t-and-f: In-form Bekele shrugs off typhoid setback
The Electronic Telegraph Sunday 30 March 2003 Kenenisa Bekele shrugged off a recent typhoid attack to produce an extraordinary performance and retain his World Cross-Country short course title in Switzerland yesterday. That left the 20-year-old Ethiopian on course for a second clean sweep of the gold medals in Lausanne, just as he did 12 months ago in Dublin, if he feels up to today's 12 kilometre race. Despite having missed the Ethiopian trials a month ago because of typhoid, Bekele outsprinted John Kibowen, twice a previous champion, and another Kenyan, Ben Limo, to win by three seconds. Bekele was never out of contention, but between the second and third kilometres of the race both Kenyans made it tough for him. He maintained his own momentum before unleashing an unstoppable finish 300 metres from the line. The Ethiopian selectors only chose him at the insistence of the governing body after the defending champion missed the compulsory trials. Bekele had a far from satisfactory pre-race preparation. After attending a reception for former champions on the eve of the race, he went to the official banquet aboard the MV Lausanne on Lake Geneva. He did not realise the vessel was putting to sea and spent four hours aboard the ship before it berthed. Bekele, who normally goes to bed at 8pm, did not get back to his room until 12.30am. But he showed no signs of tiredness with a convincing victory on a rutted surface. Bekele admitted: I felt a lot of pressure because journalists were writing a lot about me because of my sickness. American Deena Drossin had to settle for a silver medal for a second successive year when she was outsprinted in the last 600 metres of the women's race by Worknesh Kidane, the 1999 junior champion from Ethiopia. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Fast Track withdraw Montgomery invitation
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 10 February 2003 Tom Knight Fast Track, the promoters of athletics meetings in the United Kingdom, have withdrawn an invitation to Tim Montgomery to compete at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham next week because of his reluctance to talk about the Charlie Francis affair. Montgomery, the world 100 metres record-holder, announced on Friday that he and his partner, Marion Jones, had split with Francis, the coach banned by the Canadians for his involvement in the Ben Johnson doping scandal of 1988. Fast Track had invited Montgomery to London to face a press conference ahead of the Grand Prix, where it was hoped the sprinter could answer all the questions surrounding his involvement with Francis. In Ghent yesterday the longest-standing national record finally went when Kelly Holmes ran the quickest 800m by a British woman indoors for 26 years. At 32 and in her first season running seriously on the boards, Holmes clocked 1min 59.21sec onn the blue and white track in the Topsporthal Vlaanderen to wipe almost two seconds off the record set by Jane Finch in 1977. All those years ago 2-1.12 was good enough to earn Finch a European indoor title at the same championships in San Sebastian, where a little known Sebastian Coe made his international breakthrough. Holmes's time still left her behind Maria Mutola, of Mozambique, her new training partner, who triumphed in 1-58.83. The result put Mutola, the Olympic champion, on course to defend her world indoor title at the NIA in Birmingham next month. Holmes said: Training with Maria has made all the difference. I'm more focused. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Making dopes of us all
, failed to do one important thing. They couldn't shut Charlie Francis up. Never mind shutting him up. They couldn't, or wouldn't, stop him being reborn as the world's foremost 100m coach. This is surely track and field's most spectacular own goal since Johnson's demented rampage in Seoul. Here is a sport in monumental denial. Francis is still banned from working with Canadian athletes but is free to advise foreign sportsmen and women. Naturally, there is no evidence that steroids or growth hormones are part of the training regimen now being followed by Jones and Montgomery. But the sport's willingness to confer fresh respectability on a man who preached the liver-wrecking and brain-curdling gospel of anabolic steroids makes you wonder whether the Race Relations Commission will approach Lee Bowyer to become their next chairman. As Michael Johnson, five times an Olympic champion, pointed out in Saturday's Daily Telegraph, Jones is a slow learner. At 16 she was suspended for missing a dope test but was reinstated with the help of Johnnie Cochrane, the celebrity lawyer. In Sydney, her then husband, the world shot put champion, C J Hunter, tested positive for nandrolone. Moreover, Jones was once coached by Trevor Graham, whose stable returned two positive tests inside three years: Patrick Stewart of Jamaica, who was caught using stanozolol - Johnson's drug of choice in Seoul - and Brian Frasure, a nandrolone positive at the Sydney Paralympics. Ironically, Montgomery (9.78) is the only sprinter to have broken Johnson's illegal 100m record of 9.79. One of Jones's missions is to break Florence Griffith-Joyner's women's record of 10.49, which was also set in Seoul. It's not hard to see where American athletes go to get their moral lead. Last year, a former United States Olympic Committee drug control director, Wade Exum, alleged that some American athletes in Sydney had been allowed to compete and win medals despite testing positive at Olympic trials. It emerged in Australia that C J Hunter had also tested positive in a pre-Olympic competition but had not been dropped from the team. The USOC are in political and financial turmoil. There have been five resignations, vicious infighting and even congressional inquiries. One top US Olympic sponsor has ridiculed the organisation's Keystone Kop routine. Touchingly, Fast Track, who stage Britain's televised meetings, have invited Montgomery and Jones over to London to explain their association with Francis, who would probably tell you privately that he is the fall guy for institutionalised cheating by coaches. Maybe he was, and is. The last word on denial and evasion, though, and Francis's return, should go to the IAAF's general secretary, Istvan Gyulai, who announced to the world: If he has a totally new definition regarding the way to success in the sport, this is the only way. It should be very clear, very honest and very credible. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Drug cheat Mitchell to coach leading Britons
The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 28 January 2003 Tom Knight A two-year doping ban counted for nothing yesterday when former sprinter Dennis Mitchell was named as the man in charge of a Florida training centre for British athletes. Among those using the facility in Gainsville will be the European 100 metres champion, Dwain Chambers, the Commonwealth long jump silver medallist, Jade Johnson, and athletes managed by the London-based Stellar agency. But at a time when questions are being asked about the help being offered in Toronto to the world's fastest couple, Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, by Ben Johnson's former coach, Charlie Francis, the appointment of Mitchell to run Stellar's Florida operation is bound to drag the company into controversy. Mitchell, a 100m bronze medallist at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, tested positive for the muscle-building hormone, testosterone, in 1999. He was cleared of any doping offence by his national federation, USA Track and Field, who accepted his explanation that the adverse finding came after he had enjoyed sex with his wife at least four times and drunk six bottles of beer. Speaking at the time, he said: I've gone from being one of the most respected people in my sport to one who is ridiculed and has fingers pointed at him. It's been very hard. The International Association of Athletics Federations did not see things the same way and banned him for two years. Mitchell, 36, has since established himself as a coach and has been credited for the emergence of American sprinters Bernard Williams and J J Johnson, both of whom have run inside 10 seconds for 100m. His tarnished reputation, however, seems to have counted for little with Stellar, whose director of athletics, John Regis, was a former training partner of Mitchell's. Regis said: Dennis brings a wealth of experience and talent. Along with the climate, America has great facilities, which create the perfect environment for world-class sprinters. We sent Dwain Chambers to train in Miami 18 months ago and it's paid off. He's now much stronger, physically and mentally. With our own training camp and Dennis, we can send out young talent during the dark cold winter months to an exceptional facility with expert advice. Jonathan Barnett, the chairman of Stellar, insisted he was happy with Mitchell's credentials. He said: I'm not an idiot. We spent a long time going into everything and looking at what USATF said about Dennis. We are against drugs in any shape or form. The Americans were happy with Dennis's excuse and, from my own research, I know he lives an exemplary life. We have no problems with Dennis and we're very impressed with the way he coaches. This is a great opportunity to produce some gold medallists for Britain. At least Barnett is happy to put his money where his mouth is. Stellar will pay all the bills for their athletes to live and train in Florida for weeks at a time. This is a considerable investment for us and it's our chance to put something back into sport, he added. When I came into athletics from football and saw the atrocious conditions some of our top competitors had to train in, I was genuinely upset. Mitchell said: The Brits can come over here for six months to avoid all that miserable weather and we can all go back together to compete in the big European events. Even though track and field isn't big in the US we have some great facilities. Mitchell is not the first former athlete with a doping ban to become a successful coach. Britain's Linford Christie was already the coach of Katharine Merry, Darren Campbell and Jamie Baulch when he was banned by the IAAF after testing positive for nandrolone in 1999. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: America refuse to toe line on false start rule
an instant video replay of all starts, he said. The new rule will make the start more clinical and it will also bring equality and common sense. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Freeman makes return in Alf Tupper land
, and far too open and honest, to be a politician, and her advisers wisely steered her away from questions about the Australian cricketer Darren Lehmann, recently suspended for making racist remarks. Neither were the unsentimental Australian media especially excited about the equivalent of a Derby thoroughbred appearing in the 4.15 at Uttoxeter, and Freeman's return rated a single paragraph in the 'In Brief' section of the Melbourne Age. As far as Freeman was concerned, however, it didn't matter how far down the ladder this was, she just wanted to feel her feet on a rung. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Iraq 'tortured' athletes
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 20 January 2003 Tom Knight Gruesome stories of torture and killings are the subject of an International Olympic Committee investigation into sport in Iraq. The IOC's Ethics Commission confirmed yesterday that they were looking into allegations that Uday Saddam Hussein, the eldest son of the Iraqi leader, presided over a regime of terror while overseeing the country's National Olympic Committee. The allegations have been lodged by Indict, a London-based human rights group, who claim the headquarters of the Iraqi Olympic Committee in Baghdad contains a prison and torture chamber. Ann Clwyd, the Welsh MP who is chairwoman and a founding member of Indict, said: Uday is a sadistic killer who personally tortures athletes and uses the NOC as a front for smuggling and corruption. Indict has collected signed testimony from Olympic athletes to support these accusations. Many others, even those living in Britain, are still too scared to come forward. Charles Forrest, the chief executive of Indict, said: We believe 50 athletes have been killed and the atrocities are connected with Uday. Among the allegations is that Saddam Hussein's son made a group of track athletes crawl on newly paved asphalt while they were beaten with a cable and ordered others to be thrown off a bridge. Forrest added that the IOC had begun interviewing Iraqi victims now based in the United States. Indict, which receives three-quarters of its funding from the United States Congress, was set up six years ago with the aim of bringing tyrants before an international tribunal. Uday has always been one of our top targets, Forrest said. We believe he has violated at least 11 provisions of the IOC's code of ethics. The IOC Ethics Commission was set up four years ago to monitor the behaviour of members in the wake of the corruption scandal surrounding Salt Lake City's bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Iraq, which sent four athletes to the Sydney Games and have won only one Olympic medal - a weightlifting bronze at the 1960 Rome Games - escaped sanctions in 1997 when FIFA interviewed players in Baghdad over allegations that Uday had ordered the torture of members of the national football team after they had lost a key match. Clwyd called the FIFA investigation a disgraceful whitewash. She said: You can't expect athletes interviewed in Iraq to commit suicide by telling the truth. The IOC must deal with these allegations in a much more serious manner. To allow Iraq to participate in the Olympic movement is to mock all of the Olympics' high principles. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Gold medallist who failed test escapes ban
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 11 January 2003 Tom Knight An American athlete who won a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics after previously testing positive for an anabolic steroid appears to have escaped punishment. The fact that the athlete had provided a positive test came to light only after the Games, when the International Association of Athletics Federations would have reviewed the case. But the world governing body could never establish the identity of the competitor and after yesterday's ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they never will. The judgment by the CAS found in favour of the athlete's governing body, USA Track and Field, who maintained that the identity of the athlete was never made known because of their own rules on confidentiality. A spokesman for the IAAF said: We accept that the decision by CAS is final and binding. An inquiry into USATF's doping procedures following the Sydney Games found evidence that the athlete in question tested positive for the banned substance, nandrolone, on July 6, 1999. Richard McClaren, the Canadian lawyer heading the inquiry, allegedly reported to the World Anti Doping Agency that the athlete was allowed to continue competing for another eight months, until a two-year ban was imposed. That ban was quashed on appeal in July 2000 and the athlete went on to triumph at the Olympics. USATF admitted that one of their victorious athletes had tested positive but claimed that rules in effect at the time precluded them from identifying the competitor. The IAAF, for their part, insisted that their rules stipulated that they should be informed when an athlete failed a drugs test. It was claimed that the athlete was, in fact, one of 21 who had been cleared of doping offences by USATF and none of their identities had been revealed to the IAAF. USATF's secrecy had already become a running sore within the sport but the revelations during the Sydney Olympics outraged anti-doping campaigners. Jacques Rogge, the chairman of the International Olympic Committee, said USATF's stance was incomprehensible. Dick Pound, the chairman of WADA, suggested that USATF should have their affiliation to the IAAF suspended if they continued to withhold information. The stand-off has been an expensive exercise for both parties. USATF's legal bill is understood to have run close to $1 million (£625,000) while the IAAF have spent more than $500,000. The saga appeared to have ended with victory for USATF although they did not escape censure entirely, the CAS claiming that USATF were erroneous in their interpretation of IAAF reporting rules. However, the lawyers sitting in judgement in Lausanne said USATF had regularly informed the IAAF of their confidentiality policies and the IAAF had not responded when asked if USATF policies were in conflict with their rules. In a statement issued last night, USATF concluded: CAS ruled that USATF reasonably assumed its policies were permitted under IAAF rules and that US athletes had and continue to have a justified expectation of privacy and confidentiality. Their cause was helped by the fact that the sport in America decided in October 2000 to establish the US Anti-Doping Agency, whose rules on disclosure and confidentiality match those of the IAAF. The statement from USATF headquarters in Indianapolis continued: Both IAAF and USATF agree that the CAS decision is final and binding. It ends the dispute between us and we expect that the world of sport also will respect the authority of CAS. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Crystal Palace running on empty
The Electronic Telegraph Friday 10 January 2003 Tom Knight The true nature of the Government's commitment to sport will become apparent today when the future of Crystal Palace again comes under the spotlight. In the first of what seems certain to be a marathon series of meetings, the owners, Bromley Council, will discuss the stadium's prospects with Sport England, the Government quango whose 35-year-old lease runs out in March next year. As things stand, the future looks increasingly bleak and if the old place is to prosper, or even just survive as a going concern, both sides will have to revisit the same issues that have dogged its existence for the past decade, namely a shortage of money and a decided lack of political will. In what can be seen as a microcosm of the state of British sport, the agenda for today's meeting will involve one or both sides making some hard decisions. Worse still for Britain's reputation abroad, the final act in the Crystal Palace saga could be played out in court if agreement cannot be reached on the £20 million of dilapidation costs payable at the termination of the lease. It is all a far cry from the dreams that have been fulfilled in the famous old stadium. Upgraded with Europe's first Tartan track in 1968, Crystal Palace has staged some of the great nights in British athletics, including 21 world records. Among the more notable was the 10,000 metres mark set by David Bedford in 1973 and Steve Ovett's two-mile world record in 1978. Zola Budd set the only world record of her career at the Palace in 1985. Crucial to the final outcome, however, will be the influence of Patrick Carter, the millionaire businessman brought in by the Government to run Sport England. Carter's reputation as a troubleshooter was established when he previously headed the reviews into Wembley and the Commonwealth Games. He was also responsible for advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to abandon plans to build a new athletics stadium at Picketts Lock for the 2005 World Athletics Championships. Among the problems facing Carter at Sport England was a projected £30 million drop in the money they receive from the Lottery. His immediate solution was to impose a three-month freeze on spending. Given a brief to prioritise the way Sport England distributes a dwindling supply of Lottery funding, Carter could decide that the £1.8 million a year spent on maintaining Crystal Palace could be better used elsewhere. Bromley Council, however, remain convinced that the stadium is a national institution and, as such, should be maintained by the nation. But without Sport England's money, Bromley would be able to afford to do little more than maintain the stadium in its dilapidated state. On the sidelines, meanwhile, there are cries from athletes, officials and the promoters of the only Grand Prix event staged there that the stadium must be saved. Such has been Crystal Palace's fall from grace that it has not been included among the primary sites in the plans for a London bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. The future for Crystal Palace, if there is one, begins today. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Turkish delight as Ayhan outpolls Radcliffe
Electronic Telegraph January 5th, 2003 Tom Knight Paula Radcliffe suffered a rare defeat yesterday when she was beaten in an internet poll to find the European Athlete of the Year. According to the poll, conducted by the European Athletic Association, it seems Radcliffe's success could not match the fame and notoriety of the winner, Sureyya Ayhan. The 24-year-old raced sparingly last summer but won Turkey's first gold medal at a European Championships when she beat the world champion, Gaby Szabo, to the 1500 metres title in Munich in August. She also won the World Cup 1500m and clocked 3min 57.75sec, the fastest time of the year, in the Brussels Golden League meeting. On the face of it, however, her record did not compare with Radcliffe's astonishing run of success, which included gold in the Commonwealth 5,000m and European 10,000m, victory in the London Marathon and a marathon world record in Chicago in October. Radcliffe has since been awarded the MBE and has won every poll going. She was named athlete of the year by the International Association of Athletics Federations and last month was the viewers' overwhelming choice as the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year. The EAA poll was set up to take into account national favouritism, but the organisers could do nothing about the massive number of votes which were logged from expatriate Turks. For them, Ayhan's fame has as much to do with her turbulent private life as with her athletic success. When Ayhan, one of only 1,632 female athletes in a country with 35 million women, fell in love with her coach, Yucel Kop, a married man with children, their affair offended Turkey's largely Muslim population and sparked a parliamentary debate. Turkey's minister for sport was asked why the government supported a coach who exploited his athlete - and he promptly launched an investigation into the couple's affair. Ayhan and Kop responded by promising to marry. Ayhan called Kop my coach who is my love, my teacher, my father and my everything and spoke out against her critics after crossing the line in Munich. My answer is my success, she said. I ran not only against my rivals but also against rumours, slanders, lies and gossips at home. I am happy that I beat them all. Nick Russi of the EAA admitted he was surprised by the poll. If you have a certain knowledge of athletics, you would expect Radcliffe to win, and it is amazing that so many Turks even knew about the poll, he said. This was the first time that this system of voting was used and we will have to discuss how we will conduct the poll in the future. The poll for the men's award proved far more straightforward, with the trophy going to Dwain Chambers, Europe's dominant sprinter in 2002. Chambers won the 100m in Munich, the European Cup title and equalled Linford Christie's European record with the 9.87sec he clocked behind Tim Montgomery's world record at the Grand Prix final in Paris. In second place behind Chambers was fellow Briton Steve Backley, who won the European javelin title for the fourth time. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Masai strongest in battle of Africans
Electronic Telegraph January 5th, 2003 Nick Alexander Edith Masai, of Kenya, edged out Ethiopian Worknesh Kidane to win the women's Great North cross-country race in Newcastle on Saturday in a repeat of the result of last year's IAAF world short-course event. Masai's finishing speed made the difference on the snow-covered, 6,328-metre Exhibition Park course, the 35-year-old coming home in 23min 39sec, two seconds clear of Kidane, who had been drafted into the race after Paula Radcliffe withdrew through illness. The early stages of the five-lap race produced some strong running from the Irish pair, Maria McCambridge and Ann Keenan Buckley. However, with two laps to go Masai, who finished as runner-up in the Commonwealth 5,000m behind Radcliffe, and Kidane pulled away. Both Irish runners continued to press before being passed in the closing stages by Belgian Fatiha Baouf, who clinched third place. In the men's international four-kilometre race, Rob Whalley was not going to wait for the big guns of British mile running to use their superior sprint finishes and set out to make the running. Whalley broke away convincingly with a lap remaining having already established a lengthy early lead. The City of Stoke athlete, who never really fulfilled his potential on the track during the summer because of asthma, piled on the pressure on the final circuit to take the title in 12min 37sec. The runner-up was Julian Moorhouse, who was three seconds adrift, with third place going to the 1999 inter-schools cross-country champion Steven Vernon, who finished in 12-41. Whalley said: There was no way with Michael East, John Mayock and Tom Mayo in the race that I could leave it for a sprint finish. It was a case of putting my head down and going for it from the very beginning. It's marvellous to win here. I remember several years ago taking the silver medal when the race was run in Durham and after what seems such a long time it's great to be back on the winner's podium. Two of the world's greatest track runners - Sammy Kipketer and Paul Kosgei - were given a lesson in cross-country running by 20-year-old Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele in the international 8,800m race. Bekele, who had to fight to get an entry into last year's race, returned to the Tyneside venue and after seven circuits of Exhibition Park soundly thrashed the two Kenyans - no mean feat considering that Kipketer is Commonwealth 5,000 metres champion and Kosgei the world half-marathon champion. The young Ethiopian accelerated with four laps remaining and eventually crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of his rival in 29min 12sec. Kosgei finished well out of contention in 29-35. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
t-and-f: Bekele freezes out his Kenyan rivals
The Electronic Telegraph January 6th, 2003 Tom Knight It was taken as read that British athletes would not offer Kenenisa Bekele much opposition at the Great North Cross-Country, but such was his prowess that even his two Kenyan rivals were made to look second rate. The 20-year-old Ethiopian made light of the freezing conditions and muddy course through Newcastle's Exhibition Park to win the 8.8km race 15sec ahead of Sammy Kipketer and Paul Kosgei. The Kenyans are not exactly slouches. Kipketer, the Commonwealth 5,000m champion, and Kosgei, rated the world's top 10,000m runner, were expected to give Bekele a run for his money. It never happened. The young Ethiopian did not even look tired as he cruised to his third victory of the winter, further underlining his credentials as the athlete to succeed his countryman, Haile Gebrselassie, as the world's greatest distance runner. Bekele and Gebrselassie share the same manager, the Dutchman Jos Hermens, and train together twice a week in Addis Ababa. It is not the first time I have run in snow, said Bekele. I knew I was strong enough to go faster. This is a good sign for me with the build up to the World Cross-Country Championships. If the signs are good for Bekele, they look distinctly ominous for the Kenyans, who will line up against him at those championships in Lausanne at the end of March. Bekele went to last year's world championships in Dublin as the world junior champion, and came away having become the first man to win the short and long course events. His double triumph was achieved with the same effortless style he showed in Newcastle, and sparked a major inquest in Kenya, where officials were mystified as to how he had made their athletes look so flat-footed. Now free of the Achilles tendon injury that prevented him from competing on the track last summer, Bekele is on course to give the Kenyans more cause for alarm. His performances will also add spice to the build-up to the summer's World Championships in Paris, where he is not sure if he will contest the 5,000m or 10,000m. Among those waiting for him in the 10,000m, however, will be Gebrselassie, who, at 29, is intent on regaining the title he won four times between 1993 and 1999. The best British performance of the day came from Rob Whalley, who won the 4km race. But at 34, he can hardly be described as a prospect for the future. The absence of Paula Radcliffe, who withdrew last week because of illness, only served to highlight the lack of big-name athletes to attract the crowds. Radcliffe's participation could have ensured a crowd of 10,000 in Exibition Park. Instead, fewer than 2,000 showed up. That left one watcher, Mike McLeod, the one-time local hero who won a 10,000m silver medal at the 1984 Olympics, fearing for the future of British long-distance running. In my time, everyone would have been fighting to get into a race like this, just to say they were running against the world's best, he said. Peter Elliott, the race director, had 30 runners lined up to take part here but some never had the courtesy to inform him they wouldn't turn up. That in itself is bad manners. Even worse is the fact that our best stars didn't even consider running. I don't understand their logic. Despite all of the money being pumped into the sport the gap between British athletes and overseas runners is not closing but becoming much wider. In mine and Brendan Foster's era, there would have been 10 or so Britons who could have given the Africans a run for their money. In fact, the times we were running then are rarely bettered these days. Eamonn Condon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: t-and-f: Ernst Van Aaken and longevity
Reminds me of songwriter Eubie Blake's quote on reaching the century mark: If I'd known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself Eamonn Condon When George Allen died of a heart attach while sitting in his favorite chair (probably watching football) I had people ask me what good is exercise if George Allen died of a heart attack (I think he was 77?)
t-and-f: Radcliffe bides time
TheElectronic Telegraph 19 November, 2002 Tom Knight Paula Radcliffe's elevation to superstar status has made her plans for the coming year the most eagerly awaited of any athlete in the sport. Her decision on when and where she would like to run her next marathon is expected shortly. For the organisers of the world's big city races, the pronouncement will be enough to either make or break their event for 2003. Radcliffe, voted the woman athlete of the year by the British Athletics Writers' Association and the International Association of Athletics Federations, is the runner everyone wants in their field. Her two marathons have seen her win in London in April and break the world record in Chicago last month. She has stated that she will run only one race over 26.2 miles in 2003 but has still to decide if that will be in the spring or the autumn. Two dates are already fixed, however. Radcliffe's main target next year is a first global track title, in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Paris, while her ultimate goal is a gold medal at the Olympics in 2004. Her priority will be to structure everything else to give her the best chance of achieving both. David Bedford, the race director of the London Marathon is among those waiting on Radcliffe's decision. His race is the biggest in the world and easily the richest. He wants Radcliffe to defend her title. She is the runner to have, he said. Khalid Khannouchi proved this year that he is the world's fastest and most consistent marathon runner. Yet I've watched his performances being overshadowed by Paula. If she decides to run a spring marathon, I would be amazed if she didn't think London was the place to do it. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Athletes of her calibre have many options. She has to work back from the Olympics and find the formula she believes will work. This year she ran the London Marathon and had a fantastic track season. Why not stick to that formula for 2003? Given Radcliffe's meticulous preparation, it will not surprise Bedford that she has already considered this. Speaking before she received her IAAF award in Monte Carlo, she said: Running a spring marathon should allow me to take on a whole track season. But it did take me a long time to get back after running the London this year and I only just made it in time for the Commonwealth Games. One of the problems Radcliffe had to overcome on her way to this year's success was a knee injury which at one time could have threatened her participation in both the World Cross-Country Championships and the London Marathon. She will therefore move her winter altitude training base from Albuquerque in New Mexico, to Flagstaff in Arizona where the trails will be kinder to my knees. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Israeli emotions run high
, employed at some cost to the German nation, Ankie Spitzer, daughter of Andrea Spitzer who died in the massacre, accused the German police and army of incompetence and stupidity in 1972. You didn't manage to save one life, she said. She then accused the International Olympic Committee of failing to commemorate the deaths properly and then concluded: We will never forgive, we will never forget. An arctic blast on an already chilly morning. One of the rabbis spoke about 11 young athletes arriving in the spirit of sportsmanship and departing in 11 caskets, while, in a mellower moment, Michal Roth, daughter of the Israeli sprinter Esther Roth - who also perished on the night of Sept 6, 1972 - played her guitar and sang an emotional Hebrew melody. It was left to 10,000 metres runner Nili Avramski - she finished last behind Paula Radcliffe earlier in the week - to try and point the way forward. She lives in the Pyrenees and perhaps has a more detached view of things. The reception by the German people in the stadium was beautiful and moving, the way they stayed on and seemed to understand everything that had gone before. It seemed like the work of a script writer but it wasn't, it was real. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Defiant Holmes digs in
The Electronic Telegraph Tom Knight 10/08/2002 Kelly Holmes backed herself further into a corner yesterday by refusing to apologise for her doping allegations. Instead of clarifying her inference that the European 800 metres winner, Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia, was using performance-enhancing drugs, Holmes insisted her comments were about herself. But Holmes's exchange with a BBC News crew was the talk of the British team. After finishing third behind Ceplak on Thursday night, Holmes told the BBC: There was no way of catching her. I know I did it fairly and cleanly. The reporter nodded in the direction of Ceplak and asked: How unclean was that then? Holmes replied: Well, you take your own guess. When she was told of Holmes's comments, an astonished Ceplak demanded an apology, but none was forthcoming. After failing to qualify from her heat of the 1500m, the 32-year-old bronze medallist was backtracking faster than she ran. I didn't make any insinuations about anyone. Two people beat me and everyone assumes I was pointing the finger at them, said Holmes. I've got nothing to apologise for. All I want to say is that I'm proud that I ran cleanly. I didn't name anyone. Nervous and shaking in the face of questions, Holmes said it was the media's fault that her comments had been misinterpreted. Robert Wagner, who manages Holmes and Ceplak, insisted all was well between the two women. Women say things when they are disappointed after a race, he said. Kelly has explained what she meant, and that is good enough for me. However, David Moorcroft, the chief executive of UK Athletics, was furious with Holmes. Kelly should place her trust in the drug-testing procedures, which are shown to work, he said. The overwhelming majority of athletes are clean. Unfortunate comments such as Kelly's do not help athletics in her own country, nor the sport worldwide. We do not believe Ceplak is taking drugs. Her victory in the 800m was well-deserved. It took Jonathan Edwards to shed some light on the furore. It seems to be the preserve of middle and long-distance runners to get their knickers in a twist about drugs, he said. Post-race interviews are generally where athletes speak without putting their brains into gear. Kelly's comments were very ill-advised and I think this is something she will live to regret. With her refusal to either apologise or to name names, Holmes made herself look foolish, particularly as she had been well beaten by an athlete in a time which would not have won a medal at the Sydney Olympics. Holmes, who won the Commonwealth 1500m title in Manchester, barely broke two minutes. But her bitterness here should add spice to her 800m clash with Ceplak in the British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Aug 23. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Pole vaulter fails steroid test
Commonwealth Games hopeful Janine Whitlock has reportedly failed an anabolic steroids test. BBC today claimed that pole-vaulter Whitlock failed an A test last May. Whitlock is subject to a two-year ban if she is found guilty. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: 2 World Records set today
There were 2 World Records set today in the Irish National Athletics Championships at Morton Park, Santry. Gillian O'Sullivan broke the world record in the 5k walk on the track with a time of 20 mins, 2.6secs. Robert Heffernan broke his own National record in the mens' 10k walk, winning in a time of 38 mins 47.66 secs. Meanwhile, Terry McHugh won his 19th consecutive National Title, a feat no other athlete has achieved, with a throw of 71.56m. Sonia O'Sullivan, aiming next month to repeat her European Championships 5,000m and 10,000 metres double, has decided to race over 800m at the National Championships tomorrow. There was speculation O'Sullivan might attempt to achieve the 5,000m qualifying standard of 15 minutes 20 seconds for the championships beginning in Munich on August 6, but the Cobh woman today said: 'I entered the 800, 1,500 and 5,000 for this weekend's championships, but I plan sharpening my speedwork by doing only the 800m.' Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Cragg declares for Ireland
The Irish Times Wednesday, May 15, 2002 Ian O'Riordan Alistair Cragg is set to become the new name in Irish distance running, and could be competing internationally as early as this summer. The South African-born athlete has declared for Ireland and at 21 has already displayed world-class potential. Athletics Ireland yesterday confirmed that Cragg's declaration for Ireland is nearing completion. Though born in Johannesburg, he already holds an Irish passport since both grandparents on his mother's side were Irish-born. His parents have since moved to England. Cragg is attending Arkansas University in the US, where he has come under the guidance of Mayo-born coach John McDonnell. As a second year student he has already won the US Collegiate NCAA Indoor 5,000 metres title and was third in the NCAA cross country championships. Last month he clocked 13 minutes 22.07 seconds for the 5,000 metres at the Mt SAC meeting in California, well inside the 13:32.0 qualifying time for the European Championships in Munich in August. This past weekend he helped Arkansas to a second-place team finish in the SEC championships by running three races in two days, finishing second in the 5,000 and 10,000 (14:21.12, 29:33.77) and third over 1,500 (3:47.91). According to Liam Hennessy, Athletics Ireland international secretary, Cragg's application should be a formality. We are still awaiting formal clearance from the South African federation, said Hennessy. But I've been speaking to his father Raymond and that process is almost completed. I understand he has competed for South Africa before but we're unsure at what level, and because he holds an Irish passport there shouldn't be any great difficulty in getting final clearance from the IAAF. Meanwhile, Sonia O'Sullivan is in line to join the elite field at the New York women's mini-marathon on June 8th. The 10km race has a prize fund of $30,000 and has already attracted the leading US name Deena Drossin, who set a world 5km best on the road last month. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Steriod use 'rising'
The Electronic Telegraph April 30, 2002 Gareth A Davies THE use of banned substances by elite athletes is on the rise worldwide, it was claimed yesterday. Dr Don Catlin, the director of the International Olympic Committee's testing laboratory at the Salt Lake City Games, revealed at a British Medical Association conference in London that he knew of at least four new clandestine steroids being marketed illegally for athletes' use. He added that many anabolic steroids which are in use still remain undetectable to the testers in a covert game between what he described as mom and pop operations - highly-qualified rogue chemists farming steroids and smuggling them across the world - and IOC testers. Dr Catlin, widely regarded as one the world's most eminent scientists in the doping field, and a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology in Los Angeles cited the example yesterday of the difficulties in policing doping. In March this year Dr Catlin's lab at UCLA uncovered a suspicious substance in an unnamed woman athlete's urine. After detailed analysis, and luck and good judgement it was found to be the anabolic steroid norbolethone, which the IOC does not currently test for. Dr Catlin stressed that it was of extreme concern because norbolethone, which underwent clinical trials in 1967, had been discarded by laboratories four years later due to its high levels of toxicity. In clinical tests more than 30 years ago, norbolethone had shown to develop huge muscle growth without any hair in the rat model. If you've had a supply of norbolethone for five years, and nobody has been testing for it you have got pretty far, he explained. Dr Catlin, who highlighted that there are too many tests, not enough funding also touched on what is likely to become a controversial subject. He believes that it may become necessary in future years to test testosterone levels based on ethnicity, with early research indicating that men of Caucasian, African and South American descent show higher levels of testosterone than Asians. I don't like the idea of testing, he said. But it's all we have until we see a way of shifting the culture. The really clever ones get away with it. Is there a way to truly change the drugs culture? I believe so, but athletes take drugs because it's a condition of winning in many sports. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Adidas Dublin Marathon aims for 10,000 runners
The Irish Times Wed, Apr 17, 02 The prize-money will exceed Euro90,000 and there will be preliminary races and a better course for this year's marathon. Ian O'Riordan reports A better route, increased prize-money and a countdown series of races - these are some of the incentives added to this year's Adidas Dublin Marathon to help boost entries to beyond 10,000. Details were announced yesterday for the 23rd running of the event, to be staged as usual on the October Bank Holiday, this year Monday 28th. Race director Jim Aughney believes this year will see the race develop further as a major city marathon. We all saw the amazing event in London last weekend, he said. I believe fast times can also be run in Dublin, and I know the drive and enthusiasm is now there to bring the entry level through the 10,000 mark. Last year's entries totalled just under 8,000 - despite some fall-off because of the September 11th attacks in New York. The number of Americans is expected to increase this year, with further interest coming from Canada. Title sponsor Adidas are midway through their three-year deal, and will promote three races this summer to entice more home runners to the event. On July 20th, there is the Irish Runner five-mile, on August 18th the Frank Duffy 10-mile, and on September 21st the BHAA half-marathon. All will be staged in the Phoenix Park. Paul Moloney of Adidas Ireland is confident the race series will bring even more to the 26.2-mile distance. We are saying to people who maybe feel the marathon is that bit too much, here is a challenge you can meet. We hope once people start training for one of these races they are encouraged to keep going and maybe go for the big one in October, he said. To attract more elite runners to the event, the Dublin prize fund will total over Euro90,000. Winners of the men's and women's races will get Euro15,000 - up from Euro10,000 last year - and there are also improved time bonuses. The prize fund for the top Irish finishers has also been extended. Last year's winner, Zacharia Mpolokeng of South Africa, has indicated his intention to return (he won a North Korean marathon in 2:15 last weekend), and the Kenyan presence is again expected to be high. Catherina McKiernan, a former winner in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, attended yesterday's launch, but she suggested that this year's Dublin race may be a little too soon in her comeback to competitive running. Last month she gave birth to her first child, daughter Deirbhile. I'm back into easy training now but this year's race is probably too soon, she said. We'll have to see but I definitely would like to run it at some stage in the future if possible. In a change from recent years, the race will start on Nassau Street and finish on Merrion Square. Fifty thousand entry forms have been printed, and entries can also be made at: www.dublincitymarathon.ie Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Radcliffe faces surgery
The Irish Times Tue, Apr 16, 2002 Duncan Mackay Paula Radcliffe will visit a specialist this week to determine whether she needs an operation on the right knee which nearly prevented her winning the London Marathon. The new European record holder revealed after her stunning run on Sunday that she came close to withdrawing before the race because of a problem which had flared up on the eve of her victory at the World Cross Country championships in Dublin on March 23th. There were times when I thought I wouldn't be able to run, she said. I felt nothing from the right knee during the marathon; it's the other knee which is sore. But Gerard Hartmann (her physiotherapist) has warned me I should have it looked at. It may be okay now only because I've been receiving three hours' treatment per day on it. I hope it's just a precaution. Radcliffe's knee first flared up two years ago during her preparations for the Sydney Olympics when she needed a minor operation after she hurt it kneeling down to write thank-you letters after her wedding. She and her husband, Gary Lough, celebrated their second anniversary yesterday with a champagne breakfast. Provided Radcliffe receives the all-clear from the specialist, she will take two weeks off before beginning to train for the Commonwealth Games and European Championships; she hopes to run the 5,000 metres in Manchester and 10,000 in Munich. The European is the more important to me because it's a stage above the Commonwealth Games, she said. The 28-year-old Loughborough graduate is uncertain where she will run her next marathon, but it will probably be in London a year hence, on April 13th. After her performance on Sunday, when she ran two hours 18 minutes and 56 seconds - the second fastest in history and the quickest in an event where women are not paced by men - she can almost ask for a blank cheque to return in 2003. Motivating Radcliffe just as much as is the 16-year-old European 10,000-metre record of 30.13.74 held by Norway's Ingrid Kristiansen. It's always been a big goal for me, she said. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Khannouchi steals the show
seconds, the fastest of the race and only 11 seconds slower than the men at the same stage, who were on world-record pace. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: O'Sullivan ready for Carlsbad test
The Irish Times April 05, 2002 Sonia O'Sullivan, flying back into top form following the birth of her second daughter in December, faces her toughest race to date in the United States on Sunday. After beating the Sydney gold medallist Gabriela Szabo in last weekend's Tesco Italiano five-mile road race at Balmoral, the Olympic 5,000 metres runner-up tackles the Carlsbad 5K. Unsurprisingly, a top-class field has been attracted to the venue and O'Sullivan will find herself lining up against Deena Drossin, runner-up to Paula Radcliffe in the World Cross Country long course race, and fellow American Colleen De Reuck, who was one place behind her team-mate and led the US to team silver medals. Much has been made about the advantages gained by athletes when returning to competition after motherhood. The Cobh runner, who will be joined by the one British entrant Kathy Butler, argued: I suppose the big thing is you've been away from athletics and training for so long that it motivates you that much more and you're not bored with things. Every week you go training and you're improving your times. There is definitely some sort of strengthening that's in there, which helps you. I don't know what it is, but it definitely runs out and you have to take advantage of it. After that it's back to normal again. Apart from Drossin, who also set a US 15K record a month ago and ran a US best time of 15minutes 8seconds in Carlsbad two years ago, the field also includes Werknesh Kidane, the World Cross Country short course silver medallist. In Dublin, in the same 4K race at Leopardstown Racecourse, O'Sullivan finished seventh. The men's race will see Sammy Kipketer aiming to break his own world record of 13minutes dead only a week after setting a new mark for the 10,000m in New Orleans. Becoming the first man to run under that barrier will earn the 20-year-old Kenyan a 10,000 US dollar bonus. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Active and passive recovery for sprint performers
I recently received the following query: I am conducting a study on the benefits and disadvantages of both active and passive recovery for sprint performers, and was interested in your opinion and any info you may have on the area. Any sprint experts care to opine? Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Sweet revenge for Sonia in Balmoral
The Irish Times Saturday, March 30, 2002 Sonia O'Sullivan took revenge on Romania's Gabriela Szabo in the Balmoral Road races this afternoon after losing to her in a nail-biting finish for the Olympic 5000 metres gold medal in Sydney. The Tesco Italiano five-mile race on Royal Deeside was merely a low key stepping-stone for all competitors in their build-up to the summer's track season and the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. But it meant more to two of the world's greatest middle-distance runners. O'Sullivan, winner by 27 seconds in 25 minutes 16 seconds, is resuming her career after giving birth to her second daughter, Sophie, on December 23. For Szabo it was her first race since the World Championships. After winning the 1500m gold medal in Edmonton last August, she finished a weary eighth when attempting to defend her 5000m title. Today Sazbo ran her first race since then and remarkably it was the first time the 26-year-old had contested a road event at any level. Szabo was no match for O'Sullivan, who took the lead after the first mile and hammered not only the multi indoor world record holder but the rest of the field including third-placed Australian 5000m record holder Benita Johnson, who clocked 25mins 55secs. The wind was very strong and blowing me everywhere. I have been doing a lot of long runs _ now I will have to concentrate on my speedwork but I'm happy to be racing again, said Szabo. O'Sullivan was even happier. I'm just a tough old woman, beamed the 32-year-old who has yet to decide whether to defend both her European 5000 and 1m crowns this August in Munich. But it was just that sort of toughness which two years ago after first child Ciara was born, saw her fight her way back to top fitness and take the silver medal behind Szabo on a balmy night in Sydney. Today the bright sunshine at Balmoral suddenly changed and it did not help Szabo, who tried initially to shelter behind her rival's much taller frame. But O'Sullivan was not in a benevolent mood. She knew the course well after coasting to victory in 2000. O'Sullivan said: My plan was to go hard up the hill on the second circuit but I found myself doing it first time around. I've learned if you can make a break early in road running you can normally keep it going. The wind did make it difficult and it was making it a rough ride. But I wasn't in the mood to hang around for anyone. I suppose I'm now a tough old woman. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Kenyan team in visa setback
The Irish Times Tuesday, March 19, 2002 Doubts surrounded the participation of almost half the Kenyan cross country team in this weekend's World championships at Leopardstown after it emerged that they had not received visas. The Kenya Amateur Athletics Association (KAAA) secretary David Okeyo said today that 17 of the 36 strong team failed to secure visas for their trip to Ireland from the Irish consulate in Nairobi. The team, which completed its three-week high altitude training in Embu today is expected to leave for Dublin tomorrow. But Okeyo said the Irish consulate in Nairobi had not issued visas to 17 members of the team, despite having applied for the documentation on February 27th. We had already paid 500,000 Kenyan shillings (about 6,400 dollars) for the visas, which cost 7,500 shillings per athletes. It is very sad that this should happen at the last minute to us, as the defending champions, Okeyo said. Athletes who are yet to receive visas include two former junior champions Rose Cheruiyot and Leah Malot. Okeyo said he was worried that the athletes may not travel to Dublin Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Wami and Tulu opt out of World XC
The Irish Times Wed, Mar 20, 02 Ian O'Riordan CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Definitely not coming to Leopardstown this weekend is defending short course champion Gete Wami of Ethiopia. Troubled by a knee injury all winter, Wami has been unable to gain sufficient fitness in time for the event and will now concentrate on the summer track season. Fellow Ethiopian and 2000 champion Derartu Tulu is also skipping cross-country this winter and instead will focus on next month's London Marathon, where last year she made a winning debut at the distance. Ethiopia are still sending a short course team - despite earlier reports they wouldn't - but on paper at least it appears a less formidable team than that which won a year ago. Only two athletes return from their winning six (Werknesh Kidane and Genet Gebregiorgis) while also absent is Berhane Adere, who improved the indoor 3,000 metre world record last month. The Kenyans, who took silver last year, appear more focused on Saturday's long course 8km race. Edith Masai is the only athlete returning and the other five have questionable experience. Instead their stronger runners such as Rose Cheruiyot and Leah Malot go in the longer race. Irish team manager Jerry Kiernan feels that an improvement on Belgium last year (sixth-place team finish) would be the bottom line for the Irish. Looking at the results of last year I definitely feel we have the wherewithal to win medals, he said. But I wouldn't rule out the Africans just because the are missing some big names. Unlike us they have great inter-changeability. Perhaps the short course race isn't as tough as last year, but it won't be easy. The team could run very well and still finish fifth or sixth because nothing comes easy at this level. And I would feel a lot happier about our chances if Breda Dennehy-Willis was in there. Still, the absence of Wami and Tulu is also good news for Sonia O'Sullivan in her quest for individual glory. With Britain's Paula Radcliffe limiting herself to the defence of her long course title, there is no clear short course favourite and even with her swift return from the maternity ward O'Sullivan appears ever more capable of mixing it with the Africans. The US team also had medal winning potential but they have lost the service of their number one, Regina Jacobs. She was the clear winner of the US trials last month - her second consecutive title - and also produced a remarkable indoor season that included world bests over two and three miles. Jacobs is surprisingly concentrating all her efforts preparing for the women's steeplechase this summer - a new event yet to gain any real status on the international circuit. The team is now built around Suzy Favor Hamilton, only third in their trials and far from being a cross-country specialist. It seems more likely that Ireland's main threat after the Africans are Romania and Portugal. Romania took third last year and are known for their strong team running and Portugal are putting all their emphasis on the short course race this year, built around the highly experienced Carla Sacramento. On the men's side, however, the African presence remains ominous. The Kenyans are chasing their 17th successive team title in the men's long course race and led by world 5,000-metre champion Richard Limo and 10,000-metre champion Charles Kamathi there is little to suggest they will fail. Cathal Lombard has been ruled out of the Irish men's long course team because of illness, a notable loss considering his third-place finish at the national championships. John Burke, who finished seventh, comes in as a replacement. Ethiopia believe they can at least win the individual title with Kenenisa Bekele. He won the junior race by a record 33 seconds in Ostend last year and also took second in the senior short course. Already regarded as the successor to Haile Gebrselassie he is attempting a long and short course double - a feat only achieved before by Sonia O'Sullivan. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
Re: t-and-f: East revises his plans
In the article that I posted yesterday the word scalps was used. I realize that this word is politically incorrect and may be offensive to many. I also am disturbed by the use of such offensive terminology, however not being the author of this piece I did not feel it was appropriate to edit the text. To be fair, the quote itself was from a young British runner who, I am sure, had no idea his words might be hurtful. I hope that most people will have enjoyed the article, despite the innocent but unfortunate comment. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: East revises his plans
The Electronic Telegraph Wednesday 13 March 2002 Tom Knight THERE have been many false dawns over the years but in Mike East Britain could at last have found a middle-distance runner to cherish. It is early days but the 24-year-old followed up his surprise bronze in the European Indoor Championships with an accomplished, tactically astute run to win the 1500m at the Norwich Union International in Glasgow. The Portsmouth athlete said after beating Britain's established No 1 John Mayock: It was a dream come true. His is a scalp everyone wants. East, the first of 140 athletes picked out by UK Athletics for special treatment under their £2.2 million-a-year World Class Potential Plan, thought he would be watching this summer's Commonwealth Games and European Championships from the stands. He and his wife have tickets for the men's 1500m at both events; he might now be racing for medals in Manchester and Munich. Jolanda Ceplak and Svetlana Feofanova put in stunning performances at the Kelvin Hall meeting to win the 1500m and pole vault respectively, but the end of the indoor season has come at the right time for Mark Lewis-Francis. The young British sprinter's wretched week, in which he spent a night in police custody and was banned from driving, ended with him being disqualified for two false starts in the 60m. The European Indoor Champion Colin Jackson finished off a fine winter on the boards with victory in the 60m hurdles before jetting off for his Melbourne training camp. Britain's bronze medal-winning skeleton bobsleigher Alex Coomber is switching to the pole vault to try and become the first British woman to compete in the summer and winter Olympics. The 28-year-old is looking for a coach although she cannot start training until she has recovered from the broken arm she sustained before the winter Olympics. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Christie and Coe reignite war of words
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 11 February 2002 Charlie Norton THE ongoing feud between two of Britain's greatest athletes was theatrically reignited yesterday when Linford Christie made an unscheduled telephone call to a radio show to harangue Seb Coe during a live interview with Simon Mayo. The Radio 5 Live show was interrupted when Lord Coe became hostage for 25 minutes to an emotional call from a Linford from London, who immediately became apparent as the former Olympic 100 metre champion. The disparate pair have endured a year-long dispute stemming from comments made by Christie alleging that athletics was corrupt and a sport he would not encourage his children to take part in. Coe, in an article for Telegraph Sport last year, categorically refuted Christie's claims. But yesterday, Christie said: It's the first time we have spoken about this. All I want to say is that you were totally misinformed in what you wrote about me, and I just want you to say you are sorry. My problem is with the IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations], because they banned me for something I didn't do. Christie tested positive for nandrolone in 1999 - after retiring - and was banned by the IAAF, despite protesting his innocence. You misinterpreted my comments and your article was misinformed, Christie said. I would never criticise the volunteers in Britain who do so much work for youngsters in our sport - I am one. The reason I said I didn't want my children to go into athletics is because no matter how good they were they would always be compared to Linford Christie. I've never stated that I am a role model. But Coe insisted his remarks were justified. I wasn't misinformed, he said. I had your article in front of me when I wrote what I considered to be a well-thought-out piece for The Daily Telegraph. British athletics is not corrupt, the volunteers who help out are not corrupt. I also don't accept that the IAAF is corrupt and I want my children to take up athletics. Christie, whose voice was now wavering, said: I thought we were friends, we go way, way back but I'm gonna go now, I can see where he's coming from . . . He then broke off the conversation, seemingly frustrated at Coe's wall of rhetoric which maintained that this was about sport not about friendship. John Rawling, the athletics correspondent for Radio 5, later put forward a suggestion that Coe had reasons for not openly criticising the IAAF. He said: Linford shied away from saying that Seb had any pretensions to run the IAAF. In all likelihood Seb would rush to their defence. It was almost a year ago that Coe wrote in Telegraph Sport on Feb 14 that the sprinter's captaincy of the British athletics team was marked by continual conflict. He said: I sat in one team meeting when he [Christie] made himself deliberately unintelligible to all but those who had a passing knowledge of jive. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Records raise Irish hopes
The Irish Times Monday, Feb 11, 2002 Ian O'Riordan Irish hopes of European Indoor success next month were greatly heightened over the weekend with the setting of two national records. The long-jumper Ciaran McDonagh continued his long-awaited return to form by improving the indoor record to 7.85 metres at Blacksburg Invitational meeting in Virginia. At the same meeting, Karen Skinkins lowered her 400 metre indoor record to a world-class 51.58 seconds. Like McDonagh, it gave her a comfortable victory. It was also her first time to break 52 seconds, improving on the 52.31 mark she set at the same meeting last year. McDonagh had been struggling with injury for over two years after his heights of 1999 (when he became the first Irishman to clear eight metres). After moving to a new training base in Atlanta last September, he has regained his form, and this result thus improved on his two-week-old mark of 7.64 metres. Shinkins now has the fastest ranked time in Europe, just ahead of Germany's Grit Breuer's 51.62, and in this form will be Ireland's top medal contender at the European Indoor Championships, which take place in Vienna from March 1st-3rd. Also at the meeting, Peter Coghlan took the 60-metre hurdles race in a season's best of 7.71 seconds. At the Midwest Track Classic in Lincoln, Nebraska, there was a fourth-place finish for Daniel Caulfield in a tightly contested 800 metres. Caulfield was timed at 1.49.78 compared to the American winner Derrick Peterson's 1.49.30. In Ghent yesterday, James Nolan was a slightly disappointing fifth over 1,500 metres, clocking 3.39.57 behind Mehdi Baala of France (3.37.19). Sarah Reilly did manage a win in the 200 metre B race by clocking 23.21 seconds - which actually ranked her third overall. On the country, meanwhile, Rosemary Ryan took eighth place in an IAAF cross country series event in Vilamoura, Portugal. Ethiopia's Berhane Adere took the win in 19.49, yet Ryan will be satisfied with her placing and time of 20.32. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Irish News
THE IRISH TIMES Mon, Feb 04, 02 Daniel Caufield fell about a foot short of producing an Irish victory at the Millrose Games in New York, losing out over 800 metres to American David Krummenacker. A slow run race saw Caulfield edged out, with the American timed at one minute, 52.30 seconds to Caulfield's 1:52.42. The famed Wanamaker Mile was an all-Kenyan affair, with Laban Rotich repeating his 1998 win over Bernard Lagat, although his 3:57.04 was well short of Eamonn Coghlan's 1981 Millrose record of 3:53.0. At the AAA Championships in Cardiff on Saturday, both Gary Ryan and Sarah Reilly were beaten into second place over 200 metres. Welsh internationalist Doug Turner took the men's title in 21.24 seconds, ahead of Ryan in 21.40, and English 16-year-old Amy Spencer won the women's title in 23.74, with Reilly timed at 23.97. There were victories for the Irish walkers as Robert Hefferan won the men's 3km in an Irish record 11:10.02, while Colin Griffin was second in a personal best 11:46:03. The women's title went to Gillian O'Sullivan in 12:17.56. Jamie Costin clocked a top class time of 19.59.15 to take second place in the 5,000m Walk at the Auckland Grand Prix at the weekend. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: O'Sullivan's fast return
The Electronic Telegraph Sunday 27 January 2002 Tom Knight SONIA O'SULLIVAN is ready to run in the world cross-country championships only three months after giving birth to her second child. Ireland's finest distance runner, whose daughter Sophie was born in Australia on Dec 23, has been pre-selected for the championships, which will take place on Dublin's Leopardstown Racecourse on the weekend of March 23-24. Liam Hennessy, spokesman for Athletics Ireland said: It is quite incredible, but Sonia is that type of athlete. I would imagine each time you make a comeback it becomes that bit harder, but Sonia has shown what strength she carries. She did it before and she is ready to do it again. She has probably not competed since last spring, but she has so much determination that she has her sights set on the event. Nothing seems beyond what Sonia seems she can do, and it will be fantastic to have her in the team. O'Sullivan, 32, became the first woman to achieve double gold at these championships, when she won the four kilometre and eight kilometre races in Marrakesh in 1998. After the birth of her first child Ciara in 1999, she said: People think that having a baby has made life difficult when it comes to my running. But that is not true at all. An athlete can train for only so many hours in a day and sometimes in the past, it was a real problem knowing how best to fill the time between training sessions. But not anymore. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Costly Skah to miss out
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 28 January 2002 Tom Knight KHALID SKAH, the two-time world cross-country champion, may have priced himself out of the chance to run in the London Marathon. The Moroccan, 34, who competes in today's Belfast International cross-country race at Stormont Castle, believes he can break the world marathon record with a time of around 2hr 4min. But Skah wants the London Marathon organisers to pay him an appearance fee for taking part on April 14. This year's event already includes the world record-holder, Khalid Khannouchi, and Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera as well as Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat. David Bedford, the race director, said: We would love to have Skah in the race. However, his manager wants an appearance fee and quite frankly our budget for elite athletes is totally spent. In Belfast, Skah takes on leading the Kenyans, Julis Kibet and defending champion Daniel Gachara, over eight kilometres. The British challenge is led by Matt Smith. Indoors, meanwhile, Mark Lewis-Francis continues his preparation for the European Championships in the 60 metres at the Midland Championships in Birmingham. Daniel Caines, Britain's only gold medallist at last winter's World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, is expected to run in the 400m. Unlike Lewis-Francis, however, Caines has ruled himself out of the Europeans, preferring instead to compete on the indoor Grand Prix circuit. Allan Stuart, who won a 400m silver medal at the Sydney Paralympics, is aiming to become the first competitor with a disability to win a senior Scottish title against able-bodied athletes. The 20-year-old, who has a learning disability, won the West Districts title last weekend and will race over 200m in Glasgow. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Nolan makes a fast start to indoor season
THE IRISH TIMES Mon, Jan 21, 02 Ian O'Riordan James Nolan opened his indoor season in style yesterday by winning the 3,000 metres at the Scottish Indoor Championships in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall. Despite making his debut in the distance, Nolan clocked an impressive 8:00.78 to leave defending champion Glen Stewart five metres back. Also taking a Scottish title was Tomas Coman, who set an indoor best of 47.33 when winning the 400 metres, a half-second clear of compatriot Robert Daly. In Belfast on Saturday, both Seamus Power and Anne Keenan-Buckley came away satisfied with their performances at the International cross-country around Stormont Estate. Power did all the early running in the men's 8km race before taking fourth place behind a trio of Kenyans, as Julius Kibet held off Daniel Gachara in a sprint finish. Keenan-Buckley did similar in the women's race before finishing third behind Esther Kiplagap of Kenya and Coleen De Reuck of the USA. Power and Keenan-Buckley are now practically assured of the AAI Grand Prix series awards, worth Euro 1,500 each. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Ras na hEireann Preview
The Irish Times Thursday, January 10, 2002 Ian O'Riordan Almost all the Irish contenders for the coming World Cross Country Championships in Dublin will be racing in Dunleer this Sunday in the 33rd edition of the Rás na hÉireann. With the Leopardstown event now just 10 weeks away, this year's race takes on extra significance as a test of mid-season form. The worrying crash by the men's team at last month's European Championships in Switzerland left many of the leading names low in confidence, which is one reason why the likes of Seamus Power and Peter Mathews won't be holding anything back. Power will return to defend his title, but local runner Keith Kelly, the former American collegiate champion, is ruled out because of injury. The African presence has been kept to the minimum - Ethiopia's Alemu Dagne is the only name - and that will be further incentive for the Irish. The race organisers have also confirmed the entry of the top trio of English runners - Karl Keska, Sam Haughian and Ben Noad. Along with Mathews, the home challenge will come from Dublin's Vinny Mulvey, and Fiachra Lombard and Martin McCarthy of Cork. The women's race is set up for an intriguing head-to-head between Anne Keenan-Buckley and Rosemary Ryan. Despite turning 40 last Monday, Keenan-Buckley is still proving herself the woman to beat on the domestic front. But Ryan is also approaching her best form. American champion Priscella Hein will provide the main international element. The Rás na hÉireann is also the second of six races in the AAI Grand Prix cross country series, which has an overall prize fund of ?7,000 (£5,500). Next up is the IAAF Challenge in Stormont Estate, Belfast, on Saturday week. Eight cities have entered the reopened bidding for the 2005 World Championships after Britain's withdrawal was officially confirmed. Brussels, Budapest, Helsinki, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Rome and Moscow have all sent letters of intent to the IAAF expressing an interest in staging the event. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Ottey applies for Slovene citizenship
The Irish Times Saturday, December 29, 2001 Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey, who has been living and training in Ljubljana in the past three years, has applied for Slovene citizenship, daily newspaper Slovenske Novice reported in today's edition. The former 200m world champion had previously said she intended to settle in the Slovene capital, saying she liked calm lifestyle. The 41-year old Ottey ran for Jamaica at the Sydney Olympics last year, after the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) lifted her year-long doping suspension, and won a bronze medal in 4x100m sprint relay team. Ottey holds 35 Olympic and world champioships medals. - AFP Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinumrefcd=PT97
t-and-f: Jayasinghe to retire after alleged assault
The Irish Times Saturday, December 29, 2001 Sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, who last year won Sri Lanka's first Olympic medal for more than 50 years, announced her retirement today after alleging she was assaulted at the country's Sports Ministry. The Olympic bronze medallist, who has been at constant loggerheads with the country's sporting authorities, said she was attacked at a Sports Ministry gymnasium in Colombo today by a male athlete. I will never run again. I going to retire because I'm sick of this, Jayasinghe said. I can't live with the death threats and the abuse. Police at the Cinammon Gardens police station in Colombo confirmed that a complaint had been made. Jayasinghe, whose third place finish in the 200 metres in Sydney last year gave the island its first Olympic medal since 1948, said she would make an official announcement about her retirement at a news conference on Thursday. The 26-year-old said she suffered a leg injury and bruises during the alleged assault. She also added that she had received death threats ever since a parliamentary election on December 5th. Jayasinghe is Sri Lanka's only world-class athlete with a string of international honours, including the 200 metres silver medal at the 1997 Athens world championships. But her meteoric rise from poor rural girl to national heroine has been dogged by controversy, including a failed dope test. -Reuters Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinumrefcd=PT97
t-and-f: Abera enters London marathon
The Irish Times Saturday, December 29, 2001 Ethiopia's world and Olympic marathon champion Gezahegne Abera today revealed he will take part in next year's London Marathon. The Ethiopian will now line up alongside world-record holder Khalid Khannouchi and 2001 winner Abdelkhader El Mouaziz on April 14th. Abera's compatriot, Haile Gebrselassie, a double Olympic champion at 10,000 metres, will also make his long-awaited marathon debut. Kenya's Paul Tergat, runner-up in April, Portugal's former London winner Antonio Pinto and the reigning New York marathon champion Tesfaye Jifar will also compete in the field. David Bedford, the London Marathon director, was delighted that Abera wanted to take part in next year's race. This promises to be the greatest race ever, he said. We had more or less finalised the field but his manager asked us if there was anything we could do and we were delighted that we could find a way [to include Abera]. Abera, 23, won the Olympic title in Sydney, despite falling after just 10 miles. The Ethiopian was also grabbed the world-championship title in Edmonton, when he outsprinted Kenya's Simon Biwott in the final metres. Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinumrefcd=PT97
t-and-f: Cram-inspired Moroccan starts favourite
The Electronic Telegraph Friday 28 December 2001 Tom Knight IT IS a sign of the times that Steve Cram's record-breaking exploits of the 1980s appear to have been more of an inspiration to runners from Morocco than Britain. Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record holder at a mile and 1500 metres, is a big fan of the Geordie, and today in Newcastle, Cram, a commentator for the BBC, gets the chance to meet the latest Moroccan to sing his praises. Mohammed Mourhit, the two-times world cross-country champion who took Belgian citizenship in 1997, will line up as favourite to win the men's nine kilometre race at the Great North cross-country in Newcastle's Exhibition Park. Mourhit's all-time hero is Said Aouita, but it was the Moroccan's races against Cram which inspired him to commit himself to the sport. Said Mourhit: It was in 1988 that I really fell in love with running and became determined to follow in Aouita's footsteps as best as I could. Steve Cram had come over to stay and train with Aouita. Like lots of other youngsters packed at our stadium I marvelled at the training sessions he put in. I was only 18 at the time and far too shy to even try to speak with him, although of course we have done so since. But watching his sessions was inspirational for me. All I needed was the opportunity and backing to succeed. Shortly after, Aouita instituted and funded a training camp for potential Moroccan stars and I cannot tell you how happy I was to be invited to become a member. The women's six kilometre race should have heralded the start of Paula Radcliffe's winter campaign, but her withdrawal because of injury leaves the way open for France's European champion Yamna Belkacem to pit her wits against Ayelech Worku, of Ethiopia, and the Kenyans, Esther Kiplagat and Susan Chepkemei. Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinumrefcd=PT97
t-and-f: Bekele repays faith of coach
The Electronic Telegraph Sunday 30 December 2001 Alex Morfey HISTORY was repeated in Newcastle yesterday when teenager Kenenisa Bekele won the British Gas Great North Cross-Country to emulate coach Haile Gebrselassie's triumph eight years ago. Bekele was only included in the race at Gebrselassie's request after the Ethiopian had pleaded with event organisers - and his faith was repaid in style. Against world-class opposition, Bekele, 19, was happy to hang back for the first half of the nine kilometre race. But, after local runner Stewy Bell began to tire, the Ethiopian world cross-country champion stepped up the tempo. Hitting the front he was followed by Ukraine's European champion Sergey Lebed, Kenya's Ben Limo and world champion Mohammed Mourhit. Eventually Bekele and Limo broke away but the anticipated grandstand finish did not materialise. Showing enormous strength, Bekele surged ahead at the bell, eventually winning by nine seconds in 27min 12sec. Lebed was third in 21-47. Everything went to plan, Bekele said. I wanted to sit in for the first three laps then step up the pace. I was surprised Limo was the only one who really came with me. The first Briton home was Scotland's Glen Stewart, who finished seventh in 28-23. Britain's Liz Yelling, responding to support from a vociferous Newcastle crowd, claimed a deserved third place in the women's 6.2km event. Pitted against some world-class performers, including France's European champion Yamna Belkacem, Yelling's brave front-running saw her finish behind Susan Chepkemei and Esther Kiplagat. Leading for three of the four circuits, Yelling eventually succumbed to the experience of her rivals as Chepkemei beat her fellow Kenyan by a second in 20-44. Former schoolteacher Yelling, who became a full-time athlete only two months ago, completed a punishing ordeal in 20-54. After crossing the finishing line and looking astonished that she had seen off some highly talented performers, Yelling admitted every bit of pain had been worthwhile. Eamonn Condon WWW.RunnersGoal.com Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinumrefcd=PT97
t-and-f: Farah can strike gold for Britain
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 8 December 2001 Tom Knight MOHAMED FARAH is Britain's best hope for gold in tomorrow's European Cross-Country Championships in Thun, Switzerland. The 18-year-old Somali-born athlete has been in sensational form so far this winter and, according to Conrad Milton, his coach, it will take an exceptionally good performance to beat him. Farah might have won an individual medal at these championships last year, but after being tripped on the final circuit, he managed only seventh place as his team-mate, Chris Thompson took silver. The performance of both and Lee McCash's 16th place, however, meant the team also won a silver medal. Farah, who spent his early years in Mogadishu, came to this country with his mother and two brothers to join his father in 1993. He spoke no English and returned from his first day at school in west London with a black eye after being involved in a fight with the playground bully. A football-mad youngster, Farah had not heard of Somali's 1987 world 1500 metres champion, Abdi Bile, and his prowess as a runner only came to light on his school's sports day. His development at secondary school, under the PE teacher, Alan Wilkinson, was swift and in 1996 he won the Middlesex Schools' cross-country title. Farah went on to claim five English Schools titles at a variety of distances, on the country and the track. His best performance to date came in winning the gold medal in this year's European Juniors 5,000 metres in Italy in July. He was the first Briton to win the title since Simon Mugglestone in 1987. Jan Zelezny, the three-time Olympic javelin thrower from the Czech Republic, has resigned as a member of the International Olympic Committee. Zelezny, who was appointed in December 1999, said he wanted to continue as an athlete, which would mean no time left for him to be an active IOC member. Marion Jones is to appear on the United States version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. Jones, the world and Olympic 200m champion, will join an impressive list of sports celebrities on the special show for charity. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: My Sport: Jonathan Edwards Interview
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 8 December 2001 Gareth A Davies My Sport: Jonathan Edwards Interview Earliest sporting memory: My first goal at junior school, aged nine, hitting the ball and it screaming under the crossbar; jumping 9.99 metres in the triple jump at primary school; being captivated by the battles between Coe and Ovett at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Sports watched: Football (Newcastle United), tennis, rugby. I went to Wimbledon for the first time this year, when I was invited to the Royal Box with other Olympians. The tennis Grand Slams are unmissable. Sports played: I grew up on sport and played everything as a youngster. Rugby as a stand-off, I captained the school 1st XI at cricket, opening the bowling and batting at No 3. I still play tennis. I didn't focus on athletics until I'd left Durham University. Why a life in sport? At the root of it was the thought that it was what God wanted me to do. Whatever I do, I want to know what God wants me to do. First and foremost, I'm a disciple of Christ. Although I was very good at sport, I focused more on my studies. I did a Physics degree, and thought about applying to be an accountant. I signed on the dole after university, worked in a laboratory, and trained in the evenings. Sporting heroes: I never really had heroes. I appreciate outrageous talent rather than hard work or effort. For me, John McEnroe was a sublime talent, an enigmatic genius. I liked Seb Coe, but favoured the maverick side of Steve Ovett. I empathised more with him. Ian Botham was wonderfully talented. Most memorable sporting moment: The most dramatic day was jumping 18.53m in Lille at the European Cup, at the beginning of 1995. I'd broken through; it was the first time I'd entered uncharted territory. Later that year I went to Gothenburg and broke the world record. Worst sporting moment: The Barcelona Olympics in 1992. I went there as an unknown athlete, but felt I could do something, and I didn't even qualify for the final. In many ways my career started in 1995. Favourite location: Gateshead, where I train, but it's difficult to compete there because of the greater expectation. My other favourite is a lovely little track in Salamanca, Spain, where I broke the world record. Low altitude, 30 degrees, perfect. Question most asked most often by the public: Why did you change your mind about competing on a Sunday? And the answer? My understanding of what my responsibility to the Sabbath was changed during my own journey of faith. What change would you like to see in athletics? Deep down, I'd like to see greater opportunities for the sport in schools. It's the most crucial area, to develop a sporting ethos, a healthy lifestyle. Sporting event you would pay to see: Ben Johnson running in Seoul in 1988. It was the most remarkable event ever, whatever came afterwards. It took the breath away. And to miss: Horse racing. How is your sport covered in the media? For one of the less glamorous events, I get amazing coverage. When you think about the real glamour events - the heavyweight boxer, the 100m sprinter, football, I could not argue with my lot. What I have found is that the French sports daily, L'Equipe, has done more in-depth interviewing with me than any British publication over the last five years. It is about sport rather than intrigue. Sporting maxim: Responsibility and sacrifice. Who would you most like to go on a dinner date with, and why? Mikhail Gorbachev, because I'd like to hear how communism collapsed in a week. Jonathan Edwards is a leading contender for this weekend's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Macey passes the personality test
, he said. Upside-down, and stuff like that. I had to go up 14-15 foot to do that because it was the only bar available. I thought: 'Sod that. If I fall down I'm dead'. At least with nine foot I'll only bruise me 'ead. But I like it, you know. I don't owe anyone, anything. If I want something, I'll go out and make it. He makes his Olympic career sound like an episode of Blue Peter, all done with pipe cleaners and a glue stick. But it is the same bulldog self-sufficiency that has seen the local football club propelled on to Match of the Day with the luscious tag giant-killers attached to their name. Their manager, Jeff King, was on the front page of The Island Times saying: People across the country are now talking about Canvey Island, which is only a slight exaggeration. In his youth, Macey had football trials with Southend. Arsenal wrote him a couple of letters. He ballboyed for them. But then I done my knee in, he said, spelling the end of his days at centre-half. At 14.5 he took up athletics and, by 18, he was a silver medallist in the World Juniors. His hugely supportive dad, Alan, wasn't entirely happy about this. Having followed his son to every race, every meeting, every championship, Macey senior was in the habit of coming on to the track to congratulate Macey junior at the end of every competition. But this was the big league. I was just coming through the line and I could see all these officials and that pullin' him back and he was pushin' 'em off. He come on to the track. He did. Funny it was. Really funny. He come up to me and said: `You bastard. I've got to pay for two tickets to see your medal ceremony tomorrow'. His parents' pride must have been rocket-high when he came fourth in the Sydney Olympics. He was less than impressed. I went to win. I was totally pissed off and came home the next day. His ambition is to be the world's greatest athlete, win next year's Commonwealth Games title, win in Athens, in fact, win every competition in which he competes for the rest of his career. It's as simple as that. I want to finish every season thinking: 'Yep. I'm the man'. He has the right personality. Tigger's, more or less. The Spanish home favourite in the Seville World Championships was astonished to receive a tap on the shoulder from the young, inexperienced Englishman. Macey surveyed the crowd all passionately chanting the Spaniard's name. They're shouting for me, the Essex lad told his rival mischievously. Sometimes in the final event, the 1,500m, he passes the four laps by adding up the numbers on the vests of the runners in front of him. He got his GCSE in maths. Got 'em all, he said. Even French and I was rotten at it. Comment allez-vous? I asked him. Oui, he said. He is still rotten at it. Macey reckons he has not yet won gold because of injury. In Edmonton he suffered a groin strain tear in his first event and had to have five injections to numb the pain to continue his participation. That sounded a little ominous for a man engaged to be married. No, it was all right, he said, the numbness spread down the other way. In any event, Lisa is a patient woman. There is no wedding yet planned because they are saving up for a huge white one and, anyway, he is still recovering from the proposal. We was at the Beefeater. I figured if I took 'er out for a right slap-up posh meal, she'd know something was up. So we went there, had a nice Christmas dinner - it was this time of year in 1999 - and I wanted to do it properly. But I couldn't go down on one knee because there was this massive, huge table of old people and they were all starin' and listenin'. You could see 'em. They were like that. He mimed a person agog with interest. I thought, 'sod that, I'll leave out the knee bit'. It worked a treat. Lisa had tears in her eyes and was in every way more responsive than the first time Macey asked her out. Then she had said: if you want in a flagrantly casual manner. Of course I bleeding want. I've asked you 'aven't I? responded her beloved, and they have been blissfully happy ever since. Lisa puts up with the fact that her fiancewill train on Christmas Day. He will just have time to open his first Christmas present - last year it was a battery powered ape that sang Wild Thing - before going off for a strenuous run. He will train on Boxing Day as well, not least for the meal that comes afterwards. Cold meat, big, deep-fat fryer chips, loads of stuffing and sausage meat, gherkins. I whop it all in and I just can't stop, mate. I love it. He bought his plate in a joke shop. It is about two feet wide. You see what the BBC mean. He has personality fit to bust. And about a decade for his muscle to catch up with his mouth. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Baumann ban cut
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 8 December 2001 William Gray THE International Association of Athletics Federations yesterday lifted an extended drug ban on former Olympic gold medalist Dieter Baumann, clearing him to return to competition next month. Baumann's original two-year suspension for testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone ends on Jan 21, 2002. But an extra year was added by the IAAF last February after Baumann defied the ban by running in the German indoor national championships with the help of a court order. The German, who tested positive in November 1999, applied to the International Association of Athletic Federations for early reinstatement at its meeting in Monaco last week. A three-man panel was set up to determine the application. The panel decided to waive renewal of the suspension beyond the original two-year period, the IAAF said in a statement. Baumann's ban will therefore expire on Jan 21, 2002. Baumann, who won Olympic gold in the 5,000 meters in 1992, claimed he ingested nandrolone from spiked toothpaste. He has unsuccessfully fought his suspension in German courts. He said: Naturally this is great news that I can follow my career again. I wouldn't like to say when I'll start again, but I'm in good training condition and can only say I'll run again on any surface. Baumann plans to run the 10,000m at the European championships next August. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Gebrselassie's marathon aim
The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 4 December 2001 Tom Knight THE world's greatest distance runner to date yesterday offered an explanation for his astonishing run of success. In London to check out the course for his marathon debut in April, Haile Gebrselassie, who was brought up as one of 10 children, revealed that his 75-year-old father had had three more children with his partner of 38, the youngest of whom is just 18 months old. Said Gebrselassie: I understand now why I became such a good athlete. Our genes must be so strong. As if to emphasise the fact, Gebrselassie added that the old man was still working in the fields. If I can help him, I do, said Gebrselassie, whose run against the best field assembled in London could earn him as much as $500,000 (£350,000) in prize money and bonuses. But he doesn't need my help, he added. This is the father who refused to believe his son's obsession with running would lead to anything worthwhile. As recently as 1993, when Gebrselassie had already won two world junior titles, his father was still trying to persuade him to stop running and join him in the fields. Said Gebrselassie: He thought running was just a pastime. He kept telling me I needed to secure my future. Even when I was presented with a Mercedes for winning the world 10,000m title in 1993, my father would not believe I could get a car just from running. Dad was even less impressed when he saw a video of his son's victory at those Stuttgart World Championships because, for most of the race, Gebrselassie was tucked in behind the leaders. At first he couldn't see me and then, when I sprinted past the leaders on the last lap, he said it was unfair because the other runners had led for most of the way. It was only three months later, when Gebrselassie's new car had been shipped to Addis Ababa, that his father finally understood there was more to his son's running than he could possibly have imagined. Gebrselassie, who went on to set 15 world records, win two Olympic gold medals and four world titles at 10,000m, is now the most famous man in Ethiopia, fabulously wealthy and adored by millions. His business interests provide employment for 800 people and include schools, a construction company and two office blocks, one of which he described as being six seconds high - the time it takes a stone dropped from the roof to reach the ground. He is passionate about finding an answer to his country's problems and among his charitable ventures is the Local Hero Project, which identifies sporting talent. At last month's Great Ethiopian Run, in which a field of 10,000 runners packed the streets for the country's first fun run, it was Gebrselassie's voice over the public address system which brought calm to a chaotic start. Such is his iconic status, there are those who believe he will eventually enter politics and Jos Hermens, the former Dutch athlete who has managed his career for a decade, reckons Gebrselassie would be an instant success. Said Hermens: He would not like the games politicians play, but he is bigger than the president and people listen to him. He loves his country and in the UK and the USA, he is always asking Ethiopian doctors and lawyers why they are not using their skills at home. For now, however, the marathon has given Gebrselassie, the athlete, a new target following his disappointment at finishing only third in the 10,000m at last year's World Championships in Edmonton. His winning streak broken - after months spent recovering from an operation on his ankle - Gebrselassie wants to emulate Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde's feat in winning the Olympic marathon title. That would be the ultimate and the only chance I will get will be in Athens in 2004, he said. But there was no mistaking the twinkle in his eye when he recalled those family genes and the prospect of contesting the marathon again in Beijing. He said: I have not thought about retirement. I want to run forever. The question is how long can I compete at this level? Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Two year doping ban for Longo
The Irish Times Thursday, November 29, 2001 Italian 800m runner Andrea Longo was today handed a two-year ban after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone, the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) disciplinary committee announced. Longo tested positive for the substance after a meeting in Turin last June. The 26-year-old was disqualified in the Sydney Olympics 800m final after barging Switzerland's Andre Bucher. He is the second top Italian athlete to land a heavy ban in the period of six weeks after marathon runner Roberto Barbi was given a four-year suspension in October after testing positive for banned substance EPO (erythropoetin) while in Edmonton, Canada for the world championships. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: A prize mistake
The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 27 November 2001 Tom Knight UP TO 35 athletes may not receive the prize money they have won this year because they had not undergone the requisite number of drug tests. According to the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations, athletes can collect their winnings only if they had two out of competition drug tests in the previous 12 months. Problems occur when athletes, their managers or federations fail to provide the IAAF with the necessary information on their whereabouts. At the World Championships in Edmonton, Germany feared they might have to compensate Ingo Schultz, the 26-year-old who came from nowhere to win the silver medal and $30,000 (£21,000) in the 400 metres. Schultz had not been considered good enough to be included in Germany's drug-testing programme for elite athletes. However, athletes who are not included in a target group need only to have been tested once. Arne Ljundqvist, the head of the IAAF's anti-doping commission, said: We have something like 460 athletes who should be paid prize money from the major championships, but between 20 and 35 will probably not because they have not given us the necessary information. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Tulu wins Tokyo women's marathon
The Irish Times Thursday, November 22, 2001 Olympic two-time 10,000-metre champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia made a sparkling breakaway at the 39 kilometre (24 mile) mark to win the Tokyo international women's marathon today. The 29-year-old, running shoulder to shoulder with Irina Timofeyeva of Russia, moved ahead on an uphill stretch and gradually outdistanced her rival to finish in two hours, 25 minutes and eight seconds. Timofeyeva came in second in 2:25:29, breaking her personal best of 2:27:46 when she finished in the runners-up spot in Paris in 1999. Third place went to Bruna Genovese of Italy - 10th in the world championships in August - who was left behind at the 37km mark to clock 2:25:35, also her personal best. It was an easy win for me, but I'm very tired. I don't know the reason why I'm so tired. It was really a tough race. I couldn't run as well as I usually do, said Tulu, this season's winner of the London marathon. This is one of the races I wanted to win. I challenged before and I couldn't do well at all, so I'm really happy that I won today, added Tulu, who also took the 10,000m gold in Edmonton. Tulu started out among the front runners with Timofeyeva, Genovese, Dita Constantina of Romania, as well as Barcelona Olympic silver medal winner Yuko Arimori. As the race went on, runners fell away leaving Tulu, Timofeyeva and Genovese in a three-women group ahead of Japan's Ikuyo Goto, Junko Akagi and Yoshiko Ichikawa at the 31km point before the Italian started to slow down. In the end, Constantina recovered her deficit to come in fourth in 2:26:39, followed by Malgorzata Sobanska of Poland in 2:27:01. Goto was the best local finisher in sixth place with a time of 2:28:13, while Arimori, who has announced she will take a one-year sabbatical next year, ended in 10th in 2:31:00. This is not a good record at all as the last race before taking a break, said Arimori, now 34. I hope that when I come back I will not disappoint them.- Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Johnson to receive elite award
The Irish Times Thursday, November 22, 2001 American runner Michael Johnson will join an elite group of athletes when he is awarded the Distinguished Career Award by the International Athletic Foundation on Sunday. The 34-year-old 400 and 200 metres world record holder and five-time Olympic gold medallist is only the fourth athlete to earn the award after compatriot Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Germany's Heike Drechsler and Ukrainian Sergei Bubka. Johnson set his 400m world record of 43.18 seconds at the 1999 world championships in Seville, Spain. His 200m mark of 19.32 seconds was recorded in the 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta. In addition to his three individual and two relay Olympic golds, Johnson has nine world championship titles to his name and completed 58 consecutive victories over 400m from 1990 to 1997. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Power favourite for Irish Inter-County
The Irish Times Thursday, November 22, 2001 Seamus Power will be looking to extend one of the most remarkable records of Irish athletics in the first major fixture of the cross-country season. Victory in the Inter-County Championships in Dungarvan this Sunday would give Power a seventh successive title, and just as importantly would gain him selection for the upcoming European Championships in Thun, Switzerland. The Inter-counties have recently doubled as the trial for the European tests, which this year take place on December 9th. Power's record in the event, plus his strong form of late, will see him start as favourite although the larger target will be next month's race in Switzerland. Last year the Irish senior men won bronze medals at the Europeans in Malmo, Sweden, one of the least heralded Irish successes of the year and Power sees no reason why they can't repeat that performance. The first five finishers on Sunday will gain team selection, with the remaining place set to go to US-based Keith Kelly. Yet Power is eager to gain his selection through a victory. It's a tough challenge alright to win a seventh title, but I think I'm up to it, says the Clare athlete. The form is coming good although there are a lot of other guys running well at the moment. It's still just four months since Power's track season was cut short through injury - forcing him to miss out on the World Championships in Edmonton. Earlier this month, however, he showed that he was back to his best by winning the Crosscup Van Vlaanderen in Gent, Belgium, clocking 28:48 for a course just short of 10km. Some 30 seconds behind him there was his Dublin training partner Peter Mathews, probably his biggest rival for the title on Sunday. Also looking for selection will be Belfast's Gareth Turnbull, silver medallist over 1,500 metres at the World Student Games in Beijing this summer, and the Lombard brothers of Cork, Fiachra and Cathal, who recently returned from altitude training in Kenya. The course in Dungarvan is very much to Power's liking (it was also there he won his sixth title last year - going one better than Gerry Deegan's previous record of five). Like his opposition though, Power is more concerned about running well in the European Championships. The team bronze last year set him up with a £9,000 grant, and it's also the first major stop-off in a season that ends with the World Championships on home soil next March. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Mouaziz to face elite world field
The Electronic Telegraph Wednesday 14 November 2001 Tom Knight EVERY year they claim it is the best ever but, for the 2002 event, the organisers of the London Marathon have probably got it right with their line-up for the men's race. With Haile Gebrselassie, the Olympic 10,000 metres champion, already confirmed to make his marathon debut in London on April 14, David Bedford, the race director, yesterday added the world record holder, the defending champion and the winner of last week's New York event. Khalid Khannouchi, the former Moroccan who is now an American citizen, set the world's best time of 2hr 5min 42sec two years ago in Chicago. He returns to the capital after finishing third in 2000. Also back in town will be Abdelkader El Mouaziz, last year's champion, and Antonio Pinto, the three-time winner from Portugal. Tesfaye Jifar, the Ethiopian who gave New York their first course record for 12 years, is joined on the start line by his compatriot Tesfaye Tola, the Olympic bronze medallist in Sydney. Gebrselassie faces the tantalising prospect of racing against Paul Tergat, the Kenyan with whom he fought so many titanic battles on the track. Tergat also chose London for his first marathon last year, when he finished second in 2hr 8min 15sec. Bedford said: Haile said last week he wanted to run against the best marathoners in the world. He will. He knew the level of competition he could expect in London and it's clear he is scared of no one. In bringing together the best, Bedford is spending freely with his £1.4 million budget and he has yet to add to the women's field, which includes the British runner, Paula Radcliffe, in her debut over 26.2 miles. Radcliffe and Gebrselassie will applaud London's decision to introduce blood testing, aimed at exposing the use of the blood-boosting drug, erythropoietin (EPO). Conducted by UK Sport and funded by the marathon at a cost of about £15,000, the random tests will be carried out before and after the race. The procedure will be the same as that used at last month's World Half-Marathon Championships in Bristol, where blood testing, again paid for by the London Marathon, was used at a road race for the first time. There remains some doubt, however, whether the tests will involve the athletes giving both blood and urine samples. UK Sport are still waiting to see if the International Olympic Committee's hopes of validating a stand-alone urine test will be realised. Bedford added: Given what happened in Bristol, it would be a nonsense if it didn't happen in London. Every athlete contracted to run has been informed that blood testing will happen and, without exception, the athletes have welcomed our initiative. In the early stages of our negotiation with Haile, one of his conditions of running was that there should be blood testing and, although there was no real need, it was made part of his contract. The fact that these athletes have signed up for London either says the game has moved on and we are being naive or that people are prepared to make a stand. It is a very exciting development for the marathon. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Blood tests at next year's London Marathon
The Irish Times November 12, 2001 Next year's London Marathon will break new ground in becoming the first big city marathon to carry out compulsory blood testing on its contracted runners, it was announced in the English capital today. Race director Dave Bedford announced that his event would be paying for the blood tests. Every athlete contracted to run in London has been informed that blood testing will happen and, without exception, the athletes have welcomed our initiative, Bedford said. We have long advocated the introduction of blood testing for marathon runners and, at the request of UK Sport, we were happy to step in and fund the blood testing at the recent World Half-marathon Championships in Bristol. Testing for banned endurance-booster EPO (erythropoietin) using the recently-pioneered blood test is a new technique which can be used in conjunction with the French-pioneered urine test for the drug. EPO use is believed to be widespread among cyclists, cross-country skiers and distance runners, and hit the headlines during the 1998 Tour de France, when large quantities of the drug were discovered in the boot of a car belonging to one of the race teams. The blood and urine tests were introduced during the Sydney Olympics last year, but no track and field athlete has yet been banned for using EPO as a result of blood testing. Star names set to take part in the 2002 London Marathon, to be staged on April 14th, include double Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat of Kenya, world record-holder Khalid Khannouchi, of the United States, Olympic bronze medallist Tesfaye Tola and recent New York winner Tesfaye Jifar. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Obituary: Tributes for McDonald
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 12 November 2001 Tom Knight LAMINE Diack, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, led the tributes to Kim McDonald, the British manager, agent and coach who died suddenly at the age of 45 from a heart attack while on holiday in Australia. McDonald, a former athlete, turned to management and coaching in the Eighties and built up the sport's biggest and most successful agencies based in Teddington, Middlesex. He looked after the careers of some of the biggest names in the sport, including Steve Ovett and Sonia O'Sullivan, and will be remembered as the architect of Kenya's success in middle and long-distance running. His most recent success came with Noah Ngeny, the young Kenyan who produced the shock of last year's Olympic Games when he beat the favourite, Hicham El Guerrouj, to the gold medal in the 1500 metres. Diack, who appointed the Briton as his special adviser, said: I am sure that the world athletics family feel with me the tragic loss of this great manager. Ngeny said: We are orphaned. This man was our mentor, agent, adviser and father. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Leading from the front
stand against drug users at the World Championships in Canada this year, a critic of drug-suspended Olympic champion Linford Christie, who accused British athletics of being corrupt and despite Rogge's comments, Coe holds a positive view of the IOC, the monolith and the individuals who inhabit its upper chambers. I'm more committed to Olympism now than then, he says. The IOC is in touch much more than they were. The Salt Lake City affair was a big wake-up call for them. Samaranch was brave in the way he handled it and showed 13 or 14 members the door. Rogge, a younger man who is insightful and tough, will drive home reforms with greater rapidity. Coe's frailties as a runner rarely showed. The public didn't warm to him as much as the more imperfect, emotional Ovett. But respect for him as an athlete was never less than overwhelming. That doesn't appear to have dimmed. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: NYCM: Brown ready for test of emotions
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 3 November 2001 Tom Knight JON BROWN's reasons for running the New York Marathon have always been athletic, but he knows that tomorrow's race will be as much a test for the emotions. The British No 1 has not had the best of years but claims he has come to the Big Apple in his best shape since he finished fourth in the Olympic Marathon in Sydney. A resident of Vancouver for several years, the 30-year-old who was born in Bridgend and grew up in Yorkshire has never been the most demonstrative of runners. But the atmosphere in New York has clearly moved him. Brown said: I was in London when the terrorists struck the World Trade Center and, like everyone else, I was staggered by what I saw on television. It's going to be an emotional day and the elite race is only a tiny part of what is happening. This is a race for the people. It belongs to the city. It would be impossible to run here and not be aware of the emotions of spectators. Marathons always involve feedback from the crowd. Sometimes it can be very intense and it can send shivers down your spine. People's emotions for this race will be even more powerful. The New York Marathon this year will be unique. It could be a race to remember for all sorts of reasons, including the setting of a men's course record for the first time since 1988, when Juma Ikangaa, of Tanzania, clocked 2hr 8min 1sec. In the world of big city marathons, where 2hr 7min is the norm and even 2hr 6min is becoming more commonplace, New York is lagging behind when it comes to the clock. But then, the 26.2-mile course through the five boroughs, from Staten Island to Central Park, includes five bridges and enough twists and turns to make it a test for the mind as well as the legs. For all his uninterrupted training - the need for which made him withdraw from Britain's team for last month's world half-marathon in Bristol - Brown believes he is in shape to run only 2hr 10min. I'll be very surprised if I win with that, he said. The quality of the men's field suggests that Brown's pessimism is justified. John Kagwe, the former champion from Kenya who has won this race twice, is back again while the quickest in the field is Tesfaye Jifar, the 25-year-old Ethiopian who was fourth in London and runner-up to his compatriot, Haile Gebrselassie, in Bristol. Joseph Chebet is also reportedly back in the form which saw him achieve the historic New York and Boston marathon double in 1999. Perhaps the best bet might be on Silvio Guerra, the 33-year-old from Ecuador who out-thought the Kenyans in Boston in April, only to be outsprinted to the line by Lee Bong-ju of Korea. A classy women's field, led by the Kenyans, Joyce Chepchumba and Susan Chepkemei, are looking to beat the 2hr 24min 40sec set by Australia's Lisa Ondieki in 1992. The weather is unlikely to help the quest for fast times, with midday temperatures in New York expected to top 16 degrees. That is hot for marathon running. It will also mean a higher than usual demand for water among the 30,000 joggers behind the elite field. The events of 9-11 - as local shorthand now has it - and the anthrax scares that continue to grip this country have meant a new level of security for the race and the water supply. Along with the commemorative T-shirt and stars and stripes transfers in the goody bags handed out to runners are warnings which include instructions not to accept any water not being distributed by official New York Road Runners refreshment stations. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
Re: t-and-f: Chip timing in the Times.
I came across the following result recently. The first woman to cross the line was relegated to second place based on chip time and (to the best of my knowledge) lost out on the first place award. MORMON LAKE HALF MARATHON, ARIZONA, JULY 29, 2001 Place Name Chptime Guntime 1 Molly Friel 1:29:42 1:29:46 2 Suzy Schumacher 1:29:43 1:29:44 An unfair decision and one that clearly contravenes Mr Hersch's guideline. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com - Original Message - From: Christopher Goss [EMAIL PROTECTED] The main argument for gun time, Mr. Hersch said, is clarity. If races moved purely to chip time, he said, the first runner across the finish line might not necessarily be the winner if someone else has a faster time. It would cause so much confusion if the results of the race and the timing of the race did not correlate, he said.
t-and-f: New York runners keeping the faith
The Electronic Telegraph Friday 2 November 2001 Tom Knight AFTER a week in which sport has provided some respite for a nation still recovering from the terrorist attacks of September 11, Sunday's New York Marathon will epitomise this great city's fight to regain its pride and stability. Michael Jordan's comeback, the Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park and the Yankees' fightback in the World Series have given sports fans something to cheer but the marathon, more than any event, gives the people here a chance to show their passion to the world. That passion is to show how life goes on. It promises to make the 32nd running of the first - and, they claim, the best - of the big-city marathons an emotional experience for everyone involved, from the 30,000 runners, including 2,000 from Britain, and 12,000 volunteers to the two million spectators expected to line the 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park. Allan Steinfeld, the race director and president of the New York Road Runners Club, believes the marathon's power lies in its accessibility. He said: Jordan's return was great but there was no interaction with the fans. Even the 50,000 who cheered the Yankees on consecutive nights couldn't interact with the players on the pitch. The marathon is the ultimate unifying event for the city. As the runners wind their way through the five boroughs, there will be constant interaction between them and the people who will line the streets. Despite what happened on September 11, the race has never been in doubt. The runners are coming and New Yorkers will be on the streets to greet them. They want to be part of the celebration that says, `We are alive'. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose energy and sheer presence has done so much to lift the spirit of New Yorkers, will play his part in the celebrations. He knows, more than most, just how potent a force the marathon is. In economic terms alone, the event is worth more than $110 million to the city and he was the first to impress upon Steinfeld how the marathon would represent a return to normality. If the runners need a symbol of what it means to be in New York at this time, it will be obvious to them at the start atop the magnificent Verrazano Narrows Bridge. From there, they need only look to their left to see the hole in the city's famous skyline left by the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. The man who organises marathon running's most spectacular start will have his own reasons for shedding a tear on Sunday. As a former fire chief, Vic Navarra, the start co-ordinator, lost 12 friends in the atrocity. While the elite will compete for prize money totalling $514,000 (£350,000), the money that really matters will go to Mayor Giuliani's Twin Towers Fund and will be raised in sponsorship by the joggers behind them and through donations by the organisers and sponsors. The price being paid for this return to normality is, of course, a paradoxically abnormal level of security. While no one can make 26.2 miles of city streets completely safe, the New York Police Department will check the credentials of the runners, volunteers and the media and no one will be allowed on to the Verrazano Bridge without proof of identity. There are some here who think the feint-hearted among those taking part will be running scared. But this is, after all, the marathon which, in 1979, inspired Chris Brasher to export the idea to London. In explaining his excitement about the world's greatest folk festival, he wrote: To believe this story you must believe that the human race can be one joyous family, working together, laughing together, achieving the impossible. The plan on Sunday is to show how New York is keeping the faith. `Damn Yankees flourish' Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: London wins race for Gebrselassie
The Electronic Telegraph Thursday 1 November 2001 Gareth A Davies HAILE GEBRSELASSIE, of Ethiopia, the world record holder at 5,000 and 10,000 metres, will make his marathon debut in the Flora London Marathon in April. If the 28-year-old double Olympic gold medallist and four-time world 10,000m champion wins and sets a world record, he will win prize money of $500,000 (£357,000), including his appearance fee, the highest amount paid to an elite athlete for the annual London event. Gebrselassie, who won the world half-marathon title in Bristol in September, said yesterday: I am delighted to run my first marathon in London as April is the perfect time to fit in with my preparations. This is a whole new challenge for me. I am very excited about it. The Ethiopian, who is acknowledged as the greatest distance runner of all time, will visit London next month to examine the course. David Bedford, race director of the London Marathon, confirmed yesterday that the deal had been completed late on Tuesday after more than two years of negotiation. This is fantastic for the event, he said. Every marathon in the world would have wanted to stage the debut of this all-time great. Bedford believes it is not beyond Gebrselassie to win in London and break the world record on his debut, and thus collect the sizeable purse. It is conceivable, he said. To win London will be his primary goal, but how fast he can run it remains to be seen. What augurs well was his performance in the World Half-Marathon Championship, which he won at a canter. Bedford will fly to New York this morning to secure signatures for the elite field after the marathon there this weekend. Beijing will seriously consider Taiwan's participation in the 2008 Olympic Games if the island formally applies to host events, the vice-mayor of the Chinese capital said on Tuesday. Taiwan had expressed interest in hosting one or two sporting events when China was bidding for the games, Liu Jingmin told a session of the World Economic Forum's East Asia summit in Hong Kong, Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Mpolokeng wins Dublin marathon
The Irish Times Monday, October 29, 2001 Paul Gallagher South African Zacharia Mpolokeng emerged victorious from a field of over 10,000 runners to win the Dublin City Marathon today in a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 3 seconds. The 33-year-old from Johannesburg was pushed to the end by Belgium's Gino Van Geyte (2:14.07) who was only four seconds slower in second. Coincidentally, it was the same four second margin to Kenya's Daniel Kirwa (2:14.11) in third. John Griffen was the best placed Irish runner. The twice former winner finished 14th running a time of 2:23.23 Meanwhile England's Debbie Robinson won the women's race in a time of 2:35.40 ahead of Belgium's Katya Merlin (2:43.02) in second. Teresa Duffy of Belfast, the 1998 winner and last year's runner-up behind late entrant Sonia O'Sullivan, claimed third with a time of 2:43.36. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: El Guerrouj to stick with 1,500 metres
The Irish Times Triple 1,500 metres world champion Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj said today he would stick to the distance and try again to win in 2004 at the Athens Olympics the gold medal he missed at the last two Games. After giving it much thought, I have taken the irrevocable decision to never drop the 1,500 metres, (a discipline) which I took to the pinnacle of success. I'm still at the top and I feel I can do better, he said. El Guerrouj, who holds the 1,500, 2,000 metres and mile world records, had said after winning a share of the Golden League jackpot that he would move up to 5,000 metres next season. The 27-year-old said he would spare no efforts to win the 1,500 metres Olympic (gold). I'll have this 1,500 metres Olympic title come what may, even at the age of 34, he said. El Guerrouj, who won his third consecutive world crown in Edmonton in August, said he intends to defend his title at the next world championships in Paris in 2003. He has won 51 of 54 races at 1,500 metres between 1996 and 2000. Two of the defeats were in the finals of Olympic Games. He finished 12th in Atlanta in 1996 after a dramatic final lap fall and came second in Sydney after being outpaced by main rival Kenya's Noah Ngeny. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Kenyans set to dominate Dublin City Marathon
THE IRISH TIMES Saturday, October 27, 2001 Ian O'Riordan With 10 Kenyans included in Monday morning's Dublin City Marathon, the streets of the capital are set to become a clearway for the grace of African distance running. Bar a total surprise then, that elite race is set to produce an African winner. For those more interested in simply going the distance, it also promises to be as memorable a race that has ever been staged in Dublin. The final entry of just over 8,000 is only a couple of hundred shy of last year, and considering last month's attacks on the US that is particularly satisfying to the race organisers. We still have around 3,000 American entries due to compete, explained race director Jim Aughney yesterday. That's down about 500 on last year but still a great number considering the events in America. We also have an elite race that surpasses anything seen in Dublin before, and you'd usually have to go to the world championships to see that many Africans compete. Simon Pride of Scotland survived the rain and cold to win last year's event and will toe the line again in search of the top prize (?15,000, or £11,800). Such is the depth of the African presence, however, he is almost certain to be running for the minor places. Two Kenyans - Wesley Chelule and John Mutai - appear to be the most capable. Chelule has a best of 2:10.14 from the Rome Marathon last year, and is also a previous winner of Italy's Golden Marathon. Mutai, second last year and the winner in 1999, is sure to be pressing for glory once again. Five South Africans, including 2:12.16-man Brian Zondi, are also in the mix along with leading individuals from Brazil, the Czech Republic and Belgium. Fronting the Irish challenge is national champion Pauric McKinney of Donegal, who can earn ?1,500 as the top Irish finisher. The women's top prize (also ?15,000) is more likely to end up in Irish hands. Belfast's Teresa Duffy is a late entry having only decided to run recently after returning home from her honeymoon. But the 1998 winner is confident of her form and eager to make up for last year. On that occasion she went to the start as favourite only to discover Sonia O'Sullivan was a late entry. O'Sullivan duly won in 2:35.42, with Duffy second in 2:37.36. Duffy won't have lost too much fitness since finishing 39th in the World Championship in Edmonton in August (2:43.33). Cork's Valerie Vaughan has also been diligently preparing to make her debut, with a win in the Cork half marathon and a fourth place in the recent Great South 10 miles. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
Re: t-and-f: NYT nonsense re marathon record
A quick glance at the world records/bests provides little evidence that the men versus women gap is significantly closer over the marathon than other championship distances. In fact, Ndereba's time compares far less favorably with the men's record than Florence Griffith-Joyner's 100m record stacks up against Maurice Greene's mark. MenWomen Difference 100 metres 9.79 10.497.2% 200 metres 19.32 21.34 10.5% 400 metres 43.18 47.6 10.2% 800 metres 01:41.1 1.53.28 12.6% 1500 metres 03:26.0 3.50.46 11.9% 5000 metres 12.39.36 14.28.09 14.3% 1 metres 26:22.7 29.31.78 11.9% Marathon 2:05:42 2.18.47 10.4% Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com - Original Message - From: Martin J. Dixon [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Track Field List [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Track Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 5:25 PM Subject: t-and-f: NYT nonsense re marathon record First SI and now The Paper of Record. It's not on the site so I'm just quoting an excerpt. One Jere Longman's weigh in on the women's marathon record: ...Ndereba...broke the previous mark by 59 seconds, and rekindled discussions about whether women might eventually run the marathon faster than men. Who exactly is having these discussions? Anybody on these lists? Regards, Martin
t-and-f: Top Africans to chase Euros in Dublin Marathon
THE IRISH TIMES Wednesday, October 17, 2001 Ian O'Riordan A strong African presence, coupled with substantial prize-money, is guaranteed to produce an exciting elite race in the forthcoming Dublin Marathon. Set for the Bank Holiday of Monday October 29th, this year's 26.2-mile race includes an international line-up unsurpassed in previous years. Race director Jim Aughney announced the elite field yesterday, and among the assembled runners are 10 Kenyans, six South Africans, leading men from Brazil, Belgium and the Czech Republic, as well as defending champion Simon Pride of Scotland. Of those, the most capable appear to be Kenya's Wesley Chulele and South Africa's Joshua Petersen. Chulele (27), has a personal best of two hours 10 minutes and 15 seconds from the Rome Marathon last year, and in 1999 was the winner of the Golden Marathon, also run in Italy. Petersen has a string of previous wins to his name, including the Soweto Marathon (twice) and the All-African Games Marathon in Johannesburg in 1999. His personal best is an equally impressive 2:11.17. Both men will need to be at their best to get a hand on the €15,000 first prize (around £11,800). Six of the other Kenyans - including 1999 winner John Mutai - have personal bests below 2:15, and the course record of 2:13.45, set by Jerry Kiernan in 1982, is clearly under threat. If we get a good day then that record will definitely go, said Aughney, and that puts them in line for another bonus of €3,000. There are also time bonuses from sub-2:16 downwards as well as separate awards for the top Irish finishers. With new race sponsorship from Adidas (who will give £500,000 over the next four years), the number of entries continues to grow following the lull of the early 1990s. Official entries closed last Friday, and the final figure is set to exceed 7,000. The attacks on America last month have, however, reduced interest from across the Atlantic. We now know that we will not reach last year's figure of 4,000 Americans in the race but all indications are that a lot of them are still set to travel. All the major charities are still sending runners, but it's just that a number of individuals have pulled out. Also ruled out is a repeat performance from Sonia O'Sullivan. She showed up last year without any warning and, despite the cold rain and wind, made a winning debut. With O'Sullivan now seven months pregnant and training (lightly) in Australia, the women's race could still produce an Irish winner, as Valerie Vaughan has prepared well to make her debut and chase the similar prize money. The Irish men look set to battle for the minor places, and the Irish prize of #8364;1,500 should go to current national marathon champion Pauric McKinney, although the veteran John Griffin is still capable of success. This year's course also shows minor modifications by avoiding the O'Connell Street area and starting at the corner of Arran Quay and Church Street. Run almost entirely around the south side of the city, it will finish in Smithfield. Further details on the course can be found on the marathon website at www.dublincitymarathon.ie Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Inger Miller tested positive for caffeine
The Irish Times Sunday, October 14, 2001 Former world 200m champion Inger Miller tested positive for a banned substance nearly three years ago, American officials admitted today. The news explains at least one of more than 20 positive drug tests on American athletes in 1999-2000, the revelation of which created a storm of controversy before the Sydney Olympics last year, with international track chiefs accusing their America counterparts of attempting a doping cover-up. According to a press release issued by US Track and Field (USTF) the American governing body, Miller was found positive for high levels of the stimulant caffeine. The drug test followed the 60 metres final at the World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan, in March, 1999, where Miller had placed third. The standard sanction for such an offence is disqualification and a public warning. As a consequence, Canada's Philomena Mensah, fourth-placer in the Maebashi final, can now expect to receive the bronze medal. The delay in announcing the drug test findings appears to lie in the USTF's lengthy hearings and appeal procedure, which was only completed earlier this month. In the meantime, Miller, now aged 29, has gone on to win the 200m title at the outdoor World Championships in Seville, Spain, later in 1999, and a sprint relay gold at this year's World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. But the announcement is another blow for Miller's Los Angeles-based training group, where she trains under coach John Smith. Smith, coach to Maurice Greene, the world's fastest man, is facing a one million dollar legal suit for damages over allegations of assault from former charge, Anjanette Kirkland. Smith's group is also reeling from the recent stimulant positive findings against another high profile member of their group, Trinidad's Ato Boldon. - AFP Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Colemanballs
overflowing And I usually say that if anything is going to go wrong with the car, it has done by now, but I'm not going to say that about Jacques Villeneuve ... Oh! I already have. As you look at the first four, the significant thing is that Alboretto is fifth. And now Jacques Laffitte is as close to Surer as Surer is to Laffitte. He's obviously gone into the pits for a wheel change. I say 'obviously' because I can't see it. As you can see, visually, with your eyes ... ... and cruel luck for Alesi, second on the grid. That's the first time he had started from the front row in a Grand Prix, having done so in Canada earlier this year. At Silverstone Eddie Irvine led with Irvine second, now it's the other way round! Jean Alesi is 4th and 5th! The gap between the two cars is 0.9 of a second which is less than one second. You can cut the tension with a cricket stump. And the track temperature has in fact risen in degrees! Just under ten seconds for Mansell. Call it nine point five seconds in round figures. Nigel Mansell! The man of the race, the man of the day, the man from the Isle of Man There are only four cars out on the circuit at the present moment and two of them are in the garage. This race will actually develop into a Grand Prix Congratulations to me there! Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Modahl loses damages case
The Irish Times Friday, October 12, 2001 Diane Modahl today finally lost her battle for Stg£1million damages from the British Athletic Federation over a ban imposed in the wake of drug-taking allegations. Modahl, 35, had taken her case to the Court of Appeal, alleging bias on the part of a disciplinary committee which imposed the four-year ban in December 1994 - six months after urine tests in Lisbon allegedly showed a high level of testosterone. An independent appeal panel lifted the ban in July 1995 after doubts were cast on the accuracy of the tests. Lord Justice Latham said in a reserved judgment today that he could see no justification for saying that High Court judge Mr Douglas Brown was wrong in acquitting the disciplinary panel of actual bias. He and Lords Justices Mance and Jonathan Parker dismissed her appeal. Modahl, who is training abroad and was not in court today, said through her solicitors: I do not intend to appeal further and now I can concentrate on my other activities. This case was not about whether I was guilty of doping. I proved my innocence six years ago. It was about whether BAF should compensate me for what they had done. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Tergat looks forward to racing Gebrselassie again
The Irish Times Friday, October 12, 2001 Five times world cross country champion Paul Tergat, doomed to finish behind Haile Gebrselassie on the track, is looking forward to reversing the order on the road. After finishing second four times over 10,000 metres in successive Olympic and world championships, Tergat stepped up to the marathon this year. The Kenyan now relishes the prospect of meeting his Ethiopian rival in the world's longest championship race. Gebrselassie won the world half-marathon championship in Bristol, England, last Sunday and said he would make his marathon debut early next year, either in London or Rotterdam. Tergat will run the London race next year after finishing second in his marathon debut last April. I am looking forward to facing him in a new distance, Tergat said. I like challenges and I am sure this will give the race a different dimension. Gebrselassie plans to run in the world cross country championships in Dublin next year but Tergat, now 32, will not be present. I have nothing else to prove in cross country. I am now in marathon, he said. Tergat was speaking after arriving home on Wednesday from Chicago where he finished second last Sunday in an event won by Kenyan Ben Kimondiu, a designated pace-setter. Tergat called on race organisers to define the roles of pace-setters more precisely. We need to know their roles before the race so that we are mentally prepared for the challenge. It should be made known whether they will finish the races or drop out as is customary of pace-setters, Tergat said. I was going to win but I realised very late into the race that he (Kimondiu) was going to finish. However, I am happy for the second place and time and, as I said before the race, my learning process is going on steadily. -Reuters Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Sotomayor retires
THE IRISH TIMES Saturday, October 13, 2001 Cuban world high jump record holder Javier Sotomayor has retired on the eve of his 34th birthday, the official news agency Prensa Latina reported yesterday. Sotomayor, who holds the world record of 2.45 metres, won silver at last year's Sydney Olympics and gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He was banned for two years after a positive test for cocaine at the 1999 Pan-American championships but was reinstated under the world governing body's exceptional circumstances clause. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Organisers consider Wembley for 2005
The Electronic Telegraph Thursday 11 October 2001 Mihir Bose WEMBLEY as the venue for the 2005 World Athletics Championships is fast becoming sport's equivalent of the abominable snowman - much talked about but unlikely to exist. Following yesterday's revelation in Telegraph Sport that a cut-price Wembley incorporating an athletics track is once again being put forward as a way for London to stage the championships, there have been further moves to push the idea. Yesterday morning Sir Rodney Walker, the chairman of Wembley National Stadium Limited, whose idea it is, had a breakfast meeting at Simpson's with Len Hatton, the chairman of the 2005 organising committee. Hatton left the meeting optimistic that the 2005 championships could still be salvaged. Three years should be enough to rebuild Wembley, he said. Hatton has invested £70,000 in the project and the Government's decision to cancel the Picketts Lock plans and look to Sheffield - an offer rejected by the International Association of Athletics Federations - left him in a difficult situation. He spent last weekend apologising to IAAF officials. Walker has been wrestling with the problem of how to stage athletics at Wembley since he took over as chairman of Wembley in January. By then it was clear that the Picketts Lock development would prove very difficult. Chris Smith, then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, had removed athletics from the Wembley proposals and promised that the 2005 championships would be staged at Picketts Lock. Walker suggested to Smith that Britain should go back to the IAAF and say that a new Wembley incorporating athletics would be the best solution, but that it would be ready in 2007, not 2005. Smith rejected the idea. With Picketts Lock abandoned by Smith's successors, Walker revived his ideas - retain the Twin Towers and have an athletics track on a cut-price platform - and presented them on Monday to Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister. Caborn said he would pass them on to Patrick Carter, the businessman the Government have called in to advise on Wembley. This is where Walker's problems lie. He may be chairman of Wembley, but it is owned by the Football Association and since Ken Bates was replaced as chairman by Walker the major decisions are being taken by Adam Crozier, the chief executive of the FA. It was Crozier who asked the Government for money to rebuild Wembley, and that brought in Carter. The two men are believed to be working on a plan for a football-only stadium. We may hear more about Wembley staging athletics and somehow saving the 2005 championships, but it remains unlikely to happen. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Kindergarten politics hits new heights
million on the process of finding out? The ramifications will be felt for years. The London Olympics in 2012 are looking fantastically remote (but why should any government minister care on the reasonable calculation they will be out of office then) and there are rumours that the Scots are getting twitchy about their chances of hosting football's 2008 European Championship, tarnished by this glut of Sassenach humiliations. Happily, we are an entirely separate nation, said Andy Mitchell, head of communication at the Scottish FA, urgently drawing UEFA's attention to Hadrian's Wall. We're hosting the Champions League final in Glasgow next year and we're sure that UEFA will be focusing on Scotland's abilities to run a tournament efficiently. It may help the Scottish cause that those vying with them for the championship include Russia and a joint Turkey-Greece arrangement which may not be exemplary in its co-operative bonhomie. Although neither was Ken Bates, to be honest. There are both too many people running British sport and not enough. The whole structure resembles a poorly organised children's game of pass-the-parcel. One individual makes half a decision, then passes it on to another, strewing forest-loads of paper in the process. On and on it goes, getting battered, losing shape, until one hapless soul is left holding the tattered remains when the music stops. Richard Caborn looked like that unlucky loser this week. But the real victim is the international reputation of British sport. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Gebrselassie and Radcliffe win IAAF half-marathon
Haile Gebrselassie defeated the best half-marathon field ever assembled in Great Britain to win the IAAF world title in Bristol today. In only his second race over the distance the 28-year-old Ethiopian waited until the final 100m before powering away to win in the unofficial time of 60mins 3secs,ahead of team-mate Tefaye Jifar who was a second slower. Tanzanian John Yuda, who had led from the start until just over a mile was remaining, finished third in 60:00.12. With Ethiopia's third counter Tesfaye Tola finishing fifth, they won the team title for the first time ever. Briton Paula Radcliffe clocked the second fastest time ever to retain the world women's half-marathon title today Radcliffe, the world long-distance cross country champion, took off on her own after 15 kms of the 21.1km race to clock one hour six minutes 47 minutes in cold, windy conditions in Bristol. The race eventually developed into a gripping battle between the British world long-course cross country champion and Kenya Susan Chepkemei. As the field approached the city centre for the last time, Radcliffe drove on, finishing 49 seconds clear of Chepkemei with Ethiopian Berhane Adere third in 1:08:17. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: British offers incense IAAF
THE IRISH TIMES Monday, October 8, 2001 British government ministers offered to pay for scholarships for athletes from developing nations and to take the wives of senior officials on a shopping trip to top London department store Harrod's if the world athletics governing body would allow them to switch the 2005 World Championships to Sheffield, a senior IAAF official said yesterday. The senior source in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said: It was as if they were trying to buy us. Another official who attended the meeting, but who also asked to remain anonymous, said: It smacked of crass colonialism. A spokesman for Britain's Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) later confirmed scholarships had been discussed at the meeting. He said it was also suggested the IAAF might stage its 2005 congress meeting in London, including a reception hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair at number 10 Downing Street, to enjoy the benefits of being in the capital. The spokesman confirmed that shopping at Harrod's was mentioned, but stressed there had never been any offers by government officials to pay for any items purchased. The IAAF had awarded its 2005 World Championships to London. But on Friday, the British culture minister, Tessa Jowell, announced London would be withdrawn because of concerns over the spiralling price of building a stadium at Pickett's Lock and the costs of staging the event. In an emergency meeting with IAAF officials on Friday, Jowell had offered to take the event to the Don Valley stadium in Sheffield but had the proposal rejected. According to sources who attended the meeting, at one point Richard Caborn, the British sports minister, turned to IAAF president Lamine Diack, of Senegal, and offered to give sports bursaries to Africans. The normally calm Diack, a former Senegalese government minister, was incensed at this attempted inducement. Yesterday, the DCMS spokesman justified the approach by saying, The offer was linked into facilities at the UK Sports Institute - there are countries who do not have those facilities, we could offer scholarships to athletes from Africa. Istvan Gyulai, general secretary of the IAAF, said, We did not pay too much attention to these offers, because we were only interested in staging the athletics in London. There are other stadiums in Britain, and other cities, such as Manchester and Birmingham, which are more suitable for our championships. But it was clear that they wanted Sheffield. Australia may step in with a bid to host the 2005 championships. Simon Allatson, chief executive of Athletics Australia, said yesterday three Australian cities could be contenders. They were Perth, which was already planning a bid to stage the championships in 2007, Sydney, which staged last year's Olympics, and Melbourne, hosts to the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The IAAF was expected to invite fresh bids for 2005, with Berlin, Budapest and Tokyo among the likely contenders. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: The loneliness of the long-distance Afghan runner
a call from a prominent Afghan in Melbourne who told him not to travel. Then the Australian Embassy in Washington rang him and said they would pay for his flight and provide him with a visa. When he arrived he was told that the ban on Afghanistan was blanket. He raced around trying to talk to officials for three days and then returned home to Chicago disconsolate. Now he looks to Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) and does not rule out 2112. His reasons are more than winning marathons. He sees himself, when his running days are over, in some kind of ambassadorial role, preaching peace and understanding. He said: I have been working with a professor in Boston and we are publishing a book on international relations and conflicts based on Afghanistan and the Taliban regime; the way they treat other people, about the history of Afghanistan, the Russian invasion, general education and understanding different cultures. There is beauty in education. A degree changes people's attitudes towards you. The United States is my country, Saudi Arabia is my country, Germany is my country, Afghanistan is my country. I would like to build bridges of understanding. There is a bridge between the United States and Britain but there is not between the US and Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan and Germany. In the next 10 years my goal is to run a marathon in under two hours [the world record is 2-05-4] and then I would like to work for the State Department, building those bridges. We can work, in 10 years' time, to understand the individual. I have a meaning to my life. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Britain lose 2005 World Championships
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 6 October 2001 INTERNATIONAL athletics chiefs have told Government ministers they cannot move the venue for the 2005 World Championships from London to Sheffield, meaning the event will now be awarded to another country. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and Sports Minister Richard Caborn had been hoping to persuade IAAF president Lamine Diack to accept the change at a meeting in London this afternoon. But Diack has ruled out the swap, insisting the bidding process for the 2005 event must now reopen and clearing the way for Berlin, Sydney, Budapest and Stuttgart to compete to hold the championships. It follows yesterday's decision by the Government to scrap plans to hold the event at a new stadium at Picketts Lock in north-east London. A spokesman for the Departure of Culture, Media and Sport told the Press Association: Mr Diack said they do not have the constitutional authority within the IAAF to move the championships so they will have to re-open the bidding process. The decision by the IAAF was hardly a surprise and Diack told the ministers, who were accompanied by Government troubleshooter Patrick Carter and UK Athletics chief executive David Moorcroft, that only the Federation's ruling council could authorise a change of venue - and they could only do so by throwing open the championships to new bids. The next IAAF Council meeting is in Monte Carlo on November 26 and 27. It would be still be possible for Sheffield to submit a bid, but that course of action is extremely unlikely. Jowell and Caborn inherited the Picketts Lock and Wembley debacles when they took office following the general election in June, and have viewed the action to scrap the London plan as painful but necessary. One official said a clear rejection by the IAAF would be preferable to months of uncertainty because it would be a case of `lancing the boil'. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Caborn pins hopes on Sheffield
The Electronic Telegraph Friday 5 October 2001 Mihir Bose RICHARD CABORN, the Minister for Sport, yesterday reneged on a Government promise to hold the 2005 World Athletics Championships in London and will today plead for the event to be awarded to his home city of Sheffield. Caborn, MP for Sheffield Central, finally killed off plans to build a new athletics stadium at Picketts Lock, north London, and will ask Lamine Diack, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, to consider the case for Sheffield. His appeal is likely to fall on deaf ears. The withdrawal of London is a huge embarrassment for Britain and unprecedented in major world sport. Yesterday IAAF spokesman Giorgio Renieri reiterated that any move from London would mean re-opening the bidding. The majority of the IAAF council will want to move to another country, he said. Berlin and Budapest have already indicated their willingness to act as stand-in hosts for the event. Renieri added: What has happend has meant they have lost trust. We are sorry for UK Athletics but London was awarded the championships and it cannot be London so trust is gone. In attempting to bring the games to his home city, Caborn has ignored the case for Crystal Palace, which would keep the event in London. Last night the Conservative leader of Bromley council and his Labour counterpart at Croydon jointly backed the venue to stage the showpiece event - the third-biggest in world sport after the Olympics and the football World Cup. Michael Tickner, the Bromley council leader, and Hugh Malyan, the leader of Croydon council, in a plea to the minister, said: We have realistic and achievable proposals for upgrading the existing facilities. Much of the supporting infrastructure is already in place. Olympic triple jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards backed the move to Crystal Palace, which has a capacity of 18,000. Edwards, who described the decision to abandon Picketts Lock as a complete farce, said: There will be a huge legacy against us whenever Britain bids for another major sporting fixture, particularly the 2012 Olympics. I am not sure who has the most egg on their faces - probably the Government, he said. It is a sad day. If it could be renovated, Crystal Palace would be a great venue with all the history surrounding it. Caborn said he had looked at Crystal Palace but transport problems ruled it out. This is not a grand prix which lasts a day - you have to move athletes and officials in and out for over 10 days, he said. The Don Valley Stadium would be Sheffield's venue. It was built for the 1991 World Student Games and has a capacity of 20,000. It was used for the British Grand Prix until the mid-Nineties but no longer stages major athletics events.The stadium would be required to double its capacity and a roof would be required over the two thirds of the arena which is currently exposed. Caborn will be supported in his efforts to push Sheffield's case by his superior, Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, David Moorcroft, chief executive of UK Athletics, and Patrick Carter, the businessman whose report on the finances of Picketts Lock made ministers abandon the project. Carter reported that it would cost a total of £220 million - including £100 million in infrastructure costs - to build Picketts Lock. The original estimate was £60 million. Caborn's meeting with Diack will take place in London this weekend and he has expressed optimism that he can still persuade Diack and his colleagues to change their minds. The basis for such optimism, according to Caborn, is that: We have been honest with the IAAF and kept them in the picture. In Edmonton I had a meeting with Mr Diack and his officials and my officials came away with the impression that they were not wedded to London. Then, launching into extravagant praise for his home city, Caborn said: We will tell them that we will give them the best ever Games they could ever have in Sheffield. I was at Edmonton and we can assure the IAAF we could produce a better games than Edmonton. Caborn, seeking to justify his decision not to go ahead with Picketts Lock, said: We could not justify spending that money on a stadium. The decision we took was for the good of sports in this country. How far Caborn's optimism over 2005 proves justified remains to be seen. But his decision to abandon Picketts Lock, and London, has sent shockwaves through British sport and will certainly affect the capital's bid for the 2012 Olympics. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Hornet juice the bee's knees
THE IRISH TIMES Wednesday, October 3, 2001 Naoko Takahashi, who used an unusual beverage to fuel her run into marathon history on Sunday - juice from giant killer hornets - said yesterday: I think I can run another one to two minutes faster. Takahashi became the first women to break the barrier of two hours and 20 minutes in the Berlin marathon, shattering the existing world best by nearly a minute with a time of 2:19.46. It tastes like any other sport drink, the petite Japanese Olympic champion said. You can get it in shops everywhere in Japan. It's a popular drink, Takahashi said of the beverage made from the juice of the eight-centimetre long insects, known as Mandarina Japonica. Japanese scientists have found the juice can give an astonishing boost to human performance. They said it reduced muscle fatigue and improved the body's efficiency by increasing the ability to metabolise fat and thus reduce the build up of lactic acid. Because it is 100 per cent natural, it is claimed that it does not break rules on performance-enhancing drugs. I've been drinking it for the last five years, said Takahashi (29), who runs up to 80 kilometres a day in training. It enables athletes to give everything. Meanwhile, Indian discus thrower Seema Antil, who won the world junior championship title in Chile last year, has tested positive for the banned stimulant pseudo-ephedrine, the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) has announced. She will be stripped of her gold medal and has been issued with a warning, the AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said. Seema Antil has been warned for using pseudo-ephedrine. A and B samples have been tested and both samples confirm the presence of ephedrine, which is commonly used as a medicine to cure cold, the AAFI said. She appealed to the IAAF for leniency as she is a young athlete, but they said it cannot be accepted, Bhanot said. Her positive test comes amidst allegations of widespread doping in Indian athletics. A court is currently hearing a petition that many competitors are on performance-enhancing drugs and that more than 200 positive tests were returned at a laboratory under the state-run Sports Authority of India. In Belgium, controversial doctor Georges Mouton has had his detention extended for breaking doping laws and illegal practice, according to media sources in Brussels. Mouton, known as 'Doctor Syringe' and medical adviser to several top cyclists and athletes, was arrested last Wednesday accused of supplying sportsmen with the blood-boosting drug EPO and also DHEA, which rejuvenates the body. It was announced in Sydney yesterday that Australia and the United States have signed an agreement to conduct drug tests on each other's athletes. The two countries will test visiting athletes for performance-enhancing drugs as well as share information and technology on doping. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Coaching dad's ban
The Electronic Telegraph Tuesday 2 October 2001 Oliver Clive THE father of suspended sprinter John Skeete has been banned from coaching for two years by UK Athletics after admitting he spiked his son's supplements. John Skeete Snr was suspended this week after admitting in a disciplinary hearing that he added anabolic steroids to the health supplements of his son, who tested positive and was banned. Skeete tested positive on Jan 27 for stanozolol. On March 29, he was banned for two years by UK Athletics, even though he was found morally innocent because he ingested the banned substance unwittingly. Skeete has applied to the International Association of Athletic Federations to have his ban lifted. UK Athletics said that Skeete Snr had been stripped of his coaching accreditation and was ineligible to take part in competitions until July 2003. It was reported that Skeete Snr was unhappy that his son had left his coaching group in Leytonstone to join that of Tony Hadley, of Birmingham. Skeete's form improved markedly after his move and he won the 60 metres at the National Indoor Championships in January. He qualified for the World Indoor Championships but was forced to withdraw after the positive test. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Olympic offer for New York
The Electronic Telegraph Thursday 20 September 2001 Mihir Bose ROME indicated yesterday it would bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, but told the International Olympic Committee it would step aside in favour of New York if all the other candidates agreed. Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, later discouraged suggestions that all cities planning to bid for the 2012 event should withdraw in favour of New York. New York, which has never bid for the Games, is one of the favourites among a host of American cities, including Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles bidding to host the Games. The mayor of Rome, Valter Veltroni, made the suggestion to Rogge at the IOS headquarters in Lausanne yesterday when he led a delegation to discuss Rome's bid. Mario Pescanti, the Italian Sports Minister, said: The mayor of Rome proposed as one solution [to the tragedy of last week] to favour the candidature of New York and to invite other big cities to withdraw their candidature. Rogge was very, very clear. I am against this proposal because we do not mix such tragedy with sport because it is impossible to hypothesise such a tragedy in the future. The voting on the 2012 Olympic City will not take place until Sept 2005, and London is among one of many European cities considering a bid. Moscow has already announced, and Madrid, Dusseldorf, Leipzig and Stuttgart may think of entering the fray. There is undoubtedly tremendous sympathy for what has happened in the United States, but the feeling is it is too early to say how the voting could take place given that it is more than four years away. Yesterday's meeting was more an attempt by Rome to explore its own bid possibility. Pescanti was cautious as to whether Rome would bid, but with the Italians having such strong support in the IOC a bid looks very likely. For several months now the various sporting federations have been in talks with the IOC and Felli's department have been humouring some and spurning others. There are no major changes to athletics but the IOC have introduced a maximum quota of competitors, though they did not specify a figure. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Great North Run: Tergat misses course record
The Electronic Telegraph Monday 17 September 2001 Richard Bright PAUL TERGAT was an easy winner in the BUPA Great North Run yesterday, but the Kenyan double world half-marathon champion failed to achieve his objective of completing the Newcastle to South Shields race in under an hour. I believed it was possible to do - but alone on your own it is hard, said Tergat, whose time of 60min 30sec was also well outside the UK all-comers' and course record of 60.02. Tergat disposed of the threat posed by Julius Kimtai who, on his debut over the distance, finished second in 61.36, with 1999 champion John Mutai making it a clean sweep of the medals for Kenya. Tergat was hoping Olympic and world marathon champion Gezahegne Abera would set a fast pace for the first 10 miles, but the 23-year-old Ethiopian was never in contention. I was well on schedule until that point, said the five-times world cross-country champion. Then it became a race against the clock. I tried my hardest to keep to the schedule, but over the last two miles the wind was very strong and I couldn't maintain the momentum. I still consider it to have been a great race. It proved I'm in great shape. Paul Evans, the 40-year-old Belgrave Harrier, finished fifth in 63.15 and revealed. I'm enjoying myself now I'm at the veteran stage. I'm chuffed that I managed to mix it with some of the world's best runners - I finished ahead of some big names. Evans was the only top-10 finisher from the host nation. Former Commonwealth 5,000 metres gold medallist Rob Denmark came in 11th. World record-holder Susan Chepkemei edged ahead of another Kenyan, Joyce Chepchumba, the 1999 winner, with less than 500 metres remaining win the women's race in 68.40. The pre-race favourite, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, was third. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: `Yes, Ben Johnson could have been innocent'
, it gets really scary. When Ben Johnson was done for stanozolol, everyone in athletics said `no, this is not possible'. Why? Because no-one in their right mind would take stanozolol so close to competition when they could take an undetectable growth hormone. Johnson admitted to taking steroids in the past but said he could not account for it on that particular day in Seoul in 1988. There are people in the know, who've researched the events of Seoul, who are convinced that someone beyond Johnson's circle had a significant part in his downfall. And when they tried to investigate, their files were burgled, they were warned off, and were denied access to the freedom of information act in America. So, yes, Ben Johnson could have been innocent on that particular day. There are those who claim the out-of-competition drug-testing procedures represent a breach of human rights. Are they? Put it this way: I could show you a photograph which was published by a major British sports body showing a 14-year-old girl swimmer sitting on the lavatory, pants around her ankles, with the drug-tester on her knees watching the lass urinate. Would you be happy for that to happen to your daughter? To be examined by a stranger making sure the urine wasn't being released from a hidden tap? Every person who competes in an Olympic sport waives his or her human rights. Drug-testers have 10 times more power than the VAT man to enter your home; you must inform your federation one week in advance if you're planning to be away from your main residence for more than two days. By that definition, you can't take a sudden weekend break; or, if you're working and your boss suddenly decides to send you away on business, you can't go. This is how unbelievably difficult it is for athletes. Football would never stand for it. Can you imagine Mr and Mrs Beckham putting up with a drug-tester turning up on their door-step unannounced at nine o'clock on a Sunday morning? Should we simply scrap drug-testing, therefore, and permit athletes to pump themselves full of anything they wish? No. But a lot of growth hormones and steroids, far from being bad for you, can actually be of benefit as you grow older so we need to do much, much more research. Anything in excess can be a danger to you but we already permit a lot of performance-enhancing drugs which may actually be more dangerous than some of those on the banned list. That's why I say the present drug-testing system is a hollow science. One of the biggest names in British athletics - and one of the most moral - told me the biggest lie you can tell athletes is that they can reach the top without taking drugs. They'll sacrifice five years of their lives. Of course, it's possible to break world records and win Olympic gold medals, but. . . Now, Brendan Foster is of the opinion that `OK, if they're taking drugs lets hold a drugs world championship and a clean world championship'. But, Bren, where do you think the spectators would be? I believe that if you move more drugs from the banned list on to the acceptable list, that might allow more people to compete at a world-class level without injuring themselves. And I think the public would support that if we can prove these products can actually promote health. Quite honestly, some of the drugs on the IOC banned list are so healthy, we should all be on them in moderation. Even more confused and troubled than before? Join the club. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Run for the Victims?
Has anyone considered the idea of a nationwide running event to support the victims and survivors of the recent attrocities? It would be a great way for USATF to play a part in the recovery, by raising money for the victims and survivors and allowing our more fortunate citizens to participate in the healing process. Eamonn Condon
t-and-f: Bucher's perfect finish
The Electronic Telegraph Tom Knight (Filed: 09/09/2001) SWITZERLAND'S Andre Bucher scooped the $150,000 (£107,000) top prize here at the International Association of Athletics Federations' Grand Prix Final. At the end of a long summer of 28 grand prix meetings, Bucher's experience of the variable Melbourne weather enabled him to execute the tactics he needed to beat Russia's Yuriy Borzakovskiy in the 800 metres. But Bucher also needed Allen Johnson, the world champion from the United States, who led him by two points in the overall Grand Prix rankings, to lose in the 110m hurdles. Johnson's misfortune was to run into an in-form Anier Garcia, the Olympic champion from Cuba, who trailed the American by more than a metre at halfway before bustling his way over the final three barriers to win by just 0.06sec. The consolation for Johnson lay in the £90,000 he was still able to claim as runner-up in his event as well as in the overall rankings. For Bucher, victory meant the completion of a perfect season which also included winning the world title and $60,000 in Edmonton and a share, worth $78,000, of the IAAF jackpot for winning at five of the seven Golden League meetings. Bucher said: It's been a very good month but I was very lucky that Allen did not have his best race today. I have been to Melbourne five times and I know how cold and windy it can be at this time of the year so I prepared for a tactical battle with extra sprint sessions in training. I've known some hard times as an athlete which makes winning so much money that more special. Deciding the women's top prize was more straightforward with Violeta Szekeley continuing her winning ways in the 1500m. The 36-year-old Romanian employed her finishing sprint to perfection to triumph in 4min 3.46sec. The biggest surprise came in the women's 3,000m, where there was a shock defeat for Olga Yegorova. In a painfully slow-run race, victory went to her training partner, Tatyana Tomashova, in 9min 30.39sec. Yegorova finished third. Kelly Holmes proved the best of the four British athletes who managed to make their seasons last this long, finishing second to Maria Mutola, the world and Olympic champion in the 800m. There were fourth places for Christian Malcolm in the 200m and Steve Backley in the javelin while Colin Jackson was a distant fifth in the 110m hurdles. None of them left Olympic Park empty-handed, however. Malcolm's $10,000 for fourth place took his earnings in Australia over the past week to $19,000 while even Jackson picked up $8,000. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Brits hold on to grab gold
The Electronic Telegraph (Filed: 07/09/2001) GREAT BRITAIN beat world record-holders America to claim a remarkable gold in the men's 4x100 metres at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane. Britain's relay team were due a good race after blunders at the Olympic Games and the World Championships and this time they got it right. John Barbour got off to a blistering start, handing over the baton to Christian Malcolm. Malcolm looked under threat by both America and Australia, but made no mistakes on the change-over to Marlon Devonish who sped round the back bend. Devonish ran a superb leg, giving Goodwill Games 100m champion Dwain Chambers a slight lead going into the home straight. Chambers, with American JJ Johnson on his shoulder, kept his composure to claim a sweet victory for Britain in 38.71 secs America looked to have claimed silver in 38.81 secs ahead of Jamaica, who finished third in 38.92 secs, but the Americans were disqualified following a faulty changeover from Terrance Trammell to Dennis Mitchell. The disqualification meant Jamaica were elevated to silver with Australia claiming the bronze. We just wanted to make sure we got the baton round, said Malcolm. We are obviously all disappointed with our performance at recent championships and we wanted to finish the season on a high. Malcolm admitted the team had adopted some caution after dropping the baton at the Sydney Olympics last year and running out of the box on the final exchange at the Worlds in Edmonton. I wouldn't say we were ultra-cautious, we just wanted to make sure we didn't make any mistakes, the Welshman added. The technique wasn't that great but we played it safe and we'll work on improving our take-overs next season. Malcolm, disappointed after finishing fifth in the 200m earlier in the week said watching his team-mate Chambers win the 100m on Wednesday had been a big confidence booster for the team. It was encouraging to know we had the fastest man here running the final leg. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Johnson bows out with a flourish
The Electronic Telegraph Tom Knight (Filed: 07/09/2001) SUPERMAN turned showman in the ANZ Stadium here last night as Michael Johnson bowed out of the sport with a flourish. In his final appearance on the track, the Texan, who turns 34 next week, gave the 29,000 crowd a run to remember as he anchored the United States to victory in the 4x400 metres relay at the Goodwill Games. The Olympic champion, who has dominated both the 200m and 400m for a decade, received the baton from Antonio Pettigrew with a five-metre lead on Michael Blackwood of Jamaica and Avard Moncur, the recently-crowned world champion from the Bahamas. With a show of flamboyance worthy of the occasion, Johnson allowed both men to get within touching distance before leaving them for dead down the home straight. In a final, touching moment, Johnson was handed the last gold medal of his extraordinary career by Ted Turner, the media mogul who devised these Games in 1986. Johnson said: I didn't want all the emotion and fanfare to detract me from winning a gold medal. Tonight, I represented my country and stood on the podium for the last time but it's difficult to be sad. My career has been unbelievable and there's nothing I regret about what I've done. This was a great way to end. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Boldon gets warning for positive test
The Electronic Telegraph James Matthews (Filed: 08/09/2001) FORMER world champion and Olympic medallist Ato Boldon has tested positive to the banned stimulant ephedrine. The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) announced in Melbourne yesterday that Boldon, from Trinidad and Tobago, tested positive at a meeting in the United States in May, but would not be suspended because the offence only carries a warning. Istvan Gyulai, the IAAF general secretary, said: There was a surprising test result in May and that is Ato Boldon. But that was not a two-year [ban] policy, it was a stimulant which caused disqualification from that particular competition and a public warning. The consequence of this is not suspension. It is just to cancel the result of the event there and publicly warn him. Ephedrine is found in over-the-counter cold medications and some food supplements. Athletes who test positive to the mild stimulant are not suspended but are disqualified from the meeting at which they were tested. Boldon, who won the 200 metres title at the 1997 world championships and won silver and bronze respectively for the 100m and 200m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was not immediately available for comment. Gyulai said the IAAF would write to the Trinidad and Tobago athletics federation, notifying them of the test result but would not take any further action. It is in no way something where the blame is laid on the athlete, Gyulai said. We suggest that they be careful in future. Gyulai made the announcement on the eve of the IAAF Grand Prix finals in Melbourne. Boldon was not entered in the meeting but did compete at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane last week, finishing fifth in Wednesday's 100m final before pulling out of the Thursday's 200m event. Gyulai said he had not spoken to the 27-year-old Boldon but warned athletes to take greater care with food supplements. We have to take a look at these food supplements, Gyulai said. Some of the substances are not being properly labelled. More and more often, quite clearly and credibly, we have come to the conclusion that athletes are saying that this is beyond their control. Boldon trains with world record-holder Maurice Greene under coach John Smith and finished fourth in the 100m at the recent world championships in Edmonton. Greene pulled out of the Goodwill Games with a hamstring injury. Last week French sprinter Christophe Cheval was banned for two years by the French Athletics Federation after testing positive for steroid nandrolone at the world championships. More than 350 athletes were being tested at the Goodwill Games. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Goodwill Games Report
The Electronic Telegraph Thursday 6 September 2001 Tom Knight DWAIN CHAMBERS produced a run to savour in the ANZ Stadium last night to win Britain's second gold medal of the Goodwill Games. Like Jonathan Edwards the night before in the triple jump, Chambers was not quite sure where the victory had come from but he was not quibbling with the result. Nor the $20,000 (£14,200) winner's cheque. He said: When I came to the track I was tired and really feeling the jet-lag. I really wasn't up for this at all. I thought I could maybe finish in the top three. Brisbane was a long way to come for one race, but Chambers won this with consummate ease. Left in his blocks by the American, Dennis Mitchell, inside him, Chambers was quickly into his running and pulled away at 50m to triumph into a headwind in 10.11sec. At the line, there was daylight between the Briton and Tim Montgomery, the second fastest man in history and the World Championship silver medallist. Montgomery's lethargy and the fact that the Australian, Matt Shirvington, was able to claim the bronze medal with 10.30, when he was supposed to have been suffering with a cold, was more than enough evidence to suggest the rest of the field were not exactly at the top of their game. Ato Boldon managed only 10.41 for fifth, while Britain's Jon Barbour, the European under-23 champion, was seventh. Chambers said: The time didn't matter at all. I just knew I had to get out well otherwise Tim would already have the race won. Since his disappointing fifth place at the World Championships, Chambers had been beaten by Montgomery in Zurich, Gateshead and Brussels. He added: I expected that pattern to continue. This is no consolation for what happened in Edmonton, but it has given me confidence for next year and it means I can finish this season with a smile. Earlier, a similarly beaming Kelly Holmes celebrated her silver medal in the 800m, won in 1min 58.76sec by the Olympic champion, Maria Mutola. Almost a year after she led the Olympic final into the home straight, Holmes again found herself in front with 80m to go. Just as in Sydney, however, Holmes was overhauled. The difference here was that her sprint from the front around the top bend had put paid to the challenge of Stephanie Graf, who snatched the silver medal in Sydney. Once again, Holmes's injury problems led to her best form coming late in the season. In Sydney, her bronze medal proved her timing had been impeccable but that was not the case this season. Holmes said: It's frustrating that I wasn't fit enough to run well in Edmonton because I know I'm one of the best 800m runners in the world. Holmes's next chance comes on Sunday when she appears in a Grand Prix final for the first time since 1995. There was no end-of-season celebration for Colin Jackson, who missed the 110m hurdles at the World Championships to concentrate on these Games. As a sign of his diminishing powers, the European and Commonwealth champion and world record holder was offered only lane nine. Jackson struggled throughout as Allen Johnson and Anier Garcia starred in a replay of their Edmonton tussle. The outcome was the same, with Johnson hitting barriers but still taking the gold. Jackson was fifth. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Colemanballs
Some recent quotes from BBC TV's answer to Yogi Berra, track and field commentator David Coleman She [Fiona May] only lost out on the gold medal because Niurka Montalvo, the Spanish athlete, jumped a longer distance than her. I put that down to lack of inexperience. Is that a grimace of pain in his right knee? and maybe there's a future in tv commentary for 400m man Jamie Baulch I just want to get back to the shape I'm in now... Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Richard Chelimo - Former 10,000m record holder dies at 29
The Irish Times Friday, August 17, 2001 Kenya's former 10,000 metres world record holder Richard Chelimo has died, aged 29, reports said today. Chelimo died at the Moi University Teaching Hospital at the Rift Valley town of Eldoret on Wednesday soon after he was re-admitted only hours earlier, the reports said. Sources close to the family said Chelimo had been suffering from a brain tumour, and had been admitted to hospital on several occasions. Born in 1972, Chelimo burst into the athletics seen in 1990 when he won the world junior 10,000 metres crown and followed the feat with a world junior cross-country title the same year. In 1991, he won the 10,000 metres silver medal in the world athletics championships in Tokyo, Japan, behind compatriot Moses Tanui. In 1992, he set the 10,000 metres world record in Stockholm, which was broken a week later by another compatriot Yobes Ondieki in Germany. He later also won a controversial 10,000 metres silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, behind Morocco's Khalid Skah. He leaves behind a widow and four children. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Italian marathon runner fails dope test
The Irish Times Friday, August 17, 2001 Italian marathon runner Roberto Barbi has failed a dope test and been immediately suspended by his federation, the Italian athletics federation said today. Barbi, a recent participant at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, underwent tests on urine and blood samples prior to the Canadian showpiece on July 30th. He competed in the marathon, coming 60th in a time of 2hr 35min 55sec. The Italian federation have refused to say which drug was found in Barbi's 'A' sample, although Italian press agency ANSA have reported that it could concern endurance-enhancer erythropoietin (EPO). An analysis of his 'B' sample will be made in the near future although no date has been fixed. Barbi becomes the second Italian in a matter of days to hit the headlines for failing a dope test. On Wednesday it was reported that Italian 800m runner Andrea Longo failed a dope test, for the banned steroid nandrolone. The 26-year-old policeman, a medal hope at the Worlds before withdrawing with a foot injury, returned a non-negative result after being tested at a meeting in Turin on June 9th. Italian athletics authorities notified world governing body IAAF of the result on August 3rd. Results from further tests on the athlete's 'B sample' will be known in September. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: More jeers for Yegorova
The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 18 August 2001 Tom Knight OLGA Yegorova ran into a chorus of boos at the Weltklasse Golden League meeting here last night after winning the 3,000 metres with the fastest time in the world for seven years. The reaction from the packed stands of the Stadion Letzigrund matched that offered last week by the crowd in the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, where the controversial Russian was forced to flee the track in tears after winning the world 5,000m title. Omitted from the opening presentation to 17 of the top athletes taking part in this meeting, Yegorova triumphed with her customary kick with 200 metres to go. She crossed the line in 8min 23.26sec to a barrage of boos and whistles while Romania's Gaby Szabo, who clocked a Romanian record in chasing her to the line, was greeted with rapturous applause. Britain's Paula Radcliffe, who led the athletes' protest against Yegorova's presence in Edmonton with her banner declaring EPO Cheats Out during the Russian's heat, finished fifth. Radcliffe said: This was a nonsense, but what do you do? I made my protest in Edmonton but a stadium isn't necessarily the place for that. My protest there was symbolic. Yegorova, the first athlete to test positive for the blood-boosting drug erythropoetin, after last month's Paris Golden League meeting, was reinstated to run in Edmonton because the test was declared invalid. Radcliffe next plans to take her concerns over EPO to the International Olympic Committee and to Lamine Diack, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, whose reinstatement of Yegorova caused so much controversy. The IAAF went some way to rectifying the blunder over Yegorova by including her among the 50 athletes who were asked to provide blood and urine samples in the days prior to the World Championships. The urine samples of seven were sent for further analysis to the IOC-accredited laboratory in Lausanne. Only one confirmed the presence of EPO and it was not Yegorova's. It emerged yesterday that the sample belonged to Roberto Barbi, of Italy, who went on to finish 60th in the marathon at Edmonton. Meanwhile, Ali Saidi-Sief, the world and Olympic silver medallist in the 5,000m, tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, nandrolone, during the World Championships, the Algerian athletics federation announced last night. Barbi has been suspended by Fidal, the Italian federation, pending further tests. The Italians have also suspended the 800m runner, Andrea Longo, who tested positive for nandrolone at a meeting in Turin on June 9. The positives led Roberto Frinolli, Fidal's technical director, to echo Radcliffe's call for more random tests to curb what he deemed to have become a growing problem. Violeta Szekely, the Romanian beaten to the 1500m gold medal by Szabo in Edmonton, came to Zurich as one of 14 athletes eligible for the IAAF's jackpot of 50 kilos of gold for winning at five of the seven Golden League series. Victory last night ensured she will have first claim on the gold. Radcliffe, meanwhile, is among the top British athletes and a host of world champions from Edmonton who can look forward to competing in front of a full house in the Norwich Union Classic at the International Stadium in Gateshead. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Radcliffe's new strategy
The Electronic Telegraph Friday 17 August 2001 Tom Knight PAULA RADCLIFFE is to seek high-level talks with the International Association of Athletics Federations in the latest stage of the anti-doping protest she started on the terraces of Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Radcliffe's stance against the IAAF's controversial reinstatement of Olga Yegorova, the Russian athlete who tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO, only to escape a ban on a technicality, was a talking point of the World Championships. When Yegorova went on to win the world 5,000m title, the Canadian crowd reacted with a chorus of boos and catcalls. But Yegorova is likely to witness more venom tonight in the Stadion Letzigrund, where the sell-out crowd for the Weltklasse meeting rank as probably the most knowledgeable in the world. Yegorova lines up against Radcliffe and Romania's Gaby Szabo in the 3,000m at the fifth meeting of the IAAF's Golden League series. Despite her stand, Radcliffe is anxious to leave her protesting away from the track. Radcliffe said: I think I made my point in Edmonton. I don't think it would be right to take my feelings on to the track. Hopefully, there will be time afterwards to talk to the IAAF. If not, I will make sure I meet with them at the end of the season. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Czech shot putter Menc banned for life
The Irish Times Wednesday, August 15, 2001 Czech shot putter Miroslav Menc has been handed a lifetime ban from athletics after his appeal for failing a second drugs test in two years was rejected, the CTK news agency has reported. Menc, 30, made his appeal after a B sample taken on April 26 confirmed a positive A test for norandrosterone, a derivative of the anabolic steroid nandrolone. But CTK reported today that a six-member commission had rejected the appeal, saying materials submitted at the hearing showed his body exceeded the accepted limit of the substance by 23 times. In April 1998, the Czech athlete also tested positive for an anabolic steroid and was suspended for two years. He returned to the sport in time to compete at the Sydney Olympics where he placed 10th. International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) rules call for a lifetime ban after a second drugs offence. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Zurich broadcast
1:00 PM PST International Athletics at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio5live/live/surestream.ram John Rawling and Mike Whittingham with coverage of the IAAF Grand Prix meeting, the Weltklasse in Zurich. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com - Original Message - From: Hanks, Jeffrey S [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'Eamonn Condon' [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 10:27 AM Subject: RE: t-and-f: Radio anyone? Does anyone know if the BBC will be doing web-radio of future meets such as the Zurich meet this Friday? Jeff Hanks
t-and-f: Edwards slams treatment of Yegorova
The Irish Times Tuesday, August 14, 2001 Britain's Jonathan Edwards has attacked the double-standards in athletics which resulted in the persecution of women's 5,000m champion Olga Yegorova, labelled a drug cheat at the World Championships in Canada. The gold medal-winning triple jumper said the Russian, who tested positive for the banned substance EPO but was subsequently 'cleared' on a technicality, was an easy target and he questioned whether the treatment would have been as harsh had it been another nation involved. He even suggested that had it been a British athlete, a campaign would have been launched declaring their innocence. His opinion is in stark contrast to Great Britain women's team captain Paula Radcliffe, who made a very public trackside protest in Edmonton with a banner stating 'EPO cheats out'. But Edwards, in his column in The Times, said: I wonder what the reaction would have been if she was a Canadian or, heaven forbid, a British athlete. Would the poster have then read 'John Smith is innocent?' She (Yegorova) cannot speak English, and is an athletic nobody without powerful allies to lobby on her behalf. But perhaps the real nail in her coffin is her nationality. She has suffered from guilt by association, linked in our minds to the systematic doping by the Soviet Union. The International Association of Athletics Federation allowed the Russian to run in Edmonton after it was discovered her drugs test was not carried out properly, rendering the findings invalid. It prompted a backlash from both competitors and the general public. Yegorova's winning finish in the 5,000m was accompanied by jeers and the athlete immediately departed the track afterwards, shunning a lap of honour. I actually felt sorry for her, added Edwards. I feel she has been harshly and unfairly treated and there has been little dispassionate debate on the issue because nobody wishes to be appear to be giving tacit approval to drug-taking. It goes without saying that this is not what I am doing but the knee-jerk demonisation of the Russian athlete has left a sour taste in my mouth. Whatever our gut feeling, I do not believe we can make an objective judgement on Yegorova's guilt or otherwise. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Radcliffe fears revenge of drug cheats
The Irish Times Tuesday, August 14, 2001 Paula Radcliffe today said that she could be the victim of a 'drugs sting' following her protest over Olga Yegorova's participation in the World Championships. World Cross Country Champion Radcliffe was incensed after the IAAF allowed Yegorova to compete in the 5,000 metres at Edmonton even though she tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing hormone EPO at a meeting in Paris last month. The IAAF was forced to let the Russian athlete run on a technicality - a ruling that prompted Radcliffe to hold up a placard saying 'EPO CHEATS OUT' during the 5,000m heat. The demonstration of the 27-year-old British women's team captain attracted considerable attention and prompted UK athletics chief David Moorcroft to suggest she could be set up because of her campaign to clean-up the sport. Radcliffe herself also harbours fears that she might be targeted in this way and cited the case of German distance runner Dieter Baumann who was found to have taken nandrolone, even though he was a vigorous anti-drugs campaigner. Baumann claimed his toothpaste had been spiked with the banned substance. If you put your neck on the line and go out on a limb and you rock the boat, then you're taking a risk, said Radcliffe. Obviously it does put me out on a limb a bit but I'm just going to have to be careful and watch my back. It would be a sad day for the sport if something like that did take place. But you have to look at situations like Dieter Baumann's and ask did something happen there? He was very outspoken about the issue in the same way I am. Maybe he was, or maybe he wasn't, but I believe there was a strong case for him being set up. Radcliffe also dismissed today's comments made by Britain's World Championship gold medal-winning triple jumper Jonathan Edwards who asked the question had the EPO cheats been British, would Paula's protest had been quite so vociferous. In response to Jonathan, had Olga been a British athlete, I would have gone about it in the same way. Jonathan was not having a go at me, he was just making his point. My point is that there was no element of doubt - it was only a technicality on which Olga Yegorova had been cleared. EPO is not a substance that can get into the body naturally, even she isn't arguing about that. Jonathan accepts that everybody is entitled to their opinion - if Jonathan feels strongly about something he'll stand up and say it. My point is not with Yegorova herself. She made the decision herself and I might not agree with her for doing it but she should not have been able to compete. Everybody should be on a level playing field. Had it been a British athlete I would have done exactly the same. It had nothing to do with whether it was a Russian athlete or someone from any other country, the point is you're abiding by the laws of the sport. Radcliffe, who came fourth in the 10,000m final at Edmonton, insisted that she had no regrets over her actions in Canada and revealed that she would remain outspoken on the issue. I felt I had to make a stand so that I could live with myself as much as anything else. If I had views and sat back without doing anything about them, then it would be like I was accepting the situation. I do feel passionately about this. Athletics is a great sport and a pure sport. It's about getting to the line first, who throws furthest and who jumps furthest. It's not about using artificial aid to get there. The sport is predominantly clean - drug taking is not rife. Athletes should stand up and say 'Look it's our sport and we're not going to let it be ridiculed'. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Radio anyone?
One of the highlights of the recent Championships for me was listening to the BBC radio broadcast from Edmonton. The down-time between the action that is normally a TV broadcasters nightmare actually works to the advantage of the radio announcer, allowing time to set the scene and build anticipation before each event followed by intelligent in-depth discussion afterwards. With all the difficulties TF is having with the TV format, radio would seem to be a perfect fit, yet I am not aware of any radio broadcasts of track events in the US. Small market perhaps, but a loyal one I would imagine. Any radio (or internet radio) entrepreneur ready to seize the opportunity? Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: British glory days over, says Radcliffe
The Electronic Telegraph Wednesday 15 August 2001 Richard Bright DISTANCE runner Paula Radcliffe admits British athletes failed to deliver at the World Championships in Edmonton. And she feels stronger competition meant Britain would never be able to emulate their track and field success of previous years. Radcliffe finished fourth in the 10,000 metres at the championships. The 27-year-old readily admitted Britain failed to live up to expectations, but said there were explanations. Obviously it was a disappointing performance by the British team, said Radcliffe, who will run in the 3,000m at the Norwich Union Classic at Gateshead on Sunday. Everybody tried as hard as they could but the difficulty might be that there are more and more countries taking part each year. It is a proper World Championships - it's one of the only sports when every country can take part and win medals. We're never going to be able to win the number of medals that we have done in the past because the competition is that much stronger. Another factor was that athletes no longer got a rest year. You do need that year off, mentally as well as physically. It is only 10 months since the Sydney Olympics. In the past, when the World Championships were only every four years, we did get the rest year. The Americans do get a rest year as they don't have the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said athletics needed to look at the development of young athletes after Britain's disappointing showing. Jowell, who congratulated Dean Macey and Jonathan Edwards, Britain's only medallists said: Nobody believes the team didn't run, jump and compete their hearts out but I do believe we need to take a long hard look at British athletics. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
t-and-f: Brits protest as Yegorova wins gold
The Electronic Telegraph Sunday 12 August 2001 BRITISH team members staged another demonstration before the final of the women's 5,000 metres in protest over tainted Russian runner Olga Yegorova. On Thursday night, women's team captain Paula Radcliffe and team-mate Hayley Tullet held up a cardboard banner which read EPO cheats out. Today, Kathy Butler and Hayley Yelling - who both missed out on a place in the final - were joined in the stands by team coaches Mark Rowland and Alan Storey. They all wore Radcliffe masks and held up banners with mocking slogans. One read: Free Paula, in reference to the fact that Radcliffe was almost removed from the stadium because of her protest. Another read: Paula Loves Gary, in reference to the fact that Radcliffe and husband Gary Lough had a bust-up over her tactics for the 10,000m final, in which she finished fifth. Another read: We Love Edmonton, after publicity over the fact that some team members nicknamed the city Deadmonton because they found it dull. The fourth banner read: Go Jo, in support of team-mate Jo Pavey, who was competing in the final. The British team were angry that Yegorova was allowed to compete in the championships following her recent drugs furore. Yegorova was originally suspended after she tested positive for the banned hormone erythropoietin (EPO) following a meet in Paris on July 6. But the IAAF were forced to lift her suspension on a technicality, because the French laboratory tested only her urine, not her blood. Yegorova was then one of nine athletes tested here in Edmonton, but that sample came back negative, so she was allowed to compete. Romanian world and Olympic champion Gabriela Szabo originally threatened to boycott the race if Yegorova - who finished eighth in Sydney - was allowed to compete, but she backed down for the sake of my fans and agreed to run. The last laugh went to Yegorova, however, who pulled clear with 250m to go and took the gold medal - although there were boos from sections of the crowd as she crossed the line and chants of EPO, no no no. Yegorova, who finished in 15:03.39, made a hasty exit from the track without doing a lap of honour. Szabo finished a disappointed eighth, although some sections of the crowd chanted her name in support as she crossed the line. Pavey came home in 11th. Pavey, who improved one place on her Sydney Olympic Games performance to finish 11th in the final, did not hide her disgust at Yegorova's victory. I can't believe she had the nerve to run, to be honest. There was so much hype around it we all thought she wouldn't actually turn up, and I couldn't believe she did. It's an injustice to everyone (in the race), but also to Kathy (Butler), my team-mate who missed the final by one place, she said. She should have been in that final and it's not fair. Pavey hopes the furore caused by Yegorova's participation and subsequent victory in Edmonton will lead to the IAAF introducing measures to ensure there is no repeat at future major events. It's a start - at least they (the IAAF) caught someone. Hopefully next time they'll actually ban someone they catch. Hopefully it's a stepping stone to making sure it is fair in the future. Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
