Oct
01
iaaf.org – After 25 international seasons Plätzer shows how to end a career on a high .
The culmination of 25 international seasons has left Kjersti Plätzer drained but satisfied, upon retaining her IAAF Race Walking Challenge title.
“I’m, empty but very relieved.” said the 37-year-old Norwegian a week after the IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final in Saransk, and six weeks after being disqualified in Berlin. “Now I can retire on a high which is so important for me.”
Such a long career has several beginnings – in Plätzer’s case due to injuries and motherhood. With her coach, Stephan, also her husband it may be a little intrusive to enquire deeply about some of their planning – but, what shines through is Plätzer’s sense of enjoyment of competition and the love of a challenge.
Nov
01
Xinhuanet – Former Olympic champion Wang Liping announced her retirement on Wednesday after winning the women's 20km race walking gold medal at the East Asian Games.
'It might be my last race, and I will retire after the games,' said the 29-year-old.
Wang, the Sydney Olympic gold medalist, clocked the fastest time of 1 hour 34 minutes 31 seconds, just half a minute ahead of runner-up Kim Mijeong of South Korea.
'I feel exhausted after the Chinese National Games, and I was not in good form today,' said Wang, the mother of a three-year-old girl.
'It was a grueling race, but I am happy I survived,' she added.
Jun
24
BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhuanet) — International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on Sunday sent a message to the 1st National Fitness Walking of China.
“As we look forward to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, this event will bring together millions of people of all ages and from all walks of life in the cities of all of the provinces,” Rogge told a ceremony here through satellite hookup.
“This walk, as well as the 'National Program of Fitness for All' in China fits perfectly into all the various activities scheduled in China in order to promote the values of sport and Olympism,” he added.
Chinese Olympic champions Zhao Ruirui, Liu Chunhong, Chen Zhong and Wang Xu led over 10,000 Beijing dwellers in Fitness Walk Sunday morning. Other 16 Chinese major cities held the same activity at the same time.
Apr
21
The IOC have set out their procedure to eliminate sports from the Olympic Games at its current meeting in Berlin.
All sports have been asked to return a questionnaire to justify their continued inclusion – and a report (by a committee chaired by the same Italian who suggested removing race walking in 2002) is to be considered prior to a meeting in Singapore in July.
The clear intent is to add new sports as much as to remove others, but no mention is made that I could see whether disciplines within sports are to be considered separately.
Mar
01
IAAF 28 February 2005 [radical] The Chinese Race Walking Championships, the first big
national event of this domestically important 10th National Games year,
brought about some superb results during last weekend (24-27 Feb) in Nanning,
Guangxi province.
Feb
14
Kjersti Platzer iss to take a year out of competition, but promises to be back refreshed and ready from 2006 to challenge for European, World and Olympic titles.