. Who is following the 2011 IAAF World Championships? The host is Daegu, Korea. Today, Day One, the events shall commence. The expected highlight is the Womens Marathon, which kicks off the Championships in just a few hours time (at 9:00am local time). Here is the IAAF World Championships link: http://www.iaaf.org/ .
. Oh no. Our Australian reigning World Champion of Pole Vault, Steve Hooker, is out with 3 failures at 5.50m. :crying::crying::crying: .
Kenya made history today . Kenya made history today (1st time at WC and/or OG) - Womens Marathon winning 1-2-3. 1. Kiplagat (2h:28m:43s) 2. Jeptoo 3. Cherop Well Done Kenya !!! .
Daegu 2011 - Day 1 SUMMARY - 27 August . Daegu 2011 - Day 1 SUMMARY - 27 August Source: http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//newslistdetail.aspx?id=61379 Daegu, Korea – Could Kenya have asked for anything better? Six medals were at stake on the opening day of the IAAF World Championships in Daegu and all will make the 10,070 kilometre journey back to the east African distance powerhouse. In two stunning performances some nine hours apart, six Kenyan women covered just under 157 kilometres in all en route to podium sweeps in the morning’s Marathon and this evening’s 10,000m, a historical milestone that won’t easily be topped. Adding insult to their challengers’ proverbial injury, they took spot No. 4 in the 10,000m as well, a first 1-2-3-4 finish ever in the event. Morning Marathon sweep... Prior to this morning, Kenya had won a total of three medals in the women’s Marathon at all World Championships combined, all courtesy of two-time winner Catherine Ndereba. By 11:30 this morning that number had doubled. The victory went to strong pre-race favourite Edna Kiplagat, last November’s winner in New York, who crossed the finish unchallenged in 2:28:43. Even a tumble and fall at a water stop with team-mate Sharon Cherop in the 37th kilometre – Cherop would later take bronze — couldn’t stop Kiplagat, who covered the second half in under 1:12, nearly five minutes faster than the first. She was 17 seconds ahead of Priscah Jeptoo, who in turn was 14 in front of Cherop. How memorable was their achievement? No nation has ever swept the medals at a World Championship or Olympic Games in the event. Prior to this morning, none has managed a 1-2 finish. But this was just a warm-up. .. and 1-2-3-4 (!) in the 10,000m Team Kenya looked strong on paper coming into Daegu, but there were a few question marks - those were quickly answered and thrown aside about an hour after a capacity crowd of 44,618 enjoyed a sensational opening ceremony. This time it was Vivian Cheruiyot’s turn to lead the juggernaut, taking a commanding victory in 30:48.98, a personal best. Crossing the line with a wide toothy grin, the 27-year-old seemed to be thinking that the more difficult half of her double ambition went off without a hitch. International newcomer Sally Kipyego looked strong with her silver medal run, with defending champion Linet Masai rounding out the trio. Priscah Cherono sealed the deal with her fourth place finish, 0.12 ahead of Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu, the African record holder. The Kenyan quartet’s awesome feat was just the third in Championships history: Ethiopian women took the first spots in the 5000m and American men in the 200m, both in Helsinki six years ago. Bolt cool, calm and quick in 100m opener Judging from the opening round get-out-the-cobwebs efforts, another sweep on Sunday night isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility. This time it could be team Jamaica in the men’s 100m, led by defending champion Usain Bolt. Despite a nominal effort for 50 metres of his opening round run, the World record holder was the quickest of the round at 10.10, while his compatriots Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter, and Michael Frater looked strong, and relatively unwinded as well. But American champion Walter Dix looked quite comfortable as well, as did 2003 champion Kim Collins. Elsewhere in opening round action, David Rudisha played the part of World champion in the making with exceptional ease, cruising to a front-running win in his heat. The fastest of the morning was his No. 1 rival Abubaker Kaki in 1:44.83, the only man at the moment who appears to be able to stick with the Kenyan in what presumably will be a fast final. Meanwhile, the Decathlon went according to plan, with Aston Eaton carrying a narrow 53-point lead into the second day. Endind the first day with a solid 46.99 run in the 400m, Eaton tallied 4446 points, ahead of team-mate and defending champion Trey Hardee's 4393. Opening round fatalities In what were primarily easy-going opening performances for the bigger names, there were a few notable exceptions whose Daegu experience was a short one. On the track, among the more dramatic early departures came in the third heat of the women’s 400m opening round, where Christine Ohuruogu, the 2007 World champion and 2008 Olympic champion, was disqualified for a false start, ending her appearance before it even started. Day 1 wasn’t particularly kind if you were a defending champion from Australia. Pole vaulter Steve Hooker, still on the comeback from injury, crashed out at the opening height of 5.50m, putting a quick end to his defence ambitions. Dani Samuels, whose victory in Berlin two years ago was as surprising as Hooker’s was dramatic, did squeeze into tomorrow evening’s final, qualifying as the 11th of the dozen who moved on. Germany’s Nadine Muller, the most consistent thrower coming into the Championships, led all qualifiers at 65.54m, while Renaud Lavillenie and Romain Mesnil, the bronze and silver medallists two years ago, moved on in the Pole Vault, keeping their bid for a podium repeat very much alive. Elsewhere, defending champions Sanya Richards-Ross (400m) and Brittney Reese (Long Jump) of the U.S. and Slovenia’s Primoz Kozmus (Hammer Throw) all moved on. From Bob Ramsak (for the IAAF) .
So ... Bolt DQ'd and Blake took the title. A few "names" eliminated in SF I guess judging by the huge gaps. Excellent performance by the two young French sprinters Lemaitre and Vicaut . Audio seemed delayed for the tournament which is quite annoying when watching the sprints. First of all I keep hearing a double gun and on top of that only after they are in motion already so to me everything looks like a false start ...
2011 IAAF World Championships: 100m - Yohan Blake won . OMG... 2 Champions missed out. Yesterday (Day 1) Steve Hooker missed out, and today (Day 2) Usain Bolt missed out too. .
2011 IAAF World Championships: 8 Gold medals after Day 2 . After Day 2, 6 countries have scored 8 Gold medals; 1 KENYA (KEN)................2 2 UNITED STATES (USA)...2 3 RUSSIA (RUS)...............1 4 ETHIOPIA (ETH)............1 5 JAMAICA (JAM)..............1 6 PR OF CHINA (CHN).......1 Source: http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsMedalTable.aspx .
Bolt's DQ at worlds illustrates stupidity of new false-start rule "DAEGU, South Korea -- Here was the moment, the only moment that truly matters beyond the four walls of a flagging sport. It was 8:41 Sunday night in a stadium set among green hillsides outside this industrial city. The seats were no more than two-thirds filled, but the halfhearted turnout of apathetic locals whose leaders simply bought a world championship event, is more than balanced by millions watching (or readying to watch later) on televisions and computer screens around the world. This was the final of the 100 meters at the 13th world championships of track and field, and that is Usain Bolt's time. The announcer spoke Bolt's name and the big man stepped forward like Bono or Gaga seizing the microphone. Bolt playfully fixed his hair and goatee, using the massive stadium screen like a bathroom mirror; and then pointed first to the opponent on his left (Walter Dix of the U.S.) and then on his right (Yohan Blake, Bolt's Jamaican teammate), each time shaking his head. Then he used both hands like he was chopping carrots with a cleaver, fingers outstretched to show his own lane, as to say, it's just me and the clock. Bolt does not just run footraces (although he does that much faster than any man in history), he performs a one-man show that lasts from several minutes before the gun until long after the finish. His work is not just watched, it is experienced. "People want to see him,'' Kim Collins, the 35-year-old age-defying veteran from St. Kitts and Nevis would say after winning a bronze medal in Sunday's race. "The show must go on.'' That show has made Bolt the only international celebrity in the sport and, perilously, the only real reason for anyone but card-carrying track nuts to watch it. ... Mills had been sitting nearby through all of it. "He's only human," said Mills, who is as old-school, seen-it-all as Bolt is cutting edge. Asked what time Bolt was ready to run, Mills asked what the wind had been, thought about it for a few seconds and then said, "I think he would have run in the sixties," meaning nine-point-sixty-something (which only two men in history -- Bolt and Gay -- have done, and nobody, ever, into a headwind). Bolt had started sensationally in each of his first two 100s here, and when he starts well, he's unbeatable by other humans. "They were good starts," said Mills, breaking in a laugh. "But they were at the wrong time." ... There are no perfect false start rules. On general principle, sprinters are supposed to be reacting to the gun, not anticipating it. The previous rule, with the first single false start charged to the entire field, allowed anyone to take a random flyer. Before that, two individual false starts meant disqualification, which led to interminable waits for races to actually begin (and fliers taken by everyone in the field, with no penalty). But in its effort to find a fair solution, the IAAF has gone much too far. Like when the when NCAA outlawed dunking to neutralize Alcindor/Kareem; how did that work out? Legislating game can be a dangerous thing. On the second page of its awkward post-race statement, the IAAF spokesmen wrote, "In extraordinary cases, the IAAF Council has the right to make interim changes to Technical Rules, pending official approval by IAAF Congress." If this means it can happen Monday, it should happen Monday. Bolt left the stadium by walking across the middle of the field in the center of the practice track. He is expected to run the 200 meters beginning Friday and also run on Jamaica's powerhouse 4X100-meter relay. Reporters and cameramen followed him to a waiting car. "Looking for tears?" Bolt said. "Not gonna happen." It's a lousy image. An angry Bolt, leaving a major championship without having run. No dancing. No fixing the hair. Just anger and frustration. It's the kind of image that could help bury a sport in its own stupidity." Full article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...bolt.worlds/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a6&eref=sihp Thought he would run 9.6x as well after the first round run ... possibly new WR with the right conditions (which obviously with the headwind was not the case, not sure what the temp. was)
2011 IAAF World Championships: Usain Bolt was sensationally disqualified . Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2011/8/29/sports/9389913&sec=sports Usain Bolt was sensationally disqualified from the world 100m final yesterday after a catastrophic false start, allowing fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake in to claim gold. Bolt, the defending champion, Olympic gold medallist and world record holder, rocked off his blocks in horrendous fashion and knew immediately he had made the biggest error possible in the world of sprinting. Under rules which state that athletes no longer have a second bite of the cherry in the event of one false start, the 24–year–old ripped off his singlet in disgust, and slowly retreated to the starting line, head in hands, to be steered off the track. With the packed stadium abuzz in disbelief, it took several minutes to calm down. Blake, a training partner of Bolt under coach Glen Mills, made the most of the clean restart to power through to win in 9.92 in a muted atmosphere. American Walter Dix, the Olympic bronze medallist, took silver (10.08) and 2003 world champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis claimed bronze in 10.09. “I can’t find words to explain it. Usain Bolt has been there for me. I feel like I want to cry,” said Blake. “I’ve been trained by one of the best coaches but I stayed cool and caught him (Collins). “I felt I would win the race for Bolt.” “It’s surreal,” said silver medallist Dix said of Bolt’s disqualification. “It’s great to put the US back to the medals stand but it was a terrible race for me. “It was a sloppy race. It was nerve-breaking. I didn’t really think they would kick him out (Bolt).” The omens had been good for Bolt, with three defending champions retaining their titles on the second day of competition. American Brittney Reese won the women’s long jump and team–mate Trey Hardee the decathlon, while Russian Valeriy Borchin claimed a second consecutive world 20km race walking title. There was also a first medal for China through Li Yanfeng in the women’s discus, but heartbreak for Ethiopian distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele. Bekele, bidding for a fifth consecutive 10,000m title, was forced to pull out of the event he has never been beaten in with a groin injury. That left the door open for British favourite Mo Farah, but Bekele’s team–mates had other plans. Ibrahim Jeilan produced an amazing home stretch sprint to trump the Somali–born Farah at the line of an enthralling race. Farah clung on until the final bend when Jeilan made his move, the two neck-and-neck before the Ethiopian sped away with a final burst of speed. Jeilan finished the 25–lap race in 27:13.81, just 0.26 ahead of a despondent Farah while Merga clocked 27:19.14. “I saw 100m to go and wanted to protect my lead,” said Farah. “I dug in but unfortunately, my legs had no more energy. – AFP .
2011 IAAF World Championships: Expected Highlights - Day 3 (29 August) . From Bob Ramsak for the IAAF http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//newslistdetail.aspx?id=61479 Men’s 110m Hurdles Cuban Dayron Robles, Lius Xiang of China and David Oliver of the U.S. are the three fastest high hurdlers in history, and this season’s three fastest. Robles is the World record holder and Olympic champion, Liu Xiang the man Robles supplanted as both. And Oliver the dominant hurdler last season and this year the only man – so far – to have dipped under the 13 seconds. Given those heavy superlatives, it’s no surprise that to many, tonight’s showdown has been dubbed THE event of the Championships. Throw in the rapidly improving American Jason Richardson, whose confidence is growing with each appearance, and you truly have the ingredients for an all-time classic. But first they’ll have to survive the semi-finals which kick off the evening session at 7 p.m. local time. Women’s 100m – Jeter vs Jamaica Yohan Blake struck gold in the men’s 100m last night; will the title of ‘World’s Fastest Woman’ remain Jamaican property as well? The Caribbean Island nation certainly comes well armed with reigning World and Olympic champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the twice Olympic 200m champion and World 100m winner in 2007. They’ll have to take down American Carmelita Jeter, this year’s fastest at 10.70, who’s very eager to improve on her two successive bronze medal finishes. Yesterday’s opening round revealed little that wasn’t already known about their current form; the semis at 19:30 will reveal a bit more. The final is set for 21:45. Women’s 400m - Richards-Ross vulnerable? Three athletes managed to retain their 2009 titles in yesterday’s six finals. Sanya Richards-Ross will hope to add her name to that list in tonight’s 400m final, but she faces an uphill task. Standing in her way is this year’s most consistent, Amantle Montsho of Botswana, who has looked most impressive in the heats and semis. Allyson Felix, who is chasing a 200/400 double, looked comfortable as well. Lavillenie ready to move up? In the men’s Pole Vault, high-flying Frenchmen Renaud Lavillenie and Romain Mesnil will be looking to move up a step or two from their finishes in Berlin two years ago. The favourite remains Lavillenie, the world leader at 5.90m, but remember this is an event where surprises have been sprung in the past! Adams gunning for title No. 3 Valerie Adams, one of only seven athletes to have won World titles as a Youth, Junior and Senior, will look to add to her legacy by becoming just the second three-time winner in the Shot Put. Her chief competition remains last year’s No. 1, Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus, who’ll be looking for a second title to add to the one she captured in 2005. This year’s been all about Adams, though, who arrives undefeated in 10 competitions this year. Heptathlon begins, focus on Ennis Yesterday, Trey Hardee of the U.S. was recrowned the men’s ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’. Today Jessica Ennis will begin her quest to retain her title in the Heptathlon. The 25-year-old is the current world leader with a 6790-point tally in Gotzis, Austria, in May and has put up some impressive marks in individual events this season. Can she put it all together and become only the fourth woman in history to break the event’s magical 7000-point barrier? Semis and Qualifying Attention in the semis of the men’s 400m now fall squarely on defending champion Lashawn Merritt, whose blistering 44.35 run yesterday was the fastest opening round run ever at a global championships. Was it a mis-judged fast run on his part? Or a sign of faster things to come? Meanwhile, competition gets under way with the qualifying rounds in the men’s and women’s 400m Hurdles, the men’s 3000m Steeplechase and men’s Discus Throw. .
Statement from Usain Bolt . Monday, August 29, 2011 Daegu, Korea - Following his disqualification from the men's 100m final last night, a race which was won by his countryman and training partner Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Olympic champion and World record holder for the 100m has this afternoon issued the following statement: “Firstly I would like to congratulate my team mate Yohan Blake and the other athletes who won the medals. Of course I am extremely disappointed not to have had the chance to defend my title due to the false start. I was feeling great through the rounds and was ready to run fast in the final. I worked very hard to get ready for this Championships and things were looking good. However I have to move on now as there is no point to dwell on the past. I have a few days to refocus and get ready for the 200m on Friday. After this I have the 4x100m and a few other races before the end of the season. I know that I am now in good shape and will focus on running well in the 200m. Thanks to all the people who sent me good wishes and I will try my best to make you proud in the 200m.” Usain Bolt (JAM) .
Botswana struck gold . http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//NewsEventReportsListDetail.aspx?id=61538 Monday, August 29, 2011 Daegu, Korea - Amantle Montsho responded to the stimulus of Allyson Felix both early and late in a thrilling women’s 400m to become Botswana’s first World Championships medallist and first World Championships gold medallist. Previously only Montsho had ever made a women’s final for her nation. She finished last in the Berlin 2009 400m. At the same championships, Gable Garenamotse became the only other top-eight for the African nation when he finished seventh in the Long Jump. In Daegu on Monday night, Botswana struck gold. Montsho, the dominant performer on the 2011 Samsung Diamond League circuit with five wins, sliced a quarter of a second off her previous best in running a national record 49.56. She needed pretty well every hundredth: Felix, who had been drawn one lane inside the Botswana athlete in lane three, quickly made up the stagger on the first bend. Montsho responded immediately, as if she had been expecting the American. Coming onto the final bend, Montsho went for another gear. Berlin 2009 silver medallist Shericka Williams had drawn lane seven, but Montsho and Felix clearly led on the stagger and the race for the gold medal was between them even before they straightened. By right, the final straight should have belonged to Montsho, who is more accustomed to the demands of the one-lap distance than Felix, the three-time World champion at 200m. Rhythm will carry you a long way in a 400m, however, and Felix has more rhythm than a symphony orchestra. Gradually she whittled down Montsho’s advantage until it looked like she must pass the Botswana. Again, just as in the first 100, Montsho answered the challenge. Straining every sinew, she held nerve and, more importantly, form to cross the line 0.03 to the good. The 28-year-old champion trains at the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Senegal. The silver medallist still has her chance to win her fourth gold medal in the 200m with the heats on Thursday. Her gamble of going for a 400-200 double has not paid off to the maximum, though her run in the final produced a silver medal and personal best. It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on her 200m defence. Defending champion Sanya Richards-Ross, who never looked a chance to retain her title until she ran 49.66 to win at the London SDL meeting on 5 August, found herself in lane one after being the slowest qualifier from the semi-final round. She never got into the race, finishing seventh in 51.32. Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, the Paris 2003 200m World champion, took the bronze medal in 50.24. She still has the fastest time in the world for the year of 49.35 in the Russian national championship. Francena McCorory of USA, who emerged as a medal threat after winning her semi-final, finished fourth in 50.45, Berlin 2009 bronze medallist Antonina Krivoshapka was fifth in 50.66 and Berlin silver medallist Shericka Williams seventh in 50.79. Len Johnson for the IAAF .
Koji Murofushi becomes oldest hammer World Champion . http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//NewsEventReportsListDetail.aspx?id=61535 Monday, August 29, 2011 Daegu, Korea - Koji Murofushi of Japan became the oldest winner of the World hammer title here at the age of 36 despite a massive last round effort from the man who was bumped out of the medals two years ago at the same stage, Krisztian Pars. Needing to beat the 2004 Olympic champion’s third round effort of 81.24m with what was the second last throw of the competition to take the gold, the Hungarian sent the hammer thudding into the turf just six centimetres short. Victory was Murofushi’s, with one throw for good measure. But if Pars’s coach was shaking his head ruefully in the stands, the 29-year-old from Kormend could afford to feel something other than frustration given what had happened to him in Berlin, when he had come to the event as strong favourite. Murofushi waited until he had sent his final effort out to 80.83, finishing with a flourish, before raising both hands above his head in triumph. The defending champion, Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia, took bronze with 79.39. All three medal-winning performances were season’s bests. The other man to gain a season’s best was Olli-Pekka Karjalainen of Finland, but his effort of 76.60 was not enough to make the cut of the eight who took three final throws. Murofushi, whose father Shigenobu preceded him as national record holder and competed into his 40s, began the final by trading hammer blows with his successor as Olympic champion. Kozmus took the early lead with what was a season’s best of 77.50, but his Japanese opponent, who had won the qualifying with what was a season’s best of 78.56, responded immediately with 79.22. The Slovenian regained the lead with a second round effort of 79.39, but once again the Japanese thrower raised him as he reached out to 81.03, and when he achieved his third round peak it seemed there would be no answer to him on the night. That was true – but only just, as Pars, after a below-par fifth round of 60.34, roused himself to one final effort of 81.18 that fell desperately close. Pavel Kryvitski of Belarus, who had achieved the second highest qualifying mark with 78.16, upped his game to 78.53 to take fifth place, one behind Markus Esser. The German, who had sailed through qualifying with an opening effort of 77.60, improved on that to 79.12, but his fifth round effort put him just short of the medal podium. Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF .
Li Yanfeng said you can win Gold without your accreditation card . http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//NewsGoldMedalsDetail.aspx?id=61471 Sunday, August 28, 2011 Daegu, Korea - You may be World champion, but you are still a nobody without your accreditation card as Li Yanfeng discovered when she came off the Daegu track after clinching discus gold with a second round throw of 66.52m. All athletes, officials and journalists have a photo card that hangs permanently around the neck to guarantee entry to facilities. Without it, everywhere is barred. High or low, you practically become a non-person without it. Li Yanfeng was making her way from group to group of excited Chinese journalists in the mixed zone, a huge smile of contentment on her face. She then swiftly disappeared into the changing rooms only to return just as quickly with a a panic-stricken look on her face to ask someone to get hold of her fellow finalist, Jian Tan. Somehow, Yanfeng’s accreditation had ended up in Tan’s bag as they went out into the stadium at the start of the competition and in her excitement Yanfeng had forgotten to retrieve it. There are worse things that can happen to an athlete. As she was panicking, behind her on a television monitor, Usain Bolt was kissing his gold medal chances goodbye by false starting. There was no such faltering for China’s first World champion in the Discus Throw. She took the lead in the first round, consolidated in the second and backed that up with four more clean throws between the 63m and 65-metre mark, the only medallist to have a clean card. Li Yanfeng credits German coach, Karl-Heinz Steinmetz, with her improvement. Steinmetz is a legendary coach who advised among many others, Lars Riedel, one of the greatest discus throwers of all time with his five World titles. “I am very happy to have a German coach,” she enthused. “He is one of the world’s most famous discus coaches.” When asked how they communicated, Li Yanfeng produced a stock holiday German phrase, but admitted they mostly communicated through an interpreter, and more importantly through the common language of sport. “We understand each other with gestures and by me looking at the expression on his face,” she said. But a coach is only one element in the jigsaw puzzle of success. She also credits foreign competition for helping her improve. This season she has competed four times outside China, mostly, it must be said, in Germany where in the month of June she established a personal best of 67.98m to top his year’s rankings and move straight into the favourite slot for the World title. The one exception to the German dates this summer was a third place in Rome’s Golden Gala where she was beaten by the minor medallists in Daegu, Germany’s Nadine Mueller (silver here) and Yarelis Barrios, the Cuban who had to settle for bronze in Korea. At 32, Li Yanfeng is getting long in the tooth for a discus thrower and was originally considering retirement after next year’s Olympics, “but now I am not so sure,” she says, happy to have won but equally clearly taken aback that she has triumphed on the world stage. “It was my dream to win gold at a major championships. At the beginning of my career, of course I dreamt of winning gold but it was not realistic. Then as my results improved, the dream suddenly became more realistic.” Her biggest successes to date were to be Asian Games champion last year as well as a ninth and seventh places in the Olympic Games of 2004 and 2008. Sandwiched between those two Olympics came serious injury to her hand in 2005 that might have ended her career: “I thought about giving up, but officials and my family urged me to continue and I decided to make a comeback after all the help I received. So I continued, but I must admit it was slow going and I did not do much training at all for some time.” After a gap of two years in her results between 2005 and 2007, she finished that latter year on 62.24m and the comeback was under way. Slowly but surely, she started to claw her way back and in 2009 she had improved her lifetime best to 66.40m, a distance she was to improve on this year. “I think it is an important lesson that age is no barrier,” she said. “How old you are is not so important.” Steinmetz seems to specialise in mature champions. Riedel was still winning world titles at the age of 34 and Joergen Schult, another Steinmetz protégé, was 39 when he led the field at the start of the final round in Seville 1999 before finally collecting silver. Li Yanfeng was born in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang. Bordering Russia and Mongolia, the area is famous for its ice festivals and there was an element of ice-cool temperament about the champion. Each of her throws was executed well, the shortest hitting the turf at 63.83m. But going into the lead so early can bring its own concerns. Was Li Yanfeng not afraid she might be overtaken? “Yes, I felt a little worried about the others because they were so good. So I could not let my attention wander at all, but maintained my concentration on the competition always,” she said. Michael Butcher for the IAAF .
Carmelita Jeter finally strikes gold . Yes...... Jeter finally strikes gold. http://daegu2011.iaaf.org//newslistdetail.aspx?id=61637 Monday, August 29, 2011 Patience and perseverance pay – Jeter finally strikes gold Daegu, Korea - Moments after crossing the finish line Carmelita Jeter stared at the Daegu Stadium scoreboard screen in disbelief. Having previously finished third in two consecutive World Championship 100m finals she had finally achieved the ultimate prize and as the news sunk in she was overwhelmed. The 31 year old from Gardena, California, kneeled on the track and cried tears of joy. The obligatory victory lap - complete with an American flag draped across her shoulders - followed while the crowd voiced their approval. In her wake she had left the pair of Jamaican sprinters Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce who led from the start and very nearly stole the race, and the hard charging veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown beaten. Fraser-Pryce would be edged out of the medals by Kelly-Anne Baptiste of Trinidad & Tobago. Indeed it was one of the more exciting dashes in some time. “I didn’t know I had it until the camera was on me because it was so close,” Jeter said “Then, when they put it on me, I said ‘oh, my gosh, I did it. I have been dreaming of this since 2009 when I got the bronze in Berlin.” After parading through an endless line of television interviews she made her way into the media mixed zone where she caught sight of her agent, Chris Layne, and the man whom she credits most with her success, coach John Smith. As she hugged and cried with Smith in plain view of a crush of reporters, Jason Richardson the hurdles gold medalist wrapped his arms around the pair. There were more tears. “You know I can’t even celebrate now because I have the 200m still,” she finally said. “That was my celebration just now when my coach and I were hugging and crying. John Smith is a great coach. “I am very proud of my training partner (Richardson). He came to practice with me every day. We would have these sessions where we would say 'What is John Smith doing? What are we doing? We don’t need to be doing this.’ Then we would come back again the next day. We both had our battles so I am so proud of him. Our chemistry and hard work paid off.” Jeter has a reputation for being extremely disciplined allowing nothing to detract from her athletic pursuits. “She goes to bed at 8 o’clock and gets up at 6 am.,” says Layne. “Put it this way, she doesn’t goof off during the season like so many others do. She eats, sleeps, breathes this job. She looks at this as her job.” Layne claims that if she has outside interests he doesn’t know about them claiming she has no time for anything but being a professional athlete. Even so, there were the usual nervous jitters as she warmed up for the final. The fact she is the second fastest woman of all time thanks to a 10.64 personal best recorded in Shanghai two years ago never entered her mind. The task at hand was to tackle the Caribbean force that has dominated major championships the past three years. That’s where John Smith was so influential. “You know, I have a great coach,” she declares with a broad smile. “He stopped me before I went in the call room and he gave me a speech. And I knew when he gave me that speech I knew I was ready. It was a different night, he basically just said I have been working too hard to throw it away and I am a warrior and have got to go out there and fight for it because nobody is going to give it to me.” Jeter attended The University at California State Dominguez from 2003 - 2007 before joining up with Smith. Articulate and wise, she is careful about spending the money she earns, according to her agent. She owns her own home in Los Angeles. Though she enjoys the occasional shopping trip she restricts herself to post season excursions. And it is clear when talking with her she is respectful of the support she has received from family, friends and coaches. “I was running for everybody,” she declares. “I have so many people who have so much support for me, so much love for me. I didn’t want to let them down. So many people who put in the work with me. Coach Karon (Conwright) who is at the gym at 7:30 in the morning with us, John Smith who will change his day if you want to go earlier, or will change anything to make sure you can get those workouts in. “We have a relationship that just doesn’t stop on the track. When we get off the track it’s birthdays, it’s Christmas, it’s Thanksgiving. We’re a family. That’s what makes it so good. We don't stop talking. I probably talk to that man (Smith) more than anybody. I talk to him on the phone at night, in the morning, it doesn’t matter. We have a great relationship, a great chemistry.” The victory celebration may be on hold but, if she comes out as focused in the 200m as she was for the short dash, there may well be more for this family to celebrate come the weekend. Jeter can’t wait. Paul Gains for the IAAF .
2011 IAAF World Championships: Day 4 (30-Aug) . Day 4 (30-Aug) 5 Finals are scheduled today; 1. Pole Vault - Womens 2. Discus Throw - Mens 3. 800 Metres - Mens 4. 3000 Metres Steeplechase - Womens 5. 400 Metres - Mens http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsByDate.aspx?racedate=08-30-2011 .
2011 IAAF World Championships: 14 Gold medals won after Day 3 . After Day 3, 10 countries have scored 14 Gold medals; 1 UNITED STATES (USA)....4 2 KENYA (KEN)................2 3 RUSSIA (RUS)...............1 4 JAMAICA (JAM)..............1 5 PR OF CHINA (CHN).......1 6 ETHIOPIA (ETH)............1 7 BOTSWANA (BOT).........1 8 JAPAN (JPN).................1 9 NEW ZEALAND (NZL).....1 10 POLAND (POL)............1 http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsMedalTable.aspx .
2011 IAAF World Championships: 20 Gold medals won by 13 countries after Day 4 . 20 Gold medals won by 13 countries after Day 4; 1 UNITED STATES (USA)....4 2 KENYA (KEN)................3 3 RUSSIA (RUS)...............3 4 GERMANY (GER)............1 5 JAMAICA (JAM)..............1 6 PR OF CHINA (CHN).......1 7 ETHIOPIA (ETH)............1 8 BOTSWANA (BOT).........1 9 BRAZIL (BRA)...............1 10 GRENADA (GRN)..........1 11 JAPAN (JPN)................1 12 NEW ZEALAND (NZL)....1 13 POLAND (POL).............1 http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/ResultsMedalTable.aspx .
