The CHill Zone of T&F

OK. Time for the fun to begin. I’m going to start with the 400 meters because there’s been so much activity there lately. Athletes in and out, up and down, and generally nearly unpredictable. Which is why I’m starting with this event – it’s got to be easier after this! Men’s 400         World Record 43.18 Michael Johnson USA Meet Record 43.18 Michael Johnson USA 2009 Gold 44.06 LaShawn Merritt USA   2011 Best   44.61 Kirani James GRN   44.65 Rondell Bartholomew GRN   44.68 Tony McQuay USA   44.69 Jermaine Gonzalez JAM   44,74 Kevin Borlee BEL   44.74 LaShawn Merritt USA This has been…

Wow, it’s almost here – The World Championships. The biggest track and field event of the year – much anticipated after a year off from global championship competition. With 19 days left until the start of the meet, and only a handful of smaller meets left this week, it’s time to try and make sense of what’s gone on so far this season and guess/speculate/prognosticate on what may transpire in Korea. Before jumping into event predictions – sure to take up most of the next two weeks – I thought I would take a look at the state of the U.S. squad. Sort of general overview of how the U.S.…

With the close of the London meet, there are only a handful of small meets left until the opening of the World Championships on August 27th. This was it for any “big” tests until Daegu – and the final day gave us a few things to ponder, as a group of American athletes stepped up and asked to be counted.  Chief among them being the place of Sanya Richards Ross (USA) among the 400 meter hierarchy. As recently as earlier this week when I put the 400 meter poll up on this site, Sanya was no where near being considered a factor for Daegu – I almost didn’t put her…

I sure wish someone would tell me why we need two days to run a track meet with basically all finals. Because it really doesn’t add anything to the excitement – and this meet needs a bit more excitement! Perhaps it was better in the stadium, but even with a non American feed it still lacked oomph for me – and I love a good track meet. Still, there were some very good performances. Perhaps the best on the day was the world leader by Kaliese Spencer in the women’s 400 hurdles. Previous world leader, Zuzana Hejnova (CZE) was in the race, but was never a factor as Spencer took…

The London GP Friday/Saturday will be the last big meet until after the World Championships. And looking over the start lists, I’m not sure we are going to get any more clarity than we already have heading into Daegu. This has been a season with a lot of questions, and it looks like we are going to have to wait for the starters’ gun to go off in Korea to get most of our answers.  That said, I think there are some matchups worth watching in London.   Men’s 110 Hurdles Jason Richardson threw his hat into the ring as a contender with his upset of David Oliver in Stockholm.…

Word came out late yesterday that former World and Olympic 400 meter champion Jeremy Wariner’s toe injury is going to end his season. He is pulling out of the World Championships to get healthy and be ready for the London Olympics. He will be replaced on the U.S. squad by Jamaal Torrence. Wariner has been in every Major since 2004 taking 400 gold in ‘04, ‘05, & ‘07, and silver in ‘08 & ‘09. During that same time frame, he’s been a critical member of our 4×4 relay success, running on 5 straight gold medal winners. Quite a run of success – one that has gone somewhat unnoticed. In the…

Or more to the point, how important are the World Championships? Where do they stand in the grand scheme of the sport? I ask because with just under a month until our “Big Meet” the season has seemed a bit, lackluster. Tyson Gay out. Usain Bolt subpar. Yelena Isinbayeva working her way into it. Eliud Kipchoge good but not great. Caster Semenya way off. I could do a post just listing the athletes that aren’t close to where they should be this time of year but I think you get the point. My question is, is everyone really working to peak for Daegu, or are they working on peaking for…

Yesterday was travel day, as I was returning from a nice week long vacation. Of course I was traveling during the Stockholm meet so had to wait until last night to finally see the results. And of all the results the one I was most interested in was the men’s 400 as it was LaShawn Merritt’s first 400 in nearly two years – and there is only one month until the World Championships. With the way the event has gone this year, I was hoping for something in the 45.25 range. I figured since the world leader was 44.65, that that would get him within the leaders, and give him…

With each race we get a little closer to Daegu, and as the clock winds down there are only two more Diamond League meets until the big dance. The next one is in two days in Stockholm Sweden and there are potential stories in abundance. The return of Usain Bolt to a venue that has seen him lose two 100 meter races in the last three years – this time in the deuce. The return to action of defending World 400 champion LaShawn Merritt after a near two year layoff via suspension. Another Oliver / Robles head to head. And American milers get to test themselves ahead of Daegu. Events…

With a month to go to the World Championships, every performance is put under the microscope to try and decipher what it could mean for prospects in Daegu. The buzz last week was the still shaky form of defending double sprint champion Usain Bolt. Soon the form of another defending champion will get sliced, diced, and questioned multiple times – that of defending 400 champion LaShawn Merritt. The status of Merritt has been well documented. Suspended for using an over the counter male enhancement product (not of the track and field kind) Merritt’s suspension will be up in two days – July 27th. At that time he will be eligible…