Merlene Ottey
100 metre seasons best (outdoors)

Merlene Ottey
200 metre seasons best (outdoors)

Merlene Ottey
100 metre world ranking

11 November 2006: Langerholc athlete of the year - Ottey fourth
The Slovenian Athletics Federation (AZS) has announced it's athlete of the year awards. Matic Osovnikar and Brigita Langerholc was voted male and female athlete of the year respectively. Merlene Ottey came fourth in the vote for female athlete of the year. 

Source: http://sportal.siol.net/default.asp?article_id=10081010611111847230

23 September 2006: Ottey ended her season in Shanghai
Merlene Ottey ended her 2006 outdoor season at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. Ottey came seventh in her most competitive race of the season against current and former World champions like Allyson Felix, Lauryn Williams and Torri Edwards. "I know I couldn't win but I just like performing", she said after the race. The American sprinters took four of the top five places; with Allyson Felix winning in 11.17 sec. Torri Edwards was second in 11.27 sec. with Jamaican Aleen Bailey well back in third (11.41 sec.). In seventh place Merlene Ottey recorded 11.59 sec. and was disappointed since her season has been plagued by injury. “For me this was a bad year,” she said.

100 metre final (wind: -0.7)
1  Allyson Felix (USA): 11.17 sec.
2. Torri Edwards (USA): 11.27 sec.
3. Aleen Bailey (JAM): 11.41 sec.
4. Melisa Barber (USA): 11.45 sec.
5. Lauryn Williams (USA): 11.55 sec.
6. Joice Maduaka (GBR): 11.59 sec.
7. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.59 sec.
8. Wangping Qin (CHN): 11.80 sec.
9. Jing Wang (CHN): 11.97 sec.

http://www.shggp.com/liveresults/index.html

Ottey, 46, who tested positive for nandrolone in 1999 but later had her ban rescinded, called for improved testing procedures. "I can only imagine the pressure, the stress she was under, knowing she was innocent," Ottey said ahead of the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix.

"It's a bad situation because it's the athlete's life. I don't think a mistake like that should be made. You cannot go back and erase everything. It will always be there in the mind of the athlete. Unfortunately, tests are not 100 per cent and I'm hoping in the future no athlete should go through something like this."

US star Jones tested positive for the banned blood-booster in June before being cleared when her 'B' sample came back negative. The case has similarities with Ottey's, whose ban was lifted when the International Association of Athletics Federations found fault with laboratory testing procedures. The Jamaican-born runner, now representing Slovenia , has a record eight Olympic track and field medals and 14 world championship medals.

World record holder over 200m Michael Johnson said this week that Jones, who has long been under a cloud of doping suspicion and was linked to the BALCO steroid probe, would never be able to repair her image and should retire.

Source: AFP & Foxsports

100 metre final (wind: -0.4):
1. Britanna Glenn (USA): 11.40
2. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.53
3. Olena Chebanu (UKR): 11.74
4. Maria Aurora Salvagno (ITA): 11.79
5. Elena Sordelli (ITA):11.85
6. Manuela Grillo (ITA): 12.11

100 metre heat 2 (wind. 0.0)
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.71
2. Fabienne Beret-Martinel (FRA): 11.83
3. Ekaterina Kondrateva (RUS): 12.10  
4. Erika Kučerová (SLK): 12.92
5. Tina Carmen (SLO): 13.43
6. Stanislava Klúčarová (SLK): 13.96

Celtic Cup 100 metre final (wind: -2.6)
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.92
2. Anna Boyle (IRL): 12.08
3. Susan Deacon (SCO): 12.12 
4. Louise Dickson (SCO): 12.42
5. Sara Whigham (SCO): 12.59
6. Stacey Downie (SCO): 12.65
7. Lucy Evans (WAL): 12.70
8. Carly Beattie (SCO): 12.72

16 August 2006: Ottey ready for Celtic Cup
The legendary Merlene Ottey lines up as a guest runner at the Celtic Cup in Scotland on Thursday. Ottey will race the 100 metres (startlist), which is scheduled to start at 20.10. The Celtic Cup will be televised live by BBC Scotland 19.00-21.00 and streamed live via www.bbc.co.uk/.

15 August 2006: Ottey re-enters 100 metre world ranking
After her latest performances in Gothenburg (but not counting her recent win at the Sunday Mail National Championships) Merlene Ottey has re-entered the IAAF 100 metre world ranking as no. 89 with a point average of 1138. The 100 metre event is topped by Christine Arron.
See all details on Merlene Ottey's races in 2006!

100 metres final (wind: 1.8):
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.34
2. Susan Deacon (SCO): 11.69
3. Sara Whigham (SCO): 11.96
4. Louise Dickson (SCO): 12.01
5. Lucy Evans (SCO): 12.24
6. Lauren Arthur (SCO): 12.37
7. Nicola Gossman (SCO): 12.43

100 metres heat 2 (wind: ?):
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.81
2. Louise Dickson (SCO): 12.29
3. Lucy Evans (SCO): 12.38
4. Nicola Gossman (SCO): 12.68
5. Aileen Connelly (SCO): 12.69

Results from Scottish Athletics Federation

11 August 2006: Ottey running two races in Scotland
Merlene Ottey is not taking part in the rest of the European Championships and will continue her athletics season in Europe. She says: "My aim for this season is to run sub-11.40 sec. – a 11.20 or 11.30 sec. 100 metres”. Merlene Ottey has two races in Scotland lined up in the next seven days:
* 12 August: Sunday Mail National Championships at Scotstoun Stadium (Glasgow)
* 17 August: Celtic Cup at Grangemouth Stadium (Grangemouth)
Source: Scottish Athletics Federation

10 August 2006: Ottey speaks of a possible Beijing participation
In Gothenburg Merlene Ottey for the first time spoke of her athletics future beyond 2006. In different statements Ottey said the following:

* “If I can avoid injuries, I will also be around next year. And Beijing 2008 (the Olympic Games) is also a possibility“. 

* "If I'm still running times that qualify me for championships, expect to see me there ... the worlds next year in Osaka and Beijing the year after, who knows?”

On the question of what keeps her going, Merlene Ottey stated: “For me it is just the love of the sports. It is impossible to get any more medals. I just love running – that’s why I am here”. She added: "Running at my age is a challenge. It's the only motivation I need".

Looking ahead 2007 will bring the European Indoor Championships in Birmingham (60 metre entry standard = 7.40 sec.) and the World Championships in Osaka (100 metre entry standard = 11.40 sec.). 2008 will bring the Olympic Games and the World Indoor Championships. In case Ottey would manage to participate in the World Championships and the Olympic Games both would be her 8th participation – recordbreaking for any ahtlete in history. 

9 August 2006: Ottey out in the semis but honoured by spectators
After a legendary performance Merlene Ottey narrowly missed out on making the final of the women ' s 100 metres at the European championships. She finished fifth in her semifinal heat in 11.44 sec. – missing the cut for the final by just 0.03 sec. Before and after the race Merlene Ottey was given a roar from the crowd especially when she announced that she is not ending her career yet: "I ' m sad I didn ' t make the final but my career continues, so see you next year", Ottey said.

On the semifinal race itself Ottey commented: “I gave all what I have, I ran at 110 percent. But I lack training. You saw I was pushing at the end – that is the sign that I still can run with the younger runners. I needed maybe one more month of training and then I would make the finals. I am not running the 200 metres, because there I would need more training”.

Ottey insisted that she wants to carry on her remarkable career through to next year's world championships, and possibly beyond to the 2008 Olympics. "Seriously, if my body stays healthy I want to run next year. I was able to achieve 11.40 sec after only short period of training. I looked around (after the race) to see what people were running, I saw some of them ran 11-fours, so I guess I have chance to come back out there. If I can train more and stay healthy I can run faster times. It was a great feeling to compete at European Championships for first time, pity I could not do it already in 2002, but knee surgery stopped me four years ago”.

100 metres final (wind: 1.8):
1. Kim Gevaert (BEL): 11.06 sec.
2. Yekaterina Grigoryeva (RUS): 11.22 sec.
3. Irina Khabarova (RUS): 11.22 sec.
4. Joice Maduaka (GBR): 11.24 sec.
5. Yuliya Guschina (RUS): 11.31 sec.
6. Yuliya Nesterenko (BLR): 11.34 sec.
7. Sylviane Felix (FRA): 11.40 sec.
8. Daria Onysko (POL): 11.43 sec.

8 August 2006: Ottey advances to the semifinals
In the race of generations Merlene Ottey advanced into the semifinal of the women ' s 100 metres. The draw had put the oldest female athlete at the European Championships (Ottey, aged 46) in the same heat as the youngest female athlete Diane Borg (aged 15) from Malta. That battle was won by Ottey with 1,01 sec. Competing in her first European Championships for Slovenia Ottey was given a very warm welcome by the crowd in the Ullevi Stadium. Running against Top 10 Europeans Maduaka and Neumiarzhytskaya, Ottey was a bit slow out of the blocks in the second heat and was trailing the two others all the way to the finish line. Anyhow she managed to equal her season best time of 11.41 sec. and is into the semifinals with the 12th fastest qualification time, which also equalled her own Masters World Record in the category 45+.

Merlene Ottey made the following statement after the race:  
"I had so many injuries in past years, so I’m happy to be here and be able to run. It is for me another chance to continue to race. I remember this stadium very well, but at that time I was in far better shape". 

"It is a good feeling to be at my first European Championships outdoors, but again I must say it is a pity I am not faster. Twenty years ago I would never have run 11.41 sec. I would have been taking it easy and doing 11.1 sec. So it ' s much slower unfortunately. Of course I want to make the finals, but for that I would need to be faster in the semifinals at least by two metres. I will try, be sure".

Source for the quotes: EAA

100 metres heat 2 (wind: 1.0):
1. Joice Maduaka (GBR): 11.24 sec.
2. Alena Neumiarzhytskaya (BLR): 11.28 sec.
3. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.41 sec.
4. Ksenija Balta (EST): 11.47 sec.
5. Carima Louami (FRA): 11.48 sec.
6. Katja Wakan (GER): 11.54 sec.
7. Aleksandra Vojneska (MKD): 12.15 sec.
8. Diane Borg (MLT): 12.42 sec.

Startlists for the semifinals can be seen here.

Maduaka & Ottey

Maduaka, Ottey & Neumiarzhytskaya

Merlene Ottey all smiles when crossing the finish line

5 August 2006: Ottey getting ready for the 100 metres
With only two days to go until the beginning of competitions at the European Championships in Gothenburg Merlene Ottey is getting ready for the 100 metres. On participating in Gothenburg she states: “Going to the European Championships is positive and because it is the best who take part, I am very motivated”. Her coach Srdjan Djordjevic says: “ Merlene is getting faster with each race, and she has the ability and experience to surprise”.

The first round of the 100 metres is scheduled for Tuesday 11.50. With only 32 women entered in the event there will probably only be four heats with direct qualification for the semifinals, which are scheduled for Wednesday 9 August at 18.15 followed by the final at 20.25. Startlists and results will be published here.

4 August 2006: Press Release on Merlene Ottey
Today the Merlene Ottey Fanclub sent out a press release on Merlene Ottey’s debut at the European Championships. See the press release here.

Final entries list for the European Championships

Merlene Ottey looking ahead to the European Championships
(Picture from Wolfsberg - Austrian Top 4 meeting)

The Slovenian participants are the following:

Women (10):
- Merlene Ottey (Mass), 100 m,
- Sara Orešnik (Olimpija), 400 m hurdles,
- Pia Tajnikar (Mass), 100 m, 200 m,
- Jolanda Čeplak (AD Čeplak), 800 m,
- Martina Ratej (Šentjur), hammer throw,
- Helena Javornik (Zreče), maraton,
- Brigita Langerholc (Triglav), 800 m,
- Sonja Roman (Maribor 98), 1500 m,
- Marina Tomič (Kladivar), 100 m hurdles,
- Radmila Vukmirovič (Gorica), 100 m hurdles

Men (9):
- Andrej Batagelj (Gorica), triple jump,
- Marko Bratož (Gorica), 100 m,
- Primož Kozmus (Fit), javelin throw,
- Rožle Prezelj (Kra), high jump,
- Matjaž Borovina (Postojna), 100 m,
- Boštjan Buč (Velenje), 3000 m steeplechase,
- Matic Osovnikar (Mass), 100 & 200 m,
- Miran Vodovnik (Almont), shot put,
- Jan Žumer (Mass), 100 m, long jump

Source: AZS

Ottey as she was in Gothenburg the last time (1995 World Champs)

28 July 2006: Ottey improves again two weeks before Euro Champs
Merlene Ottey was star of the third meeting in the Austrian Top 4 series in Wolfsberg (results) and she answered to the expectations by winning the 100 metre final in a new master world record of 11.41 sec. The time puts Ottey into contention for a semifinal and a possible final at the upcoming European Championships. The race was Ottey ' s last race before the European Championships, where she will run the 100 metres, while her particiation in the 4 x 100 metres relay is up in the air. The Slovenian team for the Championships will be announced before end of the month.

100 metres final (wind: +1.2)
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.41 sec.
2. Kristina Zumer (SLO): 11.63 sec.
3. Doris Röser (AUT): 11.64 sec.   
4. Marina Banovic (CRO): 11.99 sec.   
5. Lisa Holzfeind (AUT): 12.30 sec.
6. Katrin Deubl (AUT): 12.42 sec.
-. Daniela Wöckinger (AUF): DNS.
-. Maja Nose (SLO): DNS

100 metres heat 3 (wind: -0.7)
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.71 sec.
2. Sibylle Prem (AUT): 13.31 sec.
-. Lisa Steinmüller (AUT): DNS
-. Viktoria Steinmüller (AUT): DNS.
-. Sabina Veit (SLO): DNS
-. Pia Tajnikar (SLO): DNS 

Ottey winning the 100 metre final in Wolfsberg (Austrian Top 4 meeting)

100 metre final (wind: +0.1):
1. Merlene Ottey (MASS): 11.50 sec.
2. Pia Tajnikar (MASS): 11.57 sec.
3. Kristina Žumer (MASS): 11.75 sec.
4. Maja Nose (SEN): 11.86 sec.
5. Maja Mihalinec (VEL): 12.02 sec.
6. Tina Jureš (POM): 12.23 sec.
7. Nina Kovačič (POS): 12.36 sec.
8. Teja Zupan (TRK): 12.39 sec. 

100 metre heat 2 (wind: -0.6):
1. Merlene Ottey (MASS): 11.59 sec.
2. Kristina Žumer (MASS): 11.94 sec.
3. Tina Jureš (POM): 12.33 sec.
4. Nina Kovačič (POS): 12.34 sec.
5. Martina Kristan (TRK): 12.63 sec.
6. Marinka Horvat (POM): 13.31 sec. 
7. Urška Javornik (VEL): 13.82 sec.
Full results

19 July 2006: Ottey is ready for Gothenburg
46 year-old Merlene Ottey is ready for the European Championships in Gothenburg over 100 metres. After several races with strong wind earlier in the season, Ottey finally had luck with the wind. In a tight battle at the Sloveniean Grand Prix meeting in Maribor she finished third in the 100 metre race with a new master record of 11.45 sec. Winner of the race was Austrian Bettina Müller-Weissina just 1/100 of a second ahead of new Slovenian hope Pia Tajnikar. Merlene Ottey lost out by 2/100 of a second. Maja Nose of Slovenia was third and together with Kristina Zumer the four Slovenian girls are set to perform as the Slovenian female relay in Gothenburg.

After the race Ottey stated: "The first part of my season didn' t go as I wanted it to. "It ' s not until now that that my form is getting better from race to race". Ottey said her season ' s first half was slowed by an achilles problem and allergies. "I have two weeks until the European championships and enough time in order to improve even more", Ottey added.

100 metres final (wind: +1.3)
1. Bettina Müller-Weissina (AUT): 11.43 sec.
2. Pia Tajnikar (SLO): 11.44 sec.
3. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.45 sec.
4. Maja Nose (SLO): 11.74 sec.  
5. Marina Banovic (CRO): 11.84 sec. 
6. Tina Jures (SLO): 12.12 sec. 

Source: Sportal & AZS

100 metres final (wind: +0.1)
1. Bettina Müller-Weissina (AUT): 11.56 sec. 
2. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.64 sec.
3. Doris Röser (AUT): 11.71 sec.   
4. Pia Tajnikar (SLO): 11.72 sec.
5. Bianca Dürr (AUT): 11.97 sec.
6. Katrin Deubl (AUT): 12.37 sec.
7. Lisa Holzfeind (AUT): 12.40 sec.
8. Viktoria Steinmüller (AUT): 12.45 sec. 

100 metres heat 3 (wind: +2.4)
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.42 sec.
2. Doris Röser (AUT): 11.55 sec.
3. Victoria Schreibeis (AUT): 11.82 sec.
4. Andrea Maurer (AUT): 12.75 sec. 
5. Sibylle Premm (AUT): 13.08 sec. 
6. Stefanie Brunthaler (AUT): 13.52 sec. 

Full results  

Merlene Ottey greeting spectators at the meeting in Villach

100 metres (wind: -0.2)
1. Stephanie Durst (USA): 11.43 sec.
2. Geraldine Pillay (RSA): 11.43 sec.
3. Gloria Kemasuade (NIG): 11.53 sec.
4. Anna Boyle (IRL): 11.67 sec.
5. Olena Chabanu (UKR): 11.81 sec.
6. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 11.84 sec.
7. Jala Gangnus (GER): 11.88 sec. 

Sources: CN-online & Leichtathletik.de (Results)

200 meters (wind: +2.0)
1. Kadiatou Camara (CIV): 23.27 sec.
2. Emma Ania (GBR): 23.48 sec.
3. Amadine Allou Affoue (MLI): 23.94 sec.
4. Merlene Ottey (SLO): 23.97 sec.
5. Simona Capano (ITA): 24.00 sec.
6. Lara Rocco (ITA): 24.65 sec.

15 June 2006: Hard competition for places on Slovenian sprint team for Gothenburg
With her comeback race in Spain a week ago Merlene Ottey is now only one among several Slovenian female sprinters, who are trying to qualify for participation at the European Championships in Gothenburg (7-13 August 2006). The entry standards in the sprints are 11.60 sec. (100 meters) and 23.75 sec. (200 meters). These standards have so far been reached by three women in the 100 metres and two women in the 200 metres – see the table below.

Merlene Ottey has not yet reached the qualification standards. Her comeback race on 8 June took place in 3.5 metre headwind and the time of 11.94 sec. is the fourth fastest of the Slovenian qualifying times. Merlene Ottey states that she is not yet in shape, but she is excited to see how the rest of the training goes.“If I’m running well in July then I’d like to go to Gothenburg”.

Other sprinters with possibilities of reaching the entry standards are Maja Nose (PB: 11.44 & 23.09), Maja Mihalinec (SB: 11.72).

Note:
A maximum of three (3) athletes by any one EAA Member Federation may compete provided that each athlete has reached the qualifying standard. Provided that any EAA Member Federation enters only one (1) athlete for any event such athlete shall not be required to have reached the qualifying standard for that event. The qualifying standards shall be achieved in bona fide competition (either indoors or outdoors) between the 1st January 2005 and the closing date for final entries (28th July 2006). Individual participation: Two, three or four athletes can initially be entered per event provided all have achieved the entry standard for that event. Every EAA Member may enter one team in each Relay event.
Source: EEA

Sloveniean Top Lists of 2006 

Timetable for the European Championships

8 June 2006: Ottey makes winning return
Slovenian sprinter and athletics icon Merlene Ottey made a winning return to the track after an absence of almost two years to win the women’s 100 metres at the Rivas International Athletics Meeting on Thursday 8 June. Ottey has not competed since the 200m semi-final at the Athens Olympics. Her run in Athens was ended by a hamstring injury, which almost led her to quit. 

In the Madrid suburb Rivas, the seemingly ageless Ottey, who was 46 last month, clocked 11.94 seconds into a 3.5 metres-per-second headwind in the Madrid suburb to become the first women over 45 to go under 12 seconds. She took more than three-tenths-of-a-second off the previous world masters records for the category, which had stood at 12.25 seconds to Germany’s Karin von Riewel.

Result from the meeting:
1. Merlene Ottey (SLO) 11.94 sec. (WR 45)
2. Belen Recio (DCO) 11.94 sec. 
3. Digna L. Murillo (COL) 12.15 sec.
4. Marisa Murillo (COL) 12.16 sec.
5. Rose Abe (NGR) 12.31 sec.

Source: Runnersweb

Merlene Ottey in photo finish with Belen Recio in Rivas

30 May 2006: Ottey honoured in Ostrava
The organisers of the IAAF Grand Prix Golden Spike in Ostrava (CZE) invited stars from the past to celebrate the 45th jubilee of the meeting. Among other stars - like Jarmila Kratochvilova, Irena Szewinska and Sergey Bubka - Merlene Ottey was honoured in the stadium during the meeting. 
Gallery from the Golden Spike meeting

Merlene Ottey with Sergey Bubka
(Click the thumbnails to enlarge)

February 2006: Training camp in Spain
Merlene Ottey has been training in Spain during the month of February. Her training base has been Costa del Sol in the southern part of Spain – more specifically the city of Malaga. She has been visiting the new Estadio de Atletismo Ciudad de Málaga. “The weather is great and you can get great benefit from training”. “The track seems fast, but it is still to early too say. When the stadium is finished it will be well-suited to elite competitions”. Spain is not unfamiliar for Ottey as she earlier in her career was running for the Larios-Moratalaz club.  

In Spain Merlene Ottey has been preparing for the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg (7-13 August). “Going to the European Championships is positive and because it is the best who take part, I am very motivated”.

On the question of her continuous running Merlene Ottey states: “I love athletics and since I cannot sit still I will continue running even when I do not run in competitions anymore”.  

Sources:
http://servicios.diariosur.es/pg060207/prensa/noticias/Deportes/200602/07/SUR-DEP-308.html

http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/atletismo/es/desarrollo/621231.html

Thanks to Tina Christensen for help with translations.  

1 January 2005: The Merlene Ottey Tribute moves to a new location
The Merlene Ottey Tribute has now moved it's location on the World Wide Web to www.jakobweb.dk/ottey. For the new year all the galleries have been updated and extended. The Merlene Ottey Fanclub can be reached at otteyfanclub@yahoo.com.

Merlene Ottey poses with Veronica Campbell at the Carreras Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards in Kingston.

Slovenian Athletics Federation (AZS)

Merlene Ottey (Slovenian fansite)