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4 Responses to “INTERESTING NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD”

1. EARLY B Says:
   October 20th, 2009 at 11:19 am

   3 who died in Detroit race described as healthy

   The deaths of three runners who collapsed during a 13.1-mile half marathon appear to have been an aberration, but at least six runners have died while competing in such events in the last two months.

   Autopsies were inconclusive Monday on the bodies of Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio; Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg in central Michigan; and Jonathan Fenlon, 26, of Waterford, northwest of Detroit. The Wayne County medical examiner has requested toxicology tests.

   The three died Sunday during or after running a half marathon at the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon. Brown and Langdon collapsed near the end of the race, and Fenlon died after crossing the finish line. Friends and family of the men said they had trained for the 13.1-mile race and were in great shape.

   Their deaths follow those of two runners in their mid-thirties who died earlier this month while running a half marathon in San Jose, Calif., and a 23-year-old man who died in September after collapsing during a half marathon in Virginia Beach, Va.

   “This is definitely atypical. In a given year, you’re looking at four to six deaths,” said Ryan Lamppa, a researcher for Colorado Springs-based nonprofit Running USA. “Some years are higher. Some years are lower.”

   There are about 0.8 deaths for every 100,000 runners who complete a marathon, Lamppa said. He said he did not immediately know the rate of death for overall participants in full or half marathons.

   All of the runners in Sunday’s races, which included full and half marathons, had to sign a medical release form and were encouraged to talk to their doctors before participating, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership, which organized the race.

   Making sure runners follow those precautions is something that can’t be “policed,” Lamppa said.

   “Almost all of the runner deaths we hear about, it’s always described as he or she is in great health,” said Jean Knaack, executive director of Arlington, Va.-based Road Runners Club of America, a nonprofit promoting long distance running.

   “Even if they are runners and are doing all the right things, they might have a genetic heart condition,” Knaack said. “No matter what, whenever you start an exercise program or whether you are a beginning runner, you should consult with your doctor. Regular runners need annual physicals.”

   Participation in full and half marathons has been growing over the past 10 to 15 years, Lamppa said.

   In 2008, an estimated 425,000 runners completed full marathons in the United States, and 715,000 finished half marathons, he said.

   The half marathon in Detroit drew about 8,500 runners last year. On Sunday, about 9,000 signed up. About 4,500 ran in the full marathon this year compared to 4,259 in 2008.

   The last death at the Detroit event was in 1994, when a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.

   Sunday’s three deaths came as a shock to friends and family of the men, who described them as in good shape.

   Brown, the oldest of those who died, usually ran the full Detroit marathons, but decided to join his wife in the shorter event, his friend Chip Allman said.

   “He’d had some health problems which weren’t related to running. He wasn’t in the best of shape,” said Allman, president of the River City Runners Club in Parkersburg, W. Va. “He’d run some half marathons already this year and did well in them.”

   Langdon had run half marathons before, but hadn’t trained for a full marathon, said his mother-in-law, Deborah Windish.

   Fenlon jogged and weightlifted, was healthy and had no history of heart-related ailments, said his mother, Laura Fenlon.

   Fenlon had run shorter races than a half marathon, including about four miles in last year’s relay portion of the Detroit marathon and had been training with his girlfriend since June for Sunday’s race, said his mother, Laura Fenlon.

   “They had been running like six miles,” Laura Fenlon said.

   Lamppa said a runner should average between 50 and 70 miles per week when training for a full marathon, and 25 to 50 miles each week for the shorter version.

   “I wouldn’t take running the half marathon lightly,” said Dr. Stephen Pribut, who has run two full marathons and specializes in sports medicine in Washington D.C. “In general, it’s not something that we expect to kill you. It’s odd and freaky to have three die in the same part of the course.”

2. EARLY B Says:
   October 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

   We were robbed - Peru blame referee for Argentine loss

   Peruvian media on Sunday ganged up on referee Bolivian Rene Ortube after Saturday’s World Cup qualifying loss in Argentina, alleging he “robbed” them of a result.

   Peru, who had no chance of reaching the finals even ahead of the game, were already sore after Martin Palermo scored Argentina’s winner in stoppage time to keep Diego Maradona’s side in the hunt for the fourth and final automatic regional qualifying spot.

   And several newspapers insisted the Peruvians should have had two penalties in depicting Ortube as the villain of the piece in a 2-1 loss.

   “We were robbed!” was the headline in Todo Sport and also Peru21, while Correo preferred “barefaced robbery.”

   Ojo tabloid alluded to the Andean regional rivalry between Peru and Bolivia - once the same territory - as well as to Bolivian President Evo Morales in headlining: “One of Evo’s compatriots robbed us of the match.”

   Morales, a member of Bolivia’s indigenous indian majority, and Peruvian counterpart Alan Garcia have on several occasions been at loggerheads.

   Ortube did not award Peru a penalty on 57 minutes when Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze appeared to elbow Peru veteran winger Nolberto Solano.

   “(Argentina) benefited from a clear penalty in the area which referee Ortube did not blow for in a critical decision,” wrote Emilio Laferranderie, a Uruguayan reporter working for El Comercio.

   Laferranderie added that Maradona’s team, who need a result at Uruguay in their final match to hang on for a berth next summers finals, “did not function either at the back, in midfield or up front.”.

   Ortube reaped further opprobrium after allowing Palermo’s 92nd-minute goal when in Peruvian reporters’ eyes he was offside.

   The media also accused the referee of preferring to blow the final whistle rather than award the Peruvians a spotkick at the death for an apparent foul in the Argentine box.

3. EARLY B Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 9:48 am

   SAfrica’s Olympic committee starts Semenya hearing

   South Africa’s Olympic committee has begun its investigation into the handling of Caster Semenya by the country’s track officials.

   Mark Etheridge, spokesman for the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, says the hearings began Friday and would go into next week.

   The committee is looking into the role of Athletics South Africa in the gender testing of Semenya. ASA president Leonard Chuene admitted that he lied about knowledge of gender tests involving the 18-year-old athlete.

   Semenya won the 800 meters at the world championships in August in Berlin. Before the final, the world governing body for track and field said it had ordered gender tests on the runner.

4. EARLY B Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 9:41 am

   World Cup Qualifying Preview: Argentina - Peru

   It’s Now Or Never For Argentina

   Diego Maradona and Argentina are well aware that anything less than the three points at home to Peru on Saturday could lead to World Cup elimination. The two-time world champions haven’t missed out on qualification for the World Cup in forty years, and although they have struggled a great deal throughout the World Cup qualifiers they are favoured to overcome the Peruvians.

   Maradona’s side may be a shadow of their normal self at the moment, but if history has its way Los Albicelestes will prove too strong for Peru on Saturday. With 30 triumphs in 46 encounters against the Peruvians the Argentines are clearly favoured, however, they also experienced a major setback when they missed out on the 1970 World Cup after drawing 2-2 with Peru at the Bombonera stadium in 1969. Maradona and co. will be hoping that this won’t repeat itself again this year.

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   Argentina have suffered three successive defeats in the qualifiers, including a painful 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Brazil in Rosario last month, and because of this Maradona has been forced to make a number of changes to his squad. To the delight of many he called up Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain for the first time, and the striker is expected to start the game alongside Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Other interesting additions were that of Benfica duo Pablo Aimar and Angel Di Maria.

   Maradona knows that this is Argentina’s last opportunity to qualify directly for South Africa, and because of this he has tried to assemble the best possible side to guarantee results. Argentina are in a must-win situation, as a draw or a defeat could lead to World Cup elimination. Despite the fact that Maradona has struggled with the side, the Argentine faithful have gotten right behind him as they anticipate a crucial victory.

   Argentina are in fifth-place in the qualifiers, and will need to win the match to keep alive their chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup.

   Playing For Nothing But Pride

   Peru find themselves bottom of the South American World Cup qualifying group, and although they have already been eliminated from World Cup contention, they will be hoping to cause a major upset in Buenos Aires. Jose Del Solar, the coach of Peru, is well aware that his side have to be very cautious of Argentina, and because of this he has named only a single striker in his attack.

   “We will play for honour”, declared the Peruvians, knowing that on Saturday they will be under observation, because whichever is the outcome of the match, much will be said by rival teams, who are still hoping to secure a place in South Africa next year. After the game Peru may be accused of several things, but the side have already affirmed that they won’t think about financial incentives or nothing like that but will go for the three points, like they did when they beat Uruguay 1-0 in Lima last month.

   The teams who compete with Argentina for a place in the World Cup [Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela] will appreciate it very much if Argentina dropped points against Peru, because this would severely dent Argentina’s chances of reaching South Africa.

   Peru are already eliminated from the World Cup, after a disastrous campaign that only saw them pick up 10 points, product of two victories, four draws and ten defeats. But they are hoping to spoil the party by picking up a rare victory at the Monumental stadium.

   FORM GUIDE

   Argentina

   30 September (Friendly) Argentina 2-0 Ghana

   9 September (WCQ) Paraguay 1-0 Argentina

   5 September (WCQ) Argentina 1-0 Brazil

   12 August (Friendly) Russia 2-3 Argentina

   10 June (WCQ) Ecuador 2-0 Argentina

   Peru

   10 September (WCQ) Venezuela 3-1 Peru

   5 September (WCQ) Peru 1-0 Uruguay

   10 June (WCQ) Colombia 1-0 Peru

   7 June (WCQ) Peru 1-2 Ecuador

   1 April (WCQ) Brazil 3-0 Peru

   TEAM NEWS

   Argentina

   Diego Maradona was furious about the fact that Pablo Zabaleta arrived in Argentina injured after turning out for Manchester City in the English Premier on Monday. But even with his absence, Maradona won’t modify tactics for the big game. Jonas Gutierrez will replace Zabaleta, but that will be the only forced changed made by Maradona. Other interesting changes were that of Pablo Aimar and Angel Di Maria in the midfield, while newcomers Emiliano Insua and Enzo Perez will also be part of the starting XI. The biggest news, however, is that Gonzalo Higuain received the nod ahead of Martin Palermo to partner Lionel Messi in Argentina’s attack.

   Probable Starting XI: Romero, Gutierrez, Schiavi, Heinze, Insua, Perez, Mascherano, Di Maria, Aimar, Messi and Higuain.