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Lead Stories: Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Logan Announces USATF High Performance Audit Panel

Posted October 13th, 2008 at 5:17 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan today announced the composition of and charter for the USATF High Performance Panel in a new “Shin Splints” blog entry.

Three Olympic medalists, including most notably Carl Lewis, a Hall of Fame coach and USOC executives are among the seven-person panel.

To read the full announcement, please visit:

http://www.usatf.org/about/leadership/ShinSplintsBlog/

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Chris Derrick: NON and Return to Running
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 4)

Posted July 9th, 2008 at 10:52 AM by Chris Derrick

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Chris Derrick

Welcome to the official blog of Chris Derrick; the 2007 Gatorade High School Cross Country Runner of the Year and 5k record holder! Make sure to bookmark chrisderrick.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Tuesday for Chris’ latest entries as he completes his senior year of high school running and begins his NCAA career at Stanford!

So after a couple downer weeks I had a pretty good stretch for these last two. It began with me going to NON to do some reporting for dyestat.com. It was a pretty cool experience even though I wasn’t running. I got to hang out with some of the friends I’ve made throughout the year at National meets and meet some pretty cool people. I also discovered that asking good interview questions is a lot tougher than it looks. In pretty much every interview there was a point where the athlete was talking and I was just like, “Crap, what do I ask next?”. Despite putting the microphone in the wrong place a few times, asking some dopey questions, and getting Jordan Carlson’s name wrong I think I managed to avoid looking like a complete fool. Although it was a little weird and disappointing to be at the meet but not able to race I think that being there and being able to take part in it in small way made it less depressing. And on the plus side I got to meet Pascal Dobert, John Dye, Larry Rawson, and Carl Lewis.

The best news of the past two weeks, however, was that after weeks of sitting around my house in my underwear playing pokemon and 26 days off, I could finally return to running. I’ve always had the great fortune of being able bounce back quickly from lay-offs and the bad habit of not being able to run truly easy by myself.
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TFS News Briefs: 5/30/2008

Posted May 30th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports, High School

IAAF May Change Doping Rules
AP writer Raf Casert has reported that the IAAF is considering the possibility if changing its doping rules in the wake of the Trevor Graham trial. Olympic gold medalist Antonio Pettigrew admitted to having doped since 1997 which would have put him beyond the reach of the current IAAF doping rules. Current IAAF doping rules stipulate that retroactive sanctions can only go back 8 years.
More: WRAL

Wariner Says Golden League Schedule Will Benefit Him
Defending Olympic 400m Gold Medalist Jeremy Wariner has mapped out an ambitious season for himself. He wants to win another gold medal or two (400m and 4×400m relay), break Michael Johnson’s 400m world record of 43.18 and, to top it all off, he wants to win the million dollar Golden League jackpot. He’s got his work cut out for himself, but, according to an article by the Press Association, the 24-year-old Waco, Texas resident believes the timing of the Golden League events will benefit him. “We felt it was a great opportunity to get some competitions in before then (the US trials and Olympics)… It will allow myself to prepare mentally and physically for both big contests.”
More: Press Association

Jordan Hasay Eyes 3200m 4-Peat
Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo, CA) junior Jordan Hasay is going for a 3-peat of the 3200m California state title this weekend. But the ambitious 16-year-old runner is already contemplating doing something no other California high schooler has ever done: winning the state title in the 3200m run 4 years in a row.
Times Press Recorder, CA
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Defar, Gay Named World Athletes of the Year

Posted November 26th, 2007 at 2:00 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field

Meseret Defar and sprinter Tyson Gay were named the World Athletes of the Year for 2007 at the World Athletics Gala held in Monte Carlo last night.

Defar, 24, shattered her won world record in the 5000 meters, running 14:16.63 in Oslo in June, breaking her own previous standard by more than eight seconds. The reigning Olympic 50000 champion, Defar also won the event at the world championships and twice lowered the world best for 2 miles. She also set a world record indoors in the 3000, running 8:23.72 in Stuttgart in February.

“I don’t have word to describe how happy I am,” said Defar, who dedicated the award to women athletes in Ethiopia. Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele have earned the honor in the past, but Defar became the first Ethiopian to win the world governing body’s annual award.

Gay, 25, won three gold medals at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka last August, sweeping the 100 and 200 metres and running the third leg on the victorious 4×100m relay. In the 100, Gay clocked 9.85, relegating world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica to third. In the 200, he clocked 19.76, taking down Michael Johnson’s meet record. He was just the fourth athlete to collect three gold medals at a single world championships.
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Quote of the Day: 10/10/07

Posted October 10th, 2007 at 6:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: ‘Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you’ll win … Channel your energy … Focus’.”

- Carl Lewis

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Fastest Combined 100m/200m Times of All Time

Posted September 28th, 2007 at 12:20 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Wallace Spearmon’s dazzling time of 9.96 seconds today in the 100m Dash at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix ties him with Carl Lewis as the 4th fastest man of all time when adding his 100m and 200m times together. Each man’s combined 100m/200m time is 29.61 seconds. Michael Johnson is number one with a combined 100m/200m time of just 29.41 seconds, followed closely by Tyson Gay with a 29.46. Rounding out the top five is Frank Fredericks at number three (29.54). Here are all the men in history who have a combined 100m/200m time of less than 30 seconds:

30. Robson Caetano da Silva (BRA) 10.02 + 19.96 = 29.98
29. Leroy Burrell (USA) 9.85 + 20.12 = 29.97
28. Linford Christie (GBR) 9.87 + 20.09 = 29.96
24. Lorenzo Daniel (USA) 10.08 + 19.87 = 29.95
24. Jon Drummond (USA) 9.92 + 20.03 = 29.95
24. Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR) 10.06 + 19.89 = 29.95
24. Bernard Williams (USA) 9.94 + 20.01 = 29.95
23. Coby Miller (USA) 9.98 + 19.96 = 29.94
22. Donald Quarrie (JAM) 10.07 + 19.86 = 29.93
21. Calvin Smith (USA) 9.93 + 19.99 = 29.92
20. Jeff Williams (USA) 10.02 + 19.87 = 29.89
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Hershey’s Track & Field Games celebrates 30th year with yesterday’s legends and tomorrow’s rising stars

Posted August 6th, 2007 at 5:09 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Notorious for it’s beloved chocolates, Hershey recently celebrated a thirty-year commitment to youth athletics. At this year’s 30th Hershey’s Track & Field Games, Olympic icons joined 560 youth athletes in an effort to promote active lifestyles among North America’s children and teens.

Originally founded by Dr. Donald P. Cohen, Hershey’s Track & Field Games had an early beginning in 1975. Thirty years later, the event has gained international acclaim; this year, Hershey’s field of over 500 North American youth athletes proudly welcomed 16 of their Chinese peers in competition.

Along with the increasing global interest in the Hershey Games, Olympic athletes have begun to involve themselves in encouraging the world’s youth to embrace fitness as a part of everyday life. Legendary figures of years past to attend to event included Carl Lewis, Bruce Jenner, Michael Johnson, and Rafer Johnson.
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