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JUL
24

24th July

11:22 p.m. on 24th July 2008
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Welcome back to this weeks round up of athletic news!

General News….

Marathon Anniversary celebrated!

The ever-creative folks at the London Marathon have put together a re-enactment of the 1908 London Olympic Marathon race of Dorando Pietri and Johnny Hayes to celebrate today's one hundredth anniversary of the marathon as a 26 mile 385 yard event (42.195 kilometers for the metric majority out there). Along with author John Bryant dressed as Italy's Pietri and Runners World publisher Steve Seaton dressed as the American Hayes, 1982 London Marathon champion Hugh Jones was set as running accompanist, and London Marathon Director Dave Bedford played his usual impresario role overseeing the activities and organizing post-run refreshments. For those that have not read the story I recommend getting this book. Great read!

Olympic News

What do you mean you're in an Ethiopian Jail?

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Wednesday began diplomatic efforts to get Israeli marathon runner Haile Satayin out of an Ethiopian jail. Israel has information that the runner, who is set to represent the country in the Beijing Olympics, will be released on bail Friday.

The Ethiopian Athletics Association recently informed its Israeli counterpart that the 53-year-old runner was arrested for unstated reasons at his training camp and transferred to the capital, Addis Ababa. I would not put any money down on Haile if his preparations are anything to go by!

Greek sprinter Thanou threatens to take on IOC over Beijing participation

The International Olympic Committee could be facing another battle with controversial Greek sprinter Ekaterina Thanou if she is barred from competing at next months' Olympic Games in Beijing her lawyer told the BBC on Monday.
The 33-year-old - who along with then training partner Kostadinos Kenteris missed the 2004 edition after failing to turn up for a drugs test on the eve of the Games and then said they had been involved in a motorbike crash - has been selected in the Greek team.
But IOC president Jacques Rogge is threatening to prevent her taking part because of what happened in 2004.
Gregory Ioannidis, Thanou's lawyer, told BBC Sport this would constitute "an abuse of power" and a "violation of human rights".

Ottey out of record 8th Olympics

JAMAICAN-born sprinter Merlene Ottey has failed in her final attempt to achieve the 100 metres qualifying time that would have enabled her to become the first athlete to compete in eight Olympic Games.

Russia Triple money for Gold medal

RUSSIA has tripled the prize- money for medal winners at the Beijing Olympics, offering R1.2 million (80,000GBP) for athletes who bring home gold.

Race results

Australian Craig Mottram and Asafa Powell look in fine form.

Craig Mottram was the runaway winner in the 3000m at the IAAF World Tour event in Stockholm, clocking a solid run of 7min37.73sec, ahead of Kenya's Isaac Songok in 7:38.97. He won the race with a last lap of 54.6! Now that's moving and look forward to him racing the mile on Friday in London.

In the men's 100m, former world record-holder Asafa Powell just pipped fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt in Stockholm.
Bolt recently usurped Powell as the world record holder but Powell got one back when he won 9.88sec to Bolt's 9.89sec. Add American Tyson Gay to the mix and the 100m title in Beijing is wide open!

Pamela Jelimo worried by Russian's!

The 18-year-old Jelimo has a new world junior record of 1 minute, 54.97 seconds, set in the Paris Golden League meeting last Friday.
The season best time in the women's two-lap race was, however, set by the world 1,500 metres record holder, Yelena Soboleva, who ran 1:54.48 during the Russian Olympic trials in Moscow at the weekend.
"I am my best form, but my confidence has been shaken abit by the Russians," Jelimo said yesterday after arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from Paris.
Jelimo also added some speculation to the fast Russian times by questioning why the Russians have not been running on the European circuit. The 800m women's race looks very interesting now!!!

Top Video's

Recap of greatest 10k race ever at Crystal Palace?

Featuring Craig "Buster" Mottram and the legendary Haile Gebrselassie

Also check this out!

Definitely worth a view. The BBC have been doing many documentariries on athletes who are competing in Beijing against the odds. Hem Bunting is a Cambodian marathon runner so poor he lives in the crumbling athletics stadium where he trains. Look at his training conditions on the road and your next run through your local park wont feel so bad!!!

Check this out!

Athletics this weekend

Aviva London Grand Prix, Crystal Palace.
Friday- BBC 2 6pm to 8.30pm
Saturday- BBC 1 2.30pm to 5.40pm

Races to watch...

Mile

Andy Baddeley and Tom Lancashire taking on Craig Mottram, of Australia, another man trying to mix it with the Africans, and Bernard Lagat, from the United States, the present world champion at 1,500 metres and 5,000 metres.

3000m

Britain's Mo Farah's last race before going to the Olympic's. Mo is joined by Ireland's Alaister Cragg and fast Kenyan athletes.

For more previews and timetable click here

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JUL
18

18th July

10:36 a.m. on 18th July 2008
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The week that was…

Usain Bolt runs world fastest 200m- 19.67

Will he be untouchable at the Olympics and will the 200m record go at the London Grand Prix in a weeks time. Should be worth a watch!

Chinese superstar still injured?

China's star track athlete Liu Xiang has admitted he has not fully recovered from a hamstring injury, but the 110m Hurdler says he is confident of Olympic success. Xiang will face Cuba's Dayron Robles, who broke Liu's world record, running 12.87 seconds in June.

Goodbye Dean!

Dean Macey, the Commonwealth decathlon champion, has announced his retirement from athletics after failing to qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing. "My heart is there, my mind is there, but my body has finally given in," he said. "I've given nothing but 100 per cent over the last decade and worn my Great Britain vest with pride." Macey had finished 4th twice at the Olympics and the colourful Essex boy will be missed!

Team GB announces first wave of Athletes heading to Beijing.

Simeon Williamson is currently the only 100m male picked whist everyone waits on the Chambers court ruling. Youngsters Martyn Rooney and Michael Rimmer selected for the 400m and 800m. Inform Andy Baddeley and Tom Lancashire are selected for the 1500m, and Mo Farah represents in the 5,000m. A great last jump by Greg Rutherford saw him get a ticket to Beijing along with UK record holder Chris Tomlinson. Phillips Idowu became a real medal hope in the Triple jump by jumping the worlds best last weekend.

The women's 100m will see Jeanette Kwayke and late edition Montell Douglas to go Beijing after Montell ran a new British record on Thursday. Lee McConnell with World Champion medalist Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders will represent Britain in the 400m. Currently Marilyn Okoro has been the only person selected for the 800m with Jemma Simpson hoping to be added soon. In the distances Jo Pavey has been selected to run both the 5k and 10k and everyone holds their breath on Paula Radcliffe in the marathon.

Forum: Do all our hopes for Olympic gold rest on Paula?

Radcliffe given until the day before Olympic Marathon to make up her mind.

Paula Radcliffe underwent medical tests in the UK and is still adament she will be ready for the Games. Radcliffe is back in training as she looks to bury the nightmare of Athens. Reserve Hayley Haining may be only given 24 hours notice if Paula does decide to pull out of games.

Steph Twell wins World Junior 1500m and maybe Olympic selection

Stephanie Twell blazed to the IAAF World Championships junior 1500m title in Bydgodzcz, with her British team-mate Emma Pallant taking the bronze medal. Now Twell, who holds the Olympic 'A' qualifying standard, could possibly find herself included in the British team for next month's Games in Beijing. Competing in Poland prevented her running at the Aviva National Championships in Birmingham this weekend where Lisa Dobriskey and Susan Scott claimed the two automatic places.
However the selectors can allocate the third place to an athlete who can benefit from making the trip to Beijing and has the potential for a podium finish at future Olympic Games.

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JUN
12

12th June

9:48 p.m. on 12th June 2008
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General News

Chicago Olympic bid 2016 relies on US Presiential elections?

CHICAGO officials will be desperately hoping that local boy Barack Obama (Democrat) wins the race to become the next President of the United States or they will face a major decision that could make-or-break their bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Obama would back his hometown bid 100% if elected but if his Republican rival wins then Chicago know they have a major dilemma.

John McCain who chaired the Senate Commerce Committe hearing into the International Olympic Committes (IOC) affairs following the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, which erupted in 1998 when it emerged that the Utah city had bribed some IOC members to win the right to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. McCain made many comments describing the IOC was incapable to reform under the present IOC

Results

Baddeley wins Dream Mile!

Britain's Andrew Baddeley produced his greatest race to date by winning the Dream Mile at the Bislett Games (Oslo, Norway).

Competing in a race made famous by his more illustrious predecessors Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram, Baddeley, 25, triumphed in 3min 49.38sec, beating his personal best by an impressive 2.57sec. He is the first Briton to win this legendary mile race since Peter Elliott in 1991 and his triumph may have signalled the start of a breakthrough for British men's middle-distance running.

This, from an athlete who was fitted with a computer chip to monitor palpitations that can send his heart beat up to 250 beats a minute. The batteries in the chip have long since expired and Baddeley will have the chip removed after the Olympics, confident that his condition is now under control and that he can be considered among Britain's few medal hopes in Beijing.

There was also a breakthrough for young athlete Tom Lancashire, a former European junior silver medallist, took the 1500m in a lifetime best of 3:35.33

New 5000m female world record

Tirunesh Dibaba ran 14mins 11 secs at the same meet as Andrew Baddeley (Oslo). Ethiopian Dibaba took 5 seconds off the previous world record and sets herself up perfectly for Olympic gold in Bejing. Dibaba ran on average 4.33 for 3 miles and said after that she could have run much faster. Look out for a sub 14 minute 5k record soon!

Preview

The Comrades marathon loses its comradeship?

Approximately 11,500 runners will take part in the 89km marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. In an effort to save lives the South African race is too enforce new rules this year. An International Amateur Athletics Federation rule that runners may not drag others across the finish line will be strictly enforced when the 2008 Comrades takes place on Sunday.

The Comrades Marathon Association has decided, after the death of two athletes during last year's race, to ensure the rule is adhered to. William Malapi, 48, of Worcester, and the 34-year-old Michael Gordon of Gauteng died last year shortly after being assisted to cross the line.

Race favorite is Leonid Shvetsou but will have tough competition from rival Oleg Kharitonov who last year ran 100miles in 11 hours 28 minutes. Ouch!

Forum: So you have completed a marathon. How much further do you think you could run?

Video of the week

After a great result by Andrew Baddeley lets have a look at some of his rivals at the Olympics. This video was from the world championships in Osaka last year. It was a great race won by American Bernald Lagat. Baddeley was also in the final and we hope to see him further up the field in the Olympics.

(Apologises for the long build up, stay with it as it was a great race).

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JUN
6

June 1st

8:54 a.m. on 6th June 2008
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General news

Lose the Ipod or lose the race!

15 runners in the United States were disqualified from their race due to them wearing ipods. It is against USA Road Racing rules to use any headphones during a race for safety reasons. Runners in the Marin Memorial Day 10k were given lots of warning before the race organisers said.

Forum Discussion:

Do you run races with headphones? Should runners be banned from using an ipod?

Johnson returns Olympic Gold Medal

Michael Johnson returned his last Olympic medal this week when his relay teammate admitted using performance-enhancing drugs. Antonia Pettigrew admitted taking drugs he got from disgraced coach Trevor Graham. Johnson who won 3 medals at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000 said he would be returning his medal as "it doesn't belong to me, so I will be returning it to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) because I don't want it. It was not won fairly. I am deeply disappointed and saddened." It is unclear if Nigeria will be awarded the Gold medal instead of the Americans as Pettigrew did not fail any drugs test. Pettigrew was also a member of the American 4x 400m team that beat Great Britain at the 1997 World Championships in Athens.

Forum Discussion:

Apart from taking the Gold medal away from USA, should the American team be punished in some way for fielding an athlete who took drugs?

Chambers not to appeal against Olympic ban

Disgraced British sprinter Dwain Chambers has ruled out taking the British Olympic Association to court over his Olympic ban. Chambers who ran the 100m in 10.25 secs this week was banned from competing in any Olympic games. Until this week Britain was the only country in the world to automatically banning any athlete who fails a drugs test. China has just rushed through new legislation that bans any athlete caught cheating with a life time ban in any competition (not just the Olympics).

Performance update

New 100m world record- Usain Bolt 9.72

Incase you missed it there was a new 100m world record this week by Jamaican Usain Bolt who ran 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City. Bolt smashed Olympic favourite Asafa Powell in front of 70,000 crowd. Usain who still believes his best event is 200m is now thinking about doubling up in Bejing.

Kenyan youngster is surprise 800m favourite.

Pamela Johnson has surprised everyone by running the quickest 800m time by a mile. She just missed out on the world record running 1 minute 54 secs this week. She is only 19 years old and is now favourite for the 800m Olympic title.

Heartbreak for Ennis

British Heptathlete Jessica Ennis (ranked 4^th in the World) has been ruled out of competing in Beijing due to breaking her ankle. The 22 year old was a big medal hope as reigning Olympic Champion Caroline Kluft is going to focus on the long jump.

Video of the week:

The race of the week has to be Usain Bol's new 100m world record. Note the conditions were not perfect as it had rained in New York earlier in the evening. This could possibly mean Usain could go even faster and most likely in London coming soon!

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MAY
30

30th May

2:14 p.m. on 30th May 2008
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Paula

Paula Radcliffe Injury Scare- The world's fastest mum had an MRI scan on her hip and it is feared this will affect her Olympic bid. The Marathon World Record Holder has been on crutches since a muscle pull. She hopes it will only sideline her for 3 weeks.

In the Forum: Will Paula win the Olympics?

American Drug Coach in convicted

The trial of Trevor Graham (Jamaican Coach and alleged Drug distributer to many American Sprinters) finished this week. Trevor Graham, who sent the famous syringe that brought to light Victor Conte's famous San Francisco 'BALCO' laboratory, thought he was immune to prosecution after co-operating with federal agents with a performance enhancing drugs investigation 5 years ago. It turns out Trevor was not completely honest when he told federal agents he never sent his own athletes to admitted performance enhancing drug dealer Angel Heredia (former Mexican shot putter). It is said that Victor Conte and Angel Heredia between them supplied the world's fastest runners. Trevor Graham claims he sent the original syringe to WADA (World Anti Doping Association) to clean up the sport but many people believe this was a revenge attack to take out a competitor (Victor Conte/BALCO). Victor Conte served four months in jail for conspiracy to distribute steroids and a second count of laundering a portion of a cheque. The sadly trial failed to bring to light many names from the world of athletics who supposedly took performance enhancing drugs from Angel Heredia.

Blade Runner Wins Right to Run

Oscar Pistorious AKA "The Blade Runner" has been told he can now compete as an able bodied runner in the Olympics after the Court of arbitration for sport overturned a ruling by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation). The South African competes with prosthetic running legs which were claimed to give him an unfair advantage. It looks unlikely we will be seeing Oscar in Beijing though, he admitted this week he is behind in training.

In the Forum: Should disabled athletes be able to run in able bodied events?

Sorry Tom

How about running the fastest British Marathon time by 3 minutes and reaching the Olympic Qualifying mark but are not allowed to go to the Olympics! Thomas Abyu ran 2 hours 10 minutes at the adidas Dublin Marathon in 2007 but, this week Dan Robinson was the only Britain selected to go to Beijing. Sadly for Tomas the adidas Dublin Marathon course was not measured by iaaf officials and therefore his time was not ratified. For world records and championship qualifying times to count the event must be measured before and after the event by an IAAF/AIMS approved A/B measurer. The Dublin marathon forgot to do this and therefore Ethiopian born Tomas will have to watch the games at home!

Blast from the Past!

Each week I will find video's that will keep you away from doing work for at least another 5 minutes! This week I wish to share with you the best race I have ever seen. The 2003 World Steeple-chase Championships was a pure grudge match between Kenyan athlete Ezekiel Kemboi and former Kenyan athlete (now representing Quatar) Saif Saheen A.K.A. Stephen Cherono. There was no way the proud Kenyan's would lose "their event" (the steeplechase) to a defected Kenyan!

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MAY
22

Overview

12:49 p.m. on 22nd May 2008
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This blog does exactly what it says on the tin! I will summarise everything that is running whether its performance or political, international or domestic. This weekly Blog will digest everything that happens in the world on running, throw away the boring stuff and leave the remainder for your consumption only!

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