The CHill Zone of T&F: Conway's View From the Finish Line

Super Saturday of Track

Jun 10th, 2012
10:24 am PDT

If you love track and field, then you loved Saturday. The final day of the NCAA Championships, followed by the Adidas Classic in New York. TONS of tremendous competition - and that was really the key as the wind hampered the NCAA meet. Let's start there, since it was first on the schedule. After sizzling semifinal rounds, the wind turned on the athletes and seriously slowed down results Read More...

Tyson Gay to Debut in New York

Jun 5th, 2012
5:27 pm PDT

I know that the next meet up is the Oslo leg of the Diamond League and not New York, but the big news heading into the last two “big” meets before the Olympic Trials is that Tyson Gay will run before the Trials and he will do so this weekend in New York. Huge news when you consider that he is a) the American Record holder in the 100 meters; b) the second fastest man ever in the event; c) the last man to beat Usain Bolt in either the 100 or 200 meters Read More...

8 Must See Trials Events

Apr 28th, 2012
7:58 am PDT

I'm getting antsy, it's Friday night and no big results can be found - everything major will be happening Saturday. So my mind is wandering in the direction of the Trials. After all, once the smoke clears everything comes down to two meets this year - National Trials and the Olympic Games.In some countries the Trials may be the years most important meet, beside if you don't get past the Trials you'll never see the Games - at least not from the stadium in London Read More...

Potential London “Upsets”

Apr 24th, 2012
6:01 am PDT

Reading through the news I noticed that currently the sports books have Usain Bolt as an overwhelming favorite to win 100 meter gold in London. While Bolt has earned the right to be considered favorite vis a vis his competitive record in the last four years, the Olympics is the place where miracles - or at least upsets - occur with regularity Read More...

No Deuce for Tyson Gay in London

Mar 31st, 2012
8:30 am PDT

That’s the word from Tyson in an interview with ESPN. In the interview Gay states that he’s had a few nagging injuries that have slowed his preparation for the Olympic season. He said that the injury that forced him to have surgery last year is fully healed, but some muscle strains and inflammation have twice halted his training Read More...

2012 Outdoor Preview – Sprints

Mar 22nd, 2012
11:32 am PDT

Now that we’re completely done with the indoor season, it’s time to start taking a look at how this outdoor season might possibly shape up. More importantly, at how the Games might shape up. So as I go through the various events on the Olympic slate, I’m going to try and Identify those individuals that I feel as of today ill be in the mix – the contenders and potential contenders Read More...

What Role Will Injury Play in the London Sprints?

Feb 14th, 2012
6:08 pm PST

I ask that question because with approximately six months until London, we are already talking about injuries and/or potential injuries to top level athletes – most notably Usain Bolt’s visit to a German doctor. Coming on the heels of Bolt ending his 2011 season on an injury note, this could become a significant story line as we get closer to the Games Read More...

Has the U.S. Lost Its Sprint Mojo?

Jan 31st, 2012
10:11 am PST

Talking with a neighbor who is a fan, but not an “uber” fan, of the sport after this weekend’s U.S. Open, I was asked “what’s wrong with the U.S. sprinters?” When I asked what he meant, he basically said that we didn’t win either sprint (won by Asafa Powell & Veronica Campbell). I responded that many of our best weren’t at the meet, and his follow up was that we didn’t win the World Championships, or the one before that, or the Olympic Games either Read More...

Will 2012 be the Year of the Double?

Jan 18th, 2012
5:21 pm PST

I was reviewing the Marathon Trials finish last night and wondering how well Shalane Flanagan will do doubling in the 10,000/Marathon, when it hit me: we may have more legitimate “doublers” heading into London than ever before! In Beijing we had 5000/10000 double victories turned in by Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba; and a sprint double (100/200) by Usain Bolt Read More...

Batman & Robin – The Jamaican Sequel

Jan 7th, 2012
9:08 am PST

I’ve seen this movie several times before during the professional era of the sport. A top level coach gets a sprinter to the top. Then others join the camp in hopes of having the same success. Soon another sprinter emerges from the group, and now two of the best sprinters in the world are training together daily Read More...