The CHill Zone of T&F

Chris Solinsky finally takes the American 10000 meter record under 27 minutes. Nearly 17 years after the world record first dipped under 27 – 26:58.38, Yobes Ondieki, Oslo, July 11, 1993. Almost 38 years after Frank Shorter became the first American to break the 28 minute mark – 27:58.2 at the Games  in Munich, August 31, 1972. The same Games where Shorter won the marathon – and began what was supposed to be a revolution. Yet last month we had another Boston Marathon – our national biggie –  and once again there was another Kenyan victory. As a matter of fact Kenyans have won 18 of the last 23 Boston…

After seeing both Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay on the track in Kingston this past weekend  I’m sure that many are now wondering when will we get to see them going head to head? That’s what I want to know after watching their last set of races – Gay 44.89 & 45.05 and Bolt 8.79r & 19.56. Makes one wonder what we’ll see when they sit in the blocks next to each other! Well I took the liberty of going through recent press releases and both athletes’ web sites and came up with the following competition schedules for both athletes.   Tyson Gay Competition Schedule         Competition…

It’s been a rare feat when an American leads the world list over 10,000 meters at any point in the season, and until yesterday no American had run the event faster than 27:13.98. Well, Chris Solinski changed all those things as he ran a stunning 26:59.60 in Palo Alto to destroy the American Record and take the world lead while becoming the first American under the 27 minute barrier in the event – and he did it in his debut over the distance! Known as a 5000 meter runner (13:12.24) he upstaged what was supposed to be an attempt on the American Record by Galen Rupp, who along with Dathan…

At the end of ‘09, I viewed the men’s 400 as the sprint event with the most upside potential and room for an athlete or two to step in and make a name for himself. Now that it looks like we are going to lose Lashawn Merritt for a while, the event is more wide open than ever. We’re into the first part of May and we have yet to see Jeremy Wariner on the track – which could mean that injury rumors are true. If so, that would mean the event’s only two gold medalists in the Olympics and Worlds going back to 2004 would both be off the…

With Penn in the rear view mirror it’s now time for things to start truly heating up. The Diamond League will debut in just about 2 weeks time in Doha, Qatar on May 14th. But the sprints will get a head start as several top sprinters will take to the track this weekend in Kingston Jamaica. While many were on the track at Penn stretching out in various relay events, this time the action will take place in individual events, as the season now begins in earnest. Kingston will give us out first look at both Tyson Gay (US) and Usain Bolt (JAM) in the same venue – although in…

Once again we have had a doping issue arise in the sport of track and field. And I agree with those who say that doping is a major PR problem for the sport. I disagree, however, as to why doping is such a PR nightmare. While most would contend that it is the announcements of the positive tests that is the problem, I believe that the real problem is that positive tests are the ONLY thing we hear about when it comes to doping! The story that ISN’T told is that, to my knowledge, we test our athletes more than any other sport in the world! We have in competition…

As excited as I was that Penn was finally here, I feel somewhat let down now that it’s over. Yes, there was a Bolt sighting. And yes there were huge crowds. But there were several things that I found disappointing. There were highlights. The Tennessee Lady Vols picked up where they left off last year winning three titles this year taking the 4 x 800, 4 x 1500 and distance medley relays. A tough feat to achieve at any meet, let alone Penn. The men’s distance medley relay had one of the closest finishes of the meet as American’s David Torrance (4:00.47) and Leonel Manzano (4:00.04) gave serious chase after…

Once again we get the report of another positive drug test. This time it’s Lashawn Merritt who according to his press release inadvertently used a product that contained DHEA. While it depresses me that, yet again, we have an individual testing positive in this sport it’s more depressing that this is a situation that clearly could have been avoided with a little knowledge. Judging from the reports, this is a matter where Mr. Merritt clearly wasn’t using a product to improve his performance on the track. However, with the sport having a policy of strict liability when it comes to substances that one puts into their body, it is imperative…

The Penn Relays are on tap this weekend, and while the focus is on the return of Usain Bolt to Penn and the USA v World events the collegiate competition could be the most exciting with high powered programs from Florida, Oregon, LSU, Florida Sate and Texas A&M on hand. The whole concept of “USA v World” is great in theory but has not lived up to that billing. For the most part it has been a showcase for US squads as we’ve dominated most of the events over the years. Recently it has become “USA v Jamaica” in the 4×1, but historically neither country has put its best team…

USATF CEO Doug Logan has set a goal of 30 medals at the London Olympic Games. A mark we have yet to achieve in any Games or World Championships to date. Most recently we won 23 medals in track and field at the Beijing Games and 22 medals at last year’s World Championships in Berlin. So in the past two global championships we have been at about three quarters of goal. The question is where do we pick up the other seven or eight medals? Not as easy as it might sound when you consider that there are approximately 200 other countries with the same thought in mind – to…