Former Jamaican Athelete Merlene Ottey Could Start for 4X100 At 50!

Former Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey could make history today as the oldest athlete to compete in the European Championships, which begin today. 50-year-old Merlene Ottey could be a historical sportswoman if she is picked to run in Slovenia’s 4x100-metre relay team.

Merlene Ottey took Slovenian citizenship in 2002, won a bronze medal in the 200m at the 1980 Olympics, the first of nine medals she collected at Olympic level.

But she never managed to win gold at the Games.

Olympic Champion Yelena Isinbayeva Ambassador for Youth Olympic Games

Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva has joined another champion Michael Phelps in being named as an ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore.

The 27 year-old champion Isinbayeva, will seek to encourage young people worldwide to participate in sporting activity ahead of the Games, which will be held in Singapore in August.

She said: "I am happy to play such an important role in getting young people active, and the Youth Olympic Games provides the perfect vehicle with which to inspire young people around the world to do incredible things through sport.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for me to pursue whilst I take a break from competition. I can't wait for the first Youth Olympic Games to get under way this August.

"I will be in Singapore to support the athletes, to encourage them to do their best and enjoy the whole experience."

IOC President Jacques Rogge said: "We have a true champion in Yelena, a true role model for young people."

News Courtesy: Sportinglife.com

Usain Bolt Pulls Out of Shanghai Grand Prix

World Champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica has pulled out of a meet in China this month, citing fatigue and the risk of injury. Usain Bolt (world champion in the 100 and 200 meters) had been due to compete in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix on Sept. 20.

"The season has been long and has been challenging with early challenges I faced," Bolt said Friday in a statement apologizing to Chinese fans.

Bolt had earlier pulled out of a Sept. 25 meet in South Korea.

News Courtesy: The Associated Press

Yelena Isinbayeva Signs Sponsorship Deal with Li Ning

Russian Olympic champion and pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva has signed a sponsorship deal with Li Ning, the Chinese sportswear retailer confirmed on Thursday.

No details on the size or length of the deal were available but Isinbayeva, the 2008 female athlete of the year, will attend a news conference in Beijing on Monday to formally announce the deal, a Li Ning spokesperson said.

It has been heard that the agreement would be worth $1.5 million annually for five years, a record amount for a track and field athlete.

Li Ning was founded by the 1984 Olympic triple gymnastics gold medallist who last August lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. It has around 10 percent of the Chinese market.

News Courtesy: http://uk.reuters.com/

Yelena Isinbayeva Sets New Indoor World Record

Russia's athletics icon Yelena Isinbayeva set a new indoor world pole vault record of five metres at the annual Bubka memorial tournament here on Sunday.

The 26-year-old beat her previous record of 4.95m, which she achieved here last year, and it was the sixth time in as many years that she has set a new world record indoors in Donetsk.
Two-time Olympic champion Isinbayeva was trailing Brazilian Fabian Murer, who set a new South American record with a 4.81m vault, but managed to clear the 4.86m mark in her next attempt to assure herself top place.

Her next two attempts at 4.96m were unsuccessful, but on her third try she managed to clear 4.97m to set a new world record.

"It was just superstition," she said. "We decided for 4.97 instead of wasting another attempt on an unlucky number."

She then ordered the five-metre mark, which she managed to clear on her second attempt.

News Source: AFP Google
Image Courtesy: Top147.com

Usain Bolt Debuts 2009 with a 400-Meter Win

Usain Bolt in Lane 5 (extreme left)

World 100 and 200 metres record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt running in lane 5, ran to victory in his first race of the season on Saturday, winning a 400 heat in 46.35 seconds at the outdoor Camperdown Classic in Jamaica.

"It was all right. I am not really in the best of shape, but I'm happy I got through it and looking forward to (the UWI Invitational) next week," he said.
Image Courtesy: Jamaicaobserver.com

Yelena Isinbayeva Wins Evgen Bergant Trophy

Russian Pole Vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva is the best European female sports personality. She won the 26th annual of the poll organized by European sports press organization UEPS.

It is her second win after 2005.

Belgian high jump Olympic gold medalist Tia Hellebaut was third. The Trophy for best woman is now called Evgen Bergant Trophy named after great Slovenian journalist who worked also in the field of athletics.

EME News

Yelena Isinbayeva - The "World Record" Russian In different Moods

My Fav - Yelena Isinbayeva - Russian Golden Pole Vaulter - Her Brief Profile

Name : Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva

Father : Gadzhi Gadzhiyevich Isinbaev

Sister : Inna Isinbayeva

D.O.B. : June 3, 1982

Hometown : Volgograd, Russia

Height : 5'9"

College : Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture

Profession : Captain in the Russian Army, Pole vaulter

Trainer: : Evgenii Vasilievich Trofimov and Vitalii Afanasievich Petrov

Hobbies : Reading Philosophy and Collecting Dolphins



Achievements :

European Championships in Göteborg, Sweden, 2006 4.80m

World Cup in Athens, Greece, 2006 4.60m

IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany, 2007 4.87m

World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, 2008 5.03m (WR)

IAAF Super Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2008 5.04m (WR)

Olympics in Beijing, China, 2008 5.05m (WR)


The above FLEX work is courtesy of Mr. Indrajit Sarkar

IAAF Declares Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva World Athletes of the Year 2008

Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva Wins World Athletes of the Year 2008

Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia

Usain Bolt of Jamaica

The world's fastest man Usain Bolt and Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva have been named World Athletes of the Year by The International Association of Athletics Federations.

The International Association of Athletics Federations said in a statment today the pair displayed unrivaled speed and agility, and the ability to perform with the poise and conviction of seasoned veterans.

"Each ended their respective seasons with virtually untarnished records, and left Beijing as dominating Olympic champions with feats that aren’t likely to be duplicated any time soon," the statement said.


"I knew it was going to be difficult over the past two seasons. I was very confident that I could break through the wall.” - Yelena Isinbayeva


“I have a motto that anything is possible. But this really is such an honour.” - Usain Bolt



News Courtesy: http://www.news.com.au/

Usain Bolt and Melanie Walker Named Jamaica Athletes of the Year

Glen Mills
Usain Bolt
Melanie Walker

Usain Bolt and Olympic women's 400m hurdles champion Melanie Walker were named Jamaica's male and female athletes of the year for 2008 on Tuesday (9th December, 2008).

"It is good to be recognised by the JAAA because they have done a lot of work by trying to develop the athletes and track and field in Jamaica overall," Bolt said. "I really appreciate it."

Bolt's coach Glen Mills was voted Coach of the Year.

Beijing Olympics : USA Men Fails to Qualify In 4x100m Relay Final

The US men's 4 x100 meters relay team failed to qualify for the Olympic final after dropping the baton in their heat on Thursday.
Victory seemed a formality as Darvis Patton approached Tyson Gay on the final changeover but the pair made a mess of it and the baton tumbled to the floor.

The US were chasing their 16th gold medal in the 4x100m relay and were hoping to make up for Athens four years ago when they were surprisingly beaten by Britain.

Gay has endured a miserable Olympics after also failing to reach the 100 meters final.

Medal prospects Nigeria also failed to get the baton round along with South Africa and Poland.

Afghanistan in Olympics : Robina Muqimyar Finishes 85th, Massoud Azizi Finishes 76th

AFGHANISTAN IN BEIJING OLYMPICS 2008

Massoud Azizi and Robina Muqimyar of Afghanistan

Afghan sprinter Robina Muqimyar — who in 2004 broke the gender barrier on the Afghan Olympic team — was last in a field of 85 women in the 100 meters, with a time

of 14.80. She ran with a scarf covering her head. Robina wore a scarf covering her head, albeit one with black and white Cheetah spots and decorated with

sequins, and did not seem the least bit bothered that she was the slowest of the 85 runners.

“I’m very happy to compete in 2008 Beijing,” she said in broken English. “I am happy. I like this. I am champion for Afghanistan

Teammate Massoud Azizi finished 76th in the men's 100. He trains in Kabul's National Stadium, where the Taliban once staged regular public executions,wearing jogging shoes because his spikes won't dig into the track's cracked, concrete surface.

Image Courtsey: Leichtathletik.de

Ukraine's Lyudmyla Blonska (Heptathlon) Fails Drug Test

Ukraine's Lyudmyla Blonska, the heptathlon silver medallist, has failed a drugs test, the IOC said on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old's A sample tested positive for a banned substance, but the results of the B sample are still awaited.
A test conducted at 2am on Sunday has shown traces of the anabolic steroid Methytestosterone. Blonska is still waiting for the results of the B Sample.


Lyudmyla Blonska had already served a previous ban for testing positive in 2003 for stanozolol.

Blonska now faces a life ban for the latest offence.

Should Blonska be stripped of her medal, the silver would go to American Hyleas Fountain while Tatiana Chernova of Russia would get the bronze.

Olympics : Yelena Isinbayeva Wins Gold : Breaks Her Own Record

Yelena Isinbayeva after winning Gold in Beijing

Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has broken her own world record in winning a second consecutive Olympic pole vault gold medal.

The 26-year-old Isinbayeva beat the record by a centimetre with a clearance of 5.05 metres, finishing ahead of American Jennifer Stuczynski, who cleared 4.80m.

Russia's Svetlana Feofanova took bronze with a vault of 4.75m.

Isinbayeva, who won gold in Athens four years ago spent most of the competition lying under her towel relaxing and did not take her first jump until 4.70.

Image Courtsey: Reuters Pictures

Olympic Champion Liu Xiang Out Of 110-m Hurdles

Liu Xiang is seen clearly in pain

China's Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion Liu Xiang pulled out of his race injured on Monday.

After a false start in his first-round heat, Liu, clutched his leg and walked off the track.

Men's 110m hurdles heats fastest qualifiers:

1. David Oliver (U.S.) 13.30 Q seconds
2. Paulo Villar (Colombia) 13.37 Q
3. Ryan Brathwaite (Barbados) 13.38 Q
4. Dayron Robles (Cuba) 13.39 Q
5. Jackson Quinonez (Spain) 13.41 Q
6. David Payne (U.S.) 13.42 Q
7. Petr Svoboda (Czech Republic) 13.43 Q
8. Shamar Sands (Bahamas) 13.45 Q
9. Konstadinos Douvalidis (Greece) 13.49 Q
10. Gregory Sedoc (Netherlands) 13.50 Q
11. Ladji Doucoure (France) 13.52 Q
12. Shi Dongpeng (China) 13.53 Q
12. Artur Noga (Poland) 13.53 Q
14. Marcel van der Westen (Netherlands) 13.54 Q
15. Andrew Turner (Britain) 13.56 Q
15. Allan Scott (Britain) 13.56 Q
17. Wei Ji (China) 13.57 Q
18. Salim Nurudeen (Nigeria) 13.58 Q
19. Igor Peremota (Russia) 13.59 Q
19. Ronald Forbes (Cayman Islands) 13.59 Q
21. Richard Phillips (Jamaica) 13.60 Q
21. Samuel Coco-Viloin (France) 13.60 Q
23. Maurice Wignall (Jamaica) 13.61 Q
23. Daniel Kiss (Hungary) 13.61 Q
25. Mohammed Al-Thawadi (Qatar) 13.64 Q
26. Lee Jung-joon (South Korea) 13.65 Q
27. Mikel Thomas (Trinidad & Tobago) 13.69 Q
28. Hector Cotto (Puerto Rico) 13.72 Q
29. David Ilariani (Georgia) 13.75 Q
30. Dudley Dorival (Haiti) 13.78 Q
31. Anselmo de Silva (Brazil) 13.81 Q
32. Damjan Zlatnar (Slovenia) 13.84 Q
33. Maksim Lynsha (Belarus) 13.86
34. Stanislav Sajdok (Czech Republic) 13.89
35. Evgeniy Borisov (Russia) 13.90
36. Joseph-Berlioz Randriamihaja (Madagascar) 13.91
37. Masato Naito (Japan) 13.96
38. Oleg Normatov (Uzbekistan) 14.00
39. Jurica Grabusic (Croatia) 14.18
40. Abdul Rashid (Pakistan) 14.52

. Liu Xiang (China) DNF
. Terrence Trammell (U.S.) DNF
. Stanislavs Olijars (Latvia) DNS
Q = Qualified
DNF = Did not finish
DNS = Did not start

Image Courtsey: AFP Pictures and Thetelegraph.co.uk

Usain Bolt : 9.68 secs : The Fastest MAN on EARTH PLANET

100 METERS FINAL : BEIJING OLYMPICS : 9.68 SECS : WORLD RECORD
The Starting Line-Up
THE START
THE END in JUST 9.68 secs

Usain Bolt, the world record holder, won the 100 metres in 9.68 secs. The Jamaican broke his own world record in the process.
Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson won the silver with 9.89 secs and Walter Dix of the United States won the bronze in 9.91 secs.
Asafa Powell, the former world record holder, failed to win a medal and finished only fifth (9.95s).

Robina Muqimyar : Only Afghan Female Athlete In Beijing Olympics

Sprinter Robina Muqimyar does not have a qualified trainer, she has no sponsor, she comes from a country ruined by war and she grew up under hardline Islamist rulers who would not brook girls playing sport.
Little wonder that she stands little chance of a medal at the Beijing Olympics.
But Muqimyar, the only woman among four athletes representing Afghanistan at the Games, told Reuters she would just be happy if she could improve the 100 metres time she clocked up at Athens four years ago, 14.14 seconds.
"I'm the luckiest girl in the world to participate in two Olympic Games, and I hope to get to London," she said after a ceremony to raise the black-green-gold tricolour of Afghanistan among a sea of flags at the athletes' village.
Although Afghan society remains deeply conservative, some things have improved for women since 2001, when U.S.-led and Afghan forces ousted the Taliban rulers.
Muqimyar, dressed in a headscarf, said that most people in her country would be very proud that a female athlete was representing them in a world sports event.
Her Olympic teammates include two taekwondo competitors and a men's 100 metres runner, Masoud Azizi, a 23-year-old.
There is not a single proper running track in the whole country and athletes in Kabul, the capital, train at a sports stadium where the Taliban used to hold public executions.
"We have to run on concrete," said Azizi, another Athens Olympian who went to Malaysia for five months before the Beijing Games to train. His best time in the 100 metres is 10.87 seconds.
"Under the Taliban regime it was very difficult to be an athlete but now with (President Hamid) Karzai things are better," he said.
"Afghanistan faces a huge funding crisis. At international donor meetings funds go to schools, health and construction but no one considers sports," he said. (editing by Alison Williams)

News Courtsey: John Chalmers of Reuters

Beijing Olympics : Great Britain's Athletics Squad

MEN

100m: Simeon Williamson, Craig Pickering, Tyrone Edgar

200m: Marlon Devonish, Christian Malcolm, Alex Nelson

400m: Martyn Rooney, Andrew Steele

800m: Michael Rimmer

1,500m: Andy Baddeley, Tom Lancashire

3000m steeplechase: Andrew Lemoncello

5,000m: Mo Farah

Marathon: Dan Robinson

110m hurdles: Andrew Turner, Allan Scott

High Jump: Germaine Mason, Tom Parsons, Tom Parsons

Pole Vault: Steve Lewis

Long Jump: Greg Rutherford, Chris Tomlinson

Triple Jump: Larry Achike, Nathan Douglas, Phillips Idowu

Decathlon: Daniel Awde

4x100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Tyrone Edgar, Craig Pickering, Simeon Williamson, Rikki Rifton

4x400m: Michael Bingham, Richard Buck, Martyn Rooney, Andrew Steele, Rob Tobin, Dale Garland

WOMEN

100m: Jeanette Kwayke, Montell Douglas, Laura Turner

200m: Emily Freeman

400m: Lee McConnell, Christine Ohuruogu, Nicola Sanders

800m: Marilyn Okoro, Jenny Meadows, Jenna Simpson

1,500m: Lisa Dobriskey, Susan Scott, Stephanie Twell

5,000m: Jo Pavey

10,000m: Jo Pavey, Kate Reed

3,000m steeplechase: Helen Clitheroe, Barbara Parker, Hatti Dean

Marathon: Paula Radcliffe, Mara Yamauchi, Liz Yelling

100m hurdles: Sarah Claxton

400m hurdles: Tasha Danvers

20km walk: Johanna Jackson

Pole Vault: Kate Dennison

Long Jump: Jade Johnson

Discus: Philippa Roles

Hammer: Zoe Derham

Javelin: Goldie Sayers

Heptathlon: Kelly Sotherton, Julie Hollman

4x100m: Emma Ania, Montell Douglas, Jeanette Kwayke, Anyika Onuora, Ashlee Nelson, Laura Turner

4x400m: Vicki Barr, Donna Fraser, Lee McConnell, Christine Ohuruogu, Nicola Sanders

Antonio Pettigrew Admits : IOC Strips Gold From USA's 2000 Sydney Relay Team

The International Olympic Committee stripped gold medals Saturday from the U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team that competed at the 2000 Olympics in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.

The IOC executive board disqualified the entire team, the fourth gold and sixth overall medal stripped from that U.S. track contingent in the past eight months for doping.

Three gold and two bronze were previously removed after Marion Jones confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Saturday's decision was almost a formality after Pettigrew gave up his gold medal in June. He admitted in court in May that he used EPO and human growth hormone from 1997 to 2003.

Five of Pettigrew's teammates also lose their medals: Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison ran in the final; Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor ran in the preliminaries.

News from AP.

Marshevet Hooker of USA Sets Up US Olympic Sprint

Marshevet Hooker of USA, has become the fifth-fastest woman in 100-metre history, setting the stage for a Saturday sprint final showdown at the US Track and Field Olympic Trials.

Marshevet Hooker won her quarter-final heat on Friday in 10.76 seconds with a 3.4 m/sec breeze at her back. She was front ahead of two-time world 200 champion Allyson Felix and former 100m world champions Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards.

"I'm happy with, but that wasn't the final," Hooker said. "I proved that I made it through the first round. That's it."