Official Results – Women – 400 Metres
Pos Athlete Nat Mark Pts
1 Novlene Williams-Mills JAM 50.00
2 Amantle Montsho BOT 50.83
3 Kaliese Spencer JAM 51.81
4 Shericka Williams JAM 52.21
5 Debbie Dunn USA 52.80
6 Antonina Yefremova UKR 53.40
7 Xiaoyin Tang CHN 54.35
8 Jingwen Chen CHN 54.37
9 Chisato Tanaka JPN 55.62
Asafa Powell gets win in Shanghai
Campbell-Brown holds off Jeter for 200m win
Shanghai, China – For all the day and most of the night, it rained in Shanghai for the Samsung Diamond League meeting.
Who could stop it? Who would stop it? Liu Xiang, of course. For the 12.97 seconds it took the former Olympic champion and former World record holder to establish he has a huge chance of taking a second Olympic gold medal in the 110m hHurdles in London later this year, the rain pretty much disappeared.
The same rain had persisted – sometimes in the form of drizzle, sometimes in torrential squalls – throughout the day. But not even the weather gods dared rain on Liu Xiang’s parade.
Not that any of the crowd packed into Shanghai stadium would have cared had it kept raining. Through a miserable night, they had waited patiently for the hurdles, the final event on the program.
It could have poured, it could have hailed, the wind could have blown in a typhoon – none of it mattered as long as Liu delivered the win. And he did.
China had two winners on the night, a totally expected – no, make that demanded – victory by Liu and an equally unexpected one in a loaded men’s pole vault field by Yang Yansheng.
Yang came into the meeting with a personal best of only 5.75m, one of the lowest-ranked of the field. But he cleared 5.65m on the first attempt on a miserable night to win on countback from German veteran Bjorn Otto.
It could so nearly have been three wins for China, too, Zheng Xingjuan almost pulling off another upset in the women’s High Jump, which she lost in a jump-off to World indoor champion Chaunte Lowe.
The pair both cleared 1.92m at the second attempt before failing at 1.95m to finish in a tie.
The jump-off started at that height, then moved down to 1.93m, 1.91m and 1.89m without either jumper being able to register a clearance in the driving rain. Continue reading »
Rio de Janeiro will host the 28th edition of the “Grande Prêmio Brasil/Caixa de Atletismo” on Sunday (20), a meet that’s part of the IAAF World Challenge. The event will mark the ending of the “2012 Brazilian Athletics Tour”, a series of five meets that took place around the South American nation in the past two weeks.
Brazilians Maurren Maggi and Fabiana Murer appear to be the top names of the event that will take place at the venue of the 2016 Olympic Games: the “Estádio João Havelange”, also known as “Engenhão”.
For the 35 year-old Maggi, the 2008 Olympic champion at Long Jump, the event will be a chance to extend her good momentum coming on the heels of her 6.85m season’s best at the São Paulo meet on 16 May. “I had a perfect jump under cold conditions. I’m hoping to do even better in Rio,” said the South American record holder at 7.26m (1999).
The veteran from São Carlos will face strong opposition in her compatriot Keila Costa (6.68m in São Paulo, as well) and in American Brianna Glenn (6.50m in 2012). Costa needs to jump 6.75m in order to qualify for the London Olympic Games. The 29-year-old Brazilian holds a personal best of 6.88m (2007), while Glenn’s best is 6.87m (2011).
Murer, the other star of Brazilian Athletics, is also looking forward to Rio, but in contrast to Maggi, Murer needs to erase the doubts created from her bad day at the São Paulo meet. Continue reading »
Shanghai, China – Asafa Powell said in Shanghai today that he remains certain he can win the gold medal in the 100m at the London 2012 Olympic Games – provided he runs his best race.
Powell has run under 10 seconds for the premier track sprint more times than any man in history. He has a margin of over 20, and still counting, over the next most prolific in that regard, Maurice Greene.
But Greene is just one of many sprinters over the Powell era who has the one thing Powell still lacks – a gold medal in a major world title.
On the eve of the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, the second in the 14-meet Samsung Diamond League series, the Jamaican is confident he has the right stuff to rectify his glaring career deficiency.
“I know for sure if I go out and do what I’m supposed to do, I will be very hard to beat,” said Powell of his London chances. Continue reading »
By Barry Janoff
May 9, 2012: Procter & Gamble division Gillette this week will unveil a pair of TV commercials, each with a member of Team USA scheduled to compete in the 2012 Olympics.
The spots feature track and field star Tyson Gay and swimmer Ryan Lochte, respectively, who are part of a group of 24 athletes from 18 countries who will represent the male grooming brand at the Summer Games in London.
Gay and Lochte are the only athletes from the U.S, on the Gillette roster, which also includes tennis icon Roger Federer (Switzerland), NBA star Manu Ginobili (Argentina), badminton great and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Lin Dan (China) and premiere cyclist and three-time 2008 gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy (Great Britain).
Gay’s commercial, “Mind Games,” and Lochte’s spot are the first salvos in Gillette’s Olympic umbrella campaign, which in turn is part of P&G’s support of the 2012 Olympics that encompasses more than a dozen brands, such as Tide, CoverGirl, Duracell, Head & Shoulders, Bounty and Pantene. Continue reading »
Ohuruogu latest champion added to Ostrava line-up – IAAF World Challenge
Ostrava, Czech Republic – Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain is the latest top name added to the line-up for the 51st Ostrava Golden Spike, the IAAF World Challenge meeting slated for 25 May.
Ohuruogu’s key target will be 2009 World champion Sanya Richards-Ross, who claimed the World Indoor title in Istanbul in March. The field also includes solid European opposition with Czech 2011 European Indoor champion Denisa Rosolova (50.84), Italian record holder Libania Grenot (50.30), former European sprint champion Muriel Hurtis of France who switched to the 400m (51.41), another Briton Shana Cox (50.84), and Ukrainian Barcelona 6th placer Antonina Yefremova (50.69).
Russian Tatyana Lysenko, the 2011 World champion, has been added to the already strong women’s Hammer Throw field which boasts both Betty Heidler and Anita Wlodarczyk, the current and past World record holders, respectively, and both former World champions.
In the women’s 100m Hurdles, where organizers are hoping for an assault on one of the meetings oldest records – 12.65 from 1980 – the newest names are 2011 European indoor champion Carolin Nytra of Germany, UK record holder Tiffany Porter, and this year’s US indoor champion Kristi Castlin. Kellie Wells, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Lolo Jones, who’ll be making her season debut, have been previously announced. Continue reading »
Eugene, Oregon – Even the best in the world have competition, and the reigning World Champions in the men’s and women’s 400m at the 38th Prefontaine Classic are no exception. Each will feel pressure from previous Olympic or World gold medallists on 2 June in Eugene at the fourth stop of the Samsung Diamond League series.
The men’s 400m headlines Kirani James of Grenada, who won the World title in Daegu last year as an 18-year-old. James has already made a path of gold: 2009 World Youth gold, 2010 World Junior gold, 2011 World Championships gold. An Olympic gold in London would make him the first teenager to accomplish such a feat since Steve Lewis of the U.S. in 1988. In Daegu yesterday (16), he affirmed his fitness with a nearly one-second win in 44.72 over an international field.
At Pre, James will contend with four other Olympic or World championships gold medallists, led by the reigning Olympic champion, LaShawn Merritt of the U.S. Merritt and James waged a memorable duel last year at the World Championships, with James better by just 0.03. Merritt, also the 2009 World champion, seeks to reclaim the top spot.
American Jeremy Wariner, 2004 Olympic gold medallist, had an “off” year in 2011 but has more gold than anyone in the field.
The Pre 400 field isn’t nearly finished. Completing the sweep of medallists from last year’s World Championships is Kevin Borlée of Belgium, who took bronze. He is also the reigning European champion.
American Angelo Taylor has beaucoup gold, two in the 400m Hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Olympics. As outstanding as he has been in the Hurdles, he has quite a resume in the 400m and is the defending Prefontaine Classic 400 champion.
Christopher Brown of The Bahamas is another gold medallist confirmed. He is a three-time Olympic veteran and the 2010 World Indoor champion. Bahamian countrymate Demetrius Pinder, silver medallist at this year’s World Indoor Championships, will join him. Brown and Pinder aim to mount a charge to challenge the U.S. in the 4x400m Relay in London.
- Men’s 400 Meters
Kirani James (Grenada)
LaShawn Merritt (USA)
Kevin Borlée (Belgium)
Christopher Brown (Bahamas)
Jeremy Wariner (USA)
Angelo Taylor (USA)
Demetrius Pinder (Bahamas)
Oscar Pistorius (South Africa)
Montsho and Richards-Ross to square off
Returning to Eugene will be the top-rated women’s 400m runner in the world, Amantle Montsho of Botswana. Montsho won the gold medal at last year’s World Championships in Daegu after a series of years knocking on the door and not giving up. The gold in Daegu was her first, and still only, global medal at any level and her best is 49.56 from last year.
But Montsho has many of the world’s very best looking to move ahead. Prime among them is American Sanya Richards-Ross, the 2009 World champion. Richards-Ross, among those vanquished in Daegu by Montsho last year, is looking to return to No. 1 form. She proved she is once again healthy by winning World Indoor Championships gold in Istanbul in March. Her PB is 48.60 from 2006.
Another of the world’s best, Anastastiya Kapachinskaya of Russia, will challenge the field. She’s the bronze medalist at last year’s World Championships and posted a 49.35 PB in 2011.
Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills set off a sound-alarm in early May when she defeated Richards-Ross at the Jamaica Invitational in 49.99, not far off her best of 49.63 from 2006. She has eight Olympic or World Championships medals, but none gold – she aims to change that statistic.
Fueling the U.S.-Jamaica rivalry is Shericka Williams, the 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Championships silver medallist, with a 49.32 career best from 2009.
American Debbie Dunn (49.64) and compatriot Natasha Hastings (49.84) round out the field, meaning every entry so far has broken 50 seconds in her career!
- Women’s 400 Meters
Amantle Montsho (Botswana)
Sanya Richards-Ross (USA)
Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (Russia)
Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica)
Shericka Williams (Jamaica)
Debbie Dunn (USA)
Natasha Hastings (USA)
Organisers for the IAAF
Official Results – Women – 100 Metres – Wind : -1.5 m/s
1 Carmelita Jeter USA 11.11
2 Blessing Okagbare NGR 11.21
3 Aleen Bailey JAM 11.34
4 LaVerne Jones-Ferrette ISV 11.35
5 Mikele Barber USA 11.39
6 Barbara Pierre USA 11.50
7 Candyce McGrone USA 11.70
8 Sunae Lee KOR 12.28
9 So-Yeon Kim KOR 12.35