With a 2:23:23 run, Risa Shigetomo of the Tenmaya track team won the 31st Osaka Women’s Marathon on Sunday (29) to take a step closer to her dream of making the Japanese Olympic Marathon team.

Reese Hoffa established himself as the world leader with a huge 21.87 m throw in Chemnitz, Germany on Friday evening (27). The 34-year-old US Shot Putter had been beaten by Germany’s World champion David Storl the past weekend in another German meeting in Nordhausen by ten centimetres. Storl had achieved 21.24m last week. But on Friday Reese Hoffa, the World Champion from 2007, bounced back with his best indoor effort since 2006. It was in Moscow when he had put 22.11m to win the World Indoor gold.

Eldoret, Kenya - World Half marathon champion Wilson Kiprop overcame a strong challenge by Boston and New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Mutai, World and Olympic 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop and Matthew Kisorio to win the senior men's 12Km race during the 21st edition of the Discovery Kenya Cross Country championship on Sunday (22).

Antrim, Northern Ireland - Kenya's Mike Kigen led throughout as he claimed his third senior title in succession at today's 35th Antrim International - an IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting (20) - with Ireland's Fionnuala Britton taking the honours in the women's race.

Seville, Spain - As usual, the line-up assembled for the ‘30th Cross Internacional de Itálica’ which will be held in Santiponce (Seville) on Sunday (15) – the sixth leg of this season’s IAAF XC Permit series - will be of the highest level and worthy of a World Championships contest.

Amorebieta, Spain - Kenya’s 2010 World Cross Country champion Joseph Ebuya grabbed an emphatic win at the ‘58th Cross Internacional Zornotza’ on Sunday (8).

Edinburgh, Scotland - Kenenisa Bekele was not home on Christmas Day, which is celebrated on 7 January in Ethiopia. Instead the 29-year-old World record holder competed at the high-class Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday (7), an IAAF Cross Country Permit Meeting.

Peter Kamais of Kenya and Ethiopian Ashu Kasim cruised to victory at the Xiamen International Marathon on Saturday, the first IAAF Gold Label Road Race of 2012.

San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy - Kenyans Edwin Soi and Mercy Cherono topped the bill at the 55th Campaccio International Cross Country on Friday (6), the fourth leg of the 2011/2012 IAAF Cross Country Permit circuit. The Campaccio was held on a sunny day blown by a chilly wind.

Madrid, Spain – Ethiopian teenager Hagos Gebrehiwot and Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba were the winners at the 47th ‘San Silvestre Vallecana’ 10Km – an IAAF Silver label Road Race – on Saturday (31).