July 29, 2009
Missing motivation: 800m-runner Nils Schumann retires after several injuries. The “all of a sudden” olympic champion of the 2000 Sydney Olympic wants to concentrate on other tasks after missing the qualification for the 2009 IAAF World Championships on home ground in Berlin.
“Some day you have to be a realist and set new goals in live” the 31-year old stated to German press. He now wants to emphasis more on his company that offers motivational training and nutritional consultation. “It was getting more and more difficult to come back after those injuries and setbacks.” he tries to explain himself.
Schumann was the first Olympic Champion at the 800 meter for Germany and beat world record holder Wilson Kipketerin a tactical race with an incredible kick at the end of the final stretch. Schumann set his PB of 1:44,20min two years after the Sydney Olympics and won bronce medal in the European Championships in 2002. He also took the European Titles in the 800m (indoor and outdoor) in 1998. In recent years Schumann suffered several injuries and also two operations on his achilles tendon were undertaken. In this years German Championships he ran his last competition and clocked a 1:47,28min as a seasons best.
July 6, 2009
German race walker Melanie Seeger probably experienced her season highlight last week, giving birth to a daughter named Helena. As reported earlier, Seeger will miss the home World Championships but is planning to come back in 2010.
May 31, 2009
Only couple of days after her nomination for the German marathon team, Sabrina Mockenhaupt once again proved her strong shape with a track 3000 in Wiesbaden/GER. On Friday evening she clocked a fine 8:45,79min. She missed her personal best only by around 1 second.
After a conservative start she steadily increased the pace and ran the last km in approx. 2:50min.
On June 7th, Mockenhaupt will have her next competition in Regensburg/GER, a 10.000m race.
May 23, 2009
In her first 800m race 2009 Jana Hartmann could improve her PB of 2.02.53min in Rabat/MOR. In the first leg of the African IAAF tour she took 4th place with 2:02.19min in an international field. She even beat the 2008 Olympic 800m Champion and 3rd fastest 800m-runner ever, Pamela Jelimo, who only clocked a 2:02.46min.
To qualify for the German team for the IAAF World Championships Hartmann has to run sub 2:00,00 but with this season opener this does not seem to be impossible.
full results of the meeting mohammedviathleticsmeeting.com
May 19, 2009
With an impressive win at the mountain race in Mölten/ITA reigning German mountain running champion Timo Zeiler started his competition season. The German, who placed 7th in the last mountain running world championships stormed the 9,1km course with 1050m altitude difference in a time of 46:48 min.
Zeiler beat European Champion Marco Gaiardo from Italy by over one and a half minute and also improved the course record from last years winner Gaiardos by 1:07 minutes.
The 28-year old commented: „I am really surprised with this season opener. It went great. I liked the course very much, so that I could apply pressure from the very beginning.“
Next week Zeiler will travel to Grabs/SUI where the German Athletics Federation has placed its qualification for the 2009 European Mountain Running Championships that will take place in Telfes/AUT on July 12th.
May 11, 2009
On Monday May 11th, European 10.000m Champion Jan Fitschen announced that he is not going to run in the home World Championships in Berlin 2009.
After having trouble with the plantar tendon in his right foot for several months he finally realised that he is not going to be fit in time. After several months of alternative training and trials to start running the problems didn’t improve.
The 32-year old stated: „It is the absolute horror. I never thought that it takes such a long time. The situation is still unchanged. Occasionally it got even worse. Now it’s obvious that the foot is not going to be completely fit until summer. It’s useless…”
Fitschen will now take some weeks completely off and only continues with the physiotherapy. He is now planning to run some road races in the autumn season.
May 7, 2009
Because of his injury problems, European 10.000m Champion Jan Fitschen wants to decide already next week if he still has a chance to get fit right in time before the home World Championships. “It’s getting more difficult every day. I know that it might not work out to participate in Berlin.” Fitschen stated to German Press Agency.
After 17 years of competitive sports the plantar tendon issue is the first big injury for Fitschen and already in the past there were several doubts if he can get fit for the World Championships.
April 28, 2009
German marathoner Dennis Pyka was the fastest European in the St.Anthony Marathon in Padova/Italy. With a time of 2:19:17h for 7th place he set a new personal best. After suffering a rib fracture in the preparation and considering the resulting problems he was pretty satisfied with this performance. Unfortunately he had to run the whole 42km on his own, because no one else was running with the same target time. After passing the halfmarathon in 1:08:45 the second half was a bit more rough but nevertheless the finishing time is the fastest time of a German marathoner so far this year.
March 5, 2009
Irina Mikitenko decided where she is going to stay for her altitude camp: Just like last year she will prepare for the London Marathon in the mountains of Kirghizia. “We will stay there 4 weeks. At the moment the conditions are good, during daytime up to 15 degrees Celsius and moreover it’s dry” stated Mikitenko. Last year’s winner of London and Berlin Marathon will start her journey on 8th of March.
March 2, 2009
André Pollmächer, who debuted in the marathon last year in Frankfurt with a time of 2:14:18h will run his second marathon in Düsseldorf on the 3rd of May 2009. The former European 10.000m Challenge winner with a 10.000m PB of 27:55,56min is aiming for the official entry standard for the world championships in Berlin, that stands at 2:13:00h.
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