AROUND THE TRACKS…
THE UNITED STATES
After a two hour delay due to rain Xavier" X-Man" Carter ran the first leg in 44.9 seconds to lead his all-star relay team to victory in a meet record time of 3:07.43 at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida. Carter, started the first 50m conservatively, but opened up on the back straight. Other members of the team were Ato Modibo of Trinidad, 800m specialist Jonathan Johnson and Ricky Harris. Carter was 30 minutes away from running the opening 100 meters when the storm started. The meet restarted about two hours later in the rain, but after the threat of lightening passed. Carter will next compete at the Florida Relays.
Osaka medallist Carmelita Jeter ran her 4x400m leg in 54 seconds for the winning Double Pillar Athletic Team (3:38.09) at the California Relays in Cerritos. Mickey Grimes won the 100m in 10.37 (+1.3) and recorded the fastest 200m in the heats (20.77, +0.8). Britain’s Osaka 400m hurdles finalist Tasha Danvers-Smith won the 800m in 2:07.77 and achieved 13.39 seconds in the 100m hurdles in the heats and in winning the final.
JAMAICA
Jamaica won two from four 4x100m relay finals at 37th CARIFTA Youth and Junior Games in St. Kitts and Nevis. U17 girls of Jamaica were the best at 46.51 seconds and the U20 boys also clocked a winning 39.80. The other two finals were golden for the Bahamas as their U17 boy’s squad clocked 41.85 and the U20 girls earned a 44.36 meet record (with Jamaica second in 44.90). Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade clocked 20.65 (+2.6) to win the 200m and home hopeful Meritzer Williams improved in junior girls to 23.13 (+0.7), a national junior record in the preliminaries. Trinidad´s Janel Belville won the junior 400m hurdles in a solid 58.08 and Jamaican Andre Peart was the best in boy’s hurdles clocking 51.81. Trinidad´s Kyron Blaise registered 7.65m (+4.0) to win the Long Jump. World Youth Champion Shane Brathwaite of Barbados won the heptathlon by a clear margin scoring 5006 points.
THE NETHERLANDS
Kenyan Sammy Chumba won the 8th Jaarbeurs Utrecht Marathon on Monday with an excellent 2:12:07. Because of winter weather conditions (4 degrees, snow) he missed the course record of last year’s winner Mariko Kiplagat of Kenya who, in clearly better conditions, achieved 2:11:16. Kiplagat finished third in this year’s race in 2:13:32, coming behind fellow Kenyan Raymond Bett who debuted with 2:12:15 in second. Chumba was second last year and achieved his personal best this year in January at Marrakech with another second-place showing (2:10:56).
FRANCE
Germany topped the table with 255 medals at the third World Indoor Masters Championships in Aubiere, France. From 65 competing countries 48 won at least one medal. Behind Germany in the rankings were the hosts France (192) followed by Great Britain (127), the United States (91) and Spain (89). Briton Darren Scott won the 200m in the 35+ category in 21.62 seconds. Denmark´s Christian Trajkovski was the fastest in the 40+ category at 60m with 7.12. French long jumper Kader Klouchi won his event in the 35+ achieving 7.13m. German Wolfgang Knabe was best in the 45+ triple jump (14.65) beating former world class US hurdler Greg Foster who was third (13.43m). US sprinter Bill Collins (had 10.24 in 1981) achieved a nice triple winning the 60m (7.39), the 200m (23.73) and the 400m (53.36) in the category of over 55 years. Former world class Czech discus thrower Gejza Valent (1983 World Championships bronze medallist) won the 50+ category with a 1.5kg implement toss of 51.29m.
CUBA
Last year’s Pan-Am Games winner Yeiman Lopez clocked a 1:45.0 to win the 800m in Havana finishing in front of 2006 World Juniors Finalist Andy Gonzalez (1:45.3). 2005 Helsinki 800m world champion Zulia Calatayud ran her first 1500m in two years clocking 4:28.5.
ARGENTINA
During day two of the Sante Fe Grand Prix Brazilian Fabiano Pecanha reversed the order and beat Argentine Leonardo Price in the 800m (1:48.52 versus 1:48.80). Home hammer thrower Juan Cerra achieved 71.84m and Chilean shot putter Marco Verni 19.11m. Colombian national record holder Brigith Merlano clocked 13.37 (-0.7) to take the 100m hurdles.
BULGARIA
27-year-old Venera Getova achieved the best result at the Bulgarian Winter Throwing Championships in Sofia as she improved in the discus to a 58.04m PB.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Slovak Anton Kucmin, who has already qualified for the Olympic 50-km race, won the 10-km road walk competition in Olomouc in 41:41. Fresh Czech Olympic qualifier Zuzana Schindlerova was the best woman taking the 10-km in 47:53.
ITALY
Kenyan’s Fred Kosgei won the men’s half-marathon in Prato in 1:03:58 and Gladys Biwott took the women’s prize (1:13:17). The best European placing was Italian Elisa Desco’s second-place in the women’s race (1:13:22). Meanwhile in Lanciano, 43-year-old Roberto Barbi won the inaugural “Borghi Frentani” marathon in 2:19:24 and Croatian Marija Vrajic took the women’s event clocking 2:55:04.
EME / Eurosport