great race. Francis Obikwelu has been a nearly man for a long time,
since he won the 1996 World Junior sprint titles. He only entered the
Olympic 100 metres, when his coach decided he should use it as a
warm-up for the longer sprint. He surprised himself by winning 100
metres silver in Athens. Well last night, in his first race of the
outdoor season, he surprised the two men who won those Olympic
sprints. The Nigerian-born Obikwelu, representing Portugal won in
10.05, ahead of Olympic 200m champion, Shawn Crawford and Olympic 100m
gold medallist Justin Gatlin, both on 10.14.

Gatlin had had a sore hamstring after his opening win, in 10.15, in
Osaka the

t-and-f: Lewis-Francis in failed dope test

Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis, who won Olympic relay gold last year, has
been given a public warning by UK Athletics after testing positive for
cannabis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/4544005.stm

He has also been stripped of the silver medal he won in the 60m at
this year's Spar European Indoor Championships.

Lewis-Francis, 22, avoided a two-year ban after claiming he ingested
the drug passively rather than deliberately.

My only explanation is that I may have been in the presence of people
who were smoking cannabis, said Lewis-Francis.

I have not knowingly taken this substance and have not attained any
performance-enhancing benefits.

A UK Athletics statement said: Mark Lewis-Francis provided a sample
at the European Indoor Championships in Madrid, Spain on 5 March,
2005.

The analysis of the sample identified the presence of cannabis.
Cannabis is included as a specified substance on the 2004 Wada (World
Anti-Doping Agency) Prohibited List.

The statement continued: The athlete accepted the substance was
present in his sample.

Mark Lewis-Francis waived his right to a disciplinary hearing which
he was entitled to under UK Athletics' and the IAAF's anti-doping
rules.

UK Athletics said they were happy to issue a warning rather than a ban
because it was the athlete's first anti-doping rule violation.

They were also satisfied that there was no intention to enhance performance.

He has received exactly the penalty he should receive under the
regulations, UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins told BBC
Radio Five Live.

The removal of the medal is quite a stark reminder that they
(athletes) need to take every precaution to make sure they don't get
in a position where they breach the doping rules.

Collins added: I'm sure he's gutted. I'm sure he'll come back and
work very hard for the summer.

Former sprinter John Regis, who won medals at world, Olympic, European
and Commonwealth level, said Lewis-Francis had only got himself to
blame.

He's got to take more care of who he hangs around, said Regis. I
think it's naive and he should have been more careful. I know from my
own career that you have to be careful.

I never associated myself with anybody that could mean trouble, I
knew people had the power to take away titles.

You could say it was 'only' cannabis, it doesn't affect performance
and if you took it a lot you'd be running backwards. But it's a banned
drug, those are the rules and nobody can argue.

Lewis-Francis anchored the Great Britain 4x100m relay team to a shock
victory in the Athens Games last August, edging out former Olympic
100m champion Maurice Greene by just a hundredth of a second.

At the European Indoor Championships in Madrid, Lewis-Francis had to
settle for second place behind fellow Briton Jason Gardener.

Had Lewis-Francis been suspended, it would have futher weakened
Britain's sprinting team following the loss of Dwain Chambers.

He was banned for two years in February 2004 for testing positive for
the designer steroid THG.

Athletics: Lewis-Francis loses medal for positive test
http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/story.jsp?story=638199

Passive smoking plea helps Olympic athlete escape drug ban
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1483916,00.html

Lewis-Francis slow on the uptake
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1483778,00.html

Sprinter stripped of medal over cannabis
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;sessionid=VSWIH4K55NQS1QFIQMFCM5OAVCBQYJVC?xml=/sport/2005/05/14/soaths14.xmlsSheet=/sport/2005/05/14/ixsport.htmlsecureRefresh=true_requestid=42001
By Tom Knight
(Filed: 14/05/2005)

Mark Lewis-Francis has lost his sprint silver medal after testing
positive for cannabis at the European Indoor Championships in March.

Traces of the banned drug were found in the Briton's urine sample
after he finished second to his Olympic relay team-mate, Jason
Gardener, in the 60 metres in Madrid.

Lewis-Francis, 22, who anchored the British 100m relay team as they
won gold medals at the Olympics in Athens, blamed passive smoking in
an explanation that was accepted by UK Athletics. He escaped a
possible two-year ban and was warned about his conduct.

It was the second time that Lewis-Francis has had to forfeit a silver
medal. After the 2003 World Championships, where he was a member of
Britain's 4 x 100m relay squad, six British sprinters had to return
their medals when it was announced that Dwain Chambers had tested
positive for the designer steroid THG.

Lewis-Francis, who waived his right to a disciplinary hearing, kept
his head down yesterday but issued a statement saying: I do not smoke
cannabis.

My only explanation is that I may, without realising it, have been in
the presence of people who were smoking cannabis and that I passively
inhaled their smoke.

I have not knowingly taken this substance and have not attained any
performance-enhancing benefits.

The passive smoking defence was most famously used by Ross

t-and-f: Symposium on Running Injuries