Lacena Golding-Clarke in the 100m Hurdles heats (© Getty Images)
The Brazilian Athletics Confederation, CBAt, has announced the first top names that will compete in both legs of the IAAF Grand Prix circuit on its territory this season. The IAAF GP II in Rio de Janeiro on 15 May, will be followed a week later by the IAAF Grand Prix in Belém (22 May).
The Jamaican couple of Davian Clarke (7th, 400m) and Lacena Golding-Clarke (7th 100m H), Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands (5th, 200m), and Dominic Demeritte of Bahamas (10th, 200m), are among who will compete in both Brazilian meets and who are ranked in the top-10 of their events in the current IAAF World Rankings.
To them we have to add Brazil’s only top-10 ranked athlete, Triple jumper Jadel Gregório (4th, Triple Jump), who has yet to start his 2005 outdoor campaign.
The Clarke’s, who are based in Alabama, in the US, are coming off a great 2004, where both reached the Olympic Final in their events in Athens, the 400 metres for Davian, and the 100m Hurdles for Lacena.
Mothersill won 3 events in the 2004 Grand Prix season - Madrid, Belém and Gateshead - and reached the 200m semi-final in Athens, a race that will be contested at both events in Brazil.
Demeritte, the 2004 World Indoor 200m champion will come to Brazil trying to erase a disappointing second half of 2004. After his gold medal in Budapest, the Bahamian couldn’t find that winning form again, and ended his Olympic adventure only in the quarter-finals.
Jadel Gregório, the best Brazilian athlete of 2004 after Olympic medallist Vanderlei de Lima, will be the main figure for the local crowds. Gregório was 5th in Athens. So far, his main confirmed rivals are countrymen Jefferson Dias Sabino and Marcelo Aparecido da Costa.
South American Grand Prix - News
Meanwhile, the regional Grand Prix circuit continued over the past week, with action in Uruguay and Argentina.
In San Carlos, Uruguay, two meets were staged, on 8 April, and 10 April.
At the first one, Brazilian hurdlers Redelen dos Santos, Matheus Inocêncio, Márcio de Souza and Anselmo da Silva, who finished in that order, shone with times of 13.46 for the top 2, 13.48 for Márcio and 13.56 for Anselmo; wind was +1.0 m/s. The 110m Hurdles will be contested at both IAAF Grand Prix meets in Brazil.
Also at that Uruguayan meet was a significant the 74.66m Hammer Throw performance by 2003 Pan American Champion Juan Ignacio Cerra, of Argentina.
Two days later, in another hotly contested hurdles race, Redelen and Matheus had the same time, but 2/10 slower. 13.67 for both, with Anselmo 3rd in 13.69, and Márcio 4th in 13.74 (wind -1.5).
Discus thrower Jorge Balliengo, from Argentina, won with a 61.25m toss, showing some good form, while in the women’s events, Colombian Caterine Ibargüen took the High Jump with 1.87, defeating South American record holder, Argentina’s Solange Witteveen by 3 centimetres.
After Uruguay, the next stop was in Rosario, Argentina, on 14 April. In a rainy night the most remarkable performance came from Balliengo, who improved his personal best in the Discus Throw with 62.45, getting close to achieving the “B” standard (63.00m) for the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki.
The poor weather conditions delayed the Pole Vault competition until 15 April. Then, Brazil’s Fábio Gomes da Silva beat 2003 World Youth Champion Germán Chiaraviglio from Argentina, 5.30 to 5.20, repeating the placings and performances from the 2 events in Uruguay.
But the young promising Argentinean was able to reverse that in his hometown of Santa Fe (16 and 17 April), on the weekend of his 18th birthday. There, Germán vaulted 5.40 on Saturday, a season’s best, while Gomes da Silva had 3 fouls at 5.05.
Another young talent, Uruguay’s Andrés Silva, lowered his national junior record in the 200m to 20.95 (wind -0.7) last Sunday, 17 April. Silva was beaten by countryman and national record holder Heber Viera (20.91).
Other good performances in Santa Fe were recorded by Brazil’s Fabiano Peçanha (1:47.59 in 800m), Anselmo Gomes da Silva (13.74/-0.2 in 110mH), Jorge Balliengo (58.05 in DT), and Juan Ignacio Cerra (a season’s best at HT; 74.78).
In the women’s events, Ibargüen beat Witteveen again, though this time both jumped 1.86m. Alejandra García won the Pole Vault in 4.20m, ahead of Colombian Milena Agudelo (4.10) and Brazilian Joana Robeiro Costa (4.00), while in the Hammer Throw, Brazilian Josiane Soares took the victory with 60.63m.
At another local meet, on Sunday 17 April in São Paulo, the best results were obtained by two 400m specialists. 1999 World Championship silver medalist Sanderlei Parrela won in 46.77, on a comeback from several injuries, while Olympian Maria Laura Almirão was victorious on the women’s side with a 52.91 clock.
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
