News09 Jan 2004


How the stars welcomed the New Year

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Hestrie Cloete in World Athletics Final (© Getty Images)

MonteFrom South Africa to the Czech Republic, from Ethiopia to the Cayman Islands and Cuba to the USA, we conclude our series of Athletes' Journals, which welcome the New Year and celebrate the multicultural nature of our sport.

We are pleased to bring you a brief insight here but for the full story of each athlete’s holiday, go to the ‘Athletes Journal’ section of the IAAF internet by clicking here

Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
Double Olympic and former four-time World 10,000m champion

In Ethiopia, things are a little different. The fact is that in my country, a year has 13 months. 12 months of 30 days + one month of a week. Due to this, we now live in 1996…


Hestrie Cloete (RSA)
World Champion at High Jump. 2003 Female World Athlete of the Year

I really enjoyed Christmas this year. My coach gave me 3 days off and I certainly took advantage of it! On Christmas Day, I went waterskiing with my husband, my sister, my brother in law and their three children…


Allen Johnson (USA)
4 time World Champion at 110m Hurdles

Hello everyone and Happy New Year to all of you. Training is going extremely well at the minute and even though I have a cold today and I don’t feel that well, I am sure I will be up and running by tomorrow…

 
Jan Zelezny (CZE)
World Record Holder and Olympic Champion at Javelin

Once, we spent Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere. My children were sitting on the beach, then they played games sang their songs and rushed to open their gifts. But this year we had the classic Czech Christmas in our house and could enjoy all the usual winter activities...


Kareem Street-Thompson (CAY)
Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist Long Jump

Camp Fun has officially begun. Hey everyone, happy New Year! Greetings from the beautiful Cayman Islands. I couldn't have begun this year on a better note. For the first time in my professional track career I am training in my home country…


Yipsi Moreno (CUB)
2001 & 2003 women’s World Hammer champion

"The end of the year was very rewarding after I was selected as the best Cuban sportswoman of the year. Christmas is not as important celebration in Cuba as New Year's Eve. I spent Christmas training in the eastern province of Las Tunas, 657km from of Havana, under the guidance of my coach Eladio Hernandez'...


Roman Sebrle (CZE)
World Record Holder Decathlon

We spent Christmas this year in our new house in Prague. The last days of the year are always very special. I love the atmosphere and the fact that everything is special and different to other times of the year…


For the full story click here
 


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