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Lead Stories: Monday, October 13, 2008

In Failure, Xiang’s Sad Story Exemplifies True Olympic Lesson

Posted August 18th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The 95,000 fans who packed into Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and exploded with cheers when native son and 2004 gold medalist Liu Xiang was announced, groaned just as loudly only moments later when he withdrew from heat 6 of today’s 110 meter hurdles.

Xiang was limping and wincing in pain as he lined up for his first race after months of battling foot and hamstring injuries. Then, after a false start was called on the field, he came out of the blocks hobbling and proceeded to rip off his race number. As Xiang walked off the National Stadium track and into the tunnel, the reality of the nightmare scenario set-in: the national hero of the world’s most populated country would leave their own Olympic Games without a medal.

Sun Haiping, Xiang’s personal coach, broke down several times during the post-race press conference and cited a pre-existing, chronic foot injury as the cause of the withdrawal. While that may be true, I have to wonder whether the pressure of having more than a billion people expecting absolutely nothing less than a gold medal may have led to the type of overtraining that would exasperate such an injury.

Tonight marks a sad ending to a sad story for Liu Xiang, a truly phenomenal athlete who seemed almost destined for disaster by being forced on the impossible quest for perfection.
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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles

Posted August 13th, 2008 at 5:30 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

110 Meter Hurdles

The Schedule: heats, Monday Aug 18; quarterfinals, Tuesday Aug 19; semifinals, Wed Aug 20; finals, Thursday Aug 21
The Americans: #1 David Oliver, #3 Terrence Trammell, #9 David Payne
The Contenders: #2 Dayron Robles (CUB), #13 Xiang Liu (CHN)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Robles, Xiang, Oliver;
SI - Robles, Xiang, Trammell
The Story: This event is stacked. In 2008 Dayron Robles set the World Record, ran three of the seven fastest times ever, lost just once (by .01 seconds), and is only a sidelight in a feature-length Sports Illustrated article on his rival. That rival, Liu Xiang, has the weight of 1.3 billion Chinese squarely on his wide shoulders. And American American Oliver has been running so well that he’s challenging for the overall World Points Standings lead when all events are combined. Forget the 100, 1500, decathlon or marathon: this is the race of the 2008 Olympics, and if Xiang wins the country will erupt (and scare its totalitarian government to death).
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The Week in the Rear View: Racing News June 2 - June 8

Posted June 10th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, Olympics, Drugs In Sports, Week in Rear View

The Week In the Rear View is a weekly column wrapping up the week’s events in running and track & field. I am normally found at PreraceJitters.com, writing about the fast life of track and field.

This was a week that saw records drop. The Prefontaine Classic is one of the hallowed places in the United States to host a track and field meet. The standing ovation for Maria Mutola was griping. The track great won her 16th and final Pre Classic 800. One track expert I spoke with on the phone after the meet summed it up best saying, “The fans at Pre really get it. They really get the sport.”

Jeremy Wariner did more than “bounce back” from the rare loss to LaShawn Merritt in Berlin last week. The Olympic and World Champion ran 43.98 in the IAAF Golden League Meet in Oslo on Friday. Some of the pundits may have forgotten that Michael Johnson lost to Frankie Fredricks in the 200 after the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials and before going on to run 19.32 the Olympics Games.

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Walker breaks AR, Mutola wins for 16th time at Nike Prefontaine Classic

Posted June 8th, 2008 at 11:34 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Meet records fell across all event groups, none bigger than Brad Walker’s American record in the pole vault, and Maria Mutola had a historic exit Sunday at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

The fourth event of USATF’s Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic drew a meet-record 14,221 fans to Hayward Field, site of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field June 27-July 6. They were treated to a formidable show, including no fewer than eight meet records and Walker’s AR.

The 2007 world champion, Walker looked magnificent throughout the competition. He had just one miss, at his opening height of 5.70m/18-8.25, then passed to 5.90m/19-4.25, which he cleared on his first attempt and which won the competition for him. Walker then elevated the bar to 6.04m/19-9.75. On his very first attempt, he cleared, brushing the bar just a bit, but leaving it up.
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TFS News Briefs: 6/03/2008

Posted June 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, TFS News Briefs

Fleshman’s Feat Overshadowed By Bolt’s Record
The track world is abuzz with talk of Usain Bolt’s sizzling 100m world record of 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix, but Lauren Fleshman brought some heat of her own that day, winning the women’s 5000m in 14:58.48, the 8th fastest time ever run by an American.
More: The Register-Guard, OR

Bislett Games to Host Greatest Female Steeplechase Ever?
Oslo, Norway’s Bislett Games have long been known for their premier event, the “Dream Mile.” This year, the “Dream Steeplechase” is loaded with talent and threatens to overshadow it. World-record holder Gulnara Samitova-Galkina takes on Yekaterina Volkova, Tatyana Petrova and Eunice Jepkorir, who finished 1-2-3 at the Osaka world championships
More: IAAF


Coach: Liu Xiang Not Injured
Although world and Olympic champion and world-record holder Liu Xiang withdrew from the Reebok Grand Prix 110m hurdles this past weekend, his coach Sun Haiping claims that move was precautionary and not due to an injury.
More: Yahoo! Eurosport, UK
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The Week in the Rear View: Racing News May 26 – June 1

Posted June 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, Week in Rear View

The Week In the Rear View is a weekly column wrapping up the week’s events in running and track & field. I am normally found at PreraceJitters.com, writing about the fast life of track and field.

Everyone in the track world is talking about Usain “Lightening” Bolt. He shut ‘em down—literally! Bolt quieted his critics with a 9.72 seconds World Record performance with World Champion Tyson Gay in the race. Tyson Gay looked in good shape for this time of season running 9.85, which was good enough for second. Doesn’t that sound crazy? Bolt is now the favorite in Beijing, but two months is certainly a long time from now.

You could call it the law of averages. The Jeremy Wariner vs. LaShawn Merritt race in Berlin resulted in the end of Wariner’s winning streak that dates back to 2005. Merritt was superb. He executed a perfect race strategy to deliver the win. Before the media writes the early demise of Wariner, it should be noted that he isn’t in top shape, not yet—that will be in Beijing.

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Distance Races Also Thrill At Reebok Grand Prix

Posted June 1st, 2008 at 3:46 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

It is true that most of the 6,000-plus spectators who filled Ichan Stadium here, especially the 1,000 or so Jamaicans, came to see explosive sprinters like Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix. Their cheers, deafening during the sprints, were largely lacking during the distance events, despite the entreaties of RRW’s favorite meet announcer Scott Davis.

However, some exciting sprint finishes in the longer races did get the crowds on their feet, in particular the finish of the men’s 5000m where Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya and Ali Abdosh of Ethiopia duked it out on the final 100m, the first race after a 45 minute delay caused by a heavy thunderstorm. The pair were running close to 13-flat pace throughout the race, and it took a 56-second final 400m by Kosgei to lock down the win by just 4/100ths of a second, 13:14.46 to 13:14.50. Abdosh was sprinting so fast in the final meters he nearly fell as he crossed the finish line.

“I thought the sprint was fantastic,” said a beaming Kosgei. “I was really strong.”
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2008 Reebok Grand Prix Preview

Posted May 31st, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With the 2008 IAAF Golden League kicking off in Berlin this weekend, outdoor track is in full swing. This being an Olympic year, every major meet from here on out can offer a piece of what the final Olympic track & field puzzle might look like. The 2008 Reebok Grand Prix, which begins tonight, May 31, 2008, at at 5:00pm in Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, NY, is no exception. Here are some quick glimpses into many of the events that will be held tonight:

100m

Men: Fresh off a sizzling 9.76 (just 0.02 slower than Asafa Powell’s world record), Usain Bolt will face World Champion Tyson Gay, who is facing some pre-Olympic jitters. Both men are fully capable of blowing their starts, which would offer Shawn Crawford and Xavier Carter some hope. There’s an A race and a B race. That’s always a letdown, isn’t it?

Women: Loaded with stellar American and Jamaican sprinters, this race should be a preview of the Olympic final: Veronica Campbell Brown, Lauryn Williams, Allyson Felix, Torri Edwards, more.

200m

Men: Wallace Spearmon is the only man in the race to have broken 20 seconds. It’s his race for the taking.

Women: Lashauntea Moore, the 9th fastest 200m runner of 2007 (22.46) faces Muna Lee, the 2nd fastest in the world (22.30) from 2008 and Shalonda Solomon, the 7th fastest in the world (22.36) in 2006. Keep an eye out for University of Texas freshman Bianca Knight, who turned pro this year after running a fabulous 22.40.
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The Week in the Rear View: Racing News May 19-25, 2008

Posted May 26th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, Olympics, Week in Rear View

This is my first of what will be many weekly columns wrapping up the goings on in track and field. I am normally found at PreraceJitters.com, writing about the fast life of track and field.

This week the Trevor Graham trial had the full attention of track and field. So far, the trial has been a train wreck. Angela Heredia testified how he gave multiple drugs to Marion Jones before the 2000 Games. Antonio Pettigrew testified under oath that it was EPO and HGH that allowed him to run sub-44 seconds. Consequently, Pettigrew’s testimony puts the 4×400 meter relays teams of the 2000 Olympics and 2001 World Championships in jeopardy of losing their medals. Dennis Mitchell took the stand and testified Graham injected him twice with HGH. Jerome Young also testified that he took banned drugs.

On the track, Liu Xiang flew over the 110 hurdles in 13.13 at the warm up meet held at the Bird Nest in Beijing before the Olympic Games. The time marks Xiang’s fastest of the season, and the second fastest time run overall this year.

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TFS News Briefs: 4/16/08

Posted April 16th, 2008 at 2:50 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Liu Campbell and Williams to Headline Reebok Grand Prix
Lauren Williams will square off against Veronica Campbell-Brown and Liu Xiang will defend his hurdles title at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31st, 2008 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York. All three are expected to contend for gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Read more at: [Reebok Grand Prix]

Ryan Hall Earns USA TODAY Olympic Athlete of the Week Award
Ryan Hall seems to have won the hearts and minds of the mainstream media after his dazzling 2:06:17 PR at the London Marathon this past weekend. Hall won out over “soccer player Natasha Kai, swimmer Ryan Lochte and beach volleyball tandem Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.”
Read more at: [USA Today]

New Zealand Selects Lean & Mean Beijing Track Team
Two Kiwi marathoners who have met the Olympic “A” standard have not been selected for the New Zealand Olympic team. Athletics New Zealand secretary-general Barry Maister defended the decision, saying that they “would only select athletes who made the A standard and not only that but meet it consistently and in major events.”
Read more at: [New Zealand Herald]
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