Friday, April 22, 2005

A step closer for Johanna Eric Paylor, Evening Gazette - Race walker Johanna Jackson has taken a major step towards the 2006 Commonwealth Games by achieving the qualifying time. The 20-year-old, from New Marske, made her mark when taking third place in the senior women's event in the Leamington Spa 20k Grand Prix.The event doubled up as the UKA Championships, and Johanna's time of 103min 07sec was well within the qualifying time of 105.00 for the Melbourne Games. Her performance also earned another international call-up. The Redcar Race Walking Club athlete will compete for the Great Britain senior team in the European Cup in Miskolc, in Hungary, next month. Another good performance in Hungary will keep Johanna in trim for the Commonwealth Games trials in September.The Teesside University student said: "The Commonwealth time was my main target but I knew that there were places available for the European Cup as well. To be honest I was surprised to do the Commonwealth time so easily because it was my first attempt at the distance. 7:16:38 PM     comment []

Korea's race walking queen sets another record Hwa-Sung Kim - Donga - Seoul,South Korea - Her 17th Korean Record in Her Lifetime- The series of new records being set by Kim Mi-jeong (26, Ulsan Metropolitan City Hall) is truly astonishing. The 34th National Athletics Championships took place at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium on April 22, where Kim Mi-jeong recorded a personal best of 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 15 seconds in the womenís 20-kilometer race walk, shortening her previous Korean record set in 2003 (1:33:03) by 48 seconds. This newly set Korean record will mark Kim Mi-jeongís 17th record since she first started race walking in March 1998. She has set eight records in the 20-kilometer race walk, five in the 10-kilometer event, one in the 10,000-meter event, and three in the 5,000-meter event. Kim Mi-jeong, with no nationwide competitor to match her, is set for a lone fight. Her series of new records can be thus named the ìsilent cryî in womenís race walking in Korea. 7:11:23 PM     comment []

All of the best Chinese Race Walkers will start in Cixi IAAF - The third leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge 2005 takes place on Saturday 23 April in Cixi City, in Zhejiang province, China, and will witness the best ever Race Walking Australia[base ']s top walkers Nathan Deakes, Jane Saville and Luke Adams will be in action this weekend in the 20km event at the 2005 IAAF Race Walking Challenge in China (23rd April). While Adams is kicking off his international campaign with this event, Deakes and Saville aim to continue their form seen at the previous two legs of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge. The first race of the year in Mexico saw Deakes walk away with first place, and Saville second. Two weeks later in Portugal Deakes walked into second place, and Saville seventh. Deakes is on a mission in Chinese walking race [OE]This leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge gives me the perfect opportunity to compete in China, and after a strong Chinese contingent in Rio Maior a fortnight ago, it will no doubt be a very hard race.[base '] said Deakes. Deakes will return to Australia after this event, to contest the World Championships 50km trial on May 1st [^] just eight days after China, which provides the Olympic bronze medallist with the perfect opportunity to complete a 20km/50km [OE]double[base '], in preparation for Helsinki World Championships and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Next stop on the competition calendar for Saville and Adams is the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Sesto San Giovanni, Milan on 1st May. 6:44:00 PM     comment []

© Copyright 2005 Tim Watt. Last update: 28/9/05; 02:17:31.