Ohuruogu and Samuels No to New Delhi, by Alfons Juck, Note by Larry Eder

                               Christine Ohuruogu, Berlin 2009, photo by PhotoRun.net

Christine Ohuruogu won the 2007 Osaka World Champs and the Beijing Olympic 400 meter
races, those are facts. Ohuruogu ran her races in 2007 and 2008, defeating Sanya Richardsat her own game. In 2009, it was a different story, as Sanya Richards owned the 400 metersat the World Championships in Berlin. Ohuruogu has been battling injuries since then. 

The Commonwealth Games, starting October 6, is loosing some major athletes due to the time of the year, the level of absolute exhaustion of world class athletes, some who have been racing since last January! With the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons coming up, the World Champs in 11 and 13 and Olympics in 2012, beg the elite athlete to consider the next three years, rest and prepare in earnest for the three challenging years.

On top of that, I am heart broken to see that the European Champs will be run in 2012. In my mind, that just minimizes the meet, which was so special this year. Perhaps the powers that be can reconsider what many track fans consider to be the most accessible continental championships in our sport. 

OHURUOGU AND SAMUELS NO TO NEW DELHI

NEW DELHI (IND): Two important withdrawals from Commonwealth Games. Olympic winner and 2007 400 m world champion Christine Ohuruogu announced that she has decided not to compete in New Delhi. She felt a cramp during a training session over the weekend and in conjunction with her coach, Lloyd Cowan, and the UKA medical team, decided that as a precaution it would be better for her to pull out of the Games rather than risk irritating a recent injury. Christine missed the second part of the season with an injury to her left quadriceps. "I am disappointed to miss the Commonwealth Games after working so hard to get fit since my quad injury in June. However with the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon the last thing an athlete wants to do is risk re-injury to the same muscle. It was very important for me to be cautious in dealing with my previous injury; although training was progressing well, intense competition over three days may prove to be more harmful than good and may compromise the long term functioning of the muscle. With three rounds in the 400m in Delhi I would need to be close to my best to win the gold. I had already picked up my team kit and was getting ready to go to the preparation camp in Doha. Instead I will have a short break now and resume winter training in October to get ready for the 2011 season." Discus world champion Dani Samuels has delivered a huge blow to the Commonwealth Games team, becoming the first Australian athlete to pull out of next month's event in Delhi due to security and health fears. A tearful Samuels, 22, informed Australian team officials of her decision on Tuesday. "This is the hardest decision of my life and not one I took lightly," Samuels said per Athletics Australia.

MRS. MARATHON

OSLO (NOR): Norwegian marathon runner, Kirsten Melkevik (former Otterbu) has, after a divorce, applied and got accept for her new name: Kirsten Marathon Melkevik. „It just happened during the 10.000 meter in the norwegian championships. I found out I wanted to take my maiden name back after the divorce and then add a brand new middle name to it. My coach, Mr Leif Inge Tjelta suggested „Kirsten Marathon" and so it was. Norwegian authorities confirmed my new name a week ago, she told Norwegian Athletics Association's webpage friidrett.no. The 40 years old runner has 2:29:12 best marathon time from 2007.

WMM IS BACK

BOSTON (USA): A head-to-head battle for the World Marathon Majors series crown between Samuel Wanjiru and Tesgaye Kebede at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon next month and the first appearance of world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie at the ING New York City Marathon in November highlight the Fall World Marathon Majors campaign that kicks-off in Berlin this Sunday. WMM are stating in a release. The real,- Berlin Marathon resumes the series on Sunday, September 26, followed by the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 10 and will conclude with the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7. Each of the three fall WMM events will host an impressive elite field. At Berlin, seven men have run faster than 2:07, and three under 2:06. Kenyans Patrick Makau and Geoffrey Mutai lead the field after running the top two times in the world this year when they placed first and second at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:04:48 and 2:04:55.

KIPLAGAT TO CHINA

AMSTERDAM (NED): Dehardloopkrant informs that Lornah Kiplagat should be the only Netherland´s participant at IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Nanning, China on October 16. She was competing last weekend at 10 miles in Netherlands (second place) after a break which happened due to knee operation. Kiplagat pointed out she will travel to China only in case she will feel the shape to be able to win the title. She already won it in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and is half-marathon world record holder with 1:06:25 from Udine in 2007. Her long term goal is olympic marathon in London 2012.

OTHER NEWS

BRUSSELS (BEL): Running boom in Belgium. More than 7500 runners have already registered for the 7th edition of the Brussels Marathon & Half Marathon on Sunday, October 10 making it a record edition.

KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaican MVP track club denies that sprinter Sherone Simpson has left the MVP track club and now trains with Racers Track Club. Writes TrackAlerts. Bruce James, MVP Track Club President, said for trackalerts he is unaware that Simpson left the group and still is in good standing with the team officials. Simpson is olympic 100 m silver winner and this year clocked 11.02 her fastest since 2008 because of injuries in recent years.

SYDNEY (AUS): The Daily Telegraph reports that there is an 80% chance the Commonwealth Games will come under some sort of terrorist attack. The newspaper had access to a new security risk assessment report to conclude that the Australian federal government and the sports administrators have played down the treat. The report stated that it would be much more likely an attack would happen on a soft public target near the Games rather than on a sports venue itself. The Athletes would be most vulnerable when being transported from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the sport venues.

AUCKLAND (NZL): New Zealand's chef de mission Dave Currie expressed his concerns about the readiness of the athletes village for the Commonwealth Games. So far the accommodation for the athletes is not ready, with the opening ceremony of the Games on October 3rd. Currie stated it was very hard on athletes to have such uncertainty surrounding the Games just days out from the scheduled opening ceremony."It is unacceptable from the organising committee that they have put athletes through this," Currie said for Newstalk ZB.

ST. LOUIS (USA): The Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon will join the Rock 'n' Roll series they announced in a press release. The marathon and half marathon will be held on October 3rd under its old name and will be rebranded as part of the Rock 'n' Roll series for 2011. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is held in 17-major markets across the nation including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle. The race is expected to draw between 15,000 and 18,000 runners.

AUCKLAND (NZL): In an interview with The New Zealand Herald reigning olympic and world gold medalist in shot put Valerie Adams talks about feeling confident again after winning the Continental Cup in Split. Adams was challenged by Diamond League winner Nadezhda Ostapchuck for most of the season but managed to get back to winning ways after training stint in Switzerland with Werner Gunthor and his coach Jean-Pierre Egger. Adams is now looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and was quoted „Physically, right now I can throw 21m if I get all the technical aspects into place and nail it".

KOLN (GER): Former European indoor champion Carlo Thranhardt (53) is planning for a special meeting with his former rivals Dietmar Mogenburg, Patrik Sjoberg, Dwight Stones, Javier Sotomayor and Igor Paklin. It should happen in summer 2011 and it is expected that all this top names from the past will also jump. Thranhardt himself wants to attack the German U50 record 201 cm.

BRIDGETOWN (BAR): Local media are reporting that regional track and field chief Teddy McCook (also IAAF Council member) allayed fears that the CARIFTA Games could be cancelled for the first time in its near 40-year history. He was speaking against the backdrop of reports that organisers of the region's premier youth and track and field showpiece were experiencing problems securing a venue after St Kitts pulled out recently. He said that venue issues were not unfamiliar, noting this year's Games in the Cayman Islands were not confirmed until last September. McCook explained that a number of countries had been approached, and organisers would hopefully make an announcement by the end of the month on who would host the event.

BIRMINGHAM (USA): The Samford University track and field team completes its 2010-11 staff with the addition of former Crimson Tide standout Miguel Pate. Pate will assist the Bulldogs in jumps and sprints. Pate is former world class long jumper, the world indoor 2003 bronze medalist. His best was better indoors with 859 in 2002 and outdoor 846 in 2003. After suffering a knee injury that almost ended his career at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in 2003, Pate stormed back in 2005 to win the USA Outdoor title and finish the year ranked number two in the world behind fellow American Dwight Phillips. On his second jump at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Pate posted a leap of 822, which secured a third place finish for him and a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time in his career. He edged out Phillips for the final roster spot by three-fourths of an inch. Pate ended the 2008 season ranked number one in the U.S. by Track & Field News for the first time in his career.

MOSCOW (RUS): Another wedding is reported from Russia. Olympic 4x100 m relay winner Yulia Chermoshanskaya married with former javelin thrower Sergey Shemigon. Honey-moon is planned for Thailand, but after that Chermoshanskaya will start to prepare for the indoor season.

STOCKHOLM (SWE): After ten years in the home elite sprinter Emma Rienas (27) announced she will end with the international career. Swedish media are informing. She is starting with new full time job as auditor and also said no more motivation is left. Rienas clocked as her best 11.54 in 2009 and competed at last three European Championships in relay. She was also semifinalist this march at World Indoor Championships in Doha at 60 m.

SOFIA (BUL): Bulgarian media are informing that the date for the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Kavarna is set for October 6 in 2012. The Bulgarian event asked for such earlier date of the event which should be normally held during third weekend of October. Kavarna will also held on May 7 next year the third edition of international marathon.

BEOGRAD (SRB): Serbian Athletics Federation wants to bid to stage the European Indoor Championships in 2015. The Beograd Arena should be the place with the „athletics" capacity of 13 000 places. The bid documents should be ready by end of September. Beograd will also stage the European Athletics Convention in October (14-16) where top athletics officials are expected to take part. At the traditional gala dinner European Athletes of the Year 2010 will be announced.

NEW YORK (USA): Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport informs that His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco was warmly applauded by 500 Heads of State, sports champions and major international decision-makers gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in New York on 19th September for the prestigious „Millennium Development Goals" Awards (MDG Awards). H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, in his capacity of High Patron of "Peace and Sport, l'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" received a Special Award in recognition of his "global leadership and passionate commitment as a champion of the cause of peace through sport". Prince Albert who is also IOC Member is keen athletics follower and is also Honorary President of The International Athletics Foundation. An organisation established in 1986 by IAAF for development and promotion of the sport.

WARSZAWA (POL): Pole Vault world champion Anna Rogowska plans for indoor season 2011. Her main aim would be European Indoor Championships in Paris. She revealed that while signing a sponsorship agreement with Herbapol Lublin and its product Green-up. Because of an injury she was not able to compete at European Championships in Barcelona.

RESULTS

SOCHI (RUS, Sep 17-19): Men of Moscow (Tabala, Kislov, Pavlikov, Kopeykin) won the Russian Team Championships in combined events with final score of 28 332 points. In women heptathlon the number one place for St. Peterburg (Butvina, Dmitrieva, Pakhmutova, Bogdanova, Vtorushina) with 20 902.