Volume 7, No. 46 August 13, 2008 — Final Pre-Olympic Status Updates — ON THE EVE of Olympic track, the lat- •Australian 50K walker Nathan Deakes heart problems. est in the aches, pains and eligibility depart- hamstring. •France’s Marc Raquil (400) injured in ments (some of this material appeared in the •Germany’s Franka Dietzsch (DT) foot, motorcycle crash. September edition of T&FN, which you may high blood pressure. •Aussie Jana Rawlinson (400H) toe. not have seen): •Canada’s Perdita Felicien (100H) left •Qatar’s Saïf Shaheen (steeple) Achilles, foot stress fracture. knee. The blockbuster news came with the dop- •Germany’s Jan Fitschen (10,000) Achil- •Greek sprinter Ekateríni Thánou was ing DQs of seven Russian women stars, in- les. banned from Beijing by the IOC over her Beijing’s Bird’s Nest at night cluding five Olympians, plus two walkers and •China’s Xiaoxiao Huang (400H) Achil- role in the doping scandal at the ’04 Games. a steepler on the men’s side (see p. 284). les. She was suspended for two years after missing •France’s Adrianna Lamalle (100H) right three tests, then fabricating an excuse why Out of the Games: knee ligament injury. she missed another on the eve of Athens. •France’s Eunice Barber (LJ) didn’t qual- •Germany’s Irina Mikitenko (marathon) ify. back. •Britain’s Tim Benjamin (400) chronic •Sweden’s Christian Olsson (TJ) thigh © 2008 Track & Field News. sinusitis. muscle pull. The Athens winner has hinted at All rights reserved. •Holland’s Rens Blom (PV) and Bram retirement. He did carry the Swedish flag in This newsletter may not be reprinted Som (800) neither met national qualifying the Opening Ceremonies, though. or retransmitted in any form marks. •Germany’s Eike Onnen (HJ) foot. without express written permission. •Czech Nikola Brejchová (JT) back. •Russia’s Yuliya Pechonkina (400H) www.trackandfieldnews.com -283- August 13, 2008 •Senegal’s Amy Mbacke Thiam (400) not double. in shape. •China’s Huina Xing (10,000 defender) And Tyson Gay pro- A Rash Of Russian thigh injury, lack of shape. nounced himself at 85% fit- ness compared to his Trials Doping Suspensions Going to Beijing but hurting: shape after a robust August Russia was rocked by a wave of doping positives •U.S. javelinist Breaux Greer right rotator 10 workout in Beijing. After leading up to Beijing, including five women seen as cuff (also broke a hand bone in mid-July). nine sets of warm-up strides potential Olympic medalists. •Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie (10,000) in running flats, Gay then A total of seven women were suspended by the Achilles. donned spikes and did a IAAF for what was termed “a fraudulent substitution •Belgium’s Kim Gevaert (sprints and key set consisting of a hard 60, of urine, which is both a prohibited method and also to the 4x1) Achilles. She also announced her a hard 60 and finally a hard a form of tampering with the doping control process.” retirement at the end of this season. 100. He told the Chicago The IAAF said it had been investigating the cases for •Sweden’s Susanna Kallur (100H) ham- Tribune, “I’m happy with more than a year. string, shin soreness. But she trained pain-free today’s workout—injury- The five major names: 800/1500 stars Yelena and at full speed at the team camp in Japan in free, no pain. I feel pretty Soboleva (’08 world leader in both events), Tatyana mid-August. confident.” Tomashova (’04 1500 silver medalist and two-time •Japan’s Mizuki Noguchi (women’s mara- world champ) and Yulia Fomenko, plus discus throw- thon defender). She was hospitalized due to Chinese hero Xiang Liu er Darya Pishchalnikova (2nd ’07 Worlds) and ham- severe fatigue after returning from high alti- is reported to be sharpening mer thrower Gulfiya Khanafeyeva. tude training in Switzerland. Then a left thigh up in his 110H training, As well, 800 runner Svetlana Cherkasova and injury and groin pain cropped up. A decision but is still dealing with the former 5000 world champ Olga Yegorova also were on her participation won’t be made until the hamstring problem that has suspended. last possible minute. plagued him all year. Russia’s federation said it will conduct its own in- •Ireland’s Derval O’Rourke (100H) vestigation into the women’s cases, but not until after groin. Decathlete Jangy Addy, the Olympics. •Poland’s Marek Plawgo (400H) foot. NCAA runner-up from Named as replacements for the suspended Olym- •Czech Roman Sebrle (decathlon) ham- Tennessee and 6th at the pians were former Texas Stater Yekaterina Kostetskaya string. U.S. Trials (8025 PR), will (800), Anna Alminova (only Russian 1500 entrant) •Aussie John Steffensen (400) not in compete in the Games for and Yelena Priyma (HT). No other discus thrower has shape (but does plan to run the 4x4). Liberia and carried its flag in the A standard, so Russia’s two entries will be defend- •Britain’s Chris Tomlinson (LJ) calf tear. the opening parade. ing champ Natalya Sadova plus Svetlana Saykina. • • • On the men’s side, walkers Vladimir Kanaykin, ELSEWHERE: 100 WR holder Usain Sprint star Xavier Carter Aleksey Voyevodin and Viktor Bureyev tested positive Bolt of Jamaica definitely plans a 100/200 had surgery on July 28 to for EPO. There also were conflicting reports that Val- remove bone chips eriy Borchin tested positive but he remained on the and a bone spur from Olympic 20K team. Kanaykin was replaced on the Adam Nelson Injured? his left ankle. Those 50K squad by ’05 world champ Sergey Kirdyapkin. Olympic shot favorite Adam Nel- ailments caused X- And Olympic steepler Roman Usov had a positive son is perhaps no longer the favorite (see Man’s problems be- A test (the stimulant carfedon) and is out of Beijing. formchart on p. 286). His wife Laci posted fore and during the to effortlessthrow.org a couple of days be- Trials. He is out for fore track was to begun tht all was not well the rest of ’08, but father’s funeral. in Beijing: already is rehabbing “Monday afternoon at practice Adam the ankle. Germany’s ’99 world TJ champ Charles pulled his intercostal [rib] muscle dur- Friedek lost a court appeal to be added to the ing a throw. He is in severe pain when he Two-lapper Amina Aït Hammou team. Team officials said Friedek hadn’t met breathes, and he has a very limited range was pulled from Morocco’s Olympic the necessary qualification mark. of motion. team and suspended for a year after “He’s been in treatment every day, all missing three drug tests in 12 months. Iranian discus thrower Ehsan Haddadi day, since it happened and is improving ev- Her sister Seltana, not an Olympian, had an unspecified injury earlier in the sum- ery day. I just wanted to write and ask you also was suspended from the national mer, but is now healthy and ready to go in all, if you feel so inclined, to send a prayer team for the same reason. Beijing. or positive thought his way. We need him if we want our boys to sweep! Vaulter Katerina Bad’urová made A row developed at Jamaica’s pre-Olym- “His spirits are high, and he's staying the Czech team in her first meet in pic training camp in Tianjin. Team officials positive. He says he’ll be ready to throw mid-July since knee surgery early this wanted sprinter Asafa Powell and his MVP come Friday, and the one thing I've learned year. clubmates in camp for relay practice, but the about my husband over the years is never to athletes wanted to stay at their European base count him out! Peter Coe, father of and coach to in Italy. Once the athletes arrived in China, “He's an amazing man capable of amaz- two-time Olympic 1500 champion Seb they refused to participate in baton practice. ing feats, and I know he'll be ready to throw Coe, died on August 9 at age 88. Seb But things calmed down a couple of days far for both himself and his country. Coe, chair of London’s ’12 Olympic organizers, will return to Britain for his later and the athletes participated in relay training. -284- August 13, 2008 Marathon WR holder Paula Radcliffe World Men’s Leaders will give the Olympic race a shot, defying World Women’s Leaders doctors who said she couldn’t regain fitness 100 ..................................9.72 U. Bolt (Jam) 100 ...........................10.78 T. Edwards (US) from a femur stress fracture in time to com- 200 ................................19.67 U. Bolt (Jam) 200 ........... 21.94 V. Campbell-Brown (Jam) pete in her fourth Games. “It’s impossible to 400 ............................ 43.86 J. Wariner (US) 400 ....................49.83(A) A. Montsho (Bot) 800 ............................ 1:42.69 A. Kaki (Sud) judge shape,” she said, “but I feel happy even ...................................... 49.83 A. Felix (US) 1500 ......................3:31.49 D. Komen (Ken) to be at this stage.” She also had an allergic 800 .........................1:54.97 P. Jelimo (Ken) Mile .................... 3:49.38 A. Baddeley (GB) reaction to a spider bite in late July but is fine 1500 ....................... 3:59.75i G. Burka (Eth) St ............................8:00.57 P. Koech (Ken) now. Mile ...............4:23.49i O. Komyagina (Rus) 3000 ....................7:28.48i+ K. Bekele (Eth) St ........................ 9:08.21 G. Galkina (Rus) 5000 ..................... 12:50.55 M. Masai (Ken) ’05 800/1500 world champ Rashid 3000 ........................ 8:27.93i M. Defar (Eth) 10,000 .................. 26:25.97 K. Bekele (Eth) Ramzi of Bahrain was considering at the end 5000 ......................14:11.15 T.