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|  ATF Newswire - 2006 IAAF World Cup - Day 1
ATF Newswire - Vol. 9, no. 41
The World Cup is a unique format. It pits one athlete
representing teams from five continents (Africa, the
Americas, Asia, Oceana, Europe), plus the big three (United
States, Poland, Russia on the women's side; United States,
Russia, France on the men's side) plus the ninth lane for
the team of Greece. The weather is perfect, about mid-70s, nice winds and just
about perfect for watching track & field. A couple of tidbits that some of our reading crowd may not
know ... Did you know that the Hellenic Athletic Federation, founded
in 1897 (SEGAS), was the first sports federation of its kind in
the world? And, did you know that the next World Cup, in 2010, will be in
Split, Croatia? ****** Men's hammer throw The hammer throw is a 16-lb. ball on a 23-inch wire.
Practitioners of it throw it 260-285 feet, if they want to be
world class. The rock star of the event is 2004 Olympic gold medalist
Koji Murofushi of Japan, who, when he throws in Japan, is
followed by buses of young female Japanese fans.
Murofushi was injured in 2005, so this is his return to the
elite level. He is undefeated in his last 15 competitions, but
he faces an enormous competitor, Ivan Tikhon. Tikhon, of Belarus, threw 86.73m in 2005, missing the world
record by 1 centimeter! Tikhon also won the 2005 World
Championships in Helsinki. In 2006, Murofushi has thrown
81.7m to Tikhon's seasonal best of 81.12m. Tikhon won the
European championships with a throw of 81.11m in
Goteborg, Sweden last month! In their only meeting of the
year, Murofushi won--it was in September in Stuttgart at the
World Athletics final. So, who will it be today? In the first three rounds, Koji Murofushi threw 79.70m,
81.30m and then 82.01m, his best in 2 years! In round 4, he
popped 81.82m, his second best throw of the season! Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, representing Europe, threw 69.58m,
78.66m and then 80.00m, as he warmed up. A. G. Kruger of the United States threw 71.39m, a foul,
72.70, then put himself into fourth with his fourth attempt of
75.53 meters. He trails Murofushi, Tikhon and Konavalov,
who threw 76.19m in attempt 1, 77.14m in attempt 2, fouled
on attempt 3 and then threw 72.97m on his fourth attempt.
Tikhon fouled. So, the final results: Murofushi, 1st at 82.01 meters, his
season best, giving Asia the lead after one event. Tikhon
giving Europe 2nd place with 80.00m, Konavolov of Russia
in third with his 77.14-meter throw and A. G. Kruger, United
States, in 4th with his throw of 75.53 meters, putting the
United States in 4th place after one event. A picture moment: As Murofushi and Tikhon left the field,
they were laughing and gave each other a hug, to the
applause of the fans. So, here is what the glitter twins of the hammer, Murofushi
and Tikhon, had to say afterward: "Athens is my favorite
town. I was here for the 2004 Olympics and for the 1997
World Championship and now I throw a season best here. I
have very special feelings for Athens," said Murofushi.
Tikhon, the 2nd-placer, added, "I'm not so happy with my
performance but, except for Murofushi, the field wasn't so
competitive. Anyway, bagging 8 points makes a good start
for the European team." ******* The stadium is starting to get some fans, with 1,000 here to
witness the hammer throw. Word on the streets is that the
meet director is busing in the fans. Will the stadium be full?
Doubtful, but for a nice crowd (Stuttgart had 30,000 plus
each day), the meet director will have to work hard. He was
noted complaining in the local papers about the lack of
coverage of the meet. The next event, the women's discus throw, will start shortly.
Quite breezy right now, does not give a true indication of the
temperature, but time will tell. There are a lot of soccer
meetings this weekend in Greece, and that sport is king
here. At this point the stadium has gone from fewer than
1,000 to nearly 15,000 fans. Reportedly, students were
offered very inexpensive tickets and also a free t-shirt was
added to all ticket sales. The sections are filling by the
second! ******** Presidential sweepstakes The IOC for the World Cup is headed by Georgios Orfanos,
Greece's deputy minister of sport and culture, and first vice
president Minos Kyriajou, an IAAF council member and
president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. How times have changed. At the Helsinki World
Championships, word on the street is that Sergei Bubka,
Sebastian Coe and Minos Kyriajou would be challenging
Lamine Diack, the current IAAF president. Diack knows, first of all, that he who survives in the world of
international sport must have a support structure, and Diack
is, at the very least, a good politician. He has cemented
support from third world countries with his generosity and
support of training centers and programs in Africa, the
Middle East and Asia. It only makes sense for Diack to help
the sport grow in new and emerging countries. It also gives
him a solid power base from which to defend his
presidential bid. The word now is that Coe will not run for IAAF president, nor
will Bubka. The competition, if there is any, will come from
Kyriajou, who helped fund and organize the Athens Olympic
bid and who is said to be quite interested in the position. Why the IAAF presidency? Well, thanks to the late Primo
Nebiola, the IAAF is the second most powerful global
federation in the world of sports. The IAAF and the IOC do
not always see eye to eye, but the federations are good at
parallel play, so to speak. Budgets are healthy, the sport
has seen a resurgence in attendance this season, as well
as media attention. But there are challenges. In much of
Europe, the Golden league is seen only on cable television,
most marketing observers see the sponsors, all signed by
the global agency Dentsu, as focused on Osaka in 2007.
And with no American-based global giants, Dentsu's ability
to build on their Japanese-based clients still has to be
proven. In the United States, most of the European season
was seen on web-based streaming video, WCSN.com,
which, the rumor goes, may not have its contract renewed at
the end of this season. Several meetings have been on
OLN, but with little promotion. Most American track fans had
no idea that Paris, Stuttgart or Berlin were on cable TV at all. We'll say it one more time. Athletics is the perfect global
sport and platform for a smart global company to literally
own. Run. Jump. Throw. Citius. Altius. Fortius. What is more
simple or primal? Want to see plain old fans go nuts? Give
them a race where there are three or four athletes fighting
for the finish, and you can have their minds and hearts for
the next 2 days! When the ING New York City marathon had
its close men's finish last year, it was the talk of the town.
When two sprinters run 9.77 or so, put them on global TV
against each other for consecutive weekends and watch the
replays on ESPN sport center and Eurosport! This is not
rocket science, but it does require a thoughtful,
well-planned, consistent approach to the sport. ****** Men's 400m intermediate hurdles Kerron Clement is one of my favorite athletes. He's a nice
young man who happens to have more physical prowess in
his left foot than most countries have in their entire teams.
My belief is that he could hold world records in 400m
hurdles, 800 meters and maybe even the 400 meters
(although Mr. Wariner is proving that is a tough event). I even
offered to sponsor 3 weeks of hurdle training so he could
get over that darn stutter stepping thing he does when he's
not concentrating. Clements wants to win, and he showed it tonight. By the
time he hit the fourth hurdle, he was eating up the staggers
on the rest of the field. At the 300-meter mark, it was only he
and L. J. Van Zyl (South Africa) of the African team duking it
out. As Van Zyl and Clement hit the last hurdle, they were
even. Van Zyl made a game move, but Clement wanted it
tonight and he won, convincingly in 48.12 to 48.35 for Van
Zyl. In 3rd was Marek Plawgo of Poland, representing
Europe, in 48.76. In 4th was Kemel Thompson of Jamaica,
representing Team Americas, in 48.80. Clement had this to say after his race: "I am excited for the
1st place and for the 9 points for the USA. I ran very well and
I am very satisfied." Van Zyl said, "It was a very long season
and I'm so tired now. But I am very proud of my performance
and I hope that the next year I will be better. It was a very
difficult race." Plawgo had this to say, "I actually had huge training to
improve my result in Goteborg and I only equalled it, so I'm
a bit disappointed. But all in all, it's not bad considering I
had ankle surgery in April and then wasn't sure I could
compete at all this season." Women's 400m hurdles Lashinda Demus of the United States took off hard. She
bolted out of the blocks and was impossible to catch for
most of the field. Actually, all of the field but one--Yuliya
Pechonkina of Russia. As Demus began to fade, just before
the last hurdle, Pechonkina had timed her rush perfectly and
came even at the last hurdle and passed Demus with about
30 meters to spare, taking the win in 53.88. Demus held on
to 2nd place in 54.06. Anna Jesien of Poland, representing
Europe, ran a seasonal best of 54.48 for 3rd. Demus looked tired, and really lost the race over the last 50
meters. Pechonkina timed her finish perfectly and was
rewarded for a race well run. "It was really a difficult victory. I am short of training and short
of competition, too," commented a fatigued Pechonkina after
the race. "It was a very slow race for me. I don't believe it. I
can't blame the first lane. Every body runs the same
distance," lamented Demus after her 2nd place. Women's 3000 meters Eloise Wellings of Australia, representing the Oceana team,
took the race from the start, leading the first kilometer in
2:56.09, with Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia (Africa team) in
tow and Lidia Chojecka of Poland (Europe team) in 3rd and
Kara Goucher of the United States hanging on in 5th place. Wellings led through 2 kilometers, running fast and relaxed.
The 2K was hit in 5:50.73 and a second kilometer in
2:54.64. And that's the way the race stayed until the last 400 meters.
Hitting the bell lap in 7:34.88, Dibaba took over at the bell,
and that was that. She literally went from 2nd place to 15
meters in the lead in 100 meters. Running her last lap in 59
seconds, Dibaba took the race in 8:33.78. Chojecka went
past Wellings after the bell and took 2nd in 8:39.19, running
her last lap in 65 seconds! And fighting it out for 3rd,
Goucher scored a huge PB with her 8:41.42 to Wellings'
8:41.42--both gaining personal bests in their last race of
the season! Dibaba is something to behold. She is the class of the
event, with her countrywoman, Defar. (At the last minute,
Defar and Dibaba switched events). Dibaba has a gear no
one else has in her events and she showed it tonight! Women's discus throw Franka Dietzsch of Germany, representing the Europe team,
could have won on any of her three legal throws. She started
off with 64.56m, then 66.07m, which proved to be the
winner, and then 64.18 meters and, finally, a foul. She had
this to say after her win, "I start for Europe and I want Europe
to win. It is my last competition this year and I threw a
second best. Even though the others did not throw too well
today, I always had an eye on them because they have
66-meter personal bests." Aretha Thurmond of the United States got her best in her
second throw, taking 2nd in 61.83 meters. Her first throw
was 59.43m, her second 61.83m, her third 61.10m, and her
fourth 60.45 meters. She had this to say after her 2nd place,
"I knew that I could throw farther because I felt really good
today, but I had some problems with my technique. But it's
fine for me and I am very satisfied with my performance here
in the World Cup. It was an amazing crowd." Aimin Song of China, representing Asia, threw 61.4m on her
third throw to take 3rd. In 4th was Darya Pishchalnikova of
Russia, with 61.39 meters. Men's shot put Reese Hoffa has had an excellent season. So has Ralf
Bartels of Germany. Bartels led the first round in 20.51m, with Hoffa throwing
20.15m. In round 2, Hoffa took the lead with a throw of
20.60m and Bartels threw 20.41m. In round 3, Bartels threw
20.36 meters and Hoffa threw 20.45. After round 3, Hoffa moved to last thrower and watched as
Ralf Bartels unloaded a 20.67m throw, pushing Hoffa to 2nd
and Bartels into 1st. Scott Martin of Australia, representing
Oceana, went from 5th to 4th in round 4, with his 20.25.
Pavel Sofin of Russia, stayed in 3rd with his 20.45 from
round 3 and 20.24m in round 4. So, it all came down to Reese Hoffa in his last throw. Could
he bounce back to first? His throw was good--20.46m--but
no challenge to the 20.67m of Bartels, so it was Bartels' day
and a win for Europe. After the shot, Europe had 24 points and United States had
23 points, with Russia at 18 points. ***** Women's triple jump Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia is the queen of this event. She
triple-jumped 14.51 and then set the competition record with
her second round of 15.13 meters. But you would not have
known it from the crowd. Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece had the
20,000 fans (yes, 20,000, from zilch an hour before!)
cheering as she tripled 15.04, for the competition record,
which she held for about 10 minutes. But the crowd had its
moment, as Devetzi jumped 15.04m, fouled twice and
finished with a 15.02, taking 2nd in the competition. Lebedeva went 14.51m, 15.13m, 14.98m and fouled, taking
the competition for Russia. In 2nd was Devetzi in 15.04m.
Yamile Aldama of Africa (Sudan) jumped 14.78m for 3rd. In
4th was Trecia Smith of the Americas (via Jamaica) with her
jump of 14.64m. In 7th was Shani Marks of the United
States in 13.79 meters. After four events on the women's side, Russia led with 27
points, the United States with 26 points, Europe with 23
points and Poland with 22 points. Men's 1500 meters Championship 1500 meters are run in only two
ways--really, really slow or very fast. This was the former.
Nick Willis, Commonwealth champion at 1500 meters led
the field through a 400 meters in 67.34, 800 meters in
2:19.20 and 1200 meters in 3:15.92. The 1100 meters was
passed in 3:03.93 and then, all hell broke loose. Alex
Chipchirchir of Kenya, competing for the African team, ran a
last lap of 49 seconds to take the race in 3:52.60! Ivan
Heshko ran a 50-second last lap and took 2nd in 3:53.33.
Nick Willis of New Zealand and Oceana fell back to 4th, then
regrouped and ran a 51-second last lap to hold onto 3rd. A
resurgent Gabe Jennings ran a 52 last lap and took 4th,
barely holding off Ramil Aritkulov of Russia 3:55.09 to
3:55.11. (In mile terms this was a 4.10 mile, kids). After four events, Europe led the men's in 32 points, United
States had 29 points, Russia had 23 points and Africa, 22
points. Women's 100 meters Marion Jones pulled out and was replaced by Torri
Edwards. Jones, through her legal team, said she had lost
a month of training due to the emotional duress of the EPO
test being leaked as a positive and then the B test coming in
negative, clearing her of allegations. Dick Pound, the WADA
czar, was noted in the Herald Tribune on Friday, Sept. 15, as
saying that Marion's test proved the validity of the testing
procedures. Sherone Simpson of Jamaica showed why she is the
queen of the sprints this year. Adding to her defeat of Jones
at the Norwich Union London GP, Simpson came out of the
blocks here and the race was over. Running smoothly over
the entire race, with a wind reading of 0.1m/s, Simpson ran
an excellent 10.9. In 2nd was Edwards of the United States
in 11.19. Vida Anim of Ghana, representing Africa, had a
seasonal best in 3rd in 11.21. Kim Gavaert of Belgium,
Team Europe, was 4th in 11.24. After five events on the women's side, the United States had
34 points, Russia was at 32, Europe was at 29 and Africa
had 28 points. Men's 100 meters Tyson Gay has been hot this season. He chased Asafa
Powell all the way in the 100 meters with his 9.84. His 19.68
for 200 meters in Stuttgart had the perfect turn run. So, Mr.
Gay is ready to roll. And tonight he did. With a 1.1 m/s wind, in cool,
Mediterranean conditions, Gay won the 100 meters in 9.88,
with 2nd-place sprinter Francis Obikwelu, of Portugal,
European champion at 100 meters and 200 meters, in
second in 10.09. Marc Burns of Trinidad, running for the
Americas, was 3rd in 10.14. Uchenna Emedolu of Nigeria,
representing Africa, was 4th in 10.14. After six events, Europe led the men at 49 points, with the
United States at 45 points, Africa at 34 points and Russia at
34 points. Women's 800 meters. Eleni Filandra of Greece led through 400 meters in 62.26
and then faded to 7th in 2:05.14. And the race was on. Flying
by her were Zulia Calatayud of Cuba, running her second
lap in 57 seconds to take the race in 2:00.06. In 2nd,
running for Kenya and Team Africa, Janeth Jepkosgei ran
2:00.09, barely missing Calatayud! In 3rd, Olga Kotlyarova of
Russia ran 2:00.84--all three were under 58 seconds for
their second lap! In 4th, Rebecca Lynn, representing Europe, ran 2:00.97,
adding to her fine bronze in the European championships. U.S. runner Hazel Clark ran 2:01.83 for 6th place. After seven events on the women's side, the United States
was in lead with 47 points, Russia in 2nd in 45 points,
Europe in 3rd with 43 and the Americas in 4th in 40, with
Africa also at 40 points. Men's 5000 meters What a race! Euro 10,000 champion Jan Fitschen led the
first kilometer in 2:53.79. Mike Kipruto of Team Africa led the
two kilometers in 5:42.60, a 2:48.81 kilo. In the third
kilometer, Saif Saaeed of Qatar and Team Asia lead the
third kilometer in 8:30.82--a 2:44 third kilometer. Former
Badger present-day cheesehead, Matt Tegenkamp took the
lead hitting the fourth kilometer in 11:11.32 and the race
was on. Tegenkamp ran a 59-second lap and only Kipruto
and Saaeed stayed in pursuit. Then, Saaeed sprinted to the
lead and ran a 54-second penultimate lap, with Kipruto and
Tegankamp in hot pursuit. How hot of a pursuit can one get
with such a pace? Saaeed ran a paltry 31-second last 200 meters to hold onto
1st place. Kipruto and Tegenkamp fought over the last 200
meters, with Kipruto taking the nod for 2nd, and Matt
Tegenkamp added another notch on his belt to a fine
season where he set several 5K bests, a 3K best, two
1500-meter bests and a strong 5K performance here! Final times were not indicative of the toughness of the race:
Saif Saaeed Shaheen in 13:35.30 for the win, Mike Kipruto
Kigen in 2nd in 13:36.19, Matt Tegenkamp in 3rd in
13:36.83, Fitschen of in 4th in 13:45.38. The leaders ran the
last kilometer under 2:24! Men's long jump Irving Saladino of Panama, representing Team Americas,
won this event in 8.26 meters, a distance he achieved on
his first jump! In second, Andrew Howe of Italy and
representing Team Europe was 2nd in 8.12 meters, a
distance he achieved on his last jump, taking him from 5th
to 2nd! In 3rd, Mohammed Salman Al Khuwal of Saudi
Arabia, representing Asia, made 8.11 meters, which he
achieved on his first jump. In 6th place, having a long day, was U.S. jumper Brian
Johnson, the 2006 national champion. Showing at least
consistency, Brian jumped 7.88, 7.87, 7.69 and 7.87, to cap
off a long season and less-than-stellar day. After eight events on the men's side, Europe had 62 points,
the United States had 58, Africa had 48 and the Americas
had 45. Women's javelin throw Steffi Nerius of Team Europe took the women's spear with a
throw of 63.37 meters in her 2nd attempt. Sonia Bisset of
Cuba, representing Team Americas, threw 61.74m for 2nd.
In 3rd was Team Africa thrower Justine Robbeson with her
throw of 61.38. USA's Kim Kreiner was 8th in 54.34 meters. Women's Pole Vault Yelena Isinbaeva of Russia had a hard night. She won, but
she had a hard night. She cleared 4.60 meters, a new
competition record, but that was all she wrote. Her attempts
at 4.80 meters were not close and she was not pleased.
Vasily Petrov, her coach of less than 1 year, was trying to
advise her from the stands and her comments to herself,
mouthing something in Russian, did not seem too happy.
Fabiana Murer of Brazil was 2nd in 4.55m, Gao Shuying was
3rd in 4.50 (her seasonal best) and Martina Strutz of
Germany and Team Europe was 4th in 4.40 with Monika
Pyrek of Poland in 4.30m in 5th. U.S. vaulter Jennifer
Stuczynski, after a stellar summer, had the nightmare of no
heighting. Women's 400 meters Sanya Richards of the United States won this event going
away, hitting the tape in 48.70, the seventh fastest time ever!
Vania Stambolova of Bulgaria and Team Europe ran 50.09
for 2nd. Novlene Williams of Jamaica and Team Americas
ran 50.24 for 3rd and Tatyana Veshkurova of Russia was
4th in 50.50. Fani Halkia of Greece, the 2004 Olympic 400
meter hurdle champion, was 5th in 50.94, her seasonal
best. Men's 400 meters Running from lane 1, La Shawn Merritt of the United States
ran a tremendous race, taking the win in 44.54! "Today," La
Shawn commented, "I understand how those who
competed at the 2004 Games felt. The crowd was amazing
and helped me a lot. My strategy was to have a fast pace in
the first 200 meters. It was difficult because I was running in
lane 1." Gary Kikaya, of the Ivory Coast and Team Africa, had this to
say about his 2nd place: "I was the favorite, but I am happy
that the season is over! I am physically and mentally tired. I
will be back for the relay tomorrow, and next year I hope to
live up to the expectations!" Kikaya ran 44.66. In 3rd was Dimitrios Regas of Greece, who dug deep and
set a Greek national record of 45.11 to the thrill of the crowd!
Alleyane Francique of Grenada and Team Americas was in
4th in 45.30. France's Marc Raquil was 7th in 46.26. Men's Relay The U.S. men's 4x100m relay team of Kaaron Conwright,
Wallace Spearmon, Tyson Gay and Jason Smoots zoomed
to the competition record in 37.59, with some nice sprinting
and nice hand-offs. Spearmon broke the race open and Jason Smoots
remembered those lessons from high school where you
run fast and through the tape before you win. Europe was 2nd in 38.45 with the Great Britain Euro
champion team of Chambers, Grant, Marion Deonsih and
Mark Lewis-Francis, or at least three fourths of the Euro
champion team. Asia was 3rd in 38.51 with a personal best for the Japanese
team. Africa was 4th in seasonal best of 38.78. A bit strange, Team Americas did not finish its relay as
Asafa Powell did not seem to have finished the event so
they were listed as did not finish. More details later on that
one! Also note that Kenenisa Bekele is running 3K on Sunday. After 10 events, Europe led with 76, the United States trailed
with 74, Africa had 61, Americas had 60 and Russia had 50. Two competition records were set on men's side: 400
meters in 45.11 for Greece NR. 4x100 meters comp record
and world leader for the United States in 37.59. On the women's side, Sanya Richards at 48.70 holds world
leader, area record and national record! Tirunesh Dibaba ran 8:33.78 for 3K, which was a
competition record. Yelena Isinbaeva jumped 4.60m for a competition record. Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia triple-jumped 15.13m for a
competition record. On the 4x100 meter relay for women, Jamaica, Team
Americas ran 42.26, the world leader. ****
So, my dear friends, it is 9.50 pm here on Saturday night,
about 1:50 p.m. Chicago time, and I am tired and hungry. I
hope that you enjoyed the first day of this tenth World Cup! We should have some excitement for you tomorrow night as
the competition winds up! And remember, check on our
results and run, jump, throw! One final point. Yes, it is a lot of fun to write about the sport I
love, but it's extra warming to get notes and comments from
our readers--that means you. Send me your comments to
larry.eder@gmail.com. I always read them and do try to
comment back personally! Have a great Saturday evening and good night from Athens,
the home of the modern Olympic movement, the ancient
Olympics and our sport! ****** ATF newswire is published by Shooting Star Media, Inc.
(www.shootingstarmediainc.com), (c) Copyright 2006. All
Rights Reserved. The newswire is published for the good of
the sport. Shooting Star Media, Inc. is proudly represented by the
Running Network, LLC (www.runningnetwork.com).
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