CHICAGO, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Two-time champion Berhane Adere will try to become the first woman to win three straight Chicago Marathon titles Sunday, with Olympic champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita among those out to prevent the three-peat.

Ethiopia's Adere and Kenyan Daniel Njenga in the men's race rounded out the elite field announced for Sunday's race.

CHICAGO, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - The men's and women's elite fields announced for Sunday's 2008 Chicago Marathon.

Moses Arusei (KEN) personal best: 2hr 06min 50sec

Christopher Cheboiboch (KEN) 2:08:17

Timothy Cherigat (KEN) 2:09:34

Evans Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:09:16

Joseph Chirlee (KEN) 2:12:10

Arata Fujiwara (Japan) 2:08:40

CHICAGO, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Last 10 winners of the Chicago Marathon, which will be run on Sunday:

2007: Patrick Ivuti (KEN) 2:11:11

2006: Robert K. Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:07:35

2005: Felix Limo (KEN) 2:07:02

2004: Evans Rutto (KEN) 2:06:16

2003: Evans Rutto (KEN) 2:05:50

2002: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 2:05:56

BERLIN, Oct 3, 2008 (AFP) - The Portuguese city of Albufeira and the Slovenian city of Velenje have been awarded the rights to host the European Cross Country Championships in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

The European Athletics Council made the decision at a meeting here on Friday.

DUBAI, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - Ethiopia's world record holder Haile Gebrselassie is to run in the Dubai Marathon on January 16 that carries prize money of up to three million dollars, organisers said on Thursday.

The city state has kept in contact with the runner since he won the last Dubai Marathon in January, when he almost broke the record, Ahmad Kamali told a press conference.

ADDIS ABABA, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Ethiopian track great Kenenisa Bekele announced Wednesday on state television he would finance the construction of a multi-million dollar sports complex in Ethiopia.

The multi-purpose sports centre will be established in Sululta, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Addis Ababa and will cost an estimated 15 million dollars (10.7 million euros).

PARIS, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Next year's Golden League meeting in Paris faces the axe after French energy giant GDF Suez officially withdrew its sponsorship Wednesday, according to the French Athletics Federation (FFA).

BERLIN, Sept 29, 2008 (AFP) - Fresh from setting a new world record at the Berlin Marathon, Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie ruled out the likelihood of anybody running the 42.195-kilometre event in under two hours any time soon.

The 35-year-old clocked 2hr 03min 59sec here on Sunday, his 26th world record or world best.

BERLIN, Sept 28, 2008 (AFP) - Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie broke his own world record on Sunday at the Berlin Marathon for the second consecutive year in the German capital city.

The 35-year-old brushed off a calf injury two weeks ago to come home in a time of 2hrs 03min 59sec.

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept 26, 2008 (AFP) - Results from the 2008 Daegu Athletics Meeting here in South Korea Thursday:

1. Nesta Carter (JAM) 10.08

2. Michael Frater (JAM) 10.15

3. Brian Dzingai (ZIM) 10.18

1. Brian Dzingai (ZIM) 20.28

2. Gary Kikaya (DRC) 20.63

3. Christopher Williams (JAM) 20.66

1. Wilfred Bungei (KEN) 1:47.02

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - Olympic champion pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva failed to match her Beijing form in South Korea on Thursday -- but still conquered all before her.

Isinbayeva, who set a world record of 5.05 metres in picking up Olympic gold last month, managed to clear just 4.60m at the 2008 Daegu Pre-championships Meeting in southeastern South Korea.

BERLIN, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - The winner of this year's London Marathon, Irina Mikitenko, wants to erase the bitter memories of her Beijing disappointment with victory in Sunday's Berlin Marathon.

NEW YORK, Sept 23, 2008 (AFP) - Kim Smith, of New Zealand, will attempt to become the third Kiwi winner when the 2008 New York Marathon takes place November 2 over the streets of Manhattan.

The 26-year-old Smith, of Papakura, will try and follow in the footsteps of Rod Dixon (1983) and Allison Roe (1981).

The two-time Olympian Smith holds seven New Zealand running records.

BEIJING, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - China's hurdles star Liu Xiang resumed training on Wednesday, state media reported, after an injury forced him to pull out of the Olympic Games in a dramatic move that shocked the nation.

NAIROBI, Sept 23, 2008 (AFP) - Kenyan 400m runner Elizabeth Muthoka has been banned for two years after testing positive for prohibited drug nandrolone, Athletics Kenya (AK) officials said on Tuesday.

Muthoka, who qualified for the Beijing Olympics as the only woman sprinter in the Kenyan team, was dropped after failing the dope test at the national championships in Nairobi in June.

LONDON, Sept 23, 2008 (AFP) - Dope cheat sprinter Dwain Chambers will be welcomed back into the British team, the new national head coach said Tuesday.

Chambers has a lifetime ban from the Olympic Games after testing postive for designer steroid THG and in July saw London's High Court reject an appeal which would have allowed him to compete in Beijing.

LONDON, Sept 22, 2008 (AFP) - Dutch athletics guru Charles van Commenee is set to be named as the new coach of the British track and field team here Tuesday by UK Athletics.

The 50-year-old will replace Dave Collins, who has already quit his now defunct position of performance director, as Britain looks for improved athletics results at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

SHANGHAI, Sept 20, 2008 (AFP) - Results from the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix here on Saturday:

1. Michael Frater (JAM) 10.05

2. Nesta Carter (JAM) 10.10

3. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Britain) 10.17

1. Brian Dzingai (ZIM) 20.38

2. Rodney Martin (USA) 20.42

3. Marlon Devonish (Britain) 20.66

1. Angelo Taylor (USA) 44.94

SHANGHAI, Sept 20, 2008 (AFP) - Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva thrilled an adoring crowd with her winning jump at Saturday?s Shanghai Golden Grand Prix despite failing in her bid to beat her own world record.

SHANGHAI, Sept 18, 2008 (AFP) - Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva will try to beat her own world record at Saturday's Shanghai Golden Grand Prix as a handful of Olympic champions return to China after winning gold in Beijing.

NAIROBI, Sept 18, 2008 (AFP) - Six months ago Pamela Jelimo was barely known in her Kenyan village, but after winning the 800m at the Beijing Olympics she is a million-dollar star.

SZCZECIN, Poland, Sept 17, 2008 (AFP) - Jamaica's former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell continued his impressive form since finishing out of the medals at the Olympics as he eased home here on Wednesday.

NAIROBI, Sept 16, 2008 (AFP) - Olympic 800m champion Pamela Jelimo late on Tuesday caused a big media stampede on arrival back home as the clamour to grab a piece of Kenya's athletics millionaire nearly turned ugly.

NAIROBI, September 15, 2008 (AFP) - The Kenyan athletics board Monday urged the government to protect its athletes after the home of Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru was raided.

Armed robbers over the weekend raided Wanjiru's his rural home in Nyahururu, 190 kilometres north of Nairobi and demanded his prize money, but none was hurt.

STUTTGART, September 14, 2008 (AFP) - Complete IAAF World Final collated results this weekend:

1. Asafa Powell (JAM) 09.87

2. Nester Carter (JAM) 10.07

3. Michael Frater (JAM) 10.10

4. Kim Collins (SKN) 10.22

STUTTGART, September 14, 2008 (AFP) - Beijing bronze-medalist David Oliver won the last ever race here with victory in the men's 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Athletics Final on Sunday.

The historic track at the Mercedes-Benz Arena - where Britain's Colin Jackson set the world record of 12.91secs in 1993 - will be torn up after 75 years of competition.

STUTTGART, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - IAAF World Athletics Final first day collated results here on Saturday:

1. Asafa Powell (JAM) 9.87sec

2. Nester Carter (JAM) 10.07

3. Michael Frater (JAM) 10.10

4. Kim Collins (SKN) 10.22

STUTTGART, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Former Olympic champion Stefan Holm admitted he was sad his 20-year love affair with high jumping was at an end after he retired with a second place at the World Athletics Final on Saturday.

STUTTGART, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Jamaica's Asafa Powell leapt to the defence of compatriot and sprint sensation Usain Bolt here on Saturday after ex-Olympic champion Carl Lewis questioned Bolt's performances in Beijing.

STUTTGART, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic set a new world javelin record with a throw of 72.28m here at the IAAF World Athletics Final on Saturday and revealed the money made out of that would be put towards building a house.

STUTTGART, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic set a new world javelin record with a throw of 72.28m here at the IAAF World Athletics Final on Saturday.

Kimani Wanjiru shows his gold medal at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport.

STUTTGART, September 12, 2008 (AFP) - The world's elite athletes gather here this weekend for the IAAF World Athletics Final with some big battles on the cards.

The focus in the sprints will fall on Jamaica's former world record holder Asafa Powell over 100m, with double Olympic sprint champion and current world record holder Usain Bolt missing.

TOKYO, September 12, 2008 (AFP) - Olympic champion hurdler Dayron Robles will lead a parade of Beijing medallists at this month's Kawasaki track and field meet, organisers said on Friday.

The Cuban set a 110m hurdles world record of 12.87 seconds in June before winning Olympic gold in Beijing, where China's defending champion Liu Xiang pulled out injured.

BERLIN, September 12, 2008 (AFP) - Beijing bronze medallist David Oliver is relishing racing the 'best of the best' when he challenges world record holder Dayron Robles over the 110m hurdles in Stuttgart this weekend.

The world's elite athletes are gathering at Stuttgart's Mercedes-Benz Arena for the IAAF World Athletics Final with some big battles on the cards.

BERLIN, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie said Thursday he is convinced he can lower his own world record at this year's Berlin marathon, on September 28.

LONDON, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Usain Bolt could have run the Olympic 100m in 9.55 seconds had he not eased up before crossing the finish line, according to a scientific study released Thursday.

BERLIN, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Jamaica's Asafa Powell has been over-shadowed by compatriot and triple Olympic gold-medalist Usain Bolt this season, but the former world 100m record holder aims to finish in style in Stuttgart.