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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

In Between Eugene Will be Des Moines

Posted December 13th, 2007 at 9:54 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Eugene, Ore., will host the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008, and the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2009 and 2011. In between, USATF announced today, the national championship meet will move to Des Moines, Iowa, home of Drake University and the Drake Relays.

“For several years, we have wanted to bring one of our premiere events to Drake Stadium,” USATF CEO Masback said in a prepared statement. “The Drake Relays is truly a community event with phenomenal fan support, and that community spirit shone through in Des Moines’ bid. We look forward to building a very strong partnership with local organizers for what will be an outstanding 2010 USA Outdoor Championships.”

Drake Stadium will get a $15 million renovation for the championships. “We envisioned that the facility would make Drake and Des Moines the Midwest capital of track and field,” Drake President David Maxwell said. “This event is a huge plus not only for Drake but also Des Moines and Iowa as a whole.”

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Track “Super-Vet’s” Still Eyeing Beijing Olympics

Posted October 17th, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Merlene Ottey 38-year-old Russian Sprint star, Irina Privalova, has announced her plan to qualify for Beijing next year.

The World Indoor 60m and 300m record holder plans to focus on the 100m distance for Beijing, while also competing in indoor races at 60m. Privalova took the 100m bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, and now, 16 years on, she is fairly confident that she is in good enough condition to be a challenge again,

“I’m in full preparation, no health problems, but we will see depending on my results how realistic my plans are.”

At 39-years-old, Privalova would still have a nine year advantage over Slovenia’s Sprinting Super-Vet, Merlene Ottey, who has also not ruled out an appearance in Beijing, a feat that would mark the incredible Slovenian’s 8th Olympic Games!
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TFS News Briefs: 10/10/07

Posted October 10th, 2007 at 7:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

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

TFS News Briefs Logo
marion jones admits to doping pleads guilty returns olympic medals USOC seeks medals from Jones’ relay-mates
Now that Marion Jones has returned her Olympic medals in the wake of her doping admission, the United States Olympic Committee has also asked Marion Jones’ relay teammates to return their medals and promised a “completely clean” U.S. squad in 2008. The USOC request, Jones’ admission and the IOC’s pending decision on how to redistribute the medals has caused a fury of editorials, objections and controversy.
Here is a sampling of related articles and opinion pieces:
Jones’ relay teammate wants to keep bronze medal — Canadian Press
Time to target coaches, doctors and agents — Guardian (Steve Cram)
Ottey to pick up extra medal — Yahoo! Sports
Jones could’ve broken open sports scam — Seattle Times

Culpepper aims to repeat at U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
Alan Culpepper, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team, is looking to replicate his success at the Nov. 3 Trials in NYC. In regards to the new loop-course, Culpepper said, “I was fairly shocked when I saw the course; it (the hilly Central Park course) is going to be hard. I am doing more race-pace effort on hilly terrain this time.”
Read more at: [Daily Camera]
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Another superlative looms for Osaka-bound Ottey

Posted August 9th, 2007 at 1:49 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

As soon as she steps to the track for the opening round of the 100m on Sunday, August 26, Merlene Ottey will, yet again be making history. At 47, the Jamaican-born Slovenian sprinter will become the oldest female competitor ever at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, after being named to the Slovenian squad for Osaka. It will be her eighth appearance at the global championships.

The record she’ll surpass is currently held by Briton Joyce Smith, who competed in the marathon at the inaugural world championships in 1983 when 45 years, 285 days old. But Ottey will most certainly be the only athlete in Osaka who also competed at those first world championships in Helsinki nearly 24 years ago, when she finished second in the 200m and fourth in the 100m for her native Jamaica. She later went on to capture world titles over the longer sprint in 1993 and 1995; in all she’s collected 10 individual and four relay medals in world championship competition, five more than the nearest competitor on the list of multiple medallists, American Jearl Miles Clark, who’s won nine.
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