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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

TFS News Briefs: 12/18/07

Posted December 18th, 2007 at 12:16 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

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

Radcliffe: “Move Forward in the Fight Against Doping”
British marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe is backing the IAAF’s tough anti-doping measures 100%, saying, “track and field is probably one of the most stringent in the anti-doping department and because we do that, you’re going to catch people - which makes it look like a dirty sport.” Read more at: [Sportinglife.com]

Liu Xiang Begins Closed-Door Winter Training
Liu Xiang, who must be feeling the weight of a nation on his shoulders, has begun a closed-door winter training campaign that will allow him to focus “100 percent of his attention towards preparation” for running the 110m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Chinese superstar is his country’s best hope for a gold medal in track & field on home soil. Read more at: [China Daily]

Kenyan Runner to Buy Farm with Prize Money
Hillary Bett, the Kenyan runner who won Sunday’s 2007 ING Taipei International Marathon with a time of 2:17:09, will use part of his prize money (about $20,000) to buy a farm in Kenya.
Read more at: [The China Post]
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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

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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On the Road & Around the Track: TFS News Briefs September 18, 2007

Posted September 18th, 2007 at 3:32 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, TFS News Briefs

New York City Marathon: Women’s Competition Intensifies
As if a New York City Marathon field that included returning top three Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, Tatiana Hladyr of Ukraine and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya wasn’t enough, now Gete Wami of Ethiopia, Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia, and Tegla Loroupe of Kenya have announced that they will be competing on November 4th. They will be competing for a prize of $130,000 plus a Toyota Prius. Read more at: [IAAF] [ING NYC Marathon]

Steve Cram Calls IAAF World Athletics Final “Pointless and Bemusing”
In a Guardian Unlimited article critical of the IAAF’s current race structure, British miling legend Steve Cram is calling for a makeover of not only the World Athletics Final, but also the Golden League and even the World Championships. Read more at: [Guardian Unlimited]

World Athletics Final Previews: Throws and Jumps
Previews of the Jumps and the Throws at the World Athletics Final this weekend in Stuttgart, Germany are available on the IAAF World Athletics Final website. Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell, Stefan Holm, Blanka Vlasic and Yelena Isinbayeva are some of the key field-event athletes going into the meet. Read more at: [IAAF WAF07]
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Greatest Combined 800m/1500m Runners of All-Time?

Posted July 30th, 2007 at 2:52 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With Alan Webb’s noteworthy 800m and 1500m times this season, I thought it’d be interesting to find out how he ranked on the all-time list of combined 800m/1500m times.

To be considered for inclusion on this list, a runner must have run both a sub-1:45 outdoor 800m and a sub-3:35 outdoor 1500m. I did an analysis and discovered that only 41 runners in history belong to this elite club, including Webb, who ranks 12th. Included in this club are 14 Kenyans, 5 Brits, 4 Americans, 3 Bahrainis, 3 Frenchmen and 2 Sudanese. Here they are, in order:

Rank. Name (Country) Combined 800m/1500m Time
1. Sebastian Coe (GBR) 5:11.50
2. Mehdi Baala (FRA) 5:12.13
3. Noureddine Morceli (ALG) 5:12.16
4. Steve Cram (GBR) 5:12.55
5. Noah Ngeny (KEN) 5:12.61
6. William Chirchir (KEN) 5:12.62
7. Rachid Ramzi (BRN) 5:13.19
8. Saïd Aouita (MAR) 5:13.32
9. Laban Rotich (KEN) 5:13.56
10. William Tanui (KEN) 5:13.88
11. Abdi Bile (SOM) 5:14.15
12. Alan Webb (USA) 5:14.38
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Alan Webb Breaks Steve Scott’s American Mile Record

Posted July 23rd, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Three-time U.S. 1,500m champion Alan Webb on Saturday broke the American record in the mile, clocking 3:46.91 at the Atletiek Vlaanderenmeet in Brasschaa, Belgium. The mark breaks the record of 3:47.69 set by National Track & Field Hall of Famer Steve Scott in 1982 and makes Webb the eighth-fastest man in history, behind Hicham El Guerrouj, Noah Ngeny, Noureddine Morceli, Steve Cram, Daniel Komen, Venuste Niyongabo and Said Aouita.

Webb’s agent, Ray Flynn, reports unofficial quarter-mile splits for Webb during the race as 56.1, 57.4, 56.8 and 56.2.

Held on a 6-lane track, Saturday’s race is part of a career-best year for Webb. In February, he won his first U.S. indoor title in the mile before going on a tear during the outdoor season. On April 28, he ran 3:51.71 to break Scott’s mile record at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. On June 24 in Indianapolis, he ran 3:34.82 in the 1,500 to break Scott’s meet record at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships, where Webb won his third career national title.
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Webb Breaks American Record in the Mile

Posted July 21st, 2007 at 5:18 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Alan Webb of Reston, Va., broke one of America’s most venerated sports records today when he scorched a 3:46.91 mile in a low-key meet in Brasschaat, Belgium tonight, breaking Steve Scott’s 25 year-old record of 3:47.69 set in Oslo in 1982.

“It was awesome,” said Webb by telephone just after setting the record. Then he joked, “I think I have the world record for the least number of spectators.”

His manager, Ray Flynn, estimated that there were between 500 and 1000 people at the track which is set in a forest, bordered by tall trees.

Running in windless and comfortably warm conditions, Webb knocked off approximate quarters of 56.1, 57.4, 56.8 and 56.2, according to Flynn.

“It’s just really been a tremendous year,” Webb continued, pointing out that he still has a long career in front of him. “I’m not done. I’m only 24.”
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Cram says Kenya fans showed “unacceptable levels of animosity” at XC Champs

Posted April 3rd, 2007 at 2:41 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Writing for The Guardian newspaper last week, Steve Cram said he was offended by the poor sportsmanship shown by the Kenyan fans at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships when Kenenisa Bekele, overcome by the heat and humidity, was forced to drop out of the race.

“In a week when fanaticism in sport has been under the microscope for all the wrong reasons, the World Cross Country championships in Mombasa on Saturday served up a distasteful example of sporting rivalry prompting unacceptable levels of animosity,” wrote Cram, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist at 1500m.
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