Wow. We’re already half way through the World Championships, and so far we’ve had a bit of everything. Some controversy; exciting competitions; and lots of young people stepping up! I know that the controversies are dominating most conversations – the Bolt & Robles DQ’s – but to me the most exciting thing to come out of the first few days has been the number of new/young champions that have been crowned Read More...
The CHill Zone of T&F: Conway's View From the Finish Line
Worlds Day Four – New Stars Crowned
Aug 30th, 2011
6:40 am PDT
6:40 am PDT
Just as the opening day was clearly the day of the Kenyans, today was the day for new stars of the sport to get crowned! As we saw several new faces take on some old ones and emerge victorious. The most exciting event of the day was the last event of the day as the men’s 400 meter runners took to the track Read More...
Worlds Day Three – Montsho Derails the Double
Aug 29th, 2011
7:37 am PDT
7:37 am PDT
On day three of the championships head to head competition finally took center stage. It wasn’t about World Records, as none were in any imminent danger, but rather stirring competition that brought the focus back where it belongs – on the sports’ outstanding athletes! After a couple of semifinal races (I’ll talk about the men’s 400 in a bit) the first final on the track was the women’s 400 meters Read More...
Worlds Day Two – Bolt One and Done
Aug 28th, 2011
8:13 am PDT
8:13 am PDT
One and done, that’s what we fans of the sport call the “new” false start rule. Simply put, it means that if you false start you’re done, thrown out of the race. There’s no “oops”. No do overs. You can’t wobble, flinch or shake. You can’t say you heard a camera click, it was too noisy near the track, or the plane flying overhead distracted you Read More...
Worlds Opening Day – All Kenya
Aug 27th, 2011
7:11 am PDT
7:11 am PDT
The opening day of every major is filled with qualifying rounds, and day one in Daegu was no different with only two finals on the docket. If there’s such a thing as making a statement on opening day however, the Kenyan women did just that in those two finals as they swept the medals in both the marathon and 10,000 meters – and added a non medaling fourth place in the 10K! In the marathon the Kenyan’s set the stage for the day, and possibly this championships, as they went to the front early on and worked as a team, methodically burning away the competition Read More...
Daegu – a Final Peak before the Gun
Aug 26th, 2011
5:20 am PDT
5:20 am PDT
It starts tomorrow – the year’s biggest meet. So what are we looking at as we get ready to name the sport’s champions? For starters we’ll be missing some big names in the sprints. Injury took out Tyson Gay (USA, 9.79) at the U.S. Trials. Drug bans this summer have taken out Steve Mullings (JAM, 9 Read More...
Six Underdogs I’m Rooting for in Daegu
Aug 25th, 2011
5:18 pm PDT
5:18 pm PDT
It’s easy to throw your support behind a favorite. Bandwagons are full of those rooting for athletes like Usain Bolt, Yelena Isinbayeva, David Rudisha, and Allyson Felix. But while I too have favorites that I am pulling for, someone has to give the underdogs some love. So here are six underdogs that I am rooting for Read More...
Final U.S. Medal Predictions
Aug 25th, 2011
6:26 am PDT
6:26 am PDT
It’s here. Two days until the start of the WorldChampionships. – which means it’s time to make my final predictions for U. S.medal hopes in Daegu.On the one hand, this list looks very good, as it contains apotential of 31 medals – one more than the stated goal of 30 for London. At second glance, however, this medal countis highly dependent on multiple medals in several events – specifically thesprints and hurdles Read More...
World Championships Preview – 5000 Meters
Aug 24th, 2011
5:21 am PDT
5:21 am PDT
For me the most exciting of the distance races is the 5000 meters as men and women with 10,000 meter endurance and 1500 meter speed often end up in a mad dash for gold over the final lap. Daegu should produce two very exciting races as both fields have some very exciting matchups. Men’s 5000 World Record 12:37 Read More...
World Championships Preview–Triple Jump
Aug 23rd, 2011
4:54 am PDT
4:54 am PDT
The triple may be even more exciting than the long jump as a competitive crew of jumpers take to the runway. Originally the men’s event looked to be one of the hottest events of the meet, but injury has dimmed that a bit. Instead it may be four women that bring chills to the fans. Men’s Triple Jump World Record 18 Read More...