The traditional Russian Winter indoor meeting on Sunday (1), the second of this season's IAAF Indoor Permit meetings, features a memorable women&rsquo;s high jump which brings together again the joint world indoor champions, Poland&rsquo;s Kamila Licwinko and home star Mariya Kuchina.Licwinko equalled her national indoor record when she cleared a world-leading 2.00m in Cottbus earlier this week while Kuchina has already cleared 1.96m, in Volgograd last Saturday. &ldquo;I feel I am in good shape but need more competitions to improve my technique,&rdquo; said Kuchina, who also won the Diamond Race and at the IAAF Continental Cup. &ldquo;I am very motivated now because Svetlana Shkolina (2013 world champion) and Anna Chicherova (2012 Olympic champion) are coming back, and it's going to be very interesting in this event this summer,&rdquo; she added. The Russian Winter meeting record of 2.00m was set by Croatia&rsquo;s Blanka Vlasic back in 2006 and is clearly under threat on Sunday.The men's high jump features two athletes from the &lsquo;2.40m club&rsquo;: home star Aleksey Dmitrik and Ukraine&rsquo;s European silver medal Andrey Protsenko.&nbsp; Also in the field are Russia&rsquo;s 2010 European champion Alexander Shustov, coming back from injury, and Greece&rsquo;s Kostandinos Baniotis.<h3>Maslak and Hejnova make comeback in Moscow</h3> With the European Indoor Championshis in Prague just five weeks away, several top Czech athletes are coming to Moscow to hone their shape for what will be a home championship. Two specialists of the 400m hurdles, 2013 world champion Zuzanna Hejnova and her compatriot Denisa Rosolova, run over 400m without the barriers, as does world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslak. Both Hejnova and Maslak hardly competed last summer due to injuries.&nbsp; &ldquo;I prefer the hurdles but the 400m flat seems refreshing, just for change,&rdquo; said Hejnova. &ldquo;I do enjoy this distance, though my problem is that I am not that fast at the start, but I still hope for good run in Moscow.&rdquo;Cuba&rsquo;s 2008 Olympic 110m hurdles champion Dayron Robles, Czech Republic&rsquo;s Petr Svoboda and Russia&rsquo;s Konstantin Shabanov are part of a good men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles field, one of the strongest events of the meeting.&nbsp; Another classy field is in the men's long jump, starring Greece&rsquo;s European silver medalist Louis Tsatoumas. French record-holder Salim Sdiri is also out to do better than last year's meeting in Moscow, where he finished fourth. Russia is represented by the current national indoor champion Pavel Shalin. Yekaterina Koneva goes in the women&rsquo;s long jump. She recently posted a world-leading 14.68m in the triple jump, but she is aiming to improve her long jump best of 6.56 m from last seasonHowever, she has already announced that she is going to compete in the triple jump at the European Indoor Championships, and has said that she dreams in the summer of finally breaking into the 15-metre territory. <h3>Osagie and Greene aiming for 600m meeting record</h3> The men&rsquo;s 60m features St Kitts&rsquo; seemingly ageless Kim Collins, who ran a world-leading 6.52 in Dusseldorf on Thursday, as well as US sprinter Mike Rodgers, who finished third in that race in a seasons best of 6.58.Rodgers has fond memories from Moscow after his silver medal in the 4x100m relay from the 2013 IAAF World Championships. The men&rsquo;s 600m will be a high point of the meeting as well. There will be an official farewell ceremony for 2004 Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who has called an end to his brilliant international career. Borzakovskiy won over 600m at the Russian Winter meeting five years ago and this time is hoping to see a meeting record from one of the two British runners in the Russian capital: world indoor 800m bronze medallist Andrew Osagie and former 400m hurdles world champion Dai Greene.However, despite the talent of the two Britons and the fact that the distance is not too often run, such a feat is still a tall order. In 2012, Poland&rsquo;s Adam Kszczot ran 1:15.26 at the Russian Winter meeting, the second fastest time ever and just shy of the world best of 1:15.12 which has stood since 1999 to Germany&rsquo;s Nico Motchebon.Musaeb Balla from Qatar, third at the Russian Winter last year, could also push the British duo for first placeThere is a new competition format at the Russian Winter this year to make the event fast-paced and exciting for spectators: two 45-minute sessions with a 15-minute interval, exactly mirroring a football match.Natalia Maryanchik for the IAAF &nbsp;

The traditional Russian Winter indoor meeting on Sunday (1), the second of this season's IAAF Indoor Permit meetings, features a memorable women’s high jump which brings together again the joint world indoor champions, Poland’s Kamila Licwinko and home star Mariya Kuchina.

World indoor champions Licwinko and Kuchina duel at Russian Winter meeting

It is hard to read too much into the heats of the men’s 400m Hurdles which saw 24 out of the 36 starters advance to Tuesday night’s semi-finals.One thing seemed apparent, though: defending champion Dai Greene, who has battled with injury since before the London Olympic Games, is still struggling.Greene was fifth across the line in the fifth and last heat of the first round. His time – 49.79 – was way outside his personal best, 47.84, and his season’s best of a modest (for him) 48.66. He was momentarily advanced to fourth, and an automatic spot in the semi-final round, by the disqualification of Eric Alejandro, but the Puerto Rican was later reinstated. Nevertheless, Greene's time was enough to see him through to the semi-finals.London Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley, who has the two fastest performances in the world this year, one at the US Championships and one at the IAAF London Diamond League, ran the fastest time of the round in taking the first heat in 49.07.Serbia’s Emir Bekric was second with 49.16, the second-fastest time of the round. The Daegu and London semi-finalist looked impressive, as did Russia’s 19-year-old European junior champion Timofey Chalyy, who was third in 49.33.Cornel Fredericks of South Africa took the last automatic spot in the heat with 49.66, but ultimately Britain’s Sebastian Rodger and Australia’s Tristan Thomas progressed as two of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.Heat two saw Omar Cinseros of Cuba beat Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, 49.87 to 49.91, but both were almost run down by Japan’s Takayuki Hashimoto who charged home on their inside to take third in 49.96. Frenchman Michael Francois took the final automatic spot in 50.02 with South Africa’s LJ van Zyl missing out.If the World champion is in trouble, Athens 2004 and London 2012 Olympic champion Felix Sanchez continues to perform as he approaches his 36th birthday on 30 August. Sanchez took heat three in 49.20, third-fastest time of the round, with USA’s Kerron Clement, Jamaica’s Annsert Whyte and Britain’s European champion Rhys Williams taking the other qualifying places behind him.Senegal’s Mamadou Kasse Hanne ran a personal best of 48.50 behind Jehue Gordon at the Monaco Diamond League meeting. He impressed again here, taking the fourth heat in 49.33 ahead of Jamaica’s London finalist Leford Green, 49.45, Helsinki 2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson, 49.76, and Jeffrey Gibson of the Bahamas, 50.25.Former World junior champion Jehue Gordon of Trinidad took out the fifth and final heat in 49.52, with Jamaica’s Isa Phillips coming home hard to take second in 49.57.Estonian record-holder Rasmus Magi took third in 49.63 ahead of the reinstated Alejandro in fourth with Greene in fifth, both given the same time of 49.79.After battling knee and groin injuries, having surgery to repair a double hernia, and arriving here not having hurdled for three weeks due to a calf injury, whether Greene can find any more remains an interesting question.Len Johnson for the IAAF

Report: Men’s 400m Hurdles heats – Moscow 2013

If you want consistency, don’t look for it in the 400m Hurdles: not this year, at least.The contenders for Moscow include the reigning Olympic champion, the reigning World champion, the fastest man in the world this year, and a former World champion. Any of them may win; equally, none of them may cross the line first.Dominican Republic’s London 2012 Olympic Games winner Felix Sanchez is a year older and not in the same form as last summer. Great Britain’s 2011 World champion Dai Greene is battling to be fit. The fastest in the world this year, USA’s Michael Tinsley, tailed off through most of July, though just to confuse matters, bounced back to win at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in London in a time almost identical to his world-leading mark of 47.96 set at the US Championships.The 2007 and 2009 World champion Kerron Clement is ranked third on time of those competing in Moscow but finished only seventh in the Monaco Diamond League meeting, three weeks out from the World Championships.Finally, the last two major races before the World Championships turned form somewhat on its head. Trinidad and Tobago’s former World junior champion Jehue Gordon won in Monaco in 48.00, jumping to second on the world list, and then Tinsley recovered his best form in London.Until then, the favourite’s mantle, albeit in a very open field, had been worn by Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, a medallist in Berlin 2009, Daegu 2011 and London 2012 but still searching for his first major title.Culson won at the Diamond League meetings in Birmingham and Lausanne, beating most of those who have beaten him for the major honours in recent years, but he finished third in Monaco behind Gordon, and fifth behind Tinsley in London.Besides Sanchez and Clement, Bershawn Jackson was the World champion in Helsinki in 2005 and the US athlete has been a medal contender ever since. He finished third in 48.09 at the US Championships behind Tinsley and Clement.In winning the US title, Tinsley was within 0.05 of the personal best he ran to take the silver medal behind Sanchez at the Olympic Games last summer. Like Culson, he will be seeking his first major international championship win in Moscow.Tinsley’s form seemed to be tailing off in the run-up to Moscow. He was the star early in the season with wins at the Diamond League meetings in Doha and New York before peaking to take the US title in late June. His 47.98 in London two weeks ago suggests he may be back in form.David Greene is back to defend the title he won in Daegu two years ago. The Welshman had his start to the 2013 season compromised by a dual hernia operation. He seemed to be regaining his best form before injury struck again and time is not on his side, despite his determination to not give up his crown without a fight.Senegal’s Mamadou Kasse Hanne improved to 48.56 in Rome this year and looms as a potential finalist, while others in the mix in an open event include Serbian record-holder Emir Bekric, South Africa’s Cornel Fredericks, Cuba’s Omar Cisneros and Great Britain’s Rhys Williams.Russia’s trio is led by 19-year-old Timofey Chalyy, the recent winner of the European junior title in Rieti, where he ran a championship best of 49.23.In an event that demands good timing, the question is: who has got the timing right coming into Moscow – Culson, Gordon, Tinsley, or someone else?Click&nbsp;<a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/14th-iaaf-world-championships-4873/athletes" style="color:#0000aa;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:100;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:18px;orphans:auto;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:#ffffff;">here</a>&nbsp;for OFFICIAL ENTRIES in the Moscow 2013 Athletes section.Len Johnson for the IAAF

Men's 400m Hurdles - Preview

Men's 400m Hurdles – Preview

British Athletics has today named a 60-strong team for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, from 10-18 August.Leading the charge for medals in Russia will be double Olympic champion Mo Farah in the 5000m and 10,000m who receives an automatic place in the men’s 5000m as defending World champion. Farah will be attempting to become the first Briton to retain a world title while Olympic silver medallist Christine Ohuruogu will look to regain the title she won in 2007.Ohuruogu’s sister Victoria is also named as a member of the 4x400m squad, making them the first British sisters to feature together in a World Championships team. Olympic Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill will be looking to claim back the gold she won in Berlin in 2009.Other athletes to be automatically selected include Olympic High Jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, who receives an automatic place following his 2012 Diamond League victory, and defending World 400m Hurdles champion Dai Greene.In the battle for places in the men’s 100m, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and James Dasaolu join British champion Dwain Chambers on the flight to Moscow, and World junior 100m champion Adam Gemili lines up alongside James Ellington over 200mThere are men’s British senior debuts for World junior champion Delano Williams in the 200m, Chris O’Hare in the 1500m, European under-23 400m Hurdles medallist Sebastian Rodger, plus Deji Tobais and Jamie Bowie in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay squads.In the women’s team, Asha Philip is rewarded for her stellar British Championships win with the sole 100m berth, while Anyika Onuora, one of only three women globally to hold A standards over 100m, 200m and 400m in 2013, is selected in the 200m and the 4x400m relay.Currently in superb form, British champion Shara Proctor is named in the Long Jump. Proctor marginally fouled a seven-metre jump at the weekend, and will be aiming to make her first outdoor major championships podium.In the women’s 800m, joining British champion Marilyn Okoro are youngsters Jessica Judd and European Indoor Championships 1500m representative Laura Muir.Judd, who had been named for the British team for the European Juniors in Rieti this week has withdrawn from the age group championships to concentrate on her preparations for Moscow.Enjoying their debuts on the women’s side are Dina Asher-Smith in the women’s 4x100m squad, who at 17 is the youngest member of the team, and long jumper Lorraine Ugen.“The team selected for GB &amp; NI are a mix of defending champions, potential medallists, finalists and some really exciting young talents that we see as future medallists,” said British Athletics performance director Neil Black.“Last weekend’s Sainsbury’s British Championships was a brilliant stage for the world trials, and we saw some world class performances. It gave the selectors a real opportunity to see the athletes in championship mode and we were not disappointed.“A year on from the Games and it is great to look forward to Moscow with the selected team, as we take our first steps in the build up towards Rio 2016 and London 2017.”British Athletics for the IAAFBRITISH TEAM FOR MOSCOWMen 100m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Dwain Chambers, James Dasaolu 200m: James Ellington, Adam Gemili, Delano Williams 400m: Nigel Levine 800m: Andrew Osagie, Michael Rimmer 1500m: Chris O’Hare 5000m: Mo Farah 10,000m: Farah 110mH: William Sharman 400mH: Dai Greene, Sebastian Rodger, Rhys Williams 3000mSC: James Wilkinson Long Jump: Greg Rutherford High Jump: Robbie Grabarz Pole Vault: Steve Lewis Discus: Brett Morse Decathlon: Ashley Bryant 20km Race Walk: Alex Wright 4x100m: Aikines Aryeetey, Chambers, Dasaolu, Ellington, Gemili, Richard Kilty, Andrew Robertson, Deji Tobais 4x400m: Michael Bingham, Jamie Bowie, Luke Lennon-Ford, Levine, Martyn Rooney, Conrad Williams, Delano WilliamsWomen 100m: Asha Philip 200m: Anyika Onuora, Jodie Williams 400m: Christine Ohuruogu 800m: Jessica Judd, Laura Muir, Marilyn Okoro 1500m: Hannah England, Laura Weightman 100mH: Tiffany Porter 400mH: Meghan Beesley, Eilidh Child, Perri Shakes-Drayton 3000mSC: Eilish McColgan Long Jump: Shara Proctor, Lorraine Ugen Hammer: Sophie Hitchon Heptathlon: Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson Marathon: Sonia Samuels, Susan Partridge 4x100m: Philip, Hayley Jones, Annabelle Lewis, Ashleigh Nelson, Bianca Williams, Dina Asher-Smith, Williams 4x400m: Margaret Adeoye, Child, Shana Cox, Kirsten McAslan, Kelly Massey, Christine Ohuruogu, Victoria Ohuruogu, Onuora, Shakes-Drayton

Farah and Ennis lead British team for Moscow

The 2013 British Championships may have been missing the country’s three reigning Olympic champions, but the absence of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford from Birmingham was all but forgotten when James Dasaolu provided the biggest talking point of the event (12-14).The European indoor 60m silver medallist had set three PBs this year in the 100m, so it was no surprise that he rewrote his lifetime best again. But the fact that his 9.91 clocking – the third-fastest time ever by a European athlete and just 0.04 behind the UK record – came in the semifinals caused a stir as spectators keenly anticipated what was to come in the final.Dasaolu unfortunately skipped the final, the injury-prone sprinter taking extra caution to stay in one piece ahead of the World Championships. But the selection decisions were made more interesting when the top three finishers in the final all dipped under the ‘A’ standard.Helped by a 1.9m/s tailwind, Dwain Chambers won in 10.04 from Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (10.08) and Andrew Robertson (10.14), both the silver and bronze medallists setting PBs.Greene and Shakes-Drayton take one-lap hurdles titlesTwo of the closest contests of the weekend were the 400m Hurdles finals. As the reigning World champion, Dai Greene’s place on the British team for Moscow was secure, but he was out to defend his honour, having been beaten by European champion Rhys Williams at the recent Birmingham Diamond League.Once again it was a fierce battle between the pair, but this time Greene triumphed in a season’s best of 48.66 as Williams was dragged through to a PB of 48.85. Richard Yates was third in 49.49.In the women’s race, Shakes-Drayton was up against long-time rival Eilidh Child. As was the case in the men’s 100m final, the top three finishers all dipped under the ‘A’ standard to book their places on the team for Moscow.Shakes-Drayton won in 54.36 to break the meeting record while Child was also under 55 seconds with 54.90. In third, Beesley ran 55.39.Fast times for Ohuruogu, Philip and OnuoraBack to her best after a career-threaten injury several years ago, 2007 World youth champion Asha Philip continues to go from strength to strength. In Birmingham she sped to a lifetime best of 11.20 (-0.2m/s) to win the 100m by a significant margin.Annabelle Lewis clocked 11.43 in second, having set a PB of 11.39 in the heats. 2011 World youth 200m champion Desiree Henry, still a junior through to 2014, set a PB of 11.51 in third.Philip doubled up in the 200m and was also in top form there, running a PB of 23.45 in the heats and a wind-assisted 23.07 in the final. But on that occasion she had to play second fiddle to Anyika Onuora, who breezed to victory in 22.71, aided by a 2.5m/s tailwind. Earlier in the day, Onuora ran 22.96 in her heat.Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic champion, was a class apart in the 400m. Her winning performance of 50.98 equalled the time she ran when winning her first senior title back in 2004.Shana Cox finished second in a season’s best of 51.76 with Margaret Adeoye clocking a PB of 51.93 in third. The following day, Ohuruogu ran in the first round of the 200m, winning her heat in a wind-assisted 23.30, but she just used it as an opportunity to sharpen up, choosing to skip the final.Grabarz and Proctor best of the jumpersOlympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz enjoyed a clean card in the High Jump, sailing over all of his heights on his first attempt, up to his winning mark of 2.28m. At that point, former Olympic finalist Tom Parsons exited the competition with a best mark of 2.25m.Grabarz went on to attempt 2.33m, but missed three times.World indoor bronze medallist Shara Proctor registered just one valid mark in the women’s Long Jump, but her 6.84m was easily enough to win. Jazmin Sawyers, the World junior bronze medallist, set a season’s best of 6.50m to take silver ahead of another fellow heptathlete, Dominique Blaize (6.47m).Moscow team places bookedSeveral other events saw athletes secure their place on the British team for the World Championships in Moscow, as titles were won by athletes who already possessed the ‘A’ standard.World indoor silver medallist Tiffany Porter won the 100m Hurdles in 12.68, while Nigel Levine achieved the ‘A’ standard en route to winning the 400m in 45.23.James Ellington won a hotly-contested 200m final, clocking a wind-aided 20.45 (2.4m/s) to hold off Richard Kilty, second in 20.50, and World junior champion Delano Williams. The former Turks &amp; Caicos sprinter got off to a bad start but recovered to get on the podium with 20.58.Elsewhere, Marilyn Okoro adopted slightly different tactics to the ones she is used to, winning the 800m convincingly from teenage talent Jessica Judd in negative splits. After a 61.88 opening lap from Judd, Okoro sped past her to win in 2:00.60 as Judd finished second in 2:02.81.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Dasaolu impresses at British Championships with 9.91 in 100m

“Hi, again. Those of you following my results this season will know I've been a little down on my best but, after undergoing hernia surgery in March, all I can say is that I'm getting fitter, and now I just need to get on with it. “I have six weeks until Moscow to get ready, and I still have enough time to reach 100 per cent. The hernia had set me back for a time from running at full speed, but I've been doing full sessions for about two-and-a-half weeks now. “What would really put the cat among the pigeons is if I encountered another problem between now and the World Championships. There is really no margin for error, but I'm still confident I can improve my times and get in good shape for Moscow. I'd rate myself at about 7.5 out of 10 at the moment.“It is never a nice feeling to be beaten by guys who are in top shape, but it is all about performing at the big championships and I have proved in the past I can do that. I take heart when I look at Felix Sanchez who, last season, didn't perform that well until he got to the Olympic Games. He won gold in London to show it can be done. “I was disappointed to finish second at the European Team Championships in Gateshead, especially having won the event on the three previous occasions the event was held. “Sometimes when I'm favourite for a race, I lack a bit of concentration and I think that's what happened. The first five hurdles went perfectly but I switched off leading into hurdle six, made another error at hurdle seven and took an extra stride into hurdle eight. “I can't remember the last time I made that many mistakes in a race. Those errors probably cost me half a second and I don't have the speed endurance in the latter stages to make up for those kind of errors. The guy who beat me ran the race of his life and all credit to him (Germany’s Silvio Schirrmeister, who won the race in 49.15 with Greene second in 49.39). “Besides my own personal disappointment, it was nice to see the British team perform so well at the European Team Championships. We accrued a huge number of points, particularly across the track events. There were a lot of faces I had not recognised before in the British squad and it was great to see the likes of Jessica Judd (who won the women's 800m) step up to the mark and run so well.“The captaincy of the GB team is rotated and on his occasion it was Perri Shakes-Drayton who took up the role. Her pre-event speech to the team was typical Perri, very funny. Her speech was interrupted by music which came through from a prom next door and she burst into an impromptu dance.“As for my rivals, I was impressed, but not too surprised, at the three men who qualified for the US team at the World Championships. The winner of the US Champs, Michael Tinsley, has been running well all season and the two other qualifiers, Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson, are proven performers.“I'm looking forward to starting to compete against these guys as they will offer a real benchmark for where I'm at. I intend to race in Lausanne and then the British World Championships Trials, where I haven't yet decided to race the 400m flat or 400m hurdles. I'll then compete at Monaco, and then it’s on to London for the Anniversary Games before Moscow. “Away from the track, I've watched lots of the British Lions rugby games on their tour of Australia. I've been proud of how they've played, especially as so many are Welshmen, just like me! “I've met a few of the players before, including George North and Jamie Roberts and they are much bigger than you'd think.“One final point I'd like to make is my girlfriend, Sian, is running really well. She set a PB of 60.28 for the 400m Hurdles earlier this month,&nbsp;so although things might not have gone as I would have hoped this season, Sian is proving at least one member of the household is on top form!”

Dai Greene: "no margin for error" on the road to Moscow - IAAF Online Diaries

Dai Greene: "no margin for error" on the road to Moscow – IAAF Online Diaries

Two more London 2012 Olympic Games champions have confirmed they will compete at the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix – Birmingham at the Alexander Stadium on 30 June, taking the total number of Olympic champions set to appear at the IAAF Diamond league meeting up to eight. Dominican Republic’s Felix Sanchez, the Olympic 400m Hurdles champion in 2004 and 2012, and the US 110m Hurdles World record holder Aries Merritt will compete in their specialist events.The 400m hurdles is already being tipped by Puerto Rico’s 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Javier Culson as the race of the meeting as the top three from London – Sanchez, US silver medallist Michael Tinsley and Culson – line up against Great Britain’s 2011 World champion Dai Greene, who was fourth at the Olympic games, and 2012 European champion Rhys Williams. “We are going to see another world class field in the UK again for the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix – Birmingham and it’s definitely going to be the event to watch on 30 June. There’s going to be the Olympic one, two and three as well as the World champion, so it makes for a very competitive race,” said Culson.“Being the defending IAAF Diamond League champion is something that I want to hold on to this season, and I know I will have to be at my very best in Birmingham right through to the final in Brussels.”Sanchez knows that the Birmingham crowd will play a part with the race.“I think I surprised quite a few people at the Olympic Games, winning gold in the manner I did. However, I have never doubted my ability, whether that was when I was on my 42-race unbeaten run, or lining up on the start line in London as a 34-year-old,” said the popular Sanchez.“We will have the top four athletes from the Games in Birmingham, and I’m sure I will be the one they want to beat. I always get a good reception from the British crowd, but as much as they like me, I’m sure they will be hoping for Dai to cross the line first,” he added.Merritt, who set a stadium record of 12.95 in Birmingham last August, which was just 0.03 off his winning time in London, smashed Dayron Robles’ former World record with a time of 12.80 in the 2012 IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels.“I’m really looking forward to competing at the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix - Birmingham and testing myself against another world class field. Other hurdlers are running quick times this year so I’m sure we’ll all push each other and put on a great show for the Birmingham crowd,” said the American.“2012 was a breakthrough year for me but now I need to make sure I stay on top.&nbsp;I&nbsp;would love to add a World title to my Olympic one&nbsp;so this is another big summer for me,” he added.Organisers for the IAAF2013 IAAF Diamond League calendar Doha, QAT – 10 May Shanghai, CHN – 18 May New York, USA – 25 May Eugene, USA – 1 Jun Rome, ITA – 6 Jun Oslo, NOR – 13 Jun Birmingham, GBR – 30 Jun Lausanne, SUI – 4 Jul Paris, FRA – 6 Jul Monaco, MON – 19 Jul London, GBR – 26-27 Jul Stockholm, SWE – 22 Aug Zürich, SUI – 29 Aug Brussels, BEL – 6 Sep&nbsp;

Olympic hurdles champions Merritt and Sanchez will compete in Birmingham - IAAF Diamond League

Olympic Hurdles champions Merritt and Sanchez will compete in Birmingham – IAAF Diamond League

World 400m Hurdles champion Dai Greene underwent hip surgery after the indoor season. It has delayed the start of his summer campaign, but he is confident that he can get back to his best in time for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow.“Since my last IAAF diary piece some of you may be aware I had to undergo a hernia operation in March. It came on pretty quickly. I had enjoyed a good indoor season, breaking the British record for 600m, but started to suffer some soreness in the hip. I was given the choice that I could either delay an operation until the end of the season or have it done there and then. I decided to have the operation done straight away. For me the decision was a no-brainer. “At that point it was still five months to go until the World Championships so I felt even after the operation there was enough time to be ready to defend my title in Moscow. If I had postponed it until the end of the summer season I also ran the risk of not being able to carry out any high intensity sessions.“The hip was becoming a bit of a problem. It would allow me to run at 95% but instead of, say, running 21 flat for the 200m it would only allow me to run 21.4 for the 200m. Over longer distances, the bigger the time differences would become.“Fortunately, within nine days of the surgery I was working on the anti-gravity treadmill and I was back running again within two weeks. I can now do everything I need to in training, although some scar tissue has slightly held me back. There is a bit of a drop off in training whereby I can’t prolong every session in the way I would like. Running 60m or 100m full out is fine, but it is hard to put together a longer sessions with multiple reps. <div class="quote">“Naturally because of the operation and the one or two issues I’ve endured since, the prospect of competing at the first IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha was not possible. The Rome Diamond League meeting on 6 June might be a possibility, but I’ll make a decision on whether I compete closer to the time. </div> “So far this season the 400m hurdlers have made a steady start – certainly compared to two years ago when by this time of the season we had already seen a 47.6 clocking. Michael Tinsley, the Olympic silver medallist, has so far made the biggest impact and he appears to be running with confidence. I’m pleased for Michael, it is good to see his form because he is a really good guy. I’m sure when we see more of the likes of Felix Sanchez, Javier Culson and Angelo Taylor the season will start to unravel.“I’ve also enjoyed a training stint in Daytona Beach, Florida, which went well. It was nice to get out of the cold British weather and we even managed a day out at the Universal Studios theme park. I must admit, though, I’m not really one for rollercoasters. My training partners hit some of the more gruesome rides, although I don’t cave into peer pressure easily so I was happy to stand and watch them.“As some of you may already know I’m a huge Man Utd fan, so I was really surprised to hear the news Sir Alex Ferguson has retired as manager. The night before the announcement, rumours had started he was about to quit, but at the time I thought it was nonsense. His retirement is the end of an era and I was very shocked. Still, I’m really excited about what the new manager David Moyes can do. I just think the United fans need to be patient. <div class="quote">“This year, though, is all about trying to defend my world title in Moscow. I’m looking forward to my first ever trip to Russia and I’m excited to compete in the historic Luzhniki Stadium, scene of the great Coe-Ovett middle-distance battles at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. </div> “Can I win in Moscow? I believe I can. I’m not in a dissimilar position to last year in that I’ve missed some winter training and I can’t quite do what I would like in training. However, where it differs from last year is I have a fantastic base of endurance from my winter training– my best ever – to draw upon. Things have to go relatively smoothly from here for me to win at the World Championships, but I believe I can do it. I just have to be patient.”

Greene optimistic after surgery – IAAF online diaries

“Hi again. I’m writing this diary piece feeling very happy and content as a proud Welsh sports fan. “Firstly, last month Swansea City – the football club I played for as a youngster – won the Capital One Cup at Wembley, which was a game I attended.“Secondly, Wales also retained their Six Nations rugby union title in style at the weekend with a record-breaking 30-3 defeat against England. “Welsh sport is on a real high at the moment. We have always punched above our weight in terms of our sporting achievements and I only hope I can play some small part in continuing this trend in August when &nbsp;I hope to defend my World 400m Hurdles title in Moscow.“Since my last diary, I’m glad to report the winter has gone very well. I’ve never trained at such a volume and I’ve only missed one’s week training, which was back in January and was due to a sore hip.“Compare that with last year, when I had a knee operation, missed three weeks in the autumn, and when I did finally get back, I couldn’t put in the work that I wanted to for the summer season.“In the gym, I’ve set new PB’s for power cleans and squats while my one and only indoor outing this winter in Glasgow proves that my endurance is coming together nicely.“It was never my intention to do a full indoor season and I wasn’t interested in running any 400s because to perform well in that event I would have had to adjust my training. Yet when I had the opportunity to race over 600m, I was only too happy to give it a go as it meant I wouldn’t have to alter my training and I could get a good track work out. “I managed to finish second (behind USA’s Duane Solomon) in a new British record of 1:16.22. If you had offered me that time before the race I would have taken it!“Much was made of the showdown with my British team mate and Olympic 800m finalist Andrew Osagie and it was nice to beat him. I have a lot of respect for Andrew and, to be fair to him, he probably lacked the sharpness at that time of the season to run a really fast 600m but was a great match up. It is a pity we don’t have more like them. I think they really create more interest in the sport. “Where this winter has been tough is because of the cold and wet conditions we have had to cope with in the UK. “Many of the training sessions have taken place in horrible weather and I’ve adopted an attitude of not getting too concerned if I’m two seconds slower on my reps some days because the weather has played a large part in that. “Thankfully, the weather is slowly improving. In April, I’ll be travelling out to Florida for a month of training in the sun and that is when I’ll sit down with my coach, Malcolm (Arnold), and we’ll decide on my racing schedule for the summer months. I hope to compete in some of the early Diamond League meetings, but it will only be during April that we’ll decide whether to start out in May or a little bit later in June.“The European Team Championships in June are another target. This year they take place in Britain (Gateshead). Having won the 400m Hurdles three times before, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, I’ll be definitely out to win it for a fourth time in a row. “Yet the main priority remains the World Championships in Moscow. I’ve not allowed too many thoughts to creep in about the event just yet, as we are still four to five months away from it starting.“Let’s just say that I’ve never felt this strong or this good at this stage of the season before. The pain and disappointment of 2012 is now behind me and I’m feeling like a normal healthy athlete again, which is very exciting.”

Dai Greene on Welsh sport and the weather - IAAF Online Diaries

World 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene believes he is on track to retain his title in Moscow this summer after the British athlete opened his 2013 season with his first UK record at the British Athletics Glasgow International on Saturday (26).The Welshman, who came fourth at last summer&rsquo;s Olympic Games after nearly a year disrupted by injury, looked like his old self while competing over the rarely run 600m.His time of 1:16.22 was still only good enough for second place behind the USA&rsquo;s Duane Solomon, who clocked a US record of 1:15.70, but it did erase Ikem Billy&rsquo;s 28-year-old mark from the domestic record books. More importantly for the Welshman, it was a positive sign after his disappointments of 2012.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to be enjoying athletics again without any stress, any niggles, enjoying the race day again without worrying if the body&rsquo;s going to hold up," said Greene. "I can just focus on being as competitive as possible.&ldquo;You want to be back to the best you think you can be at. I know when I&rsquo;m at my best I&rsquo;m competing with the top guys. So it&rsquo;s reassuring to be going up against the likes of Andrew Osagie and Duane and being competitive. It&rsquo;s back to how I should be running.&rdquo;Solomon, who also just missed out on a medal in London when finishing fourth in the 800m, took 0.1 off Chip Jenkins&rsquo; 26-year-old US record with the sixth-best outing ever.Russia gets to raise its flagRussia took the overall victory in the five-team event, edging out the USA on the basis of more events being won after both nations ended on 58 points. Great Britain finished third with 50.The Russians won five events overall with a late victory in the 400m by Pavel Trenikin swinging the meeting in their favour. However, his personal best of 46.30 was slightly overshadowed by the return of Manteo Mitchell, with the latter savouring his comeback after famously suffering a fracture of his left fibula during the heat of the Olympic Games 4x400m relay but still heroically getting the baton round.Despite coming fifth, the US sprinter was delighted to be back in international action. &ldquo;My coach wanted me to break 48," said Mitchell. "I did 48.17, so that&rsquo;s pretty good.&ldquo;London took care of me while I was here. I even did some of my rehab here. So they helped me out, but I&rsquo;ve been given a platform where I can inspire other people with my courage. It&rsquo;s been a blessing for me. I&rsquo;ve done a lot of cool things since it happened. We had a visit to the White House with all the Olympic and Paralympic teams. President Obama called me out in his speech so I was like: &lsquo;I&rsquo;m now friends with the president.&rsquo;"Britain&rsquo;s Olympic high jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz opened his 2013 campaign by coming second with 2.29m to Russia&rsquo;s world silver medallist Aleksey Dmitrik, who cleared 2.31m before failing twice at 2.35m. Sailer and Hastings fly to top timesWorld 100m champion Carmelita Jeter was thwarted over 60m by Germany&rsquo;s Verena Sailer, who delivered a blistering world-leading run of 7.16.&ldquo;It was a very good race and I felt really good out there,&rdquo; said the German. &ldquo;It gives me great confidence going into the season. My preparation was very good. I&rsquo;ve stayed very healthy which is why I&rsquo;m in very good shape right now. I don&rsquo;t think it was Carmelita&rsquo;s best race, but I am really happy with the victory.&rdquo;There was also a promising start to 2013 for the US 400m runner Natasha Hastings who ran a world-leading 52.11 to hold off Britain&rsquo;s Perri Shakes-Drayton in the 400m.Another home favourite Holly Bleasdale produced a best of 4.60m to take the pole vault.Further world-leading marks fell to Kenya&rsquo;s Bethwell Birgen, who won the 1500m in 3:38.37, and Russia&rsquo;s European champion Sergey Shubenkov, who took the 60m hurdles in 7.62.US evergreen middle-distance runner Bernard Lagat underlined he is not yet ready to retire with a victorious run of 7:53.36 in the 3000m, holding off Kenya&rsquo;s Augustine Choge in a sprint for the line.The 38-year-old admits he has not ruled out continuing to the 2016 Olympics Games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to take it one year at a time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But if all goes well, why not see me in Rio?&rdquo;British sprinter Dwain Chambers won the 60m in 6.58, just 0.01 outside the best in the world this year, while Kind Butler of the USA took the 200m in 21.26.Britain&rsquo;s world indoor triple jump champion Yamile Aldama saw a slight hamstring injury hamper her hopes of success and she finished fifth. &ldquo;I didn't want to push it today because I didn't want to get hurt,&rdquo; said the 40-year-old, who could only jump a modest 13.16m. &ldquo;I couldn't run 100% and I jumped with a shorter approach.&rdquo; German&rsquo;s Jenny Elbe won with 13.90m.&nbsp; Mark Woods for the IAAF

Five world-leading marks in Glasgow, Solomon and Greene shine over 600m

Three-time World indoor champion Bernard Lagat and World champions Dai Greene and Carmelita Jeter are among the stars set to feature at the British Athletics Glasgow International this Saturday (26).The only world-class team competition of the indoor season, this year’s match will be held for the first time in the new Emirates Arena in Glasgow, having been staged for the past 21 years at the Kelvin Hall. The team format sees hosts Great Britain take on USA, Russia, Germany and a Commonwealth select team.World 5000m silver medallist Lagat, who won his last World indoor title as recently as last year, returns to Glasgow with fond memories, having won the 1500m at this meeting in 2007 and 2008. This time the American will compete over 3000m where he faces the man who finished closest to him at last year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships, Augustine Choge of Kenya.World 100m champion and Olympic silver medallist Carmelita Jeter will get her indoor season underway in the 60m. Her toughest opponent looks set to be 2010 European champion Verena Sailer of Germany, who last weekend recorded her fastest ever season opener with a 7.20 clocking.One of the most intriguing races of the match is the men’s 600m, where World 400m Hurdles champion Dai Greene takes on a handful of 800m specialists, including Olympic finalists Duane Solomon and Andrew Osagie. Russia’s Ivan Tukhtachev boasts the fastest indoor PB of all the entrants with his 1:16.80, while Solomon has a best of 1:17.00 and Greene’s PB of 1:18.8 dates back to 2006 when he was aged 19. But all of these PBs could well be under threat on Saturday.The men’s High Jump sees another tasty head-to-head as Olympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz takes on World silver medallist Aleksiy Dmitrik. Grabarz will be keen to win in front of the home crowd, but Dmitrik knows what it’s like to win in Glasgow after taking victory at this meeting in 2005 with 2.34m.Olympic 800m bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova already has two victories under her belt so far this year and she’ll look to keep up that record in her specialist event where she takes on US Olympian Geena Gall and European silver medallist Lynsey Sharp.World indoor Triple Jump champion Yamile Aldama, now 40, will get her season under way by taking on training partner and 2005 World champion Trecia Smith. The women’s Pole Vault field is highlighted by World indoor bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale and 2010 European bronze medallist Lisa Ryzih.Elsewhere, European champion Sergey Shubenkov and World silver medallist Danielle Carruthers headline the men’s and women’s 60m Hurdles. Evergreen sprinter Kim Collins, the 2011 World 100m bronze medallist, will double up in the 60m and 200m. World 1500m bronze medallist Matthew Centrowitz takes on Kenya’s 3:31 man Bethwel Birgen, while World indoor 400m bronze medallist Natasha Hastings will face 2010 European 400m Hurdles bronze medallist Perri Shakes-Drayton in the 400m.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Lagat, Jeter and Greene set to star in Glasgow

Lagat, Jeter and Greene headline Glasgow International

22 November 2012 – In his latest IAAF Diary, Dai Greene writes that the disappointment of his fourth place finish at the Olympic Games in London is adding to his motivation as he prepares to defend his World 400m Hurdles title next summer in Moscow.“Hi,“After the personal disappointment of the London Olympics, I’ve now been back in winter training for seven weeks fully focused on defending my World title in Moscow. “The 2012 season was a difficult one. I wasn’t in the best shape coming into the season because of injuries, so I couldn’t achieve what I wanted to. Yet discussing the year with my coach, Malcolm Arnold, we both felt what we did achieve was far better than we hoped (because of the injuries), certainly at some points of the summer.“Anyway, the disappointment is now well behind me and finishing fourth in London helps with the desire and the motivation to improve. I’ve also got a World title to defend, where, of course, I’ll be up against the guys I raced this year. I’m desperate to get back. “The winter training has so far gone well and I feel really fit and healthy and, hopefully, a stronger athlete. I haven’t changed too many sessions this winter, but I have added extra volume and perhaps a few more aerobic, running sessions. We are really pushing the boundaries. When I first joined Malcolm’s training group I wouldn’t have been able to do the extra work. I would have just broken down. But now I’m a lot stronger. So, for example, I might run 9x300m on a morning while on an afternoon I’ll run six by three minute running efforts with two minutes off – a lot more endurance based. I can do this on the treadmill, at a playing field at the University of Bath or I sometimes run around the streets from my house. I’m very excited to see where the training will take me.“My training group had a mixed 2012. Lawrence Clarke finished fourth in the 110m Hurdles at the Olympics and performed very well. Andy Pozzi had a great start to the year and then got injured in London while Jack Green had an up and down year. We’ve a new addition to the training group in 400m hurdler Nathan Woodward, the 2011 European Under-23 silver medallist, which is great. Usually when Jack and I are training it seems as if one of us is injured or struggling, so we end up training on our own. With Nathan we now have a third member of the 400m hurdles group and he seems to excel in training at some of the things I don’t, which is fantastic for me. Everyone is really excited with the group dynamic and the new recruits are desperate to prove themselves.“Earlier this month we even had a flurry of snow – the earliest I can remember the snow coming while training in Bath. It didn’t last long, but it was a shock to the system. “Media interest has waned since the Olympics Games and I’ve turned down a lot of requests, simply because I didn’t feel I had too much to say and because I wanted to concentrate on training. I’ve spent most of my time in Bath and the first part of the winter without too many distractions has gone smoothly. It is also the awards season, but other than a couple of awards ceremonies I’ve turned down the chance to go, but then again it is much easier to turn them down when you haven’t got a chance of winning any! “It hasn’t all been training, though and I have been able to take my mind off training with a couple of non-athletics related activities. I was invited to the Cardiff premiere of the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, and it was great to catch up with some friends there. I was also invited to a Red Bull event called Culture Clash at the Wembley Arena. They set up four different stages and each DJ had 15 minutes to entertain the crowd. It was set up like a competition and the crowd were going nuts. It was a great night, which gave me a release from the intensity of training.“Until next time,Dai

London disappointment behind him, Greene now focused on World title defence