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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

TFS News Briefs: 3/29/08

Posted March 29th, 2008 at 1:45 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Coe Blames Athletes and Coaches, Not Federations, For Cross-Country’s Decline
A report in UK’s Guardian continues the recent discussion about the decline of European decline in cross-country. IAAF President Lamine Diack called Germany’s one-woman delegation (Susanne Hahn) “shameful.” (However, I must say that mad props should go to Hahn!) IAAF VP Sebastian Coe, the unparalleled middle-distance runner who won 4 Olympic medals and set 11 world records (8 outdoors/3 indoors), blamed the individual athletes and coaches, whom he said “don’t see it… You rarely find anyone at a European level now who sees a correlation from cross country to track.”
Read more at: [Guardian, UK]

African Showcase In Edinburgh
Speaking of cross-country, the 11th hour until the big race is upon us. At 9:45am Sunday morning (EST) (9:05 for the women’s race) the Africans will toe the line in Edinburgh, Scotland to take their 22nd world championship in a row at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Among the favorites are 2006 winner Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, defending champ Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda and a whole host of Kenyan runners, including Gideon Ngatuny. The lone non-African contender is Craig Mottram of Australia. In the women’s race, Tirunesh Dibaba hopes to join Bekele in an Ethiopian sweep.
Read more at: [IAAF][Peninsula On-line, Qatar]

Speaking of Mottram…
That’s all we can do because he’s certainly not doing any speaking for himself. He has initiated his usual pre-race lock-out of the media in order to prepare for the race. Benita Johnson, Mottram’s teammate and training partner, has joined him in the media ban. The Sydney Morning Herald states that the media ban is “self-imposed,” but taskmaster coach Nic Bideau must have a major say in the decision. Bideau told the media that “the interviews might make [Mottram] more famous and get him more sponsorship deals, but it’s not going to help him run better.”
Read more at: [Sydney Morning Herald][More Mottram]
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TFS News Briefs: 3/25/08

Posted March 25th, 2008 at 12:44 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Boston Marathon To Be Broadcast Live
VERSUS will broadcast the The 112th running of the Boston Marathon , which is the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world April 21st, 2008, which is Patriot’s Day. The broadcast runs from 8:00 AM to 3:00PM, Eastern time. Local station WBZ-TV will carry the event for the 28th year.
Read more at: [Runner’s Web]

WCSN To Stream Boston Marathon Live To International Audience
International audiences will have live, online access for the time ever to the Boston Marathon. The 112th running of the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world will be streamed live on WCSN.com on April 21st, 2008, which is Patriot’s Day.
Read more at: [Boston Herald]

Bernard Lagat: Still Obsessed With Olympic Gold
An excellent feature article in the NY Times finds Bernard Lagat obsessed with winning an Olympic Gold medal that he narrowly missed claiming by just 12/100ths of a second. He weighs in on the drug charges that have dogged him (but from which he was cleared) since 2002, saying, “I’m innocent, but how am I going to prove it?” Lagat also discusses the political situation in his birth country (Lagat is an American citizen) of Kenya, saying, “It’s so sad. You can’t kill a person because he votes for another party.”
Read more at: [NY Times]
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TFS News Briefs: 3/22/08

Posted March 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, TFS News Briefs, Masters

Preview Of Oregon Preview
Eugene, OR’s Register-Guard, arguably THE track & field newspaper, has a preview of the University of Oregon’s Oregon Preview track & field meet which will serve as the unveiling of the newly renovated Hayward Field, which arguably may be THE track & field stadium.
Read more at: [Register-Guard]

The Man Who Would Be King
Joseph Ebuya of Kenya is profiled in Kenya’s Standard. He is vying to upset the great Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia to become the 2008 world cross-country champion. “I want only gold,” he said. “I know that if we keep up with him from the first minute we have a chance of beating him.”
Read more at: [Standard, Kenya]

Show Me the Money!
Of course we all know that cross-country athletes are in it solely for financial gain, not for the love of the sport. Here’s an article on the IAAF detailing the prize money for the 36th IAAF World Cross-Country Championships which will be held on March 30th, 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Read more at: [IAAF]
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Torres. McGregor Lead USA World Cross Squads

Posted March 20th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Jorge Torres and Katie McGregor will lead the USA senior squads for the upcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 30, USA Track & Field announced yesterday.

Torres has been in fine form this winter season, running two cross country races in Europe before taking second at the USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego last month, and winning the USA Men’s 8-K Championship in New York City last Saturday. McGregor, whose family has Scottish roots, has had similar success this season, taking fourth at the national cross country meet and second at last Saturday’s invitational 8-K in New York City. She was also second at the USA 15-K Championships in Jacksonville, Fla., and fourth at the AT&T USA Indoor Championships at 3000m.
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TFS News Briefs: 3/17/08

Posted March 17th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, TFS News Briefs

Kenyans Prepare To Storm Edinburgh
Even though (or perhaps because) no individual Kenyan athlete has won the individual men’s title since 1999, if you were a betting person, then one of the 37 athletes on the Kenyan cross-country team going to Edinburgh, Scotland for the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships would be as sure a bet as any you could make.
Read more at: [IAAF]

NCAA Replay on ESPN2
If you’re a track fan, you know the drill. Just about any meet you watch on TV is going to be a delayed broadcast. The 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are no exception. Better late than never, though, right? You can catch them Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 4:00 PM on ESPN2.
Read more at: [ESPN Guide]

Gerbrselassie: No Sub Two-Hour Marathon
Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie said that “it’ll be hard to get under two hours in the next 20 years.” He also talked about Beijing’s pollution, which an analysis by the IOC has determined does pose some risk to athletes in outdoor endurance events.
Read more at: [IHT][AP]
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TFS News Briefs: 2/08/08

Posted February 8th, 2008 at 4:56 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Eugene Businesses Give Back to Track & Field
Local Eugene, OR Businesses are donating to 100 Meter Club and partnering with Eugene ‘08 in order to “ensure that the hundreds of volunteers and the local organizing committee are able to do what needs to be done to prepare for the Olympic Trials.”
Read more at: [Register Guard]

Interview With Olympic sprint coach Brooks Johnson
Legendary Olympic sprint coach Brooks Johnson, in an interview by the St. Petersburg Times, said that Marion Jones’ tragedy was “unnecessary.” He also said that “at some point even a dirty world record will be exceeded by somebody who’s clean.”
Read more at: [SP Times]

Frank Shorter To Guest-Speak in NC
Running icon Frank Shorter will be the guest speaker at the Twin City Track Club in Winston-Salem, NC on March 1st to help the running club celebrate their 30th anniversary.
Read more at: [Winston-Salem Journal]
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