The CHill Zone of T&F

I had the opportunity to watch the Pac-10 championships last night as they are now being shown on Fox Sports (check your local listings). Over the next week they will also be televising the Big12, Big10 and SEC championships. So I thought I would watch them all and give my 2 cents as to how these major conferences are shaping up as they head into the Regional and NCAA Championships. On the women’s side to paraphrase an old saying, if it crossed the line first it must’ve been a Duck. As in the Oregon Ducks, because that’s how dominating this team was. The Oregon women have put together one of…

After fast season opening sprint times by Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay this past week, Bolt responds with world leading 9.86. Video below along with top results of all events.     MEN’S 100 Wind +0.1 mps             1. Usain Bolt JAM 9.86 0.179 2. Michael Frater JAM 10.15 0.151 3. Mike Rodgers USA 10.18 0.154 4. Trell Kimmons USA 10.25 0.151 5. Travis Padgett USA 10.30 0.138       MEN’S 200 Wind -0.6 mps             1. Ryan Bailey USA 20.58 0.228 2. Marvin Anderson JAM 20.59 0.243 3. Rae Edwards USA 20.73 0.208 4. Johan Wissman SWE 21.20…

Remember when you were a kid and someone had something that you really wanted, like a stick of gum or a candy bar? So you asked if they had another one and they said, “no, want half?”. You reluctantly said yes, because you really wanted the gum or the candy, but somehow half was just never as good as having the whole thing! Well, that’s how I feel having looked at the schedule for the Diamond League, as well as the majority of major meets on this year’s schedule. I love watching a good track meet, but what the sport seems to be offering these days is just half! It…

The face of track and field is Usain Bolt – he’s double World and Olympic Champion and WR holder in the 100 & 200 meters. Until he’s beaten everyone else will be compared to him. Tyson Gay’s performance Sunday in Manchester say’s he is definitely comparable, and must be in the conversation. I’m sure by now you’ve heard the final time – a sizzling 19.41 for a straight 200 meters that set a new WR for a straight run of the distance. the first thing I heard several people say was, “but Bolt’s record is 19.19 so what’s the big deal about 19.4”. Well let’s take a look at the…

A very good question that was put on the table by Track and Field News. I asked the very same question as I watched both Beijing and Berlin. Because as Mr. Hill observed (no relation to my knowledge), we have looked like gang busters at our selection meets, only to falter poorly at the actual  global championship event! Let’s review what happened in Beijing – the biggest and brightest stage that the sport is presented on. In the women’s 800 meters not one of our women made it out of the first round. In the shot put, arguably one of our strongest events, not one man could manage to throw…

Finally we get the start of the long awaited Diamond League. Fourteen meetings that begin in Asia, move to Europe, travel to the US, then journey back to Europe. The full schedule is as follows: Doha, Qatar Friday, May 14 Shanghai, China Sunday, May 23 Oslo, Norway Friday, June 4 Rome, Italy Thursday, June 10 New York, New York Saturday, June 12 Eugene, Oregon Saturday, July 3 Lausanne, Switzerland Thursday, July 8 Gateshead, Great Britain Saturday, July 10 Paris, France Friday, July 16 Monaco, Monaco Thursday, July 22 Stockholm, Sweden Friday, August 6 London, Great Britain Fri Aug 13 & Sat Aug 14 Zurich, Switzerland Thursday, August 19 Brussels, Belgium…

With most of the major collegiate conferences on tap this weekend, that means the NCAA Championships are just around the bend. At the beginning of the season I gave my predictions for those collegians I felt were the favorites to win their respective events in Eugene. Seems like a good time to update that list as they begin to position themselves and their teams. Looking back at the first list I don’t see that many changes. Mostly because there really isn’t much of a collegiate season – mostly competing on the relay circuit. So as we really get into the “championship” portion of the collegiate season I’m sure we’ll begin…

No, I’m not talking about a category in the second round of the TV game show Jeopardy. I’m referring to the real life law (at least in this country) that you can’t be tried and convicted of the same crime twice. Once convicted and sentence served you are done with that particular crime. Once you’ve “done the time” you’re done with that crime. At least in the real world. In the world of track and field, such is not the case. With the Diamond League scheduled to begin this coming weekend I feel this topic must be put on the table. Because before the season is over the sport will…

With Doha and the start of the Diamond League a week away, and no big meets on tap this weekend not a lot was expected in terms of upper level times. But with no global championship on tap it looks like we’re going to be treated to a lot of high level action this year. At least that’s how things worked out this weekend as Walter Dix and Javier Culson let everyone know that they are going to be major players in their events this year. Dix (US) became the first sprinter to run sub10 and sub20 this season with a fast 9.98/19.89 sprint double at the Seminole Twilight meet…

The Diamond League will be starting in just over a week and so far the most hyped events have been the sprints. Not unexpected with Usain Bolt serving as the current face of the sport. What is surprising, at least to me, is that as we approach the heart of the season we (the US) don’t seem to have that 1,2 punch in the short sprint that has served us so well throughout most of the history of the sport. Going back to the 1960’s when sprinting truly became global, and automatic timing became the standard, we’ve had pairs such as Jim Hines & Charlie Greene, Eddie Hart & Rey…