The CHill Zone of T&F

Very interesting opening day. A few disappointments. A couple of well earned wins. And a possible preview of a repeat of Beijing. With a lot of qualifying taking place in the early round, the meet got going in earnest with the women’s steeple heats. And if the heats are any indication, then gold is going to Gulnara Galkina (RUS). Running in Heat 1, she simply ran clear of the field and never looked back. She seems to know only one way to run, annihilate the competition! Which is what she did, winning easily in 9:17.67 with her closest competitor, Antie Molder (GER) a far back second in 9:21.73 – a…

The wait is over. Tomorrow the biggest meet of the year begins – the World Championships. Start lists are now up. Television schedule and internet links are listed on the right of this blog. The schedule for the opening day is listed below. There will be two finals tomorrow – Men’s Shot Put and Women’s 10,000. American’s have a chance to gain medals right off the bat in the Shot with Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell, and Dan Taylor being three of the top four throwers this year. Shot leaders. Top American hopes in the 10,000 will be Amy Begley Yoder and Shalane Flanagan. 10,000 leaders. Opening day will also feature…

The men’s 100 meters is THE glamour event at almost any track and field competition. The dragsters of track and field, they cover the length of a football field in some 9.x seconds! Hence the winner of each year’s Major is dubbed “The World’s Fastest Human”. As if the normal expectations for this race aren’t enough, this year’s rendition in Berlin is taking on EPIC proportions. Consider that this race will feature: • The two most recent global champions, Tyson Gay (’07, Osaka) and Usain Bolt (’08, Beijing). Both will be in attendance and both are seemingly at the top of their games. • The two most recent Athletes of…

This time of year everyone looks back on their favorite moments from World Championships past. Reading various articles all over I’ve come across the standard fare. The Tokyo 100 meter final and long jump. Jonathon Edwards’ 60 foot triple jump and several other WOW moments from the championships. But in a quarter century there have been many many memorable moments. So many that a whole host of them have been pushed back into the darkness of our consciousness. So, instead of doing another Top Ten list of highlights, I decided to put together 10 moments that I feel shouldn’t be forgotten. So without further adieu here (in chronological order) are…

Mixed in with the competition, every major championship has its share of stories running in the background. Every event has its share of back stories – athletes looking to over come odds, rebound from adversity, emerge in their event, or simply trying to make their mark. Berlin will be no exception. Following are ten US stories that I think will shape events in Berlin. 10. Jeremy Wariner – THE top quarter miler this decade, Wariner found himself #2 in 2008 after leading the way and winning everything in sight from 2004 thru 2007. Many attributed Wariner’s “decline” last year to a highly publicized break from coach Clyde Hart. A break…

The most glamorous event on the World Championships stage just might be the Men’s 100 meters. Along with winning the gold medal comes the coveted title of “The World’s Fastest Human”. 100 meter champions often become the “rock stars” of the sport and household names. Jesse Owens, Jim Hines, Valeri Borzov, Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene, Tyson Gay, and Usain Bolt all became household names via championship victories in the 100 meters. But while the gold medalists of this most prestigious event have gone on to fame and fortune, the silver medalists have not been nearly as fortunate. Instead of being the launching pad to the top of the podium, 2nd…

As we head to Berlin I am reminded that earlier this year USATF CEO Doug Logan set a goal of 30 medals in London. This after our 24 medal showing in Beijing. Ever since that goal was set I’ve been asking myself, and others, if that is a realistic goal? When looking at our teams on average it’s clear that, in spite of what were characterized as “down” performances in Beijing, the sprints and hurdles routinely carry the day when it comes to winning medals in major championships. On average we can count on at least one medal in the 100, 200, 400, short hurdles, 400 hurdles, and both relays…

With two weeks until Worlds and no other meets to look forward to, my mind is now fixated on the World Championships and Berlin. The World Championships have been a staple in Europe since its’ inception in 1983. So far eleven renditions of the meet have been held and all but three of those have been on the European continent – the other three were held in Japan (twice) and Canada. The thing that I find most interesting is that not once has the event been hosted by the United States. In the twenty six years that the World Championships have been in existence the US has hosted two Olympic…

Stockholm closed out the first half of the European Circuit in fine style. Several potential medal contenders competed and gave us some indication of how they might perform in Berlin. Among them: Jeremy Wariner (US), 400 meters. Wariner won handily in Stockholm. But the time (44.83) and the manner in which he won the race (laid back and kicking in the end) didn’t give me pause to believe he can beat Lashawn Merritt. Allyson Felix (US), 200 meters. Felix gave the kind of performance we saw from her when she won World gold in 2005 and 2007. Fast on the turn, she lead into the straight and easily outdistanced the…

The athletes get their final big tune up for Berlin tomorrow in Stockholm. Being the final stop we get a chance to see several potential medalists in their final races before worlds. Among them the most intriguing match up on the day should be in the Men’s 100, where world leader Tyson Gay (US) meets up against former WR holder Asafa Powell (JAM). An interesting race for both men as Gay will want to show his fitness following the announcement of groin trouble that will require surgery at year’s end. For Powell, he neeeds to show that he is a contender along with Gay and Bolt, having been beaten soundly…