Gay, Clement, Thomas, Tikhon, Lededeva plus Powell and Richards in Yokohama – PREVIEW

Yokhama, Japan - The 2007 Super-Meet will be held tomorrow, Sunday 30 September, and five Osaka World Championship gold medallists expected to compete in Yokhama’s annual meeting: Tyson Gay (USA) at 100m and 200m, Kerron Clement (USA) at 400m Hurdles,

Donald Thomas (BAH) at High Jump, Ivan Tikhon (BLR) at Hammer Throw, and Tatyana
The biggest names in the upcoming super-meet are three sprint aces, Jamaica’s Asfa Powell, the World 100m record holder, USA’s Tyson Gay, the triple World sprint champion, and Sanya Richards, who snared a half share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot recently.

Gay to dash 100, Powell at 200, Richards over 400

At 100m, Gay will face the Netherlands Antilles’ Churandy Martina, fifth in the World Championships at both 100m and 200m, USA’s J.J. Johnson (who will also race the 200m) and Japan’s Nobuharu Asahara. Over 200m, Powell will take-on Canada’s Tyler Christopher, sixth at 400m in the World Championships, and Japan’s Shinji Takahira.
Sanya Richards, the 2006 World Athlete of the Year, was fifth at the 200m in Osaka, but will be running 400m, the distance at which she is the season’s world leader. Richards anchored home the gold medal winning US 4x400m relay team in Osaka, and will be facing Christine Amertil, who was seventh in the 2004 Olympic Games. The best Japanese in the women’s one lap are Asami Tanno, national 400m record holder and Satomi Kubokura, national 400mH record holder.

NIKON latest Official Partner for IAAF World Championships in Osaka

Monte-Carlo - The IAAF is happy to announce that NIKON CORPORATION will become the latest top-level Official IAAF Partner for the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, to be held in Osaka, Japan from 25 August to 2 September 2007.
Nikon, an iconic international brand in photography, now has exclusive rights for the product category of cameras, digital cameras and selected optical equipment.

As the Official Partner of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Nikon will receive prominent global exposure to over 190 countries worldwide.
With the addition of Nikon to the group of top partners, the number of IAAF Official Partners for Osaka 2007, now stands at 8 major international corporations.
"I am delighted to welcome Nikon to our Family,” said IAAF President Lamine Diack. “With its long history and decisive contribution to the development of photography over many decades, Nikon is a prestigious worldwide brand committed to excellence, and we believe that the IAAF and Nikon have many ideals and goals in common.”

Brown’s breezy 9.88 dash at Trinidad & Tobago Champs

Sunday 24 June 2007

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - Darrel Brown sizzled down the 100m straight at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, on Saturday (23).

The 22-year-old sprint star scorched the Mondo track in a wind-assisted 9.88 seconds to strike gold in the Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championship men’s 100 metres.

World Junior champion Rhonda Watkins, 19, took her third national women’s Long Jump title.

Another 9.8? - “I have to. Tyson (Gay) is running” in Osaka

With a 3.0 metres per second wind at his back, Darrel Brown bolted to victory in the 100m, ahead of Richard Thompson, the silver medallist in 9.95, and 19-year-old Keston Bledman (10.05). Marc Burns was fourth in 10.06, one spot ahead of dethroned champion Jacey Harper (10.15).

Thompson, who clocked a personal best 10.09 in winning his semi-final heat, got out well in the final. Brown’s mid-race surge, though, was a bit too much for the Louisiana State University (LSU) sprinter to handle, the 2001 champion reclaiming his national sprint crown with a silky smooth dash.

“I’m satisfied,” Jamaica-based Brown said shortly after his breathtaking bolt, “because last week in Oslo I felt my left hamstring tighten up on me. Coach told me to come down here and just do enough to win but I had to go down a little more…Richard was some stiff competition.”

When the clockings were announced over the public address system, Thompson excitedly acknowledged the cheers of his supporters.

Brown was very impressed with the challenge offered by Thompson.

“I was told to hold back a bit. I held back but when I glanced and saw Richard a little way in front I had to get up in gear a little more.”

Like Thompson, Bledman produced a new PB (personal best) in the semi-final round, the junior sprinter finishing second to Thompson in heat one in 10.14 seconds.

Brown is planning to compete at a few meets in Europe, ahead of next month’s Pan Am Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 2003 World Championship silver medallist is hoping his European stint will produce another 9.8 run, but without an illegal following wind. “I have to. Tyson (Gay) is running.”

Bolt counters US 200m fireworks with 19.75 PB of his own – Jamaican Champs, Final Day

Kingston, Jamaica - World Junior record holder Usain Bolt has signalled his intention to challenge American Tyson Gay and others for the World 200m title in Osaka this summer with an impressive 19.75 run at the Jamaican National Championships on Sunday (24). Bolt's run makes him the 9th equal fastest runner of all-time which ties him with USA’s Carl Lewis (1983) and Joe DeLoach (1988).
National record


The 19.75 time is also a Jamaican record, beating the previous best of 19.86 held by 1976 Olympic Games 200m gold medallist Donald Quarrie since 1971.
The 20-year-old Bolt, who won his semi-final heat in 20.50, had promised the Jamaican record with good weather in the final, and held up to that pledge in a near perfect 0.2m/s wind.
He also said, watching Gay's blistering 19.63 seconds win at the USA Championships, the second fastest time in history, motivated him to run fast.

“I saw the race (on TV), and he was very impressive and that helped motivated me to run fast,” said Bolt, who defeated Chris Williams (20.24) and Clement Campbell (20.29).
Bolt also promised “I am getting there, I am still working hard towards that (beating Gay),” he added.

“It's a great feeling to break the record. I told Donald Quarrie the last time I saw him in Lausanne that I was going to break the record this season,” added the excited Bolt.
Bolt, who set the World junior record of 19.93 at the Carifta Games in 2004, said hard work this season was what paid off for him. “I guess the hard work pays off, because I have been working hard all season,” he added.
"Not surprised"

Quarrie, who went to congratulate Bolt on a very good run, said “I was not surprised” he broke the record.
“He ran very, very well, he ran relaxed, I think what helped a lot he was confident, know one in the race could beat him,” added Quarrie.
“What I am hoping is for him to take the same mentality with a relax attitude when he run against a guy like Tyson Gay,” said Quarrie.

Gay runs 19.62, the second fastest 200m in history – USA Champs,

Indianapolis, USA - Tyson Gay completed the sprint double on the fourth and final day of senior action at the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday (24) by running the 200m in the second-fastest time in history.
The championships were the national trials for the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan (25 Aug to 2 Sep 2007).


If you had any doubts about Tyson Gay, forget them. Today in the USATF men’s 200 metres, Gay ran a turn for the ages and strode home to win by nearly three metres in 19.62 seconds.
Gay’s teammate, Wallace Spearmon, was second in 19.89, and Rodney Martin was third in 20.18 and World and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner fourth in 20.35.
Spearmon, who last year had run 19.65, was in lane 5, just inside Gay. With Walter Dix and Xavier Carter not in the race, Spearmon was his only real opposition, and his strategy was simple: “to get away from Wallace Spearmon as fast as I could.”

Happiness and sadness for Powell camp

There was joy and agony for the MVP training group, as while World 100m record holder Asafa Powell powered somewhat stiffly to a 9.94 (+0.9m/s wind) win in the men’s 100m, his training companion Sherone Simpson, who was the fastest female 100/200m sprinter last summer, finished dead last in visible pain in the women’s dash. After being withdrawn from last weekend’s Eugene meeting the rumours had been that Simpson was carrying a quad injury, but after tonight’s disappointment her management confirmed that her right hip flexor has been troubling her for a couple of weeks and this accounted for her easing up at 60 metres.