East African Sports News

Powerful displays by Tsegay and Masai in Amorebieta Cross

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Amorebieta, Spain - Eritrea’s Samuel Tsegay provided a major upset today by taking a surprise win at the ‘55th Cross Internacional Zornotza’ held on a cloudy day and 10ºC on the thermometre. In doing so the 2006 World Junior 10,000m 4th placed overwhelmingly defeated by no less than 21 seconds Kenya’s Moses Masai, who finished fifth at last year’s Cross Country Worlds in Edinburgh.

On the women’s side Linet Masai of Kenya snatched a largely expected and comfortable 13-second win ahead of her compatriot and reigning World 5000m silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot.

Tsegay against the clock - Men’s race

The men’s 10.7km event seemed to have a hot favourite in the guise of last year’s third finisher Moses Masai, who also took a creditable fourth over 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics. However, the pattern of the race became absolutely unexpected when the 20-year-old Tsegay took command of the race right from the gun to open a sizeable margin within the opening kilometre over his quality pursuers, Eritrea’s Kidane Tadese and Yonas Kifle plus Spain’s Alemayehu Bezabeh and Ayad Lamdassem among others.

The Basque Country’s athletics fans have a well-gained reputation as one of the most knowledgeable crowds in Spain and so all the talk was about Tsegay’s slim chances of coming home successful despite a handsome gap of 12 seconds he had built by the 2000m point on two sub-27:10 10,000m specialists such as Masai and Tadese.

Tsegay, who is coached by Jerónimo Bravo in Madrid, kept his clear advantage throughout the following 2000 laps, which he evenly covered in 5:57, 5:56 and 5:56 (23:41 for the 8km) while Masai and Tadese had managed to break away from the chasing group and travelled still 12 seconds in arrears by then.

Meanwhile, a fierce battle unfolded between the top Spaniards to be first local athlete home with Bezabeh and Lamdassem, who led Spain to the European XC title in Brussels in December, sharing the fifth place behind a lonesome Kifle.

Tsegay strengthened his winning chances with another powerful loop timed at 5:58 while Masai began to falter in his fruitless task of catching the relatively unheralded Eritrean and had to settle for fighting with Tadese to be runner-up after this pair ran no less than 22 seconds behind with 700m left.

Tsegay ran the closing stages with the same freshness showed during the race and romped home unopposed in 31:36 some 21 seconds ahead of Masai, who improved on his third spot from last year thanks to change of gear over the closing straight which left Tadese another five seconds behind.

The domestic battle witnessed Lamdassem’s success in fifth on Bezabeh, who performed barely four days after his 28:06 10k run for second at the New Year’s eve race in Madrid.

A joyful Tsegay commented after his win: “I’m more than happy for my victory. Last year I suffered a stomach virus but it took several months to find out the right diagnosis so I performed far from ideal conditions. This season I feel very powerful and look forward to my next outing in Fuensalida (Spain) next Sunday,” concluded Zersenay Tadese’s training mate, who placed eight at both the 2006 and 2007 World Junior XC championships.

Masai unstoppable again - Women’s race

The 6.7km women contest promised to be a Kenyan party thanks to the presence of the rising star Linet Masai and Vivian Cheruiyot, a double winner (2007 & 2008) in Amorebieta – venue of the 1993 World XC Championships - but the 19-year-old Masai, the reigning World bronze XC medallist from Edinburgh, proved to be too strong for the Osaka silver medallist in the 5000m.

With barely 1:45 on the clock Masai – still unbeaten on this winter campaign - went to the front to open a 15m advantage by the 2000m point (6:30) over her fellow Kenyan, herself 100m ahead of a chasing group comprising the last European Cross Country silver medallists in the guise of Portugal’s Ines Monteiro (2008) and Spain’s Rosa Morató (2007), the Spaniard having been fifth in Brussels last month.

For much of the race, Masai’s margin on Cheruiyot did not exceed four seconds but the latter could not join her younger compatriot at any moment. The second lap (4000m point) was covered in majestic style by the long-legged Masai in 6:27 with the threatening shadow of Cheruiyot some 20m adrift.

The key movement came in the third loop when the reigning World Junior 10,000m record holder Masai (30:26.50 for fourth at the Beijing Olympics) injected an even brisker pace which couldn’t be matched by the 25-year-old Cheruiyot, who had lost nine seconds to Masai at the bell with 700m remaining.

The European showdown saw how Monteiro managed to leave behind within the last kilometre a courageous Morató, eager to take revenge on the Portuguese who succeeded her as European bronze medallist in Brussels.

In what has been her shortest winning margin this winter season Masai get the better of Cheruiyot by 13 seconds, herself a full minute ahead of Monteiro who left Morató seven seconds in arrears.

“Today has been quite a cold day but I felt fine during the race. I like running at the front to be the in control of the race. My next outing will be next Saturday (10 January) in Edinburgh,” confirmed the Kenyan teenager, who has now a perfect card of three wins in a row at this year’s cross country season (Llodio 30 November, Alcobendas 7 December, Amorebieta 4 January), all on Spanish soil.

Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

Leading results -

Men (10.7Km):
1. Samuel Tsegay (Eri) 31:36
2. Moses Masai (Ken) 31:57
3. Kidane Tadese (Eri) 32:02
4. Yonas Kifle (Eri) 32:14
5. Ayad Lamdassem (Esp) 32:17
6. Alemayehu Bezabeh (Esp) 32:22
7. Javier Guerra (Esp) 32:27
8. Cuthbert Nyasango (Zim) 33:00
9. José Ríos (Esp) 33:10
10. Eliseo Martín (Esp) 33:15

Women (6.7Km):
1. Linet Masai (Ken) 21:36
2. Vivian Cheruiyot (Ken) 21:49
3. Ines Monteiro (Por) 22:50
4. Rosa Morató (Esp) 22:57
5. Zulema Fuentes-Pila (Esp) 23:05
6. Meraf Batha (Eri) 23:19
7. Simret Sultan (Eri) 23:20
8. Aicha Bani (Mor) 23:53
9. Yesenia Centeno (Esp) 24:10
10. Marta Romo (Esp) 24:13

Sports in Brief: La Salle alum wins a frigid N.Y. run

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:10:00 +0000

Sean Quigley, a former La Salle all-American, won the men's title and Aziza Aliyu of Ethiopia took the women's in the Midnight Run through a frigid Central Park in New York City early yesterday.
Quigley, 23, covered the four miles in 18 minutes, 45 seconds. Brian Olinger of Columbus, Ohio, was second in 18:53, followed by Abiyot Endale of Ethiopia in 18:59.

About 4,000 competed in the event, sponsored by the New York Road Runners. The temperature was 18 degrees when the race started at midnight, but a 16-m.p.h. wind dropped it to just 3 degrees.

"I never ran in weather as cold as this," Quigley said.

Aliyu outkicked Emily Brown of Minneapolis by one second to finish in 21:21. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia was third in 22:05.

Colleges
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops, 48, earned $3 million when the calendar turned.
A clause in Stoops' contract provided for him to receive a so-called "stay bonus" of $3 million after completing 10 seasons as the Sooners' coach through the end of 2008.

No. 2 Oklahoma plays No. 1 Florida in the BCS championship game Thursday in Miami.

Tulsa football coach Todd Graham, 44, agreed to a new 10-year contract for undisclosed terms that could keep him with the Golden Hurricane through the 2018 season.

He has a 20-7 overall record at Tulsa after coaching the Golden Hurricanes to their first back-to-back 10-win seasons.

Tulsa (10-3) will face Ball State (12-1) in the GMAC Bowl Tuesday in Mobile, Ala.

California football coach Jeff Tedford, 47, agreed to a two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2015 season, athletic director Sandy Barbour said.

The Golden Bears completed a 9-4 season Saturday by beating Miami, 24-17, in the Emerald Bowl. It was Cal's fifth victory in a school-record six straight bowl appearances under Tedford.

He has a 59-30 record over seven seasons.

Ohio State star Chris "Beanie" Wells is not ready to say whether the Fiesta Bowl will be his last collegiate game.

"I don't want to say I'm leaning toward staying or I'm leaning toward going," the junior running back said. "All I'm saying is I do want to be the best Buckeye to ever come through here."

The No. 10 Buckeyes (10-2) will play third-ranked Texas (11-1) Monday in Glendale, Ariz.

Josh Freeman, a junior quarterback for Kansas State, will enter the NFL draft, ESPN.com reported.

Tennis
Andy Murray defeated James Blake, 6-2, 6-2, to set up a semifinal with Roger Federer at the inaugural Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In the other first-round match, Nikolay Davydenko ousted Andy Roddick, 6-4, 6-4, and will face Rafael Nadal in today's other semifinal.

Nadal and Federer had byes.

Noteworthy
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt edged U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, 1,673 points to 1,557, in a vote for the 2008 athlete of the year by the International Sports Press Association. Phelps won eight gold medals at the Beijing Games; Bolt captured three on the track, setting three world records.
Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, the Olympic pole vault champion, was named sportswoman of the year.

The organization includes journalists from 96 nations.

Dibaba set for Birmingham Indoor date

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:20:00 +0000

Double Olympic gold medallist and World record holder, Tirunesh Dibaba, has confirmed she will run at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on 21 February.

Dibaba, who smashed the 5000m World record by over five seconds in June this year, will head to the National Indoor Arena to compete in the 3000m which she won at the same meet in 2006. On her last visit to the UK, Dibaba won the World cross-country in Edinburgh and is looking forward to a successful return.

Ian Stewart, National Endurance Coach at UKA is excited about the prospect of having Dibaba in Birmingham.

“Dibaba is possibly the best female long distance runner in the world at the moment, so to have her at our meet in February is an exciting opportunity for both athletics fans and our home-grown athletes.

“It’s great news for the British girls as it will give them the opportunity of facing the best in the world on home turf and ensure they raise their game ahead of the European Indoor Championships.”

Dibaba has set her sights on breaking the 3000m World record - which is currently held by arch rival, Meseret Defar - having already broken the 5000m record three times. The 3000m record could well be a target for Dibaba as she lines up on the start line in Birmingham, in what is building to be one of the top meetings in the World for the indoor season.

Uk Athletics for the IAAF

Bezabeh and Monteiro cruise to wins in Venta de Baños

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Venta de Baños, Spain - Spain’s Alemayehu Bezabeh and Portugal’s Ines Monteiro clinched convincing victories at the ‘29th Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños' held Sunday (21) on quite a cold but sunny morning which hardly reached 5ºC. In doing so, they managed a rarely seen - at a Cross Country race - European double beating top Africans in the process.

New Spaniards take 1-2 – men’s race

The men’s event, contested over a quite flat 10,575km course featured the full Spanish squad which brilliantly retained the European Cross Country team title a week ago in Brussels, and headed by Bezabeh (7th) and Ayad Lamdassem (4th) while the always powerful African contingent included two sub-27:10 10,000m specialists: Kenya’s Kiprono Menjo and Eritrea’s Kidane Tadese.

The race kicked off very cautiously (3:08 for the opening kilometre) with a large leading pack of no less than 15 men by the second kilometre and the 22-year-old Bezabeh running at the end of the pack very comfortably.

The first remarkable movement came with the clock reading 15 minutes when Italy’s reigning European U-23 champion Andrea Lalli injected a brisker pace alongside Spain’s Chema Martínez, fresh from a 2:11:11 Marathon performance barely two weeks ago in Fukuoka but the latter fell on a muddy area shortly afterwards, eliminating his chances for a win.

Menjo’s change of gear at the seventh kilo reduced the lead pack to Bezabeh, Lamdassem, Kidane and himself but it was the Madrid-based Bezabeh who easily broke away from the rest with one mile left to build a handsome margin of six seconds in a matter of 300 metres.

The long-legged rising star covered the closing stages in style and romped home unopposed in 31:45 while Lamdassem get rid of Tadese to the delight of the crowd to stamp a Spanish 1-2, seven seconds adrift of the winner, while the Eritrean completed a quality podium in third another three seconds behind.

The battle to come first European-born athlete home became fascinating with a tight sprint finish between the 21-year-old Lalli and Spain’s Carlos Castillejo with the Italian prevailing in fifth only one second behind a fading fourth placed Menjo.

Bezabeh has now completed a haul of four podium finishes in the current XC season with two wins (Atapuerca and Venta de Baños) and another couple of third spots (Soria and Llodio) under his belt although the Ethiopian-born new Spanish citizen failed to make the podium at the ‘Eurocross’ in Brussels.

“Of course I travelled to the Belgium capital with medal chances and for much of the race I was in medal position,” said Bezabeh, who was 11th in the Olympic 5000m final. “But finally faltered as it was a very demanding contest with plenty of quality athletes. Today I felt much more comfortable than there, so I’m happy to be victorious again.”

‘Barriers? What barriers?’ – Monteiro takes women’s contest

The women’s 6775m race had been billed on the eve as a rematch between two top steeplechasers in the guise of Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir and Spain’s local heroine Marta Domínguez as the latter narrowly defeated the Olympic silver medallist Kenyan at the Yecla cross country permit on Sunday 14 December. Portugal’s Ines Monteiro also played a favourite’s role since she was fresh from a bronze medal at the Europeans in Brussels last weekend when she and silver medallist Jessica Augusto led the Portuguese squad to an undisputed team gold medal.

The organization had laid down a series of barriers to make the event tougher and more spectacular for the crowd assembled but nothing seemed to be hurdle for the 28-year-old Portuguese as she started at a terrific pace.

By the 700m point, with barely two minutes on the clock Monteiro was already running in solitude with an astonished Jepkorir trailing in her wake some 20m behind with Portugal’s Dulce Felix alongside the Kenyan. Back in fourth, Domínguez proved not to be in the kind of form she was in last year when she succeeded here one week after her European title in Toro.

After covering the first loop (8.30m into the race) Monteiro had built a seven-second margin over Jepkorir, herself two second ahead of Felix while Domínguez travelled in fourth some 22 seconds in arrears.

At the bell, with the clock reading 16 minutes the leader had broadened her leadership to a 19-second margin on Jepkorir and Felix while Domínguez had been caught by fellow Spaniard Diana Martín.

The final lap also witnessed Monteiro’s magnificent display of strength over the mud and the barriers – she ran a fine 9:39.20 3000m steeplechase in 2005 – before crossing the finish line in 22:41 with a winning margin of no less than 21 seconds on Jepkorir who managed to leave Felix (17th in Brussels) at the beginning of the lap, 11 seconds separating both athletes at the end.

A thrilling sprint finish to take the fourth place took place with Martín (a 9:47.41 steeplechase specialist) marginally ahead of Domínguez (Spanish record holder at 9:21.76) both athletes being credited 23:51.

Monteiro, who became the first Portuguese victor in the 29-year-history of the event, made the journalists assembled smile when she was asked on the barriers placed throughout the circuit. Monteiro, who clocked 2:30.36 at the Rotterdam Marathon this year, replied: “barriers, what barriers?”

Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

Leading Results -
Men (10.6km)
1. Alemayehu Bezabeh (Esp) 31:45
2. Ayad Lamdassem (Esp) 31:52
3. Kidane Tadese (Eri) 31:55
4. Kiprono Menjo (Ken) 32:10
5. Andrea Lalli (Ita) 32:11
6. Carlos Castillejo (Esp) 32:12
7. Javier Guerra (Esp) 32:21
8. Sergio Sánchez (Esp) 32:45
9. Chema Martínez (Esp) 32:53
10. Cuthbert Nyasango (Zim) 32:54

Women (6.8km)
1. Ines Monteiro (Por) 22:41
2. Eunice Jepkorir (Ken) 23:02
3. Dulce Felix (Por) 23:13
4. Diana Martín (Esp) 23:51
5. Marta Domínguez (Esp) 23:51
6. Yesenia Centeno (Esp) 24:05
7. Alessandra Aguilar (Esp) 24:12
8. Teresa Urbina(Esp) 24:16
9. Judit Plá (Esp) 24:28
10. Simret Sultan (Eri) 24:44

Dibaba smashes Olympic 10,000m record as two dip under 30 minutes!

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:42:00 +0000

15 August 2008 - Beijing - Perhaps the gold medallist tonight was no great surprise, yet few would have predicted the race would throw up the second and third fastest times in history, an Olympic record, African, European and North America records and a World Junior record to boot in a truly staggering demonstration of distance running.

Of course, it was Tirunesh Dibaba who crossed the line first. The Ethiopian distance running icon finally adding the Olympic crown to her three World titles over the distance as once again she proved unbeatable on the track.

Yet some credit must be given to Holland's Lornah Kiplagat, who led for the first 6000m, and later Elvan Abeylegesse, the silver medallist, who pushed Dibaba to the second fastest 10,000m time in history of 29:54.66.

For her efforts Abeylegesse recorded 29:56.34 with Shalane Flanagan of the USA providing a remarkable story to recover just two days after food poisoning and wipe 12 seconds from her national record with 30:22.22.

Oh, and Linet Masai set a World junior record of 30:26.50 for fourth. And, remember, all this in the so called polluted city of Beijing in which distance runners were expected to suffer.

Dibaba, who secured Ethiopia's third gold medal in the six editions of this event at the Olympics, was elated to win and has set her sights on the 15-year-old World record time of 29:31.86 of China's Wang Junxia.

"I was expecting something from the race and I got it," said Dibaba. "It was the right place to break the world record (in China). Next year I'm sure I'll do it."

The early pace was taken up for Kiplagat, the Kenyan-born Dutch athlete who went through 2km in 6:00.15 - a point in which almost half the 31-strong field was already detached from the main group.

Kiplagat continued to lead the main group with Ethiopia's Mestawet Tufa and Abeylegesse in closer order. Dibaba, meanwhile, that's Tirunesh and not her older sister, Ejegayehu, preferred to stay out of trouble in about tenth for the first ten laps of the race.

Kiplagat, the 2007 World Cross Country champion hit the 5km mark in 15:09.98, ahead of Tufa, Abeylegesse and the Dibaba sisters with the lead group of 15 in Indian file, clearly stretched by the fierce first half pace.

Very quickly six dropped out of the back of the pack, although Kenyan duo Masai and Lucy Wangui as well as Flanagan were still in contention.

Eight laps out Abeylegesse decisively hit the front and injected further pace into the race with a sub 70-second lap.

Tufa and Ejegayehu Dibaba fell off the back and quickly out of the medal hunt as the race really started to take shape.

With a quarter distance remaining only Dibaba could stick with the dimunitive Turk's killer pace.

Masai ansd Wangui appeared to be in a private battle for bronze with Flanagan further back.

The closing laps followed a familar theme. Abeylegesse, the World silver medallist, head down, shoulders rolling desperate to break free. Dibaba, with a ramrod straight back and high knee lift stuck to her like a cat waiting to pounce.

Behind them, though, much drama. Flanagan, who set a US record of 30:34.49 in Stanford in April, was closing in on the two Kenyans.

First, she caught and passed the fading Wangui, the Commonwealth champion.

Next up the 27-year-old US athlete swept past Masai to take third place.

Up front, at the bell Dibaba made her winning move. She hit the front around the crown of the opening bend although Abeylegesse responded and down the back straight only a stride separarted the pair.

But, finally, just over 200m out the Turk finally cracked. Dibaba extended her advantage to run away to record an Olympic record, African record and the second fastest time in history.

But credit the Ethiopian-born Abeylegesse for sticking to the task to record the third fastest time ever - the pair becoming only the second and third athletes in history to dip below 30:00.

Flanagan defied her debilitating sickness caused by food poisoning for third in a North American record of 30:22.22. In fourth, Masai recorded a world junior and Kenyan record of 30:26.50.

In fifth, the fast finishing Maria Konovalova of Russia set a national record of 30:35.84 one place ahead of her compatriot, Inga Abitova, the European champion (30:37.33).

Wangui wound up seventh in a PB of 30:39.96 with the early leader, Kiplagat, in eighth (30:40.27). In a further measure of the quality of the race, if any more was needed, the bronze medallist from last year's World Championships, Kara Goucher of the USA, set a personal best of 30:55.16 but could only finish tenth!

For the record Dibaba's sibling, Ejegayehu, finished a distant 14th in 31:22.18 and Tufa, the third Ethiopian and third fastest in the world this year ahead of tonight's race, failed to finish.

One more final stat. The second 5000m was covered in a little under 14:45.

FIFA suspends Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Associated Press

July 29, 2008 at 10:18 AM EDT

ZURICH — Ethiopia was suspended by FIFA on Tuesday after failing to comply with agreed steps to solve the leadership dispute within its federation following the dismissal of its president in January.

FIFA said it suspended the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) following the noncompliance with the so-called roadmap agreed in February, and in particular the failure to organize an extraordinary general assembly to decide who would be the federation's top officials.

EFF members who opposed current president Ashebir Woldegiorgis in January elected their own top officials in a separate assembly that was not recognized by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

They subsequently took over the EFF offices.

The roadmap, worked out with FIFA and CAF, included the recognition of Ashebir and the remaining members of the EFF executive committee unless an extraordinary general assembly set for March decided otherwise.

EFF had also committed to giving back the offices to the recognized federation officials.

"Despite several reminders sent by FIFA in recent months, none of the steps established in the roadmap have been taken," FIFA said in a statement.

Athletics: Tolosa Claims Innocence

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:08:00 +0000

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (25-Jun) -- Ethiopian athletics has been rocked by the news today that marathon runner Ambesse Tolossa has been convicted of a doping offence and has been banned from all competitions for the coming two years.

The 29-year old, who was a member of Ethiopian national teams in the last Olympics in Athens and the last two editions of the IAAF World Championships, failed an in-competition doping test for the banned substance morphine after winning the 2007 Honolulu Marathon last December. He has now been stripped off his title and will not receive the prize money winnings which were pending clearance of a drugs test.

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) has now banned the athlete for two years through Feb. 4, 2010.

In an exclusive interview with, Tolosa has denied knowingly taking any banned substance. "I have not knowingly taken any banned substance," he said. "I do not even know what morphine is before I was informed by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation that I had taken the substance."

Tolosa says he is yet unsure about his next course of action: whether to accept the ban or appeal the decision with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"I have been told that I have no choice but to accept the ban," he said. "I still do not know how the substance got into my body and if given the opportunity, I want to prove my innocence."

In Olympic sports, there is a strict liability policy, meaning that an athlete is responsible for any banned substance which enters his or her body, regardless of intent. However, penalties are usually reduced for inadvertant violations if the athlete can demonstrate such was the case.

Unlike many of the world's high profile doping cases, Tolosa did not test positive for a performance-enhancing drug like EPO or steroids, but morphine, which is a strong pain reliever found in both his "A" and "B" test samples. Opiates are included in the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of prohibited substances.

Tolosa claims that he had taken pain relievers two times before his test returned positive. He has presented evidence that he took medication to relieve pain caused by food poisoning, but no residues of morphine have been identified in that medicine. He has yet to present evidence that he was also injected with an analgesic during a dental operation last year.

"Since this is a first offence, he will be ineligible for two years," said Ayalew Tilahun, Ethiopian team doctor. "The whole process has taken us around six months after Ambesse denied taking any banned substances. But the evidence is conclusive and overwhelming and he has now been informed of the ban."

Tolosa's is the first high profile doping offence by an Ethiopian athlete after Alene Emere Reta was also sanctioned after an out-of-competition drugs test in 2003 while he was competing in Japan. He now competes in the United States.

Dibaba rides World record momentum to Eastern Europe...

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Clearly on another plane too is Tirunesh Dibaba, the twice World 10,000m champion who shattered the 5000m World record in Oslo last weekend, where she stopped the clock in 14:11.15. Her performance knocked more than five-and-a-half seconds from the record set a year earlier by Meseret Defar on the same track. So persistent in her pursuit was Dibaba that she covered the final 3000m in just over 8:27; last year only one woman ran faster in a 3000m race.

Still only 22, Dibaba’s 30:15.67 personal best from 2005 ranks her as the ninth fastest ever, and with her streak of success continuing at the World Cross Country Championships, she is already well on her way to ranking among the all-time distance greats. Missing of course is an Olympic triumph – she took bronze in the 5000m in 2004 – and her performance on Thursday will go a long way in helping her – along with Ethiopian selectors - decide whether she’ll attempt a distance double in Beijing.

As in Oslo, she’ll be joined by older sister Ejegayehu who has a 30:18.39 to her credit; Werknesh Kidane, whose 30:07.15 ranks her as the fourth fastest ever; and Benita Johnson, the Australian record holder (30:37.68) in the 10,000m and Marathon.

Of particular interest will be Kenyan Linet Masai’s debut over the distance. Just 18, she followed up her 2007 World junior Cross Country triumph with a bronze medal finish in the senior race in March.

... and so does Kaki

Germany Provides 800 Soccer Balls to Support Young Players

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:14:00 +0000

German Ambassador Dr. Knoop handed over a donation of 800 soccer balls to the Vice Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdisa Yadeta in the Addis Ababa Stadium on Sunday to support young Ethiopian soccer players.

The soccer balls have been made available by the German Chapter of the World University Service in cooperation with the Association of Ethiopians Educated in Germany, the Embassy here said in a statement.

The German Federal Foreign Office provided the funds for the donation, it said adding that the handover ceremony took place just before the World Cup qualifying match Ethiopia vs. Rwanda.

A friendly game of a German school selection against Ethiopian students followed the official match.

At the handover ceremony, German Ambassador Dr. Knoop remarked: "I wish that the German support for young Ethiopian soccer players may help to train promising young talents who may in future make it to the national team. And of course, I hope that the Ethiopian national team will qualify for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa." The Ministry of Youth and Sports in cooperation with the Ethiopian Football Federation will distribute the balls to youth soccer projects all over Ethiopia, the embassy added.

Soccer is the most popular sport in Germany. With a total of 26,000 clubs and 170,000 teams the German Soccer Association (DFB) is one of the largest member organizations with in FIFA. The biggest successes of the German national team are three World Cup titles (1954, 1974, 1990) and winning three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996). The DFB women won their first World Cup title in the USA in 2003 and added their second 2007 in China. Other achievements include winning six European Championships (1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005).

Bekele runs fastest 10,000m on American soil

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:43:00 +0000

EUGENE -- Kenenisa Bekele, of Ethiopia, fell short in his bid to break his own world record but still managed to run the fastest 10,000 meters ever on American soil at Sunday's Prefontaine Classic.

Bekele, who was competing in his first outdoor race in the United States, finished in 26 minutes, 25.97 seconds, becoming the first runner to break 27:00 in the United States.

The previous mark was held by Abraham Chebii who ran 27:04.20 seven years ago.

Organizers moved the 10,000m up to an early morning time slot in order to boost the three-time World Champion's chances of breaking his record.

Bekele, who also holds the 5,000m world mark of 12:37.35, was cheered on by a crowd of about 5,000 at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

He ran alone for the majority of the race after lead runner Abreham Feleke dropped out halfway through the race which featured eight Ethiopians and five Kenyans.

Dibaba on 5000m World record – ‘I could have run faster’ - ÅF Golden League

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Oslo, Norway - For the second straight year, the ExxonMobil Bislett Games - ÅF Golden League - played host to a new women’s 5000m World record. This time around, it was Tirunesh Dibaba smashing the record that her compatriot Meseret Defar smashed last year.

This is a very joyous day for me today,” said Dibaba after her stunning 14:11.15 * performance which eclipsed Defar’s performance by more than five-and-a-half seconds. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and this is a very special day for me.”

Special indeed. A day after sharing quiet confidence about her first outing of the summer, Dibaba was on a mission which she simply wouldn’t let slip from her grasp.

Brought through the 3000m mark in 8:38.38 by rookie pacesetter Anna Alminova, Dibaba found herself in the lead but three seconds off the record pace. With a little help from big sister Ejegayehu for about a lap-and-a-half, Dibaba found her rhythm by the time she approached the end of the fourth kilometre. By then she was a full second ahead of schedule, and simply needed to hang on. That, she said, wasn’t going to be a problem.

“I was trying my best and I knew I was going to break the record with two laps to go. I was sure,” she reiterated, “with two laps left.” Reeling off 68-second laps in the waning stages, she closed with a final circuit in just under 64 seconds to collect the first outdoor record of her career.

“The early part of the race was pretty good,” she said, “but at 3000m we were a little behind so then I had to catch up on the pace. I could have run faster if the pacing was a little better.”

She arrived in Oslo with a 14:30.40 career best set at this meeting two years ago, but had run faster indoors, most recently in 2007 with her 14:27.42 World record indoors. But like Defar last year, the margin left her nearly speechless. “I’m surprised that I broke it by that much,” she said. “Yes, very surprised. And I’m very happy.”

Her post-African Championships training left her with a good feeling about her early season form.

“After the African championships I prepared myself for more than one month, and it was a very hard preparation.” Not only her training, she said, but also some strong family support helped as well.

“The plan was there for (older sister) Gigi to help me, and she helped me quite a bit. And I want to thank her for that.”

She also thanked the near-capacity crowd at Bislett Stadium. “The people in Oslo were fantastic. They gave me a lot of support and a big boost. They were really part of the record tonight.”

After improving by some 19 seconds, could another barrier, 14 minutes, be breached?

“I don’t think that it’s possible for me,” she said, but after some pause and explanation, she didn’t dismiss the notion outright. “It could be possible, but today, everything was perfect. The weather was perfect, and I am in good shape. There are so many factors for me to run the World record. But I don’t know about going under 14 minutes.”

A reporter asked if she would be giving rival Defar a call now that she has secured the record. Smiling, she said, “I’m not going to call her. But I will meet her in Ethiopia.”

In the meantime, Ethiopia will be meeting her tonight for a little celebration. “The Ethiopian community in Oslo has called us for a party, so we’re going to be there.”

Next up for Dibaba is a 10,000m outing in Ostrava on Thursday, where she’ll start as the event’s two-time World champion. Again she won’t predict a time, but she’ll have to impress Ethiopian selectors with a solid performance to secure her spot on the Olympic team. After her performance here tonight, she said, she may be leaning towards an Olympic double.

“I’m thinking that this makes a strong case for me. I’m going to consider it very seriously.”

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Blanko Plans Ethiopia's Downfall

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:43:00 +0000

Bonnie Mugabe
Kigali

Amavubi head coach Tucak Blanko has embarked on preparations for next 2010 World/Africa Cup qualifier against Ethiopia due on June 7 in Addis Ababa.

Blanko took the triumphant Amavubi into yesterday's early morning training session at Remera turfed stadium with an aim of keeping the team's winning streak.

The 22-man squad which looked happy with compact morale trained for one hour and was expected to take a day off visiting their families before returning to the camp late in the evening.

However, Greece based defender Fritz Emeran Nkusi never trained as he is still nursing his ankle injury which he attained during training last week.

Amavubi Stars walloped Mauritania 3-0 to register a promising start in the opener of the group eight of the 2010 World/Africa Cup qualifiers played at Nyamirambo stadium over the weekend.

Skipper Olivier Karekezi was in inspirational form to drag his team with him and record the first win for new coach Tucak Blanko.

Olivier Karekezi hit the target on the 15th minute of the first half before Said Abedi Makasi ended his international goal drought with a penalty on 64th minute.

Bokota Labama Kamana wrapped up things for the Wasps on 75th minute of the game to silence his critics. Rwanda's other crucial, Morocco hammered the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia 3-0 to level points with Rwanda in group eight of the qualifying phase.

Morocco scored two early goals as they beat 10-man Ethiopia in Casablanca.

Abdessalam Benjelloun, grabbed the opening goal after just four minutes; Hicham Aboucharouane doubled the lead for the Atlas Lions eight minutes later.

Ethiopia was reduced to ten men when Fikru Tefera, who plays for South African Champions Super Sport United, was sent off eight minutes into the second half.

Tefera will miss Rwanda tie this weekend in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia’s current ruler not any better than Mengistu

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:10:00 +0000

I refer to your question – “Where is justice?” – about the comfort the former Ethiopian dictator, Mengistu Haile Mariam, lives in Zimbabwe under the protection of another dictator Robert Mugabe (DN May 29, 2008).

The question would have been more pertinent had you just mentioned in passing, the abuses the current Prime Minister, Mr Meles Zenawi, metes out on his own countrymen.

Folks, have a look at this litany of docudrama-like piece of information that you decidedly left out in your editorial:

The Ogaden region, which is predominately inhabited by Somalis, is undergoing according to international NGOs, an operation aimed at torching villages and hanging sympathisers of the local rebel group, Ogaden Liberation Front.

Reports abound about villagers complaining about government troops killing young men, women, children.

During Ethiopia’s 2005 general elections, police killed about 193 protesters when the government-manipulated electoral commission declared victory for Mr Zenawi’s ruling party.

Opposition leaders, who claimed they had won the election outright, decided to stay away from their seats in parliament.

Mr Zenawi’s regime arrested more than 100 opposition politicians and charged them with treason.

They were only released when the international community pleaded for their release, after spending two years in jail.

Ethiopian troops are being killed in Somalia almost every day by landmines, fighting or by Somali insurgent snipers. Imagine how many more are being injured.

They could run into their hundreds.

If sending innocent soldiers into a sure fire killing field for no good reason is not a crime, what is a crime?

A large chunk of the country’s troops is fighting Eritrea, in a barren town called Badme.

Thousands of soldiers from both sides were killed in the 1998-2000 useless war. If that is not a crime what is?

Your editorial was really bereft of any comparison between the past, where Mengistu oppressed Ethiopians for opposing his rule, and the present, when a Western-backed Zenawi commits human atrocities against the same people who suffered under Mengistu and expected a change.

In 1991, when Mr Zenawi’s ragtag militias drove out Mengistu from the capital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopians were made to believe that a new era had dawned for them.

How wrong were they! About 17 years of Zenawi’s rule has produced no single free newspaper in Ethiopia and the opposition feels insecure as ever.

The past of Mengistu has almost caught up with the present of Zenawi!

Even, those in the know believe present abuses in Ethiopia eclipse, in terms of intensity and brutality, those of Mengistu, who employed old styles of punishment, like mainly secretly assassinating opponents.

According to international NGOs, the government is starving residents in Ogaden, denies reporters access to the semi-arid region and shamefully claims that it is serving justice to Mengistu.

What a shame!

Only last month, Amnesty International accused the Ethiopian troops, backing Somalia’s titular government, of collective punishment against civilians.

It said the troops killed, gang-raped and gouged out eyes of Somalis in a report replete with chilling accounts of witnesses.

You reported that, but failed to mention it in your editorial.

DUCAYSANE M. MUHUMED,
Nairobi

Morocco beats Ethiopia in 2010 World Cup / African Nations Cup qualifiers

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:09:00 +0000

The Moroccan football team beat their Ethiopian counterparts by 3-0 in the first day of the ’group 8’ 2010 World Cup / African Nations Cup qualifiers, in Casablanca, Morocco. The goals by the Moroccan team were scored by Abdessalam Benjelloun (4th), Hicham Aboucherouane (11th) et Houssine Kharja (85th). The “Atlas Lions” will be in Nouakchott Mauritania, June 7, for their next match while Ethiopia will host Rwanda on the 8th of June. (Sunday 1 June - 20:20)

Ethiopia honours Olympic heroes in Addis Ababa

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia- The Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) at a ceremony on Sunday (25) honoured the country’s Olympic medallists and five individuals for their contributions to the Olympic movement.

Those honoured:

Olympic medallists
Posthumously - Abebe Bikila, Mamo Wolde
Present at ceremony - Miruts Yifter, Eshetu Tura, Addis Abebe, Fita Bayissa, Gete Wami, Million Wolde, Assefa Mezgebu, Tesfaye Tola, Meseret Defar, Ejegayehou Dibaba,
Absent from ceremony - Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba, Haile Gebrselassie, Gezhagne Abera, Kenenisa Bekele, Sileshi Sihine, Tirunesh Dibaba

Contributions to the Olympic movement
The five individuals are: Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre (Coach), Fikrou Kidane (Journalist/Administrator/Advisor), Yidnekachew Tessema (Administrator), Ayalew Tilahun (Medical), and Demessie Damte (Journalist)

At the ceremony held at the Sheraton Addis, the awardees were each presented golden placards in recognition of their performances and their outstanding performances. The ceremony was attended by the country’s head of state President Girma Woldegiorgis and head of government Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

In his keynote address, Woldegiorgis said of the medallists, “They have made the country proud. They are ambassadors of the country in the field of international sport and have raised the country’s national flag on the world’s stage. We are all proud of them.”

A special award was also presented to Shekih Mohammed Alamoudi, Africa’s only Fortune-500 Billionaire and Ethiopia’s most affluent man, for his contribution to the development of Ethiopian sport.

On a night that doubled as a fundraising event to raise money for Ethiopia’s Olympic participation in Beijing in August this year, Alamoudi was the largest contributor of the evening with ETB 5million (around USD 535,000). The EOC raised over ETB 13.5 million (USD 1.44 million) exceeding its target USD 11 million (1.18 million) in just under three hours of aggressive fund-rai

Ethopian stars take first in Buffalo Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Sunday’s running of the Buffalo Marathon had a definite Ethiopian flavor to it. The men’s and women’s winners were both from that African country. Habtamu Bekele won the men’s race in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 5 seconds. Meserte Kotu took the women’s race in a course-record time of 2:43:10; the previous mark was 2:44:57 set by Beth Anne De- Ciantis in 1991.

Kotu was far too good for the field, taking the victory by more than 10 minutes over defending champion Jessica Allen. Kotu has a personal best of 2:30:02, so she figured to be a top contender Sunday. Kotu finished an impressive eighth overall.

“She was great. I’m honored to even share the same turf,” said Allen, who finished in 2:54:48 –almost two minutes faster than her winning time in 2007. “That’s pretty cool. It’s pretty prestigious for Buffalo to get such a runner from so far away.”

Allen said it took Kotu a while to get ahead, but there was no catching her once she moved in front around the 11-mile mark.

“She broke away right after Tifft Farms –pretty much at the bridge coming back into the First Ward,” said Allen, of Hampton Bays, L. I. “That’s where I started to be by myself.”

Allen held off Jennifer Boerner (2:58:14) of Amherst for second place.

Kotu does not speak English and thus was unavailable for interviews. She had the most profitable day of any of the participants, earning $2,000 for the victory plus $1,000 for the course record.

Bekele, who runs out of Marietta, Ga., won by a a relatively comfortable 16 seconds. Jason Lokwatom, a Kenyan running out of Troy, Ohio, was second at 2:26:21.

Bekele has raced throughout the world. He ran the 26-mile, 385-yard distance in an impressive 2:10:43 during the 2003 Rome Marathon. Bekele was second in the Bermuda Marathon earlier this year, finishing in 2:31:26. He ran a 2:26:19 in Atlanta early in April.

Bekele speaks little English, but he did say that he was “very, very happy about winning” and that the Buffalo course was “very good.”

Andrew Carnes of Canton, Ohio, had the lead in the race through the 10-mile mark, but went out too fast then faded under some persistent pressure of the lead pack. Carnes was fourth in 2:33:28. Darrin Pocza of Bemus Point was the top Western New York runner at 2:51:18, placing 12th.

In the masters division, James Derick of Big Flats was the men’s victor in 2:40:40. Gina McGee of Johnstown, Pa., won the women’s division in 2:59:28.

Mackey Tyndall of Panama City, Fla., was the fastest wheelchair competitor in a time of 2:06:59.

“It was a great day,” he said. “The roads were a little rough, but it was a flat, smooth course. I had a pretty good pace. I got a little bit fatigued at the end, but it was a good time overall.”

Tyndall is a retired Air Force captain whose injuries led to doctors doing two total hip replacements and the placement of a metal rod and some screws in his back. This was his sixth marathon of the year, and he says wheelchair athletes have gotten plenty of exposure in events like the Boston Marathon.

“It’s gotten a lot bigger, especially because of the military factor,” he said. “Last year at the Marine Corps [race in Washington], there were double the amount of hand-cycles. The hand-cycles are getting more popular, because of the ease of going from an injury to hand-cycle as opposed to a push-chair.”

In the half-marathon, Fernando Cabada showed why he is considered one of the top distance runners in America. He ran the 13.1-mile course in 1:08:52 to win. Cabada, running out of Boulder, Colo., ran his first-ever marathon in 2:12:26 in 2006. On the women’s side, Natasha Filliol won in 1:22:59. A native of Paris, Ont., she is one of Canada’s top triathletes.

By almost any definition, it was about a perfect morning for running, with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. Some wind may have kept the times down just a bit.

Race director John Beishline said the final total of entrants was more than 3,000. That’s a big jump from last year’s 2,200.

Men’s Marathon

1. Habtamu Bekele 2:26:05

2. Jason Lokwatom 2:26:21

3. Paul Simboli 2:27:06

4. Andrew Carnes 2:33:28

5. Samson Mulli 2:33:49

6. Gerardo Avila 2:34:26

7. James Derick 2:40:40

8. Benson Osoro 2:44:16

9. Nelson Chavez 2:45:42

10. John Piggott 2:49:46

11. Mark Looney 2:51:11

12. Darrin Pocza 2:51:18

13. Gary Cattarin 2:54:12

14. Daniel Garrett 2:54:18

15. Derek Dunstan 2:54:22

16. Adam Bross 2:58:47

17. Christopher Ciamarra 2:58:54

18. Doug Hall 2:59:07

19. Craig Rudzinski 2:59:41

20. Christopher Occhino 2:59:46

Women’s Marathon

1. Meserte Kotu 2:43:10

2. Jessica Allen 2:54:48

3. Jennifer Boerner 2:58:14

4. Katherine Danner-Aldri 2:58:34

5. Gina McGee 2:59:28

6. Jill Skivington 2:59:35

7. Tammy Slusser 3:01:41

8. Jennifer McNutt 3:05:37

9. Michele Chille 3:18:32

10. Lisa Benzer 3:18:40

11. Emily Johnston 3:19:23

12. Katherine Fredlund 3:22:26

13. Mary LeBrun 3:22:37

14. Jackie Horvath 3:25:39

15. Kimberly Schenk 3:25:52

16. Kim Whitaker 3:26:00

17. Danielle Harmon 3:26:07

18. Kristin Winiewicz 3:26:16

19. Laura Richenderfer 3:26:59

20. Rosemary Wedlake 3:29:04

Men’s Half-Marathon

1. Fernando Cabada 1:08:52

2. Bryan Morseman 1:09:27

3. Anthony Gitay 1:10:39

4. David Rappleyea 1:11:45

5. Brandon Moen 1:12:18

6. Matthew Glynn 1:12:21

7. Derrick Jones 1:12:43

8. Esteban Vanegas 1:13:51

9. Chris Carrier 1:14:57

10. Joe Campbell 1:19:37

11. Vinny Savastano 1:20:59

12. Kevin Delaney 1:21:21

13. Zachary Nelson 1:22:20

14. Rick Stewart 1:22:47

15. Dan Caruso 1:23:42

16. Mark Falco 1:24:27

17. Jeffrey Hirt 1:24:55

18. Brian Whelan 1:25:20

19. Gary Addison 1:25:57

20. Mark Stern 1:26:03

Women’s Half-Marathon

1. Natasha Filliol 1:22:59

2. Sarah Joyce 1:26:06

3. Nancy Jeggle 1:28:26

4. Maureen Callahan 1:29:31

5. Kate Canty 1:33:02

6. Carrie Sharpe 1:33:35

7. Mary Rimlinger 1:34:26

8. Patricia Pirnie 1:34:31

9. Karin George 1:35:23

10. Melinda Schwartz 1:35:33

11. Shelby Poston 1:36:16

12. Jeanne Chiarmonte 1:36:58

13. Alex Brown 1:37:41

14. Jess Nowak 1:37:41

15. Fran Migliozzi 1:38:08

16. Maureen Kemeny 1:38:28

17. Leigh Dye 1:38:43

18. Kathleen Kuryak 1:38:48

19. Rebecca Charpinsky 1:38:55

20. Jill Graney 1:40:19

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele Will Not Participate In Olympic 5,000-10,000 Double In Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Jojo Doria - AHN

Delden, Netherlands (AHN) - Kenenisa Bekele has ruled out Friday an Olympic 5,000-10,000 meters double in the Beijing Games in August, citing tough competition and tight schedule.

Beckele, who came in behind Moroccon legend Hicham El Guerrouj by 0.2 seconds in the 5,000m in the 2004 Athens Games, will instead focus his attention in defending his 10,000m title in the coming Summer Olympics in Beijing.

"It's very tough to run a double at the Olympics," Bekele told RunnersWeb.com "I ran many kilometers in a few days in Athens, and I lost a lot of power."

Bekele, who according to many finished second in the 5,000 due to heavy schedules, will still attempt to surpass his 5000m world mark of 12:37.35 in Saturday' Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in the eastern Dutch city. On June 8, Bekele will also attempt to match if not surpass his 10,000m mark of 26:17.53 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

"Both records are tough," Bekele told RunnersWeb.com., explaining that maintaining a 60 to 61 second per lap pace over 5000m on his own is no easy chore, a problem he has had in recent years.

According to Bekele's manager Jos Hermens, the selection process for the Ethiopian national squad is difficult considering the number of athletes competing for the three-man team. But Hermens said that Bekele barring any event that might hamper the runner's present condition is already assured of landing a spot in the team.

"I think if I'm focusing on the record, it's better for me," Bekele, who prefers to make a stab at a solo record rather than being forced, told RunnersWeb.com.

Year best 5000m time for Ethiopia's Burka

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:44:00 +0000

HENGELO, Netherlands (AFP) — Ethiopia's Gelete Burka set a year best time of 14min 45.84sec in the 5000m in a meet here on Saturday.

The 22-year-old 1500m African champion took almost 15sec off the 15:00.6 mark set by Romania's Elena Antoci on May 11 in Craiova.

Burka beat compatriots Meselech Melkamu (14:46.25) and Belaynesh Fikadu (14:46.84).

Parade of champions heading to Hengelo – IAAF World Athletics Tour

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:20:00 +0000

Hengelo, The Netherlands - The organisers of Saturday's Fanny Blankers-Koen Games have assembled some of the best ever fields in the history of this annual Grand Prix meeting, part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.

The track in the stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern part of the Netherlands, has proven its high quality with several World records set by Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie, nicknamed “Mr. Hengelo”, in the 5000 and 10,000 metres.

Athletes coordinator Ellen van Langen, the Olympic 800 metres champion from Barcelona 1992, received an overwhelming number of applications from world class athletes for the most important annual track meet in The Netherlands. Many athletes will be seeking qualification standards for the Beijing Olympic Games or will test their late Spring form.

Spotlight on Gebrselassie, Bekele

The longer track races were always the highlights in Hengelo. Gebrselassie, the World record holder in the Marathon, has set four World records on the Hengelo track. He will run the 10,000 metres to try to qualify for Beijing’s longest track race. The legendary Ethiopian will meet strong opposition from Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Moses Mosop and his compatriots Sileshi Sihine, Abebe Dinkesa and Gebre Gebremariam.

Kenenisa Bekele is the hot favourite in the 5000 metres. The heir apparent to Gebrselassie will meet Kenyans Edwin Soi and Thomas Longosiwa. Another spectacular event is the 3000m Steeplechase with 2007 World champion Brimin Kiproto and Osaka bronze medallist Richard Matelong.

Kirwa vs. Bungei in the 800m

For the Dutch spectators it was a disappointment that Bram Som, the European 800m had to withdraw due to a slight injury. The Dutchman, who does not want to endanger his chances for the Olympic Games, would have World champion Alfred Kirwa Yego and his Kenyan compatriot Wilfred Bungei, the former World Indoor champion.

Smith going for throws double

Of strong interest too will the Men’s Discus Throw and Shot Put. The home crowd will certainly be cheering for Dutch hero Rutger Smith. The giant from Groningen, the first ever athlete to win medals in the World Championships in both the discus and the shot, will have some very serious opposition. Smith who proved to be in a very good shape in recent weeks with 66.85m (discus) and 20.77m (shot) performances, and will double in Hengelo. In the Discus Throw he will face double Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna, who threw 71.25 in Turnov on 20 May; Gerd Kanter, who also passed the 70m barrier this year with his 71.88m effort in Salinas on 8 May; and Aleksander Tammert.

In the Shot Put, the two-time World indoor champion Christian Cantwell (USA) is the opponent most to fear with the shot for Smith.

Dutch hurdlers Gregory Sedoc and Marcel van de Westen, who dashed to gold and silver at the 2007 European Indoor Championships, were to meet Allen Johnson. But the American veteran has injured an ankle and was forced to withdraw. He will by replaced by countryman Ryan Wilson (13.02 in 2007).

Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles will meet Rodney Martin and Marlon Devonish over 200 metres.

Runway adjustment for Air Saladino

A very promising event will be the men’s Long Jump with World champion Irving Saladino from Panama, the holder of the FBK stadium record (8.53m). The organisers have brought the take off board jump two metres back from it’s usual spot as last year Saladino landed very close to the end of the pit and didn’t dare jump full force. World indoor champion Godfrey Mokoena of South Africa should provide the fiercest competition.

In the Pole Vault, Germans Danny Ecker and Tim Lobinger top the field along with 2005 World champion Rens Blom from The Netherlands. The Dutchman was troubled by Achilles tendon problems in recent years, on which he was operated on two times. Last week Blom was back in competition and jumped 5.50m. The Dutch qualification standard for Beijing is 5.70m.

Gevaert vs. Williams in the 100m

An interesting confrontation in the women's 100m will be the clash between doule European sprint champion Kim Gevaert (Bel), World indoor 60m champion Angela Williams (USA), Jeanette Kwakye (GBr) and Susanthika Jayasinghe (Sri Lanka).

Maryam Jamal of Bahrain, the World 1500m champion, is the favourite on the 800 metres.

Solid women’s 5000m field as well

A very interesting field is assembled in the women’s 5000m with the Ethiopian trio of Gelete Burka, Meselech Melkamu, and Mestewat Tufa, along with Prisca Jepleting Cherono (Ken) and Kara Goucher (USA).

Susanna Kallur and Lolo Jones will clash in the 100 metres hurdles.

European champion Tia Hellebaut of Belgium is the favouite in the High Jump. Interesting is also the Shot Put with Nadine Kleinert and Petra Lammert of Germany.

Wim van Hemert for the IAAF

Tadese the men’s 10km victor, while Abeylegesse and Momanyi share women’s spoils in Bangalore

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Bangalore, India - A cool morning (25C !!!)greeted the start of the men’s race of the inaugural Sunfeast World 10km on Sunday (18 May), but by the time the women’s race got underway temperatures were seriously on the rise above 30C.

Two-time World Road Running champion Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea took the men’s victory, while there was a dead-heat in the women’s race.

MEN

South Africa’s Enos Matalane and Kenyan Ezekiel Cherop were the initial leaders before World 5000m bronze medallist Moses Kipsiro of Uganda and Tanzanian Dickson Marwa, third at this year’s Ras Al Khaimah half marathon, joined them at the 2 km mark.

Pre-race favourites Tadese and Moses Masai of Kenya shortly moved in front and stayed there along with Kipsiro. Tadese went past the half-way mark in 13:58 with Kipsiro and Matthew Koech (Kenya) closely on his heels.

Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede, the 2:06:40 winner of this year's Paris Marathon, came from behind to join the leaders at the 7th Km as they were running in front of Vidhan Saudha, the provincial Karnataka legislative assembly. The runners then turned into the extensive Cubbon Park in their last stretch towards the finish where Tadese and Kipsiro emerged as clear leaders.

Kipsiro was ahead when he entered the Sree Kanteerava Stadium but once on the synthetic track surface Tadese ran faster and overtook the Ugandan to win in 27:51 and take a USD 20,000 victor’s purse.

“My legs were unable to cope-up with the heat of the race and I wonder what happened at the last few metres,” Kipsiro confirmed after the race. Kipsiro clocked 27:54 for the second place.

WOMEN

Turkey’s Elvan Abeylegesse, the World silver medallist for 10,000m, was the pre-race favourite, and as expected, she led the race from the start. Ethiopian Berhane Adere, former World champion both on the track at 10,000m and on the roads over Half Marathon, stayed at the fore with a big bunch of runners including her team-mate Tiki Gelana. This group passed the 5K mark in 16:07.

By the 22nd minute of the race, Abeylegesse, Gelana together with Kenyan duo Grace Momanyi and Doris Chenwego were in the lead. With 2Km to go, Gelana started trailing off the pace leaving the three remaining runners in contention for the top-spot.

A strong Abeylegesse entered the stadium first keeping in mind that Kenya’s African champion Grace Momanyi was less than a metre behind. They ran neck-to-neck in the last few metres of the race and crossed the finish-line together in 32:02.

At first Abeylegesse was announced as winner. However, on verification of the tape, both Abeylegesse and Momanyi were declared joint winners and so get USD 16,000 each for their effort.

Apart from the main race, there had been other events including a 4Km Wheel Chair event, an open 10Km race for juniors, another 4Km run for the senior citizens and a 5.7 Km Majja Run. As many as 5000 people took to the streets in the open race.

The ITC-sponsored event had a budget of over 1.5 million US dollars of which USD 150,000 was distributed as prize money. This race was the third in the row of athletic events promoted by the Mumbai-based Procam International, who organizes the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon.

Ram. Murali Krishnan for the IAAF

Results

MEN's 10km
1. Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) 27:51
2. Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) 27:54
3. Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia) 28:10
4. Moses Masai (Kenya) 28:22
5. Feyisa Lelisa (Ethiopia) 28:35
6. Demesew Tsega (Ethiopia) 28:44
7. John Korir (Kenya) 28:48
8. Mubarak Shami (Qatar) 28:51
9. Dickson Marwa (Tanzania) 28:52
10. Matthew Koech (Kenya) 29:10

WOMEN's 10km
1. Elvan Abeylegesse (Turkey) 32:02
1. Grace Momanyi (Kenya) 32:02
3. Doris Chepngeno (Kenya) 32:31
4. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) 32:46
5. Salina Kosgei (Kenya) 33:18
6. Joan Ayerbei (Kenya) 33:29
7. Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) 33:38
8. Amane Gemeda (Ethiopia) 33:48
9. Roman Gessesse (Ethiopia) 33:53
10. Hilalia Johannes (Namibia) 34:04

Don’t force athletes to go to camp

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Preparations for the Beijing Olympics begin in earnest this week, when elite athletes move into residential training camp in Eldoret and Nairobi, ahead of next month’s national trials.

This is the first time that Athletics Kenya are taking the athletes to camp way ahead of the national trials, a system that has worked very well for arch-rivals Ethiopia who organise long camping sessions for their runners.

But the big difference between Ethiopia and Kenya is that the latter’s athletics association has actually constructed training camps all over the country and has a well-synchronised training programme.

That Athletics Kenya has warned that any athlete who does not report to the camps in Eldoret and Nairobi risks being suspended is preposterous.

While we appreciate that early preparations are imperative if we are to rake in the medals in Beijing, it could have made more sense for the association’s technical officials to consult widely with each of the top athletes’ personal trainers and come up with water-tight programmes for both those who will be in camp and the ones that choose to train at their bases abroad.

That Athletics Kenya do not have training camps of their own gives them little ground to wield the big stick against the athletes and their managers, some of whom own their own camps.

Lack of harmony between the association, the athletes and their managers has previously led to serious discontent that has driven quite a talented crop of stars away to the Middle East and Europe.

Most of the top Kenyan athletes have invested large sums in personalised training while the association does little in contributing to these stars’ preparations.

It is, therefore, only fair to give such athletes a hearing rather than force them to go into camp and disrupt their previously planned training regime.

Dialogue and consultation are the best way forward for Athletics Kenya, the athletes and their agents if there is any hope of sending a unified and motivated team to Beijing in August.

Ethiopia's Bekele to attempt 10,000 metres record in Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:25:00 +0000

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ethiopian Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele will attempt to break his 10,000 metres world record at next month's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, organisers said on Monday.

The race will take place at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field on June 8. The stadium is also the site of the June 27-July 6 U.S. Olympic trials.

Bekele set his current record of 26 minutes 17.53 seconds on August 26, 2005 in Brussels.

"The record is not easy," Bekele's manager Jos Hermens said in a statement. "But this is an absolutely serious attempt. His training is going well, and he is 100 per cent 'go' for the record."

It will be the 25-year-old Bekele's first outdoor appearance in the United States.

Bekele, who also holds the world 5,000 metres record, will run in the morning ahead of other events at the 34th annual grand prix meeting to take advantage of what should be more favourable wind conditions.

"We compiled 20 years of data about wind conditions, humidity, temperature - you name it," meet director Tom Jordan said. "The conditions are slightly better during the morning than the evening."

Ethiopia boycotts Qatar Grand Prix

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:59:00 +0000

DOHA • Ethiopian athletes will not be participating in the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix today, the Qatar Association of Athletic Federation (QAAF) announced. “Ethiopian athletes will not be taking part in Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix,” Dahlan Al Hamad, Qatar Association of Athletic Federation’s President, said yesterday.

“We were expecting the participation of nine athletes from Ethiopia. Unfortunately politics has got in the way of sports and Ethiopian government has stopped them from coming here,” Dahlan added. “We had sent them air tickets and visa. But they have been stopped by their government. I would like to wish them good luck for their future events and also Beijing Olympics,” Dahlan, who is also a Vice President of IAAF, said.

ESFNA to go to DC to celebrate its 25th silver Jubiliee,

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:14:00 +0000

Message From The President

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate DC area Ethiopians in their winning bid to host our 25th silver anniversary in Washington DC, a city dubbed as “Home away from Home”, by a lot of Ethiopians. Recognizing the magnanimity of our 25th anniversary, ESFNA’s general board members tasked the EC with the duty of making sure our 25th anniversary happened in Washington DC. After ironing out some last minute details, we are proud to announce Washington DC as the host city for our silver jubilee. ESFNA is a non-profit organization that takes its unique role as the provider of a neutral stage where Ethiopians of all walks of life can come together and celebrate our diversity and common heritage. This does not happen by chance. ESFNA makes deliberate decisions to safeguard our neutrality, and makes significant investments to make sure this forum continues to serve the needs of all Ethiopians. When we make such decisions, we count on all Ethiopians from around the globe to understand our role and lend us their support. This year, ESFNA is going to throw a big bash to celebrate our 25th anniversary that has coincided with our millennium celebrations. Our games will be held and the prestigious RFK stadium, former home for the Washington Redskins and current home for DC United. We plan to amaze the nation’s capitol by show casing the best Ethiopians have to offer.
Many dignitaries have been invited for this bash. Come meet them personally and show your Ethiopian pride. The hotel we have reserved is simply astounding. It is a brand new hotel along the National Harbor. ESFNA has negotiated unbelievable rates for such an amazing hotel. After all, it is our 25th anniversary, and nothing but the best will do. Mark your calendars and make the necessary arrangements since this will be a time to remember. We are also compiling various data to commemorate our 25th anniversary. For example, we would like to publish those couples that are married now and met during one of our events. If you would like us to publish your names, please send us your name and where you met to fayami@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
I would also like to announce that ESFNA conducted another one of its peaceful transitions of 5 offices. In true democratic fashion, those EC members whose terms were up this year, Haile Tefera, Kassa Kuma, Tameirat Mamo, Tedla Gessesse and Zecharias Getachew were succeeded by Bisrat Desta, Elias Dimberu, Zewdu Takele, Taye Wogderes and Fassil Abebe. We are proud at the collaboration that is taking place between the incoming and outgoing EC members. The outgoing EC has pledged its support to the incoming EC, and the incoming EC has made it clear to their out going counterparts that they would utilize their experience and plans for 2008 as they think of new ways to take this organization to the next level under their watch.
I would like to thank the outgoing group for their years of service to ESFNA.
Under Haile’s watch, ESFNA’s vendor income has grown in leaps and bounds. All vending business has been conducted in a transparent and professional manner. He has introduced various ideas to increase ESFNA attendance, including partnerships with non-profits and for profit vendors.
Under Kassa’s watch, ESFNA members can rest assured that we are good with the IRS. He has filed our taxes in a timely and professional manner. He has recommended and insisted on better spending trend for ESFNA as a whole. He has audited ESFNA business with no bias and with integrity.
Tame has taken the tournament coordinators job to the next level. Under his watch, I have yet to hear a player complain. He treated everyone equally. Knowing and understanding his integrity, no one even tried to bend the tournament laws and regulations. The discipline committee met very little since he did job great to start with.
Under Tedla’s watch, ESFNA’s finances were in safe hands. As a professional in the field, Tedla made sure he executed his fiduciary duties with the highest degree of professionalism. He kept reminding all of us that we were accountable to the DOJ, and we needed to account for every transaction with proper receipts and contracts. Tedla made the jobs of the finance committee and auditor easy by having available every supporting document for every transaction. He was also in favor of proper board training so that we take advantage of all the benefits afforded to non-profits, as well as the responsibility and accountability of board members that come along with the benefits.
Under Zecharias’s watch, the PR department made tremendous efforts to overhaul our relationship with media outlets. Pretty much all Ethiopian media outlets were a phone call away. He made sure there were timely radio programs, and updates on our website as they were available. He made great strides in making sure ESFNA has the best entertainment during our event. His tireless efforts and energy were exemplary.
I would also like to welcome the new EC members. They are capable individuals and have pledged to work extra hard to make ESFNA 2008 a success given the short amount of time left before our tournament.
Thank you for visiting our site. We look forward to seeing you in Washington DC. If you have any questions or concerns, please drop us a line at info@esfna.org.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Dawit Agonafer ESFNA, President

S. Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia Dominate African Athletic Meet

noreply@blogger.com (blogger) — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:04:00 +0000

South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya have dominated the African Athletics Championships, capturing a combined 30 of the 44 gold medals. South Africa finished on top with 12 golds and a total of 22 medals. Nigeria was second with 19 medals, seven of them gold. Host Ethiopia took third with 15 medals including a gold-silver-bronze sweep in both the men's and women's 10,000 meter races. VOA's Peter Heinlein was at Addis Ababa stadium for the five-day meet, and captured the excitement at the women's 10 K finish line.

SPORTCASTER: "The winner is Ethiopia. One, two, three, Ethiopia. The crowd is ecstatic. The Dibaba sisters take the gold and silver. The winning time, Tirunesh Dibaba, 32 minutes, 49 point 08 seconds."

Tirunesh's older sister Ejegayehu Dibaba finished one second behind Tirunesh. The Ethiopian medal sweep was a repeat of the Ethiopian men's accomplishment in the 10K race a couple days earlier. That accounted for six of Ethiopia's 15 medals. Ethiopia's multiple world record holder Kenenisa Bekele added another gold with a win in one of his specialties, the 5,000 meter race.

Kenya's men swept the boards in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and finished fourth overall in the medal standings. The steeplechase victory prompted an ecstatic Kenyan sports minister Helen Sambili to say she felt like running herself. She called it a new day for a country emerging from months of political strife.

"This is the new Kenya now," said Helen Sambili. "We're having a makeover now. We have solved the problems. The coalition government in place. We are back on track again.

The championships were marred somewhat by the absence of some of Africa's greatest track stars. The 2,400 - meter altitude in Addis Ababa may have been a factor in keeping some distance-runner away. The altitude's debilitating effect was clearly evident at the end of one heat of the women's 800-meter race, won by Nigeria's Damola Osayomi.

SPORTCASTER: "Nigeria wins the women's 800 meter race. Oh my, they're down. All three of the top finishers are on the track, lying in agony. Oh my, they're carrying the winner off. They lift her up by her arms and her legs. All three of the runners have to be carried off. They're in agony. The second place runner is being lifted onto a stretcher. The winner is trying to get up, struggling to stand up, but can't do it. She barely made it across the line and just collapsed."

Fortunately, all the competitors later were reported to have recovered fully, and Nigerian Damola Osayomi's time was good enough to earn her a silver medal.

The five-day competition saw the emergence of several rising African athletic stars. Among them South Africa's Hennie Kotze, who took gold in the men's 100 meter hurdles even though he had never run it before. He told VOA his victory had given him the confidence to try to go on and qualify for the Olympics.

"I decided this that if I do good, I'm going to go on, otherwise not," said Hennie Kotze. "So I'm gonna go on. Just focus on a bit on this. Because I did decathlon in the beginning of the year, so I'm just gonna focus on it. I trained for about a month. I'm very happy now."

Despite his team's 12 gold medals, South Africa's head coach Ekkart Arbeit said he was not satisfied with his athletes' performance. He said not a single South African gold medal performance in Addis would be good enough for a medal at the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

"This is for the next part of preparation, not good enough. Not good enough," said Ekkart Arbeit.

QUESTION: "Why not?"

"Because with these results, when we take these results. I speak only for the south African team, I don't know all the results, there is not one medal in Beijing," said Arbeit. "That's for sure."

While not pleased with his own team's performance, Arbeit called it a great day for African athletics. He has been coaching Olympic teams since the 1968 games in Mexico City. He said since then, Africa has come from almost no athletic programs to the point where at this meet, 42 countries participated, and 24 won medals.

"When we see the development from that time to now, maybe there were three four countries from Africa in the Olympic Games," he said. "Now you see how many countries have medals here. And that is great. That is for the development of athletics in Africa, not only South Africa, very, very important."

These 16th annual African championships mark the first time Ethiopia has hosted such an event. Admission was free in this country where the average income is less than $200 dollars a year, and families crammed the 25,000 - seat stadium for a glimpse of some of their national heroes. Tens of thousands had to be turned away after the stadium was full, and throngs packed a nearby city square where the games were shown on a big screen TV.