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Lead Stories: Thursday, November 20, 2008

5 Minutes With Finnish Javelin Thrower Tero Pitkämäki

Posted November 11th, 2007 at 7:00 AM by J. R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

European Athletics recently spent 5 minutes with the Waterford Crystal European male Athlete of the Year, the humble, yet quietly competitive Javelin thrower, whose Osaka gold medal made him a Finish national hero… Tero Pitkämäki.

EA: Not many people know this about me but…

TP: I ran a marathon in 2004.

EA: You know me as an athlete but in another life I’d be…

TP: an astronaut.

EA: The most surprising thing that ever happened to me was…

TP: being voted the European Athlete of the Year.

EA: The best bit of my body is…

TP: my eyes.
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Four alive in $1 million Golden League Jackpot chase

Posted July 9th, 2007 at 10:15 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Following their victories in Paris on Friday night, four athletes remained alive in the chase for the $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot.

Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, Americans Sanya Richards (400m) and Michelle Perry (100m hurdles) and javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki of Finland are still in the hunt for a share of the $1 million prize pot, with continues on Friday night at the Golden Gala Kinder+Sport meeting in Rome.
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Webb’s 1500m win the Highlight in Paris

Posted July 8th, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With a brilliant display of assertive racing, Alan Webb powered to a 3:30.54 victory in the 1500 this weekend to highlight the Meeting Gaz de France Paris-St. Denis; the second stop on the six-meet IAAF Golden League series.

Running aggressively from the outset, the 24-year-old three-time American champion never lost control of the race, despite the relatively brisk pace.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” Webb said, explaining his decision to run near the front from the gun despite the pre-race plan for a 2:47 split through 1200 meters. “I could have been in fifth place and it would have been hard.”
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Men’s 1500 the key attraction as IAAF Golden League resumes in Paris

Posted July 6th, 2007 at 11:17 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

For the crowd of 65,000 that is expected to turn out for tonight’s Meeting Gaz de France, one event will stand head and shoulders above the rest –the men’s 1500, which features French star Mehdi Baala squaring off against American Bernard Lagat.

Baala, the world leader after his solo 3:31.05 in Strasbourg last week, apparently doesn’t mind the pressure. In fact, he added to it yesterday when declaring that he’ll be chasing his own national record of 3:28.98 set in 2003.

Lagat, who will be making his ninth straight appearance here, is pleased that the spotlight will be focused elsewhere.
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14:16.63 World Record for Defar in Oslo

Posted June 16th, 2007 at 9:10 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Running in still and near perfect conditions, Meseret Defar smashed the world record in the 5000 meters to highlight the ExxonMobil Bislett Games in Oslo.

“No, I had no doubts,” the reigning Olympic champion said after knocking nearly eight seconds from her own world mark with a phenomenal 14:16.63 run.

“I didn’t think I would break the record by such a big margin, but I was aiming under 14:20. So I think I did a good job.”

Her record-breaking margin was the largest in the event in more than two decades, dating back to the Zola Budd-Ingrid Kristiansen rivalry when the record was slashed by more than 10 seconds on a pair of occasions.
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