Monday 24 June 2013

Summer Lovin'

The most exciting part of the athletics calendar is undoubtedly the summer season and I've been lucky enough to have many thrilling events penned into my diary, ensuring a very busy and fun few months on the circuit -

Following my first working stints at the Olympics (reporting for LOCOG), European Indoors (flash-quote manager for the organisers) and World XC Champs (reporting for the IAAF) between last summer and the spring, it's a privilege to continue combining my passions for both the sport and journalism at a catalogue of events further into 2013 of which include:

- The Bupa Great Manchester CityGames and Run back in May,

- The Oslo Diamond League, the European Team Championships and the Birmingham Grand
Prix/Diamond League in June,

- The World Youth Championships and the London Anniversary Games in July.

Despite not seeing my family and friends as much as I'd like during the summer months, each year is always guaranteed to provide many happy memories and some opportunities that I'm honoured to receive, which I'm very grateful for and proud of.

In light of this hectic calendar, however, I must get cracking on booking a holiday for late-August/September...!

Happy reading x

Monday 17 June 2013

Lake in Full Flow Towards Donetsk Glory Bid


WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF

Talented British female multi-eventers are used to dealing with expectation in light of their recent conveyor belt of champions. From Sydney 2000 Olympic champion Denise Lewis through to her successor, London 2012 Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis and junior national record-holder Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the heptathlon has delivered a plethora of global stars and this summer, Morgan
Lake looks set to join their esteemed stable of champions.

The 16-year-old from Surrey, England registered a world youth-leading 5725 score en route to claiming the English junior title in Bedford earlier this month, adding over 200 points to her lifetime best to leap into the runner-up spot on the UK under18 all-time list behind Johnson-Thompson.

The latter’s 5750 mark was set during her 2009 World Youth Championship victory and Lake – fresh from an impressive 1.85m high jump best and national junior title last weekend – intends to replicate such a feat in taking the global crown at this year’s event in Donetsk, Ukraine next month:

“I was very happy with my overall score as it gives me a lot of confidence going into Donetsk next month,” she revealed.

“I exceeded my lifetime bests with 14.70m for the shot and 39.56m for the javelin and in the high jump, I was only one centimetre off my personal best at the time - but I also didn’t reach my goals in the hurdles and long jump so there were many mixed emotions during the competition.”

Having accumulated over twenty national titles and five age-group records in just five short years in the combined events, Lake is ready to step up on her global debut three weeks from now:

“My main aim is to become world youth champion and I would like to get a point score of around 5800-plus, which at the moment seems quite possible as long as all my events go reasonably well over the two days,” she explained.

“I am very excited to be competing in my first global championships and am looking forward to meeting other athletes and seeing how they prepare for competitions.”

Increased Training

Guided by her father Eldon, a former British junior international triple jumper, Lake claimed her first national title at the tender age of 11 – winning the 2009 English indoor under15 long jump against girls up to four years her elder.

A former national-standard swimmer, she went onto break records as an under13 – with a 3046 pentathlon later that same year - and has since gone on to eclipse the best under15 and 17 marks.

Training at Thames Valley Athletic Centre in Eton, Lake has just finished her GCSE exams at Wellington College in Berkshire where she lives and studies six days each week and is now relishing her free summer in order to focus on her athletics:

“Juggling exams and athletics has definitely been a struggle this year but I am hoping to get A*, A or B grades and I will be continuing my education in the sixth form in the autumn,” she revealed.

“My training over the last few months has been going as well as could be expected due to the limited
amount of time I have been able to dedicate to training – I was training about three times a week but now my exams are over, this has increased to four or five times.”

A member of Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow AC, Lake is convinced that further improvements are imminent:

“This year, in the high jump and long jump my aims are 1.86m and 6.30m, and for the 800m, I am hoping to run in the low 2:20 range once I get some more specific 800m training done – the 800m is a big point scorer in the heptathlon and can be the difference between the colour of a medal,” she
divulged.

“The javelin was quite a struggle for me last year but over the winter, I have made a lot of technical changes and believe it is possible to get over 40m this year which would be a great step forward.”

‘Inspirational’

Rewind back to London last August when Ennis was scorching to Olympic victory and the then 19-year-old Johnson-Thompson was finishing a promising 15th, Lake was swiftly following in their footsteps in bettering the latter’s British under17 record that very same day.

Amassing 5169 points in the English under17 combined events Championships in Stoke, she eclipsed the record by 23 points on her heptathlon debut – her performance evidently inspired by the exploits of her illustrious counterparts further south in the capital:

“On the first day of the Olympic heptathlon, I would go into the stand in between events and watch the coverage either on my phone or in the clubhouse,” she explained.

“Their performances were very inspirational and it was great to see the whole country behind them. It definitely motivated me to break Katarina’s record - I realised afterwards that Jess, Katarina and I all set our relevant age group records that day.”

Indeed, 2012 was a good year all round for Lake as she took English and national schools victories in both the high and long jump and received her first two call-ups for national honours:

“2012 was a good year for me especially for the long and high jump with 6.19m and 1.80m marks, as these were the main events I was focussing on and breaking Katarina’s record last year was definitely one of my highlights as I was definitely not expecting to break it,” she recalled.

Off the back of her breakthrough campaign, 2013 started well with the national indoor under17 high and long jump gold medals, as well as a useful 3965 pentathlon and silver in the British senior high jump final.

Midway through an encouraging summer season, she is now keen to consolidate her recent fitness with gold in Donetsk next month and the ambitious teenager already has her eye on qualifying for her next major championship:

“Next year, my goal is to either go to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow or the World Junior Championships in Eugene, USA,” revealed Lake.

“Longer‐term, I would definitely love to go to my first Olympics in Rio in 2016 - I will be 19, the same age as Katarina was in London and the opportunity to go to the World Championships at the London Olympic Stadium in 2017 is definitely a target and motivator for me.”

And with her form flowing swiftly towards her first global medal, Lake certainly appears on track to maintain the tradition of internationally-successful British heptathlon queens for many years to come.

Thursday 13 June 2013

World Leads for Bolt and Defar the Highlights in Oslo’s Bislett Stadium


WRITTEN FOR THE DIAMOND LEAGUE WEBSITE -

The ExxonMobil Bislett Games on Thursday evening enjoyed two world leads as the sixth stage of the 2013 IAAF Diamond League arrived in Oslo for the prestigious athletic event.

In cool, dry conditions, the Norwegian capital played host to a plethora of world-class athletes inside the Bislett Stadium - with Usain Bolt’s 200m and Meseret Defar’s 5,000m stunning victories providing the highlights. 

Six-time Olympic and world champion, Usain Bolt lived up to his billing as the event’s star attraction is scorching to an impressive 19.79 world lead and meeting record in winning the 200m to close the event in thrilling style.

The Jamaican sprint superstar’s headline performance will have pleased both himself and the organisers, following concerns from his shock defeat in Rome last week and having tonight eclipsed Nambia’s Frankie Fredericks’ stadium best dating back to 1996.

26-year-old Bolt spoke of his seasonal debut over the half-lap distance afterwards:

“Very chilly today but I ran as fast I could and as I promised. It was good so I can’t complain.

“Now back to Jamaica to prepare for the World’s (Championships, in Moscow in August). Definitely my goals are remaining the same, to be the best in the world and win three gold medals in Moscow.

“I’m never worried, never focus on somebody else. And my dream is also to break 19-seconds in the 200m.”

In second place, local star and European 100m bronze medallist, Jaysuma Saidy Ndure clocked a 20.36 season’s best.

In her specialist event, Olympic 5,000m champion Meseret Defar stormed ahead in the final 250m to an emphatic 14.26.90 victory and world-lead over twelve and a half laps.

The 29-year-old Ethiopian turned the tables on her fellow countrywoman, Genzebe Dibaba who beat her in Shanghai last month as the 22-year-old relinquished in third place behind Kenya’s Viola Jelagat-Kibiwot in a 14:37.68 season’s best to the latter’s 14:33.48 lifetime best.

Improving her season’s best by 21-seconds and the world leading mark by 15-seconds, Defar exclaimed:

“I felt very comfortable through the race - I knew I was in shape. Before Shanghai I was sick and was nearly cancelling the race, here I was ok.

“I think I’m even in world record shape but was not confident enough to try it. This year, the main goal is the 5,000m but I think I will have a surprise for my fans, you will see in due time.”

For Jelagat-Kibiwot meanwhile, the performance was her first inside in the top-two positions, following two fourth-place finishes in Doha (over 1,500m) and in Shanghai.

Zuzana Hejenova continued her excellent run of form during her breakthrough season, storming to an impressive 53.60 season’s best in the 400m hurdles to take her third-successive Diamond League victory.

The 26-year-old Czech added to her wins in both Shanghai and Eugene and thus extends her lead in the Diamond League standings.

Hejenova revealed:

“This is the toughest of victories this year - of course it’s a good feeling to win all of the races so far.

“It was the first race in which I had somebody ahead of me when entering the home straight. In these conditions, to run a season’s best is very special.”

Behind the Olympic bronze medallist, Britain’s European indoor 400m champion Perri Shakes-Drayton clocked a 54.03 season’s best for second place.

In the shortest event of the evening, Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova overcame a troubled journey to Norway in speeding to a surprise and narrow 100m victory over world indoor 60m silver medallist, Murielle Ahoure with 11.04 to the Ivory Coast sprinter’s 11.05.

The 29-year-old European outdoor champion explained:

“My goal was to win this race and to protect my territory but before the race, everything went wrong.

“Because of my flight cancellation, I arrived in the hotel only at 1:30am then I lost my measuring tape so I could not prepare my starting blocks as I wanted – but sometimes everything is wrong at the beginning and great at the end.”

Russia’s Olympic bronze medallist, Svetlana Shkolina caused a surprise in beating Olympic and world champion, Anna Chicherova into third in the high jump.

After sharing the victory with her compatriot in Rome last week, Shkolina leapt 1.97m to push European outdoor bronze medallist, Emma Green-Tregaro of Sweden (1.95m) into second place.

The winner said afterwards:

“I was confident today and opened at 1.90m but could not get my best rhythm due to the cold weather. But this was a good win for me and now I must qualify for the World Championships.”

The winner here in 2006 and each year between 2008 and 2010, Chicherova left the competition at 1.95m – a full seven centimetres below her season’s best in third position, whilst two-time world champion, Blanca Vlasic will be disappointed with 1.85m and fifth place as she continues her return from a long-term Achilles injury.

In the pole vault, Germany’s Silke Spielgelburg enjoyed a tight battle with Greece’s Nikoleta Kryiakopoulou, with the 27-year-old 2010 European runner-up taking victory with a 4.65m season’s best to Kryiakopoulou’s 4.60m season’s best in her first competition outside of her home nation this summer.

Spielgelburg explained:

“I was not competing in the last eight months due to my studies, I’m coming back step by step and this is an important win at a big event and I should go higher and higher.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s world champion, Fabiana Murer endured an off-day in failing to progress at her opening 4.50m height.

Saudi Arabia’s Youssef Ahmed-Masrahi went one better than in the Rome Diamond League a week ago in taking the plaudits in the 400m, with a 45.33 clocking and captured his nation’s first ever victory in a Diamond League running event in the process.

The 25-year-old finished clear of runner-up and Olympic 4x400m gold medallist, Ramon Miller of the Bahamas, who registered a 45.58 season’s best.

In the women’s two-lap event, Russia’s Olympic bronze medallist, Yekaterina Poistogova sped to a 1:59.39 season’s best, winning ahead of European indoor champion, Nataliya Lupu of the Ukraine (1:59.59).

Kenya’s two-time Olympic and world 3,000m steeplechase champion, Ezekiel Kemboi again suffered defeat to the man who caused his disqualification in Eugene - world junior champion, Conseslus Kipruto.

The 18-year-old registered 8:04.48 to Kemboi’s 8:07.00 as he strode ahead for his third-successive Diamond League victory.

In the triple jump, Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen continued made it three out of three victories on the Diamond League circuit over her Ukrainian rival Olha Saladukha, leaping a best of 14.81m to Saladukha’s 14.56m.

The 29-year-old Olympic runner-up of course leads the Diamond League race after additional wins in Shanghai and Eugene, and was only 4cm adrift off the season’s world-lead held by her contemporary.

European champion Vitezslav Vesely took his second Diamond League victory after Doha in May in claiming the javelin with a 85.96m throw.

The 27-year-old Czech finished over a metre clear of his nearest challenger, Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki – the 2007 world champion registered a best of 84.74m.

Local star Andreas Thorkildsen finished in sixth place with a lacklustre 80.99m effort, whilst Olympic champion also had a tough day at the office, finishing tenth and last with 77.03m.

In the long jump, Britain’s 24-year-old Shara Proctor followed up her second-place finish in New York and third in Rome by taking victory with a 6.89m leap from France’s European champion, Eloyse Lesueur (6.68m).

Further adrift with a 6.65m best effort for third place, was Russia’s Olympic silver Yelena Sokolova.
Estonia’s 2008 Olympic champion, Gerd Kanter caused a surprise in taking top points in the discus with a 65.53m best effort ahead of Olympic runner-up Ehsan Hadadi of Iran (64.63m).

The 34-year-old additionally took the impressive scalp of current world-leader, Piotr Malachowski with the Polish athlete dramatically failing to register a valid throw in his three attempts.

Germany’s European indoor champion Christina Schwanitz took the shot put honours by almost two-metres with a 20.10m throw, over her countrywoman and continental outdoor champion, Nadine Kleinert (18.17m).

Britain’s world indoor silver medallist, Tiffany Porter claimed an easy victory in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.76 to Belgium’s Sara Aerts (12.95).

Finally, Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman improved from fourth place in Eugene to first in the Dream Mile, clocking 3:50.53 ahead of Kenya’s Nixon Kiplimo-Chepseba who registered a 3:50.95 lifetime best.

IAAF Diamond League Arrives at Bislett Stadium – Event Preview


WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE WEBSITE

The ExxonMobil Bislett Games will take place on Thursday evening as the sixth stage of the 2013 IAAF Diamond League comes to the Oslo for the prestigious athletic event.

The Norwegian capital will welcome a host of world-class athletes to the Bislett Stadium and the star attraction is undoubtedly sprint superstar Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

The 26-year-old six-time Olympic and World champion is due to headline the meeting in contesting the 200m in the final event of the night, the same discipline he won back in 2011 with a time of 19.86.

Having won the 100m in a 9.79 meeting record here last year, Bolt will be making his seasonal debut over the half-lap distance and will be aiming to beat the 19.82 stadium record set by Nambia’s Frankie Fredericks in 1996.

His toughest competitor, meanwhile, is likely to be Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, the European 100m bronze medallist.

Another competition sure to excite the crowds will be the women’s high jump, with Olympic and World champion Anna Chicherova taking on two-time World champion Blanca Vlasic.

Russian Chicherova, currently leads the world rankings by three centimetres with an impressive 2.02m clearance and comes into this competition fresh from victory in the Rome Diamond League
last week.

The winner here in 2006 and each year between 2008 and 2010 – Chicherova, 30, will have Vlasic to contend with, following her recent return to action after a long spell with an Achilles injury.

The 29-year-old Croatian took the honours at the New York Diamond League last month and currently leads the Diamond League standings so should put up a strong fight despite her modest 1.95m season’s best.

In the women’s 5,000m, Olympic 5,000m champion Meseret Defar will face her Ethiopian countrywoman Genzebe Dibaba as the latter hopes to replicate her victory from the Shanghai leg of the series over her 29-year-old rival.

The 22-year-old Dibaba currently leads the Diamond League standings and will be looking for more success in her transitional year up from the 1,500m event ahead of the World Championships in Moscow this August. 

Francine Niyonsaba looks a class apart in the 800m field, following her world-leading 1:56.72 victory in Eugene. The 20-year-old Burundi athlete leads the Diamond League standings and looks to be improving in both confidence and technique.

Determined to make amends for his disqualification in Eugene, Kenya’s two-time Olympic and world champion, Ezekiel Kemboi will start as the favourite to take the 3,000m steeplechase honours.

In the shortest event of the evening, Murielle Ahoure is the one to watch in the women’s 100m. The 25-year-old Ivory Coast sprinter won the 200m in Rome last week and the world indoor 60m silver medallist is in fine form.

One of the surprise stories of the season so far is 400m hurdler, Zuzana Hejenova. The 26-year-old Czech won in both Shanghai and Eugene and now the Olympic bronze medallist finds herself leading the Diamond League standings in what has been a breakthrough season.

Tero Pitkamaki threw a world-leading 87.60m in Shanghai and leads the Diamond League standings, but the 30-year-old 2007 world champion will face local hope Andreas Thorkildsen and Trinidad’s Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott in the javelin.

Two-time Olympic champion, Thorkildsen will be hoping the home-crowd support can lift him to an unexpected victory here.

In the 400m, 19-year-old Olympic runner-up Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic starts as the favourite, as does Ukrainian Olha Saladukha in the women’s triple jump.

The 30-year-old 2011 world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist is the current world-leader and will be hoping to go one better after two second-place finishes in Shanghai and Eugene.

Still on the in-field, Britain’s Shara Proctor could be the one to beat in the long jump, following the 24-year-old world indoor bronze medallist’s second place in New York and third in Rome, whilst
Brazilian world champion pole-vaulter, Fabiana Murer should take victory after earning the runner-up spot in New York.

Britain’s world indoor silver medallist, Tiffany Porter will be looking for the win in the 100m hurdles, as Kenya’s Bethwell Birgen starts as the favourite in the esteemed Dream Mile.   

Finally, in the men’s discus, Poland’s Piotr Malachowski will hope to impress following his world-leading 71.84m throw last weekend. The 30-year-old 2008 Olympic silver medallist also leads the Diamond League standings, whilst Germany’s European indoor champion Christina Schwanitz will be hoping to take the honours in the shot put following her win in Shanghai.

Oslo’s Strawberry Party Welcomes Bolt, Chicherova and Co.


WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE WEBSITE

The traditional curtain-raiser for the ExxonMobil Bislett Games welcomed athletes and esteemed guests to the Russian Embassy in Oslo this evening, as the annual strawberry party hosted the official press conferences ahead of the prestigious athletic event on Thursday.

In the sixth leg of the 2013 IAAF Diamond League, the Norwegian capital will welcome a host of world-class athletes to the Bislett Stadium and the star attraction is undoubtedly sprint superstar Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

The 26-year-old six-time Olympic and World champion and is due to headline the meeting in contesting the 200m in the final event of the night, the same discipline he won back in 2011 with
19.86.

“I’m feeling pretty good, I think I’m in shape to run under 20-seconds - It’s all about the execution,” the 100m, 200m and 4x100m world record-holder explained.

“My season started off good then I picked up a hamstring problem but now it’s all about pushing myself in races to run myself into shape.”

Having won the 100m in a 9.79 meeting record here last year, Bolt will be making his seasonal debut over the half-lap distance and will be aiming to beat the 19.82 stadium record set by Nambia’s Frankie Fredericks in 1996.

“I’m really happy with how I’m feeling, I just need more races under my belt.”

Responding to whether he feels his nearest challenger in Oslo, Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure could beat him this week, Bolt continued:

“Anything’s possible in life, I never say I’m a clear winner but I’m always positive so hopefully he won’t beat me and hopefully it won’t be cold!”

Meanwhile, European 100m bronze-medallist, Ndure will be looking to significantly improve upon his 20.51 season’s best as the 28-year-old revealed:

“This is home for me so I have to at least try to run as fast as I can – this is like the World Champs for me. I hope to get at least 19.9, I will be happy with that. He (Bolt) is fast but I’ll try to beat him.”

Another competition sure to excite the crowds will be the women’s high jump, with Olympic and World champion Anna Chicherova taking on two-time World champion Blanca Vlasic.

Russian Chicherova currently leads the world rankings by three centimetres with an impressive 2.02m clearance and comes into this competition fresh from victory in the Rome Diamond League last week.

Vlasic meanwhile, has recently returned to action after a long spell with an Achilles injury but the 29-year-old Croatian took the honours at the New York Diamond League last month so should put up a strong fight despite her modest 1.95m season’s best.

The winner here in 2006 and each year between 2008 and 2010 – Chicherova explained:

“This is a good opportunity to be with the stars and Moscow (for August’s World Championships) is a good reason to be inspired to be your best.

“I hope to get a good height but Rome took some strength and the weather may be a surprise but I will do what I am able.”

The 30-year-old brushed off suggestions that age may soon become a barrier to her career, revealing:

“If you have the motivation and strength you can jump, why not? Becoming a mother has given me more colours, more emotions – that’s why everything was perfect after the birth.”

Returning to the Bislett Stadium for the first time in six years, she continued:

“It’s a nice atmosphere here, Oslo is a place I jump with pleasure and I will use this as preparation to fight ahead of the World champs.”

Vlasic in turn offered her opinion of her current form and expectations:

“This is still my comeback period so I’m still getting very emotional before every competition but now it is coming back and I’m very excited and motivated like it’s the beginning of my career again.

“After nine months off from jumping and only being back in spikes since February, I need to get used to jumping big heights again. 

The local interest will be with Norway’s Tonje Angelsen, as the 23-year-old European outdoor silver medallist aims to improve on her seventh place from 2012:

“I’ve always looked up to them (Chicherova and Vlasic) and I want to jump two-metres as many times as they have.

“I hope to go 1.90m plus and just have fun and enjoy it of course. I had an injury and so I’m not
100% so we’ll see.”