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THE CONNING TOWER

August 4, 2002

BY KEITH CONNING

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITOR

California Track and Running News

Official Publication of the California/Northern Nevada Associations of USA Track & Field

USATF is an affiliated member federation of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations)

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Vacaville, CA  95688-3509

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E-mail: conning@aol.com

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Color code: Red=California Athlete, Blue=USA Athlete

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Table of Contents

Will Matthews was inducted into Reedley's Hall Of Fame

Brazil retains South American Junior crown – 7 area junior records fall
Jennifer Inniss

Golden Eagle Olympians

African Championships - Preview
World Outdoor Lists 1500 METRES 2002

European Championships - Preview
==================================================================================

Will Matthews was inducted into Reedley's Hall Of Fame

 

Will Matthews, the cross country and track coach at Hayward High School, has been inducted into the Reedley Junior College Hall of Fame.  He played football and track at Reedley JC from 1967-69.

Coach Matthews is also a member of the North Coast Section Meet of Champions Track Committee.

 

Reedley College was established in May, 1926, as Reedley Junior College. http://www.rc.cc.ca.us/about/Collegeshistory.htm

 

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Brazil retains South American Junior crown – 7 area junior records fall
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
4 August 2002 – Belém, Brazil – Just as happened at the inauguration of this track during the Brazilian Grand Prix in May, the “Estádio Olímpico do Pará” proved to be a magical venue for athletics, as the host nation retained its 30 year-old area leadership at the 35th edition of the South American Junior Championships that concluded last night (Saturday).

The event served as the athletics competitions of the VII South American Games, and was highlighted by the presence of Brazilian jumpers, Thiago Dias and Keila Costa.

Brazil had great success at the recent 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston, with an historic performance that brought them home two bronze medals (provided by Keila Costa and Juliana Paula de Azevedo) and provided a total of 11 finalists.

A few weeks later in Belém, some of those athletes ratified that good form, while others bounced back from a rather forgettable Kingston.

One of those who had things to prove here was Thiago Dias. “A while ago I was on top of the world after winning the World Youth title in Debrecen, but then I got really disappointed in Jamaica. Things didn’t go well for me, and now I’m on the right track again”.

On Saturday, Dias broke the 14 year-old South American Junior record in the Long Jump, having failed to make the final in Kingston.

Thiago opened the competition with a mark of 7.60 (would have been good enough for the victory), which he improved by 1cm in the 3rd round. With that re-assurance, he preserved himself for higher goals. He passed the fourth attempt, fouled the fifth, and in the last jump of the competition, leaped to 7.92m (w 0.6).

That erased the mark of 7.87 achieved by Peruvian Ricardo Valiente in the high altitude of the Andean city of Huancayo on November 14, 1987. Filled with joy, 18 year-old Dias ran an honour lap of the track wrapped in the Brazilian and the State of Pará’s flags.

Thiago, one of the greatest talents lately produced by Brazilian athletics, also took the gold in the 110 meters hurdles with 13.94. He holds the South American Junior record for this event with a 13.82 clock set at the 2002 Brazilian National Junior Championships.

On Friday 2 August , Keila da Silva Costa, won the title in the women’s Triple Jump, an event at which she became the first Brazilian female athlete to medal at a IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston. Keila, born in Recife, State of Pernambuco on February 6th, 1983 jumped to a season’s best of 13.78 on her second attempt, establishing a Games and Championship record.

One day later, Costa erased an old record from the books (the oldest female South American Junior record), with her last attempt in the Long Jump. She entered the competition holding the national junior record of 6.33, and was obviously in good form as in the third round leapt out to 6.30. However, on her last attempt she was able to surpass the 24 year-old mark of Guyana’s Jennifer Innis with a leap of 6.37m (w. 1.4) to set a new area junior record. Innis, who later in her career competed for the United States, had held the record with 6.34m since March 28, 1978.

The good performances of Costa were a surprise for her own coach, Roberto Ribeiro de Andrade, who before the beginning of the event predicted that “Keila is in good shape. I don’t know if she will improve her triple jump mark from Jamaica (13.70m), but she is the favourite”.

The other remarkable performance came in the men’s 4x100 meters relay, where Brazil, who were 4th in Kingston, set a new area junior record (39.64 seconds). The team was composed of Eliezer de Almeida, Bruno Góes, Jorge Célio Sena and Bruno Pacheco, and improved the previous record, set in the heats of the Kingston World Juniors, by 11/100.

“We have a strong group of sprinters, and they can improve even more”, said Carlos Alberto Cavalheiro, head coach of the Brazilian Confederation.

The other medallist from Kingston Juliana Paula de Azevedo, who took the bronze in the 800 metres in Jamaica, easily won her event in Belém with a 2:06.01 clocking.

On the final day, 4 more area records fell.

Sprinter Bruno Nascimento Pacheco, fifth in Kingston, took the gold in the 200 metres in a record time of 20.54 (w 1.1). In this case, the old mark was also the oldest record in the men’s lists. Panama’s Héctor Daley’s record 20.67 had been around since June 15, 1980.

In second place in this event, came an athlete from the Netherlands Antilles, Churandy Martina, who competing as an invitee set a national junior record with 20.81, after having also won the earlier 100m in 10.42 and setting a new national mark of 10.30 in the heats.

Another finallist from Kingston, Argentina’s Fabián Di Paolo produced his country’s only gold medal in the whole men’s programme.

Di Paolo fourth in Jamaica, took the victory in the 6Kg Hammer, also improving the South American Junior record, when releasing the implement to 73.69m. The previous best also belonged to Di Paolo, who had thrown 73.29 in Santa Fe on June 29.

Every major championship is closed with relays, and here in Belém the 4x400 took the honours.

The women’s 4x400 was taken by Brazil (Juliana Azevedo, Amanda Dias, Raquel da Costa, Ana Cláudia de Souza), in a new South American record of 3:40.56, while the men’s long relay saw a massive improvement of almost 2 seconds to the area’s top performance, when local boys Diego Venâncio, Luís Eduardo Ambrósio, Thiago Chyaromont and Luíz Eduardo da Silva stopped the clock in 3:06.68.

Belém brought an all-around victory for Brazil, who swept the medal board with 33 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze medals, followed by Argentina with 5, 5, 5, and Venezuela with 4, 11 and 7.

The Champions

Men

100m: Churandy Martina AHO 10.42 (Bruno Pacheco BRA 10.50); 200m: Bruno Pacheco BRA 20.54* AR-j; 400m: Luís Eduardo Ambrósio BRA 46.51; 800m: Cristian Matute ECU 1:50.99; 1500m: Clayton Aguiar BRA 3:53.48; 5000m: Fernando Alex Fernandes BRA 14:13.29*; 10000m: Franck de Almeida BRA 29:39.25*; 3000m St: Fernando Alex Fernandes BRA 8:59.76; 110mh: Thiago Dias BRA 13.94*; 400mh: Raphael Fernandes BRA 52.85; HJ: Fábio Baptista BRA 2.07; PV: Fábio da Silva BRA 5.10*; LJ: Thiago Dias BRA 7.92* AR-j; TJ: Leonardo dos Santos BRA 15.97; SP (6Kg): Gustavo de Mendonça BRA 17.71; DT (1.75Kg): Gustavo de Mendonça BRA 52.78*; HT: Fabián Di Paolo ARG 73.69* AR-j; JT: Júlio César de Oliveira BRA 63.49; Dec (Jr implements): Fagner Martins 6626*; 4x100m: BRA (Eliezer de Almeida, Bruno Góes, Jorge Célio Sena, Bruno Pacheco) 39.64* AR-j; 4x400m: BRA (Diego Venâncio, Luís Eduardo Ambrósio, Thiago Chyaromont, Luíz Eduardo da Silva) 3:06.68* AR-j; 10000mW: Rafael Duarte BRA 43:11.39.

Women

100m: Thatiana Ignácio BRA 11.57*; 200m: Wilmary Álvarez VEN 23.85; 400m: Yusmely García VEN 54.38; 800m: Juliana Paula de Azevedo BRA 2:06.01*; 1500m: Eliane Pereira BRA 4:33.19; 3000m: Nadia Rodríguez ARG 9:50.03; 5000m: Nadia Rodríguez ARG 17:08.23; 3000m St: Sabine Heitling BRA 10:52.77; 100mh: Janaína Sestrem BRA 13.94; 400mh: Yusmely García VEN 58.54*; HJ: Mônica de Freitas BRA 1.74; PV: Karla Rosa da Silva BRA 3.90*; LJ: Keila Costa BRA 6.37* AR-j; TJ: Keila Costa BRA 13.78*; SP: Ahymará Espinoza VEN 13.97; DT: Roberta de Oliveira 41.85; HT: Jennifer Dahlgren ARG 55.73; JT: Maria do Carmo Ramos 45.31; Hep: Soledad Donzino ARG 5139; 4x100m: BRA (Mônica de Freitas, Alessandra Joaquim, Evelyn Carolina dos Santos, Thatiana Ignácio) 45.30; 4x400m: BRA (Juliana Azevedo, Amanda Dias, Raquel da Costa, Ana Cláudia de Souza) 3:40.56* AR-j; 10000mW: Alessandra Picagevicz BRA 50:34.59*.

* Record of the South American Junior Championships.

Full results at: http://www.cbat.org.br/competicao/sulamericano/default.asp

http://www.iaaf.org/news/index.asp?Filename=/news/Articles/getnews.asp?Code=5539

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Jennifer Inniss

Events: 100, Long Jump

Height: 5-7

Weight: 132

PRs:

100 Atoms TC 11.15 +1.6 4S1 FOT Indianapolis 17 Jul 88

LJ Atoms TC 6.85 (22-5.75) +0.0 2 PAG Indianapolis 13 Aug 87

Born: November 21, 1959 in Georgetown, Guyana

High School: Central, Georgetown 1976

College: Cal State Los Angeles 1983

Club: Unattached

Source: American Athletics Annual 1994

 

Honors: 1) NCAA LJ 1982; 7) WC LJ 1987; 13) OG LJ 1980

 

 U.S. Ranking Women's 100 Meters

1988 8th

 

U.S. Rankings Women's Long Jump

1986 5th

1987 2nd

1988 6th

1989 2nd

1990 4th

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/rankings/women/ljusranking.pdf

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Golden Eagle Olympians

Since Cal State L.A. was founded in 1947, at least one Golden Eagle has competed in 13 of the 14 Summer Olympics. In fact, CSLA has had a representative in the last 11 Summer Games, beginning with the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

In track and field alone, Cal State L.A. is home to 23 Olympians representing 10 nations. These track and field Olympians have captured 15 medals (six gold, eight silver, one bronze) in 52 total events.

When you add the four golds earned by alumnus Billie Jean King as head coach of the 1996 and 2000 USA Olympic women's tennis teams, Cal State L.A. calls home to 19 Olympic medals, 10 of which are gold.

1948, London

·         Mal Whitfield (USA), gold medal, 800m; gold medal, 1,600m relay; silver medal, 400m

1952, Helsinki

·         Mal Whitfield (USA), gold medal, 800m; silver medal, 1,600m relay; 6th in 400m

·         George Brown (USA), long jump finalist

1960, Rome

·         Jean Gaertner (USA), high jump (injured)

1964, Tokyo

·         Nii Addo Allotey (Ghana), 100m, second round

1968, Mexico City

·         Nii Addo Allotey (Ghana), 200m (injured)

·         JohnErik Blomquist (Sweden), pole vault trials

·         Barbara Ferrell (USA), gold medal, 400m relay; silver medal, 100m; 4th in 200m

·         Lennart Hedmark (Sweden), 11th, decathlon

·         Jarvis Scott (USA), 6th in 800m

1972, Munich

·         Barbara Ferrell (USA), 7th in 100m

·         Lennart Hedmark (Sweden), decathlon (injured)

1976, Montreal

·         Vicki Betts (USA), alternate, long jump

·         Rosalyn Bryant (USA), silver medal, 1,600m relay; 5th in 400m

·         Fred Dixon (USA), 23rd in the decathlon

·         Lennart Hedmark (Sweden), 8th in the decathlon

·         Jackie Pusey (Jamaica), 6th in 400m relay; 200m semifinalist

1980, Moscow

·         Sharon Dabney (USA), 1,600m relay (U.S. boycott)

·         Fred Dixon (USA), decathlon (U.S. boycott)

·         Denean Howard (USA), 400m (U.S. boycott)

·         Sherri Howard (USA), 1,600m relay (U.S. boycott)

·         Jennifer Inniss (Guyana), 13th in long jump; 200m semifinalist

·         Jacqueline Pusey (Jamaica), 200m semifinalist; 400m semifinalist

·         Diane Williams (USA), 400relay (U.S. boycott)

1984, Los Angeles

·         Sandra Farmer (Jamaica), 8th in the 400m hurdles

·         Lindel Hodge (Virgin Islands), 200m trials; 1600m relay trials

·         Denean Howard (USA), gold medal, 1600m relay

·         Sherri Howard (USA), gold medal, 1,600m relay

·         Zhu JianHua (China), bronze medal, high jump

·         Diane Williams (USA), alternate, 400m relay

1988, Seoul

·         Lindel Hodge (Virgin Islands), 100m trials

·         Denean Howard (USA), silver medal, 1,600m relay

·         Sherri Howard (USA), silver medal, 1,600m relay

·         Jennifer Inniss (USA), 400m relay (alternate)

·         Zhu JianHua (China), high jump trials

·         Marie Rollins (Ireland), 57th in the marathon

1992, Barcelona

·         Denean Howard (USA), silver medal, 1,600m relay

·         Sandra FarmerPatrick (USA), silver medal, 400m hurdles

·         Lindel Hodge (Virgin Islands), 100m trials

1996, Atlanta

·         Billie Jean King (USA) head coach, women's tennis gold medals, singles/doubles

·         Ruben Benitez (El Salvador), 100m, first round

2000, Sydney

·         Billie Jean King (USA) head coach, women's tennis gold medals, singles/doubles

·         Louise Ayetoche (Ivory Coast), 200m

 

 

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African Championships - Preview
Omulo Okoth for IAAF

4 August 2002 - Tunis is upbeat and awaiting the African athletics fraternity for the 13th African Championships which start on Tuesday 6 August and run through to Saturday 10 August at the magnificent 60,000-seater Radez stadium at the November 7 Complex, which successfully hosted the Mediterranean Games last year.

The mood is high, especially because at the recent Commonwealth Games in Manchester two of the star entrants for Tunis, Frank Fredericks of Namibia and Francoise Mbango-Etone of Cameroon registered spectacular performances. Fredericks, who ran the world season's fastest 200 metres (19.99) in Rome on July 12, won the Commonwealth title in 20.06 seconds. Though Mbango-Etone, the world silver medallist, missed out on gold in the women’s triple jump title in Manchester, she smashed the African record with a leap of 14.82 metres, an improvement from her previous best of 14.70 metres.

"The two athletes will be right here and you can imagine the sort of competition we will have here in Tunis," Thierno Diack, African Athletics Confederation (AAC) Director of Competitions, said.

However, one disappointment is that Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, with four wins in the 2002 IAAF Golden League under his belt, sent word late on Thursday that he won't be appearing at this African party, where all gold medallists will be chosen for the continent’s team at the IAAF World Cup in Madrid (Sept 20/21). Officials won't divulge more information aboiut why he won't compete.

In the absence of El Guerrouj, Kenya's world championship silver medallist Bernard Lagat can only hope that Olympic champion Noah Ngeny will stick to his word and show up here in Tunis. Lagat has taken these championships so seriously that he requested that Athletics Kenya excuse him from the Commonwealth Games, a request which was granted. In the IAAF Golden League Lagat has this season run his second fastest ever 1500m (3:27) and has since gone to the United States where he has been training at Washington State University specifically for Tunis. He looks certain to win the race.

Former track legends such as Morocco’s Said Aouita and Kenya’s Moses Kiptanui will be in attendance as guests of the AAC, to watch the present generation of stars compete at a championships at which only four countries - Gambia, Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland haven't sent athletes. The rest of AAC's affiliates - 49 nations - will be represented by as few as one athlete in the case of Niger, and as many as 114 team members in the case of Nigeria.

The stars expected in Tunis include Kenya’s Reuben Kosgei the World and Olympic champion over the 3000 metres steeplechase, Wilson Boit Kipketer the former steeplechase world record holder and 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medalist, Paul Bitok twice Olympic (1992 and 1996) 5000 metres silver medallist, and other compatriots such as Lagat and Ngeny,.

From Ethiopia, Haile Gebrselassie, who has turned to marathon, has declined an invitation to appear as a guest but his country still has a strong representation that includes Olympic 5000m champion Million Wolde, world and Olympic 10,000m medallist Assefa Mezgebu, women’s world and Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, and Berhane Adere who came second at 10,000m in Edmonton.

Mbango-Etone and sprinter Marie Leonie Mani will represent Cameroon, while Mozambique's world and Olympic 800m gold medallist Maria Mutola is widely expected to easily earn her ticket to the Madrid World Cup.

Morocco’s world steeplechase record holder Brahim Boulami should challenge Kenyans in their steeplechase parade event, accompanied by his compatriots Ali Ezzine and Asmae Leghzaoui.

Okkert Brits, whose record of 6.03m remains the highest pole vault mark in the continent, will lead a strong South African contingent that includes women’s world champion high jumper Hestrie Cloete and Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist Llewellyn Herbert (400m) and African record holder Janus Robberts in the shot put.

With temperatures rising to 34 Celsius, organisers have arranged evening sessions for majority of the events with a few others expected to held early morning, also to avoid the heat.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/index.asp?Filename=/news/Articles/getnews.asp?Code=5538

==================================================================================World Outdoor Lists 1500 METRES 2002

WR 3:26.00 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Roma, 14 07 1998

Mark Wind Athlete Nat Birth Pos Venue Date

3:27.34 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR 14 09 1974 1 Monaco

3:27.91 Bernard Lagat KEN 12 12 1974 2 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:29.96 Hicham El Guerrouj 1 Paris 05 07 2002

3:30.07 Rui Silva POR 03 08 1977 3 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:30.24 Cornelius Chirchir KEN 05 06 1983 4 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:30.88 William Chirchir KEN 06 02 1979 5 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:31.38 Bernard Lagat 1 Stockholm 16 07 2002

3:31.45 Driss Maazouzi FRA 15 10 1969 6 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:31.59 Bernard Lagat 2 Paris 05 07 2002

3:31.93 David Krummenacker USA 24 05 1975 2 Stockholm 16 07 2002

3:32.24 Bernard Lagat 1r1 Lausanne 02 07 2002

3:32.43 Anthony Whiteman GBR 13 11 1971 7 Monaco 19 07 2002

3:32.50 William Chirchir 3 Stockholm 16 07 2002

3:32.53 William Chirchir 2r1 Lausanne 02 07 2002

3:32.60 Hicham El Guerrouj 1+ Roma 12 07 2002

3:33.02 Noah Ngeny KEN 02 11 1978 1 Doha

http://www.iaaf.org/Results/index.asp?Filename=/Results/lists/2002/Outdoor/G/index.html

 

(Conning: Lagat is the #2 performer in the world.  Krummenacker is #7.  Ngeny is #9.  Lagat has 4 of the top 11 performances in the world.)

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 European Championships - Preview
Patrick F. Merle for the IAAF
4 August 2002 - Munich, Germany - The Bavarian city which was the scene of the 1972 Olympic Games welcomes the European Athletic Championships, which will be staged between 6 – 11 August in the Olympic stadium.

In a few weeks time Munich will also host the "Oktoberfest", the world's most famous beer festival but most athletes competing in Munich this week would no doubt rather exchange all the beer Munich can offer in exchange for a gold medal performance and a celebratory glass of champagne.

In the women's sprint events, one name is on everybody's lips: Ukraine's Zhanna Pintusevich-Block. The Ukrainian sprinter, crowned world 100m champion ahead of Marion Jones last season, has voluntarily decided not to take part in this event. "I had made this decision already in 2000.”

In her absence, France's Muriel Hurtis appears the main contender. The new French gazelle, claimed both the 100 and 200 at the European Cup in Annecy, and her main objective as she stated after her European Indoor title over 200 in Vienna has always been to become European Champion.

"I wouldn't mind going under 22 seconds but my main goal is to win in Munich", the 1998 world junior champion said last March. The spectators will have to wait until Friday to see whether the French sprinter lives up to her words.

On the men's side, Great-Britain's Dwain Chambers is poised to win his first major title over 100m. Unable to finish at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester because of muscle cramps, the 1999 World Championships bronze medallist, who has defeated Maurice Greene twice this season, has the fastest continental time over the distance in 2002. Moreover, according to Max Jones, UKA’s Performance Director, Chambers suffered no muscle damage in Manchester.

"We have been giving him extensive medical tests, we have concocted a new fluid replacement for him containing the levels of minerals and electrolytes compatible with his physical problem," Jones stated.

Over 200 m, the reigning world and Olympic champion, Greek's Konstadinos Kederis is once again the strong favourite. Although, he has limited his number of outings so far this season, Kederis has proven to be always well prepared for major championships. The Greek athlete will, however, have to hold off Darren Campbell's assault. The British Olympic 200m silver medallist Campbell is also the reigning European champion over 100m and is lined up for both distances in Munich.

The Nigerian-born Portuguese Francis Obikwelu could, however, create the surprise and take a double sprint win as he did in the Lausanne IAAF Grand Prix last July 2nd.

In the middle and long distances, a small European elite should manage to keep the public on the edge of their seats.

Surprisingly, the world and Olympic be-medalled Romania Gabriela Szabo, who shattered the 3000m European record in Monaco on July 19th, hopes to claim only her first European title - 5000m. The elfin runner faces a stiff challenge as she will meet up with Russia's Olga Yegorova who took her world title in Edmonton last summer.

Great-Britain's Paula Radcliffe is also looking forward to clinching her first European laurels - 10,000m. Weakened by a virus after her breath-taking debut over the marathon, the tall runner is in good shape. Not only has she improved her personal best over 3000m when finishing on Szabo's heels in Monaco but she also came a few seconds short of setting a new world record over 5000m at the Commonwealth Games.

However, Szabo and Radcliffe must beware as Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan, who won a 5000/10.000 double in the continental championships in Budapest four years ago, hopes to leave Germany with at least one successful defence.

On the men's side of things, two events present a star-studded line up, the 800 and the 1500 m.

Over 800 m, the local spectators will hope to see Nils Schumann on the highest step of the podium, in the absence of Russia's prodigy, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who has decided to tackle the 400m,

Germany’s reigning Olympic and European champion, could well manage to retain his title. Of Schumann’s main rivals, Switzerland's world champion Andre Bucher is only just back from injury while the Kenyan-born Dane Wilson Kipketer believes he might also be short of running so far this summer.

In the 1500m, France will have to count on the new national champion Mehdi Baala, fourth in Sydney, as the bronze medallist, Driss Maazouzi, injured, had to pull out at the last minute.

The 24-year-old Baala faces a stiff challenge from the Spanish. Fifth in Edmonton, Reyes Estevez, is the reigning champion and firmly intends to keep his title. While world indoor champion Rui Silva of Portugal, who clocked a new national record in Monaco, will remember that when taking his world indoor crown he was able to out-sprint his Mediterranean neighbour on the line. The final takes place on Thursday, August 8.

Munich will also see a number of magnificent athletes compete for the last time in the European championships including Great-Britain's Colin Jackson, Jonathan Edwards and Steve Backley, and Germany's Heike Drechsler.

Jonathan Edwards knows one jump is usually enough to push his rivals away. Yet, with Sweden's Christian Olsson in the contest, the world record holder will have to surpass himself to retain his crown.

The goal is similar for Colin Jackson and he has a long winning-streak to defend. The world record holder over 110 m hurdles bids to claim his fourth consecutive title, while Drechsler hopes to conquer her fifth long jump gold in a row which would be a championships record.

In the men's javelin, three time Olympic champion Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic will tackle Britain’s three time European champion Steve Backley.

Russia's Svetlana Feofanova likes the noun: record. The shy athlete, who set five world indoor pole vault records last winter and has moved on to the summer with a new European outdoor record which rests at 4.78m, will not be satisfied until she breaks USA’s Stacy Dragila's mark of 4.81. As a former European champion and colleague of Feofanova's coach, Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka has already booked his ticket in the stand for the final which will take place on Friday, August 9th.

If Feofanova fails in her bid to break the world mark, fellow Russian Tatyana Kotova might give it a shot in long jump. With 7.42m in Annecy, she became the fifth best in history, only ten centimeters short of the world mark that dates back to 1988 and not even Drechsler’s swan song competition is likely to distract Kotova.

There are so many other great competitions to savour at these European championships. For example, the men’s shot is likely to be decided with a great battle over 21 metres, while there are 17 European hammer throwers with 2002 season bests of over 80m!

Four years ago, in Budapest, Germany finished ahead of Russia and Great-Britain in the overall standings at the end of the championships, and after placing second in both the men and women's competition in this season’s European Cup in Annecy, Germany expect nothing else but to retain their continental leadership in front of a home crowd.

In Munich, the German squad will compete without their giant discus man Lars Riedel, who is injured. However, in his absence, they can surely still rely on the likes of a mixture of youth and experience through the legs of Ingo Schultz (400m), Tim Lobinger (PV), and Grit Breuer (400m women) to keep their sights on that target.

The European Championships begin on Tuesday 6 August.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/index.asp?Filename=/news/Articles/getnews.asp?Code=5544

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