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TFS News Briefs: 5/19/2008
Posted May 19th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Trevor Graham Trial to Begin This Week
The trial of Marion Jones’ former coach, Trevor Graham, begins this week in a San Francisco, CA federal court room. Several prominent names expected to take the stand as prosecution witness include Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young, Calvin Harrison and Dennis Mitchell.
More: HeraldNet, WA
Sebastian Coe: Get These People Out Of Our Sport
Lord Sebastian Coe, a vice-president of the IAAF and one of the best middle-distance runners of all time is not pleased with Dwain Chambers’ attempt to get back into track & field, saying, “The way we move away from it [the drugs issue] is we have got to get these people out of our sport. I don’t recognise a particularly principled stand in the last few days.”
More: Times Online, UK
Wariner Not Too Concerned About Tight Hamstring
Despite a timid start because of soreness in his hamstring, Jeremy Wariner predicts that he will be ready to “run with everybody else” by the time he toes the line at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene next month.
More: Reuters
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TFS News Briefs: 3/07/08
Posted March 7th, 2008 at 5:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

IAAF World Championships Event Reports/Previews
You can read up on all of the happenings in the World Indoor Championships by going to the IAAF’s Valencia ‘08 website. So far, gold medals have gone to Christian Cantwell (USA) in the men’s shot put, Angela Williams (US) in the women’s 60m dash, Tia Hellebaut (BEL) in the women’s pentathlon and Olusoji A. Fasuba (NIG) in the men’s 60m dash. Read more at: [IAAF WIC 08]
Coverage of World Championships on WCSN, VERSUS
You can catch the action from Valencia both online and on TV. Links to this coverage are available on Track & Field News’ home page (in section titled Latest Results).
Read more at: [Track & Field News]
Dwain Chambers Wins Silver Medal, Vows To “Do It Clean”
After his silver-medal-winning finish at the 2008 World Indoor Championships, Dwain Chambers has vowed to “put out a new script that you can do it clean.” He is getting the word out in an anti-drug campaign in which he will “start going into schools, use myself as an example to talk to kids to not go down the road I took.”
Read more at: [Times Online, UK]
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TFS News Briefs: 3/06/08
Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

Epic Battle Shaping Up Between Pistorius and IAAF
Armed with a new set of results that contradicts the IAAF’s, Oscar Pistorius is confident about winning the appeal of his suspension. The IAAF is standing by their decision.
Read more at: [Times Online, UK][Sports Illustrated]
IAAF Defends Dwain Chambers
The IAAF is defending drug cheat Dwain Chambers’ right to compete. IAAF president Lamine Diack said, “I won’t make a special case out of this. When we have rules, we respect them.”
Read more at: [Sports Illustrated]
Article Focuses On Alicia Shay’s Beijing Pursuit
An article focusing on Alicia Shay’s pursuit of her Olympic dream in honor of her late husband Ryan is featured on InsideBayArea.com
Read more at: [InsideBayArea.com]
Photo courtesy of Alicia Shay.
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TFS News Briefs: 2/13/2008
Posted February 13th, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Pistorius Launches Appeal
Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee (both legs below the knees) who was banned from competing against able-bodied athletes by the IAAF because they were said to offer him a physiological advantage, has launched an appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport. His goal is to qualify for the Olympics in the 400m dash.
Read more at: [The Press Association]
British MP’s Say Cheats Should Be Banned For Life
Members of the British Parliament are weighing in on the recent decision to allow Dwain Chambers to compete again after a two-year suspension. MP Hugh Robertson said, “once somebody has taken drugs and been found out, that should be it.”
Read more at: [Kent Online, UK]
Coe: Cheats Aren’t “Sucked In” But Are “Absolutely Complicit”
Lord Sebastian Coe, twice an Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain, doesn’t buy cheating athletes’ arguments that they weren’t aware of what they were doing when they took drugs, sating, “I do not accept there are any circumstances where athletes like Dwain Chambers are sucked into something without being absolutely complicit.”
Read more at: [Times Online, UK]
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TFS News Briefs: 2/12/08
Posted February 12th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

UK Athletics Allows Chambers to Compete But Is Not Happy About It
UK Athletics, the governing body of British Track & Field will allow previously-banned sprinter Dwain Chambers to compete in the IAAF World Indoor Championships. The relented after Chambers threatened a lawsuit; however, they are not happy about it and have issued a strongly-worded statement expressing their displeasure.
Read more at: [Yorkshire Post, UK]
Hall Won’t Compete in World X-C Championships
Ryan Hall, in a phone call to the New York Track Writers Association, told them that he would not compete in the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships (Edinburgh, Scotland, March 30th) if he were to qualify, saying,” I don’t think I would go because I don’t think it would fit into my [London Marathon] buildup.” Since Hall was probably a shoe in, that leaves one extra slot for a determined runner who might not otherwise make the team.
Read more at: [NY Times]
WCSN Has Impressive 2008 Schedule
WCSN has an impressive lineup of track & field and cross-country events, including the IAAF World Track & Field Indoor Championships (3/7-3/9 in Valencia, Spain), the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (3/30 in Edinburgh, Scotland) and a host of IAAF Super Grand Prix, Grand Prix and Permit meetings throughout the year.
Read more at: [WCSN]
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TFS News Briefs: 2/11/08
Posted February 11th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Shocker! Big Brother Backs Gag Order
Who would have thought it? The Beijing Olympic organizing committee agrees with the British Olympic Committee’s zero-tolerance gag order on political protests. Free speech bad. Big Brother good.
Read more at: [Citizen, South Africa]
Dwain Chambers Controversy Intensifies
British sprinter Dwain Chambers, banned for 2 years for doping but now trying for a comeback, is at the center of a controversy that is forcing UK Athletics (the British governing body for track and field) to make some tough decisions. Should he be allowed back on Team Britain?
Read more at: [Google News]
Team USA Bringing Their Own Food To Beijing
The US Olympic Team, trying to avoid tainted and steroid-laden food frequently found in China, is brining its own caterer with it to Beijing.
Read more at: [NY Times]
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TFS News Briefs: 1/30/08
Posted January 30th, 2008 at 1:17 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

IAAF Overrides British Governing Body Ruling
British sprinter Dwain Chambers got support from the IAAF when UK Athletics ruled him ineligible for a “comeback” because of a 2003 positive test for steroids. In a messy dispute that could end up in court, UKA is sticking to a ruling stating that retired athletes must undergo a year of negative tests. The IAAF, however, is stating that they never received an official retirement letter, so the rule does not apply to him unless UKA can produce such a letter.
Read more at: [Times Online, UK][Athletics Weekly][More]
Michael Johnson Backs IAAF’s Pistorius Ban
Michael Johnson, the retired 400m world-record holder, agrees with the IAAF’s decision to ban double-amputee Oscar Pistorius because his prosthetic legs (dubbed “Cheetahs”) offer him an “unfair advantage” over other athletes. “If he was racing at the same time as me,” Johnson said, “I would also think the same thing.”
Read more at: [The Tide]
Wariner and Legendary Coach Hart Ways
Clyde Hart, Baylor’s legendary coach who trained Michael Johnson, has parted ways with current 400m world champion Jeremy Wariner after a contract dispute in which Wariner sought to reduce the coach’s percentage. Sanya Richards will continue to train under Hart.
Read more at: [Waco Tribune]
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Banned track star Dwain Chambers aims for NFL
Posted January 11th, 2007 at 1:43 PM by Jennifer Lipman
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Drugs In Sports
After being banned from track competition in 2003, Dwain Chambers has recently come out with his decision to pursue a career in the NFL, following in the steps of his role model, Renaldo Nehemiah.
Chambers tested positive for THG, a banned anabolic steroid, and was banned from track in October of 2003. The UK 4X100m relay team he ran for also lost their silver medals from the World Championships that same year.
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Powell Equals 100m Record, Co-World Record Holders to Race on July 28
Posted June 11th, 2006 at 7:32 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
With a time of 9.77 seconds at the British Grand Prix on June 11th, Asafa Powell tied the record he originally set last June in Athens. This record is of course also shared with Olympian Justin Gatlin who tied Powell in Qatar on May 12th (In case you missed that click here for details).
Michael Frater of Jamaica finished second followed by Dwain Chambers. This was the first race for Chambers since his two-year suspension for the drug THG.
Although Powell performance was once again spectacular, fans and the running community was unable to see the highly anticipated Gatlin-Powell match-up because of contract issues.
However, stayed tuned for the July 28th London Grand Prix where the two will finally face off in the 100m. This should, barring any setbacks, be the most electrifying race of the summer.
Source: [NY Post]
Picture from: [Herald Sun]





The Final Sprint
On September 6, 2008
Jeff said:
Ryan, I too would have loved to have witnessed you win the Gold. Perhaps that was just not in His plan...