Another busy indoor weekend – with a bit of outdoor action thrown in. The big mark was once again laid down by Torrin Lawrence. Previously Lawrence set a collegiate record in the 300, this time around he ran a sensational 45.03 in the 400. Not quite a record, but the mark makes him the #5 performer all time behind Kerron Clement (44.57), Michael Johnson (44.63), Lashawn Merritt (44.98) and Danny Everett (45.02) – all of whom have run under 44 seconds outdoors! It definitely puts Lawrence in the spotlight in the 400 meters. Much the same way as Merritt’s and Clement’s times did when they were in college. BOTH went…

Former British Junior Athlete of the Year Richard Davenport has recently brought a lawsuit against his former coach. The reason? Well he says that his former coach, David Farrow, ignored his complaints of back pain, which in turn caused him to have surgery that in effect has put his career in jeopardy. An interesting situation to be sure. Because with all the handlers and individuals that are involved with track and field athletes at the highest level, it begs the question, in my humble opinion: who is in charge? Once upon a time there was the athlete and the coach – period. A very simple dynamic. But today in addition…

Wallace Spearmon, a long time Nike athlete, just announced that he has signed with Saucony. Yes I said Saucony. Known more for making distance shoes, they’ve made a major leap by going with one of the world’s top sprinters. This is the second shoe company in a week to make a major signing in track and field following on the heels of New Balance signing Jenny Barringer. This is great for track and field as it gets new money flowing into the sport – and the sport can always use more money. I also think it will be a great move for Spearmon. It puts him front and center and…

The last few weeks have been busy ones for Jenny Barringer. On Janurary 22nd it was announced that she signed a multi year endorsement deal with New Balance shoes. No surprise that Jenny turned pro. She ended her collegiate career in awesome style last year setting personal bests over 800 (2:02.56), 1500 (3:59.90), 5000 (15:05.25), and the 3000 steeplechase (9:12.50). Collegiately her 1500 was a college record and she won the NCAA championship in the steeplechase. Internationally she was 5th in the steeplechase at the World Championships in Berlin and set an American Record in the process. She was more than ready for the next stage of her career. Slightly…

Russell vs Chamberlin. Lakers vs Celtics. Ali vs Frasier. Rivalries create excitement, enthusiasm, passion and lasting memories, Boxing enthusiasts still talk about The Thrilla in Manilla. The Super Bowl was born of the rivalry between the AFL and the NFL. Magic vs Bird revived a then struggling NBA. Track and field has had some very storied rivalries in its’ past. Jim Ryun & Kip Kieno, Jim Hines & Charlie Greene, John Walker & Filbert Bayi, Steve Williams & Don Quarrie, Seb Coe & Steve Ovett, and Ben Johnson & Carl Lewis are just a few that immediately come to mind. One of the most hyped events in Olympic Trials history…

It happens every once in a while. The greatest sprint force on the planet loses its way and forgets who it is. We get complacent. Someone rises up and knocks us down. We get up dazed and shaken – and have to remember who we are. Then we get back to basics and come back better than before. That’s the pattern of US sprinting in the modern era. Jim Hines, Charlie Greene, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Lee Evans and crew were the dominant force in the late 60’s. The early 70’s saw the rise of Eddie Hart, Rey Robinson, Marshall Dill, Larry Black, Willie Turner, John Smith, Vince Mathews and…

Pre weekend hype was focused on international competitions in New York and Germany, but collegians competing in the Texas A&M Challenge laid down some impressive marks of their own. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton started things off nicely with a collegiate record 6256 points in the Heptathlon – making him the #14 performer ever in the event. Eaton was over 700 points ahead of the competition and looks primed for good things later this season. The long sprinters were also impressive with world leading marks by Tabarie Henry (TxAM, 45.81) and Curtis Mitchell (TxAM, 20.69). The men’s 4×4 was also a hot affair as TxAM (3:04.86), Baylor (3:05.52) and Florida (3:06.72) gave…

Tonight’s Millrose Games has added a unique event to it’s schedule – the Super 60. Now before you get too excited the Super 60 does not have Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, or Asafa Powell. Matter of fact it doesn’t have Doc Patton, Daniel Bailey or current yearly leader Ivory Williams. No, the “Super 60” is a competition between Master’s sprinter Willie Gault a former Tennessee sprinter and NFL wide receiver, competing against a handful of other 30/40 year old sprinters with no name recognition in the sport. This has sparked a lot of discussion on message boards on the internet as this certainly has little to no appeal to the…

The indoor season should heat up nicely this weekend with Millrose, Karlsruhe, and the Aviva Challenge all on the schedule. Lots of big name competitors on tap with Dwight Phillips, Terrence Trammell, Veronica Campbell, Bershawn Jackson and Bernard Lagat, among others, scheduled to compete. I do think, however, that there are four events that bear watching as I expect them to produce some outstanding results. Millrose – Men’s Shot Put The men’s shot should be one HOT affair this weekend. Reigning World Champion Christian Cantwell will enter the ring against ’05 World Champion Adam Nelson, and ’07 World Champion Reese Hoffa. All three men have personal bests in excess of…

As the clock counts down to the impending return to the track of Justin Gatlin, the talk begins regarding his place among the world’s sprinting elite. After all, this is no ordinary “comeback”. This is a man that was among the best high school sprinters/hurdlers in the country (10.36/13.66) when he graduated in 2000 (= #4 in both events). He then went to the University of Tennessee where he won back to back NCAA sprint doubles as a frosh/soph and set a National Collegiate Record for 200 meters (19.86). He then went pro and following injury in his first pro season came back to win the Olympic 100 meter title…