Track Beauty of the Week: Élodie Ouédraogo

Élodie Ouédraogo is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from She.be

Ouédraogo is a Belgian athlete who competes in both the sprints and the intermediate hurdles. The high point in her career came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won the 4x100m silver together with Belgian sprinting great Kim Gevaert, Olivia Borleé, and Hanna Marien. The quartet stopped the clock at a new Belgian record of 42.54s.[1] Élodie was also part of the Belgian squad tha won bronze at the Osaka World Championships.

Ouédraogo has personal bests of 11.40s, 23.11s, and 55.29s in the 100m, 200m, and 400m hurdles, respectively.[2]

Élodie originally represented Burkina Faso, her parents' country of birth.[3] As a young sprint hurdler, she competed for the African nation at the 2000 World Junior Championships, but switched allegiance to her country of birth that same year.[4]

Her IAAF biography is a portrait of athletic versatiltity. As a youngster, she competed primarily in the 100m hurdles and the 100m dash, with occasional forays in the long jump. She made her major championship debut at the Osaka World Championships in the 400m hurdles.[5] Since then, Élodie had reached the World Championship semifinals twice (Berlin and Daegu) in an event she had specialized in relatively late. She placed sixth at the 2012 European Championships. A month later, the Belgian made it as far as the semis in the London Olympic Games.

References

1. "Élodie Ouédraogo." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lodie_Ou%C3%A9draogo. Retrieved 1-17-2013.
2. "Athlete profile for Élodie Ouédraogo." http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/belgium/elodie-ouedraogo. Retrieved 1-17-2013
3. "Élodie Ouédraogo."
4. Ibid.
5. "Athlete profile for Élodie Ouédraogo."

Track Beauty of the Week: Marika Popowicz

Marika Popowicz is this week's Track Beauty!

Photo from Erik Van Leeuwen

Popowicz is a Polish sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m. Marika has a personal best of 11.38s and 23.15s in the aforesaid events, set during her breakout season in 2009.[1]

The young Polish speedster racked brought home multiple individual medals as well as a relay medal from the World Military Games and the World University Games.[2] That same year, she finished third place in both the 100m and the 200m at the European U23 Championships.[3] Marika was also part of the silver medal-winning Polish 4x100m quarter.[4]

Popowicz is a mainstay of Poland's formidable 4x100m relay teams the past few years. She made a smooth transition from the junior and U23 ranks to the seniors, having been part back-to-back bronze medal relay performances at the European Championships in 2010 and 2012. 

References:

1. "Marika Popowicz."  http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/poland/marika-popowicz. Retrieved 12-11-2012.
2. "Marika Popowicz." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marika_Popowicz. Retrieved 12-11-2012.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Libania Grenot

Libania Grenot is this week's Track Beauty!

Grenot is Italy's best quarter-miler. The Cuban-born Italian sprinter has a personal best of 50.30s, the standing Italian record in the 400m dash. The 29-year old is a grizzled veteran of the athletics scene. She made her international debut at the World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz in 1999 for her native Cuba, where she finished fifth in the final. 

To date, she has taken part in two editions of the World Championships (2005 and 2009) and at the Beijing and London Olympic Games. She has reached the semifinals in Beijing, Berlin, and London, underlying her stature as a world-class 400m sprinter. 

She switched allegiance to Italy in 2008, having been married to an Italian for the past two years. Libania is a two-time finalist in the European Championships. She almost made it to the podium in Barcelona, but finished in fourth, stopping the clock at 50.43s.

Sources

Grenot's Wikipedia Italy Biography

IAAF

Track Beauty of the Week: Marije Smits

Marije Smits is this week's Track Beauty!

In honor of the ongoing Paralympic Games in London, it is apt to select a talented, differently-abled athlete as Track Beauty.

Marije Smits. (Photo from Helene Wiesenhaan)

Read: "The Paralympic Athletes" 

Smits is a long jumper and sprinter from the Netherlands. The 25-year old has extensive experience in international-level events. She made her debut in the Paralympics in 2004. [1] Since then she has competed in two editions of the European Championships (2005 and 2012), the World Championships (2006), and the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. [2] 

London is her third appearance at the prestigious quadrennial event.

The 2003 European U20 long jump champion notched a significant victory last year, when she won the World Cup long jump silver medal in Christchurch, New Zealand. [3] She currently has personal bests of 3.73m in the long jump and 17.71s in the 100m dash.

Fourteen years ago, Marije's right leg was amputated above the knee because of cancer. [4] Four years later, Smits won her first gold medal at a regional-level competition in Lille, France. [5]

______________

1. "Marije Smits." Wikipedia, 21 August 2012. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marije_Smits (25 August 2012).
2. Ibid.
3. "Dutch Parathletics Team A-selectie Marije Smit." Topatletiek, 25 June 2012. http://www.atletiekunie.nl/index.php?page=18&profileitem=218 (25 August 2012).
4. "Marije Smits."
5. Ibid.

Track Beauty of the Week: Kai Selvon

Kai Selvon is this week's Track Beauty!

The sprinter is an up and coming athlete from Trinidad and Tobago. She competes in both the 100m and 200m, as well as in the 4x100m relay for the Trinidadian national team. To date, Selvon has personal bests of 11.21s and 22.85s.

Selvon is a student-athlete for Auburn University in the United States, following the path of a many a Carribean sprinter. She has distinguished herself in the tough American collegiate leagues, winning the 60m indoor title and 200m dash runner-up honors in 2012.

The 20-year old is a veteran of many major age-group championships, having competed in the 2009 World Youth Championships, as well as the 2008 and 2010 editions of the World Junior Championships. She narrowly missed the 200m dash podium in Moncton back in 2010, as she placed fourth in the final.

Kai made her senior debut at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, where she reached as far as the 200m semifinals. However, a failed drugs test by one of her 4x100m relay teammates resulted in the disqualification of the Trinidad and Tobago quartet.

She clocked 23.04s in the 200m semifinals at the London Olympics. 

Sources:

Kai's Auburn University Profile

IAAF Biography

Helsinki European Champinships: Women's 4x400m Relay

The 4x400m relay has traditionally been the final event of athletics competitions. From low-key schools meets to the Olympics, the grueling yet exciting event has always been the curtain-ender. 

The recently concluded European Championships in Helsinki were no different. With the Russian Olympic Trials being held the week after, the European athletics powerhouse opted to send its "B" team to Helsinki. With the absence of the perennial favorites, other countries had the opportunity to step up and rise to the occasion. Coming into the European Championships, the Ukrainian quartet were the favorites, having run the fastest time by a European team (3:26.36) this season. The British squad, the reigning World Indoor champions from Istanbul, were also well-regarded. 

The German team (Esther Cremer, Janin Lindenberg, Christiane Klopsch, and Fabienne Kohlmann) sped to an early lead in the first lap. The Ukrainians eventually ate up the gap. By the third leg, the experienced Natalya Pyhyda Наталія Пигида padded Ukraine's lead by around 10 meters. France, Germany, and Great Britain ran head-to-head coming into the final lap. 

The Ukrainians lived up to their top billing, as the foursome of Yuliya Olishevska, Olha Zemlyak, Pyhyda, and Alina Lohvynenko stopped the clock at 3:25.07 - the fourth fastest time in the world in 2012. France (Phara Anacharsis, Luina Guion Firmin, Marie Gayot, and Floria Guei) came in second (3:25.49), almost two-tenths of a second ahead of the gutsy Czech squad (Zuzana Hejnová, Zuzana Bergrová, Jitka Bartoničková, and Denisa Rosolova - 3:26.02) composed mostly of 400m hurdlers. The favored British (Shana Cox, Nicola Sanders, Lee McConnell, and Eilidh Child) wound up in fourth place.

Source:
ECH 2012 Results

Ivet Lalova's Comeback

Ivet Lalova at the 2009 Berlin World Championships. (Photo from Erik van Leeuwen)

Ivet Lalova Ивет Лалова was one of the favorites to win a medal coming into the 2004 Athens Olympics. She had just set a new personal time of 10.77s, drawing level with Irina Privalova as the sixth fastest sprinter of all-time. Ivet, however, fell short of the podium in Athens. She finished in fourth place behind Yulia Nestsiarenka (10.93s), Lauryn Williams (10.96s), and Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.97s). 

Read: "Track Beauty of the Week - Ivet Lalova"

Unfortunately, Lalova's career was sidetracked by a freak injury. While warming up for a competition in Greece, Lalova accidentally collided with another athlete. Ivet broke her femur, as a result. 

She struggled to recover in the subsequent years, as her performance dramatically dipped. Lalova's hard work and perseverance finally paid off when she won the European 100m title in Helsinki.

Track Beauty of the Week: Murielle Ahouré

Murielle Ahouré is this week's Track Beauty!

The Ivorian sprinter has improved gradually the past few years. From an 11.42s best in the 100m dash in 2006, Ahouré came close to the 11-seconds in 2009, as she clocked 11.09s in Greensboro. She had forgettable campaigns in the next two years, but the 2012 season has been a revelation for the fast starting African sprinter. 

Ahouré at the 2012 Bislett Games. (Photo from Chell Hill)

Ahouré won a 60m dash silver at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, her debut at a major international competition. She timed 7.04s to finish second behind Jamaican legend Veronica Campbell-Brown (7.01s).

The 24-year old was able to translate her superb indoor form to the outdoor races. She had recently run a lifetime best of 11.00s at the Rome Diamond League, as she beat the defending Olympic 100m champion, Shellly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (11.06s). Ahouré also topped the half-lap sprint at the Bislett Games in Oslo, another Diamond League leg. The Ivorian stopped the clock in a new personal best of 22.42s.

Read: "London Olympics Preview - The 200m Dash"

Murielle is currently ranked 9th and 11th at the 100m and 200m season top lists, respectively. With the London Olympic Games barely two weeks away, the Ivorian is poised to make an impact judging by her sterling form.

Portrait Verena Sailer

Check out this interesting documentary on Verena Sailer!

Verena is Back!

My favorite moment of the 2010 Barcelona European Championships was when Verena Sailer stormed to first place at the 100m dash. Since then, I've been a fervent supporter of Verena. Unfortunately, the German sprinter's performance have been hampered by injury.

Read: "Track Beauty of the Week - Verena Sailer"

The Helsinki European Championships was her first major international since her breakout win in Barcelona a couple of years ago. The German champion performed magnificently. Sailer notched a season's best of 11.14s in the 1st Round. Verena (11.17s) finished second in her semifinal, behind the fast-finishing Olesya Povh Олеся Повх (11.13s)of Ukraine.

Sailer, however, missed the 100m dash podium as she crossed the finish line in fifth place (11.42s). 

But she did not leave Helsinki empty-handed.

The German 4x100m relay squad of Leena Gunther, Anne Cibis, Tatyana Lofamakanda Pinto, and Verena, demolished the opposition, stopping the clock in a European-leading time of 42.51s. The Dutch team was almost three-hundredths of a second behind the German victors, as a faulty baton exchange ruined the hopes of the favored Ukrainian quartet.

With their swashbuckling run in Helsinki, the Germans earned an outright ticket to London as the second-fastest team in the world this year.

Additional Links:

EC 2012 Results

Verena's Post-Race Interview (Round 1)

Track Beauty of the Week: Mary Onyali-Omagbemi

Mary Onyali-Omagbemi is this week's Track Beauty!

The retired Nigerian sprinter is an athletics legend. It is difficult enough to qualify for one or two Olympic Games, but Onyali-Omagbemi represented her country at the Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Olympics. She had also won seven All-Africa sprinting titles and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. 

Photo from MaryOnyali.com

Mary was part of the bronze medal-winning Nigerian 4x100m relay squad at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Despite a doping suspension months prior to the Atlanta Olympics, Onyali-Omagbemi bucked these difficulties to land third at the 200m dash. The 1992 Nigerian 4x100m relay team was featured in the Celebrate Humanity advertisement series:

The Nigerian has personal bests of 10.97s in the 100m (1993) and 22.01 (1996) in the 200m. She still holds the Nigerian national record in the 200m dash, her best event.

Onyali-Omagbemi is considered as a pioneer in Nigerian and African women's sports. She came from a time when it was not normal for a woman take part in professional sports. Her winning ways, according to an article by the Ladybrille magazine, "opened the door for many women" to do the same. 

Sources:

Wikipedia Profile

Ladybrille Interview

Mary Onyali's Official Website

On Juliane Stolle

I've been perplexed at the popularity of Juliane Stolle. I first wrote about the talented German sprinter back in 2010, as part of my weekly Track Beauty feature in my other blog. Despite her seeming inactivity in the athletics circles (her profiles in All-Athletics and IAAF are dated), she has been drumming up a consistent stream of hits to hurdler49. 

Read: "Track Beauty of the Week - Juliane Stolle"

For instance, my original Track Beauty post on Juliane has generated 105 unique page views today, mostly from search engine referrals. In terms of search strings, 11 people have come across my blog looking for information on Juliane. The post has garnered 1,838 unique page views in its almost two years of existence, at par with articles about active and popular athletes like Maris Mägi (5/1/2011 - 1,962), Janin Lindenberg (3/5/2011 - 1,824), and Danielle Carruthers (8/7/2011 - 1,815).

In fact, my post is at the very top of the Google search results for "Juliane Stolle."

I must admit that I"m embarrassed about this. The tone of my original Track Beauty feature was not entirely positive, reeking of disappointment at the seeming end of her athletics career. 

For this, I apologize to Juliane. The Track Beauty of the Week feature intends to showcase the talent of female athletes, not to highlight their flaws. I have made necessary revisions to uplift the mood of my article.

Whatever Juliane's career path now, however different it may be from athletics, I wish her the best.

Track Beauty of the Week: Dafne Schippers

Dafne Schippers is this week's Track Beauty!

Schippers started out as an excellent heptathlete in her junior and youth days, but has since ventured to the sprints. The Dutch athlete won the World Junior title in Moncton back in 2010, scoring 5,967 points. A year later, she topped the European Junior Championships in Tallinn, amassing a total of 6,153 points.

Photo from Erik van Leeuwen

The 2011 season was a revelation in terms of her flat out sprinting speed. Dafne particularly excelled at the half-lap sprint. Schippers has demonstrated repeatedly that she could hold her own against more seasoned opponents. She made it as far as the 60m dash semifinals at the European Indoor Championships in Paris.

At the Daegu World Championships, the young Schippers ran a lifetime best of 22.69s in the 200m dash heats - a major achievement considering her relative youthfulness and multi-events background. Dafne exited the competition at the semifinals. With her sterling performance in Daegu, Schippers shaved off 1.01s off her then personal best to set a new Dutch national record.

Dafne has not turned her back to heptathlon just yet. In fact, her points tally in the grueling seven-event discipline has shown marked improvement the past few years. To date, she has a personal best of 6,370 points in the heptathlon, set in Gotzis last May 2012.