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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Gay, Powell Clash Set for London Grand Prix 7/25 - 7/26

Posted May 25th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

An eagerly anticipated 100m face off between World champion Tyson Gay of the U.S. and world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica has been set for the Aviva London Grand Prix on July 25-26, organizers announced.

With both sprinters gearing up for the Olympic Games, the race at London’s Crystal Palace will likely be their only face-to-face prior to Beijing.

“London will be very crucial for me,” said Gay, who last year stormed to World titles at both the 100 and 200m in Osaka. “It is one of the biggest meets of the year right now and that is where it is going down between myself and Asafa. He has the title of being the World record holder and I have the title of being the World champion, and I think that is really good for the sport.”
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USATF Comments on the Retirement of Maurice Greene

Posted February 5th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Three-time World Outdoor 100m champion and 2000 Olympic 100m and 4×100m gold medalist Maurice Greene announced his retirement from track and field Monday in Beijing, China.

Recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, Greene won the 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay gold medals at the 1999 World Outdoor Championships in Seville, Spain. In so doing he became the second sprinter ever to defend the 100m world title and the first to ever to accomplish the 100m/200m sprint double at a World Championships. The 1999 World Indoor champion at 60 meters, Greene owns the world record in that event, and his former world 100m record of 9.79 seconds set June 16, 1999 in Athens, Greece, remains the American record.

The 2000 Olympic Trials 100m winner and Olympic gold medalist, Greene also won the 100m at the 2004 Olympic Trials, and later won the 100m bronze medal at the Games in Athens, where he also won a silver medal in the 4×100m relay.
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5 Minutes With 400m World Champion Christine Ohuruogu

Posted December 2nd, 2007 at 7:30 PM by J. R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

European Athletics recently spent 5 minutes with British 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu. Although no stranger to public scrutiny, this soulful 23-year-old sprinter has proven she can be tough in the face of adversity, learning from her past mistakes and rising again to tackle new challenges.

If hanging on to faith doesn’t work for this British World Champion then there is always the pizza/ chips/ kebab combo to keep her on track!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is the weekend again, so get yourselves comfortable, and prepare to spend the next 5 minutes with Osaka’s shock 400m Champion. Britain’s quietly confident, yet controversial Sprint-star, a young lady with a deep faith, a love of music and a longing to teach…

EA:If I wasn’t doing this now I’d be…

CO:Teaching.

EA:A phrase I use too often is…

CO:I will sort something out.

EA:My ideal night out is …

CO:Dressing up and going out with my friends.

EA:In moments of weakness I …

CO:Pray silently.

EA:The best age to be is …

CO:The age that you are.

EA:The best bit of my body is…

CO:I try to like every part! I am thankful everything works okay.

EA:The worst bit is…

CO:None.

EA:My most disgusting habit is…

CO:Pick at my nails.

EA:I drive…

CO:A Toyota Yaris.

EA:A book that changed me was…

CO:Lots of books have helped me out.

EA:The person who influenced me most is…

CO:My coaches.

EA:Last piece of good advice someone gave me was…

CO:Hang to faith.

EA:When comfort eating I choose…

CO:Pizza, chips and kebabs!!

EA:When I was a child I wanted to be…

CO:A teacher.

EA:The soundtrack to my life is…

CO:I am more than a conqueror - Four Cornerz.

EA:The best invention ever is…

CO:Mp3 players.

EA:All my money goes on…

CO:Bills and debts.

EA:My most embarrassing moment was…

CO:It’s too embarrassing to say!!

EA:My biggest rival is…

CO:Everyone!

EA:Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?

CO:Culture vulture.

EA:What have you learned from your travels?

CO:Expect that it will be different when you travel and most of the time very much unlike home.

EA:Who is your ideal traveling companion?

CO:Anyika Onoura.

EA:What’s the first thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?

CO:Test the bed.

EA:When did you last cry and why?

CO:I cry all the time over the smallest things.

EA:Cat or dog?

CO:Cat.

EA:Skinny or curvy?

CO:Curvy.

EA:Kisses or cuddles?

CO:Cuddles.

EA:Salty or sweet?

CO:Sweet.

EA:Night in or party?

CO:Party.

EA:Cool or geeky?

CO:Cool.

EA:Give or receive?

CO:Give.

EA:Tattoos or piercings?

CO:Piercings.

EA:Tracksuit or jeans?

CO:Jeans.

EA:Winter or Summer?

CO:Summer.

EA:What song would you like played as you cross the finish line in a big race?

CO:Ha Ha! Eye of the Tiger.

EA:Will you stay involved in athletics when you retire?

CO:I would hope so.

EA:What’s the best after race / championship party you’ve ever been to?

CO:World Champs 2007.

Source: [European Athletics]

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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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In Points Chase, Wami Will do Both Berlin & New York

Posted September 18th, 2007 at 12:44 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Gete Wami already has three Olympic medals, but the 32 year-old Ethiopian is facing a unique challenge this fall which rivals winning an Olympic title: winning the first World Marathon Majors (WMM) series and the $500,000 prize which goes with it.

Wami will be lining up at the start of the real,- Berlin Marathon on Sept. 30 the heavy favorite for victory. Should she defend her title from last year when she ran a national record 2:21:34, she would be awarded 25 points in the both the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 WMM series championships. That would put her in sole possession of first place in the 2006/2007 series with 65 points, ten more than current leader Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia.

Then, 35 days later, Wami plans to start the ING New York City Marathon where she will face Prokopcuka, the two-time defending New York Champion. If Prokopcuka wins the race, scoring 25 points, she will be named series champion no matter what place Wami comes in even in the scenario where she they both have 80 points (ties are broken based on head-to-head meetings). However, if Wami defeats Prokopcuka she will win the $500,000 winner-take-all jackpot.
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Podcast 75: MICHELLE PERRY on her 2nd consecutive 100m hurdles World Championship

Posted September 3rd, 2007 at 6:24 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

Welcome to Episode 75 of The Final Sprint Podcast featuring my interview with American hurdler MICHELLE PERRY who successfully defended her 100m hurdles title and added to Team USA’s historic gold and overall medal count at the now concluded IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan

In the interview Michelle talks about surging for the lead in the last 10m and how it felt waiting for the official results of the extremely close race.

Download the podcast to hear Michelle discuss these topics, as well as, her advice for less experience runners, the keys to her consistency and dominance, how she stays busy and calm in the days before a race and what her second consecutive 100m hurdle World Championship means for her quest for Olympic gold.

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

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Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Michelle Perry
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File Size: 9.46 MB | Length: 9:14 MIN

Episode sponsored by: Bill Rodgers Sportswear
After 21 years Bill Rodgers Sportswear is closing out their line of high-quality running apparel. Visit shopfest.com to take advantage of an unprecedented 50% discount on all in-stock items!

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Gebrselassie sets sights on Berlin, world-record

Posted June 14th, 2007 at 12:42 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: News & Results, Marathons

After running 2:05:56 to clinch a first-place finish at the Berlin Marathon last year, Haile Gebrselassie will return to this year’s field and attempt another winning performance. No doubt intending to defend his title, the Ethiopian marathoner has his sights set on something more: a world record. While Gebrselassie currently holds the title of Berlin champion, the title of world champion has managed to escape him by mere seconds.

As the site of Gebrselassie’s personal best, Berlin has produced some of the marathons fastest finishes, most notable among them Paul Tergat’s world record 2:04:55 in 2003. Despite many attempts at the record, Tergat’s time—at least for now—remains unbeatable. This year however, Gebrselassie hopes to end the Kenyan’s four-year run as world record holder.
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