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Rio at the Close – Relays
At any point did Rio lost your attention? I didn’t think so! This was the sport at its best – great head to head competition. I can’t state that enough. When you put the best on the track we have the greatest sport on the planet – hands down. Of course, while there were several events contested over the final days, it was the relays that drew greatest attention. And as usual they lived up to the hype – in ways both good and bad! The relays give the fans a final look at many of the meets top performers, and national rivalries. Before going further, I must…
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Rio Update – Surprises
As the Games switched focus from speed (and Bolt) too other events, shock and surprise has become the order of the day! Just as the men’s 400 produced the most exciting result of the opening weekend, the women’s race produced one of Rio’s biggest shocks, as favorite Allyson Felix (49.51) was upset by the lunging/diving finish of Bahamian Shaunae Miller (49.44). While everyone has been focused on the diving finish of Miller, the truth is this race was never supposed to be this close. Felix routinely splits 48’s in the 4×4, and went 47.9 last year at Worlds. However, as the athletes went down the backstretch, and Felix lost…
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My Position on Justin Gatlin
Can someone, anyone, explain to me why Justin Gatlin is made out to be the devil of track and field? People are booing him in Rio. Sebastian Coe is praying he doesn’t win. Why? And the American media is the worst constantly bringing up his past – erroneously I might add. Funny, I haven’t heard ANYONE bringing up the fact that Michael Phelps was a dope smoking fiend that had to leave swimming for a while! No one, including Coe who is holier than thou when it comes to "doping and suspensions" has booed, wished ill of, or said that Shelley Ann Fraser Pryce, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, or Veronica…
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Rio Opening Weekend – 43.03 WR!
Finally, we got Olympic track and field! And despite all the negatives coming in, the athletes didn’t disappoint. Proving my constant point – there’s NOTHING that needs to be changed about track and field other than getting the best athletes on the track (and field). THAT is the challenge of the sport’s leaders – not trying to reinvent meets! With only three days in the books we’ve already seen two World Records and a plethora of national records. It started in the first final of the opening morning of competition in the women’s 10000 as Almaz Ayana blew away the field and the WR in a stunning 29:17.45! The next…
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How Will London’s Defending Champions Fare?
Heading into Rio will be several individuals that closed the deal and won gold in London. It’s been four long years since the national anthem played for these individuals. They will come to Rio 26th dreams of repeating that success. Who will be able to close the deal again four years later? Here’s my guess at how these London champions will do in Rio. Women’s 100 – Shelley Ann Fraser Pryce Fraser Pryce has had her way in the last TWO Olympic Games. Twice she’s parlayed her blazing start into easy gold medal runs. This year however, she enters Rio as a decided underdog. Injury has slowed her training,…
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Let The Games Begin!
The Trials were just over, yet here we are with the Games literally days to count down! These Games already feel different. Maybe it’s the fact that venues are STILL under construction. Maybe it’s the Zika virus that has so many afraid to go. Perhaps even the status of injured athletes like Christian Taylor, Allyson Felix, and Usain Bolt – what level will they be ready for in a few short weeks? Whatever it is, somehow CHANGE seems to be in the air! Expect the unexpected. Youth will be served. I feel it. I smell it in the air.That said, this sport at its best is about match ups. So…
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Olympic Trials Part 2 – Tough on Vets
This was one tough meet! Youngsters had a great time – perhaps too young to realize they should be nervous or afraid. Here it was veterans and favorites that fell prey to injury, nerves, bad luck, and age. I knew going in that this was going to be a transition meet – a changing of the guard. But some of those that fell were certainly unexpected. Let’s start by talking about the kids. A year ago Candace Hill was the talk of the sport, following her sterling 10.98 HSR in the 100 and her double victory at World Juniors. She and high schooler Kaylin Whitney both turned pro and looked…
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Olympic Trials Part 1 – Upsets & Speed
We’ve finally arrived to that part of the season that really matters – Olympic team qualifying! That means EVERYONE had to show up. That means some of the best competition of the year. That means watching track and field the way it is supposed to be watched – in a stadium; with ALL of the events represented! And guess what? No one leaves early. No one is worried about "attention spans". No one needs bands playing in the parking lot, or portions of the meet in the street! Why? Because when you get the best athletes available to compete, the sport in its purest form is as good as ANY…
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Pre Trials Status Check
With the Olympic Trials less than two weeks away, I thought I would take a quick look at where we’re at. First a word on doping which once again seems to lead the discussion. Doping This sport just CAN’T seem to get away from the issue of doping! Ben Johnson (1988) opened the door to sub 9.80 in the 100, and to an open conversation on doping! It took until 2002 and BALCO before that conversation became loud – though many wanted to pretend it was an American problem – despite all evidence to the contrary. Now, in 2016, it’s clearly a global epidemic in which even the IAAF has…
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NCAA Championships – WOW
The track season just went into overdrive. It’s Championship time – NCAA’s with the Trials in a few weeks! The only thing more exciting is the Olympics. If this weekend’s NCAA’s was any indication, the summer of 2016 is going to be HOT and memorable. Personally I’m not a fan of the current NCAA format – I said that last year. The Regional meets can’t even be called championships since there are NO finals – athletes just move en mass to the NCAA Semi Finals. Then the men and women are separated – alternating days between semis and finals. The Regional meets are definitely unexciting, and pretending that the championships…
