Athletics Africa Magazine

KARLSRUHE (GER, Feb 5): Sunday´s IHM Meeting of Karlsruhe confirmed stellar women 3000 m line-up. World record holder and world indoor champion Meseret Defar after winning in Boston will clash with Kenyan Sylvia Kibet and home rival and world medalist Meselech Melkamu. Kibet is also twice World medalist at 5000 m and current meet record holder with 8:41.24 since 2010. Defar who was regular name in Stuttgart in the past will have her debut in Karlsruhe. LONDON (GBR, Feb 6): Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning actor Clive Owen is to host the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards. Kenyan long distance athlete Vivian Cheruiyot, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the World Championships in Daegu last year, is a leading contender for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award, with also Carmelita Jeter shortlisted for the award. For the men’s award Usain Bolt is the only athlete on the list reports Insidethegames. VADODARA (IND, Feb 5): Ethiopian Andulam Shiferaw won the Internat...

GABORONE (BOT): Botswana´s 800m Olympian Onalenna Baloyi is reported to have failed a doping test and has been suspended for two years and will miss Commonwealth Games in India. In last edition 2006 in Melbourne he was a finalist. Baloyi clocked this year 1:46.32 and has a personal best of 1:46.06 from 2005. The country's top Olympic official, Mmegi Serufho said on Friday the positive test could have been avoided if Botswana had better facilities at home. PHILADELPHIA (USA): Olympic medallist and multiple world record holder Meseret Defar will make her half-marathon debut at the ING Rock ‚n‘ Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon on Sunday, September 19, organizers told Race Results Weekly earlier this week. For Defar, 26, the race will be more than twice as long as her previous longest race on the roads, the World‘s Best 10-K in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2007. The two-time Olympic Marathon silver medallist Catherine Ndereba, Ethiopia‘s Derartu Tulu and Werknesh Kidane are also in th...

DIBABA AT 5K, DEFAR IN THE 1500m in NEW YORK (USA): The revealed start list of adidas Grand Prix in New York on Saturday shows that for example for first time this year main 200 m rivals will clash. World champion Allyson Felix with olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown. A world leader looks like something for sure. Double olympic winner Tirunesh Dibaba will make her track debut 2010 at 5000 m. Her main rival Meseret Defar opted for shorter 1500 m where her best 4:06.12 comes from 2006. But she does not look like favorite there. Olympic champion Nancy Lagat is unbeaten so far, Ethiopian former world indoor champion Gelete Burka added by all top US runners Anna Pierce, Shannon Rowbury and Christin Wurth-Thomas. JELIMO WILL TRAIN AT HOME - NAIROBI (KEN): Olympic 800 m winner Pamela Jelimo after not being satisfied with her marks at meetings end of May continues in training. Her next competition will be the Kenyan Trials at the end of June. After that decision about her racing pr...