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Track & Field’s Most Exciting Event
Track and field is blessed to have some of the greatest athletes ever competing today. Nearly every event has individuals that are either in the top 3-5 all time in their event or are a world record threat! And that’s not counting the events where the present works record holder is competing! As a matter of fact, there are events where all of the aforementioned are currently competing! It’s a great time to be a fan of this sport from a purely competitive perspective. Ironically, the most exciting event is often treated as a “step child” by the sport. But then, many of the sports’ events are treated that way…
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Let The Games Begin!
The Trials were just over, yet here we are with the Games literally days to count down! These Games already feel different. Maybe it’s the fact that venues are STILL under construction. Maybe it’s the Zika virus that has so many afraid to go. Perhaps even the status of injured athletes like Christian Taylor, Allyson Felix, and Usain Bolt – what level will they be ready for in a few short weeks? Whatever it is, somehow CHANGE seems to be in the air! Expect the unexpected. Youth will be served. I feel it. I smell it in the air.That said, this sport at its best is about match ups. So…
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Gay (9.75) & Gardener (10.85) Lead US Champs
We’re halfway through the US Trials and those gusts of wind that have been howling through the stadium seem to be the winds of change as veterans have been dropping like flies in Des Moines. Jeremy Wariner out in the first round. Ditto Angelo Taylor. Walter Dix a semifinal casualty. Doc Patton a DNS. Trell Kimmons won’t be leading off any 4×1’s this summer. The relay is the only way we’ll see Mike Rodgers in Moscow. Maggie Vessey out in the semis, along with Phoebe Wright. Lauryn Williams another semi casualty. Ditto Mary Wineberg. Sanya Richards Ross hanging on by a thread. With so many former championship medalists out before…
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NCAA Championships – Great Competition
This is one of the meets that I really look forward to each year, because it’s everything that the sport should be. A meet that contests EVERY event. It has relays. The best show up to compete. There’s team scoring. And most of all, the competition is fierce! Yes, the NCAA Championships should be the poster child for track and field. The meet that doesn’t need stars because it creates its own stories and stars – and this year’s version will go down as one of the best ever, because it had all these things in copious amounts! The semis gave an indication that we were going to be in…
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Mt SAC Leads HOT Weekend
We’re a weekend away from the Penn Relays, which is typically the meet that sets things off for the outdoor season. After this weekend’s performances however,I think things were set of just fine and we’re on our way to one hot track season. Things started off on a down note with word that Yohan Blake won’t be competing until the Jamaican championships in June. The cramp he suffered last week turned out to be a tear, so no more racing til then. Of course the way the top sprinters compete we won’t be missing much in terms of head to head competition, but it could affect his sharpness at Trials.…
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The Top Collegians Heading Into the Trials
It’s finally here – the Olympic Trials. The biggest meet outside of the Games themselves. And with the first half of the Diamond League and the NCAA Championships concluding this past weekend, I think I’ve seen enough to stick my neck out there and make my predictions on the crap shoot that is the Trials. The toughest road to London may be the one taken by those still in college. College athletes are part of programs that compete for indoor titles, and outdoor titles before they finally get to line up to take their shot at making the Olympic team. So while the elite athletes get to take their time…
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Kimberlyn Duncan Leads Weekend Collegians
Friday we were treated to Doha, and one of the best Diamond League events the league has put together. The weekend was left to the “youngsters” as collegiate conference meets dominated the action as the road to the NCAA championships began. The college season has been relatively quiet so far, with coaches having both the NCAA championships AND the Olympic Trials in mind as they’ve prepared their athletes this year. So we’ve seen a lot less of the top athletes early on and marks have been relatively modest. Ah, but that changed this weekend as the top collegians began to close the gap with their elite counterparts in a couple…
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Myers Pregnant, Who Takes Her Place?
News out this weekend is that Marshevet Myers its pregnant and will be out for the season. While I wish her all the best , I can’t think of a worse time than an Olympic season. World Championships come often enough that if you miss one there’s another next year – or at worst in two years. But the Olympics only come once every four years – half a lifetime in track and field. For the 27 year old Myers, who is due in October, her next opportunity at a global medal could be the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. If not, she’s looking at 2015 and the Beijing World…
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The Players Begin to Emerge
WOW! Talk about a series of outstanding meets/marks. This weekend has been HOT! New York, Fayetteville, Dusseldorf, Albuquerque, Donetsk – great results have been pouring in from all over the globe. Initially I thought that the World Indoor Championships would be “down” with this year with most athletes preparing for the Games in August. But judging from the last couple of weeks, it’s looking like it will be the first of several peaks this year. There are plenty of articles all over the ‘net, and the results of the top events can be found here. Let’s take a look at a few meets, because I think we are already starting…
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The Best Performers of 2011
December is already a third gone – not much time left in this year. As a matter of fact the indoor season is already getting started! My how time flies when you’re having fun! So before the month gets away, and Baby New Year shows up, I want to give out some kudos to athletes that I feel really got the job done in 2011. I’m going to call them “The Best of 2011”. Some categories are a bit nontraditional – Best Start for example – while others will probably be seen on other lists – like Best Performance. Just a bit of fun as we wind down the year,…