TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

TFS News Briefs: 5/29/2008

Posted May 29th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Gatlin Hearing Concludes Today
Justin Gatlin’s hearing before the CAS concludes today in New York City. Gatlin hopes to have his 4-year suspension for a doping violation reduced to 2 years. If that happens, Gatlin would be eligible to compete at the US Olympic Trials which begin next month in Eugene, Oregon.
More: IHT

Nation’s fastest Preps to Compete in California State High School Championships
Ten of the fastest high school athletes in the United States are set to compete in this weekend’s California State High School Championships at Falcon Stadium, Cerritos College. Among the favorites are German Fernandez, who has the fastest 1600m/3200m times in the nation (4:05.57 and 8:45.08), as well as Christine Babcock, who ripped off an outstanding 4:35.57 1600m last week.
More: CIS

NCAA Division I Regional Meets to Be Held This weekend
The 4 NCAA Division I Regional meets will be held this weekend, May 30th and 31st, 2008. The East Regionals will be held at the Mike Long Track at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. The University of Arkansas hosts the Mid East Regional meet at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Midwest Regionals are at The University of Nebraska’s Ed Weir Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The West Regional meet will be run on the Cal State Northridge Track in Northridge, California. The winners from these meets will advance to the 2008 NCAA Championships which will be held in Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa from June 11th through the 14th.
More: NCAA
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

TFS News Briefs: 4/01/08

Posted April 1st, 2008 at 2:53 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Kenya’s Coach Accused Ethiopians Of Fielding Over-aged Ringers
According to an article on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s website, Kenyan Head Coach Julius Kirwa is accusing arch rivals Ethiopia of “age cheating.” Kirwas, the article states, had told journalists that the junior Kenyan teams had lost at the IAAF WOrld Cross Country Championships this past weekend because of injuries and “because their major opponents from Ethiopia were much older.”
Read more at: [Kenya Broadcasting Corporation]

Oscar Pistorius Will Have His Day In Court
Double amputee Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter who is banned from the Olympics because of an alleged advantage offered to him by his prosthetics, is set to appear before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest appeals court in international sport, on April 29th and 30th.
Read more at: [The Canadian Press]

Gatlin To Argue His Case Before CAS
Speaking of appeals by sprinters, Justin Gatlin is set to have his own day in court. The CAS has agreed to hear his case on May 28th and 29th. Gatlin is insisting that he never knowingly took steroids. A lift on his ban could allow him to compete at the US Olympic Trials in June and July.
Read more at: [The Canadian Press]
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

TFS News Briefs: 3/03/08

Posted March 3rd, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

IAAF Gives Track Fans A Chance to Chat Live With World-Class Athletes
The IAAF has a new feature on their website - you an now chat live with world-class athletes such as Yelena Isinbayeva, who will be available to chat this Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM (New York Time).
Read more at: [IAAF]

IAAF Asks That Gatlin Be Banned For 8 Years
The IAAF is not playing around with the Justin Gatlin case. They have asked the CAS to double Gatlin’s suspension to 8 years, which, in effect, would be a lifetime ban. Gatlin is seeking a reduction of his 4-year ban to 2 years, which would make him eligible for the Olympic Trials in June.
Read more at: [Guardian, UK]

Lady Aggies Are Big 12 Indoor Champs
Texas A&M, with 119.25 points, won the team title over Nebraska (95 points) and Texas (93 points) at the 2008 Big 12 Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships. Porscha Lucas won the 200m dash in 22.86 a world leading time and school record. Jessica Beard won the 400m dash in 52.61, a PR. The Lady Aggies also won the 4×400m relay in 3:36.45.
Read more at: [Big 12]
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

TFS News Briefs: 2/29/08

Posted February 29th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Beamon: 30 Foot Jump Coming “Sooner Than You Think”
The 61-year-old Bob Beamon, the namesake for the word “Beamonesque” after breaking the long jump world record in Mexico City in 1968 by a staggering 21 3/4″, told reporters this week that a 30 foot jump is possible. “I feel 30 feet is there,” Beamon said. “It’s probably coming sooner than you think.”
Read more at: [Philadelphia Daily News]

Justin Gatlin Launches Appeal
It’s official: Athens 100m gold medalist Justin Gatlin is appealing his doping suspension so that he can try to get reinstated in time for the Olympic Trials. The IAAF is siding with WADA, so the cards are stacked against him.
Read more at: [Google News]

Big 12 Indoor Championships Begin Today
The Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships begin today at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, NE. On the men’s side, 7 of the top 25 teams in the nation will be competing for the title, including #6 Oklahoma, #7 Texas and #10 Texas A&M. On the women’s side, 4 of the top 25 teams in the nation will be competing, including #6 Texas A&M and #10 Kansas.
Read more at: [Big 12]
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

TFS News Briefs: 2/27/08

Posted February 27th, 2008 at 12:45 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Drugs In Sports, TFS News Briefs

Heavy News Day At IAAF Website
The folks at the IAAF website have been busy today. There are 9 news items for you to read, including an article about the 51 USA athletes going to the world championships, plus profiles of the Chinese, Italian, Moroccan and German contingents.
Read more at: [USA][China][Italy][Morocco][Germany][IAAF]

World Indoor Championships: Greek Team Profile
The European Athletics site is quite busy, too, with a profile of the Greek team going to the World Indoor Championships, plus an article about how the World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland has set a participation record.
Read more at: [Greece][Edinburgh][European Athletics]

Mainstream Press Acknowledges US Distance-Running Resurgence
When the mainstream press finally gets wind of happenings in US distance running, you know there must be no doubt about it whatsoever. The Boston Globe has published a profile detailing the resurgence of US distance running, something the US running community has known for a long, long time.
Read more at: [Boston Globe]
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Track & Field: Weekly Preview

Posted January 26th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With three major international invitationals set for this weekend –Saturday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games, Saturday’s Norwich Union International in Glasgow, and the Russian Winter meet in Moscow on Sunday– TPR begins its peak-season weekly previews. Some of the expected key highlights:

In the Sprints…

Thus far in 2008 the major news in the sprints has been off the track, beginning with the New Year’s Day announcement by the US Anti-Doping Agency that Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin would have to sit out a four-year ban. (How’s that for setting the tone for the year?) Gatlin is appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. [For a recent interview Gatlin gave Reuters, please click here]

The most solid field of the weekend will be in Boston, where reigning world indoor champion Leonard Scott makes his ‘08 debut. Reigning US indoor champion DaBryan Blanton, and Leroy Dixon [Pictured], a 400m relay gold medallist last summer in Osaka, are also in the field.
Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments, add yours | Permalink

Gatlin Doping Ban Reduced to 4 Years; Ineligible for 2008 Olympic Title Defense

Posted January 1st, 2008 at 3:03 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Drugs In Sports

Earlier today The Washington Post reported that American sprinter Justin Gatlin’s doping ban had been reduced by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to four years.

Although the 25-year old sprinter had originally faced a possible eight-year ban, the reduction will not be enough to make him eligible to defend his Olympic 100m gold medal in Beijing.

The USADA announced that the ban, which had been reduced as a result of Gatlin’s help with the federal investigation of former coach Trevor Graham, will expire on May 24, 2010. Gatlin needed the ban reduced to two years in order to compete in the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials this June in Eugene, OR.

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Tyson Gay hopes to conduct 100m dash master class in London

Posted July 30th, 2007 at 12:42 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Tyson Gay will be taking a crack at Asafa Powell’s 100m dash world record time of 9.77 seconds this coming Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at London’s Crystal Palace venue in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix meet.

Powell has run the 100m Dash in 9.77 seconds three times, first doing so on June 14th, 2005 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.

Justin Gatlin has also posted a time of 9.77, but he is currently under a doping suspension, leaving questions as to the validity of his marks. His hearing for a reduction or lifting of his current 8-year ban is set for today.

Gay is having a breakthrough season, having run a time of 9.84 seconds in the 100m Dash and a time of 19.62 seconds in the 200m Dash. Both are world-leading times for 2007:
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

World record holder’s future depends on fast-approaching hearings

Posted June 2nd, 2007 at 12:39 PM by Courtney Albon

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

The arbitration hearing for Olympic Gold Medalist and world record holder Justin Gatlin is scheduled for July 30-31 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Based on lab results received in April 2006 at the Kansas Relays, Gatlin tested positive for testosterone or its precursors, Gatlin faces a possible eight year suspension. Such a long suspension could potentially keep him from expanding his career as a sprinter as he will be 32 in 2014-end of the eight year term.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Gatlin to challenge his eight-year suspension

Posted February 17th, 2007 at 2:00 AM by Richard Quinn

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

Olympic champion Justin Gatlin will look to challenge his eight year suspension in an upcoming arbitration hearing.

The USADA suspended Gatlin last year after he tested positive for testosterone and its precursors. Although, testosterone is naturally occurring, Gatlin’s levels were considered well beyond that of an average person and therefore deemed to be from a performance enhancing drug.

Gaitlin has insisted that he never, knowingly used a banned substance and is looking forward to the opportunity to clear his name. The USADA senior managing director and general counsel told Reuters that Gaitlin will be awarded this opportunity, saying:

“When Justin Gatlin accepted a positive test and a doping offence, part of the agreement was that he had the right, if he chose, to challenge only the eight-year suspension”

Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink