Friday, May 30, 2014

Poor Marea

Poor Marea will be turning in her grave - she famously said "my girls (she considered all female track athletes "her girls") will never wear white shorts" !!





(For those too young to remember Ms. Hartman follow this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marea_Hartman )

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Great start !!

"Veronica" missed her flight, and will now be getting one at 7 am. tomorrow!


The news we've been waiting for..

... the start lists for Goetzis!

http://www.meeting-goetzis.at/meeting.htm#starterfeld%202014

What an incredible Women's field (in the absence of any such event this year, I'm sure the winner will get dubbed the "Unofficial World Champion); probably the only 2 missing are Mrs. Hill and Chernova.
KJT's individual event results suggest she's "wintered" well, but missing out on the discretionary place at the WIC (understandably to a Pole), and being ill at her one other scheduled Pentathlon, means she hasn't put "together" a combined event since Moscow. A new PB ought to be "automatic", certainly over 6600, but 6700 is probably out of reach.
What to make of "Veronica"? - her wonderful performance in her first Heptathlon with Senior implements and hurdle height ('Multistars' in Florence) was an outstanding success, but was only a few weeks ago, and the decision to compete here seems to have been a last minute one. Maybe it's a case of her being too young to know any better!
Broersen has a strong javelin to add to the good form she showed in winning the Pentathlon WIC, while her "teammate" Dafne S. (who continues to be the best sprinter in the world masquerading as a Heptathlete) should improve some - who ever finishes ahead of thos two should set a new Dutch record
If Ashley Bryant continues his steady improvement - an improvement of his PB will also give him a European qualifying standard.



Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Britannia Waives the Rules !

In an astonishing decision by the panel responsible for ratifying British records, Greg Rutherford's 8.51 leap at Chula Vista has been ratified as a British record.
The IAAF, and to this point the UK for performances in Britain, have among their requirements for a record in the long jump both a wind gauge and a plasticine strip beyond the take off board - the absence of either would negate the consideration of a performance for a record.
All the nonsense about what the "grainy" video of the jump shows, is immaterial.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/10859061/Greg-Rutherfords-controversial-giant-leap-in-California-finally-ratified-as-an-official-British-record.html

Sunday, May 18, 2014

What an ass!!

Was there ever an athlete more in love with himself than Carl Lewis (when most other folk can't stand him).
To call himself a "leader" for the sport is laughable - time and again he demonstrated he was in it for himself.
And the claim that the sport grew every year he was competing, but hasn't grown since, really makes you wonder which world he is in!
Outside of track and Olympic fans most people remember for his ongoing spat with Ben Johnson.
Usain Bolt has done more for the promotion of sport in the last few years than Lewis did in the whole of his career!

http://www.asianage.com/other-sports/no-real-leader-athletics-lewis-611

Don't Let your Kids Hurdle Ma!