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London – Injuries, Upsets, Questions
The London leg of the Diamond League loomed as the most significant of the year for me. In part because it is the only DL meet to have all of the various events – so somewhat of a full preview before the Games – but also because London is where the Games are being held. We didn’t get a peak at the Olympic stadium, but otherwise the same conditions that will prevail at the Games. So it had the potential to be as close to a pre-Olympic meeting as one could put together. So, what were the results after two days of competition (somehow it still takes us two days…
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Hot Weekend After Ostrava
This weekend was a reminder that this support is not always as predictable as we like top think it is. For example, the hot meet was supposed to be in Ostrava. After all that was the meet with all the "names" – Bolt, VCB, Spearmon, Merritt, and Semenya among others .But as the sun is beginning to set, things got hot after Ostrava – mostly by what appears to be a budding youth movement this season. From collegiate athletes at the two Division I Regionals; to the first major high school post season invitational; to a pair of "lesser" meets on the European Circuit; a slew of young up and…
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2012 Outdoor Preview – Middle Distances
The middle distance events (800 / 1500) should be very interesting this year. There is the potential of a world record, some very competitive women’s events, and the potential for a sweep. Above all, however, I expect them to be very exciting, both during the season as well as in the Games themselves, as middle distance competitors tend to compete fairly often and we should see some solid matchups outside the Games, as opposed to the sprints where we may see only one loaded race all season. So let’s take a look at the players in the middle distances. Men’s 800 – Can Rudisha be challenged? David Rudisha (KEN)…
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Will These Athletes Find Success Outdoors?
Finally, it’s time to head outdoors, where the Olympic season will begin to gear up in earnest. But before I say goodbye to the 200 meter ovals, I want to point out a Baker’s Half Dozen (7) athletes that showed serious growth this indoor season. Good enough that I want to keep an eye on them as the year moves forward. Indoor track and outdoor track tend to be two different animals. If you remember earlier I listed the Indoor Champions from ‘08 to see how they faired in Beijing. While all of these athletes did not win gold in Istanbul, all had indoor seasons that if duplicated could at…
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Video Updates – 2/18
For those of you that enjoy competition videos, the Videos page has been updated with the following recent indoor performances: Birmingham Grand Prix, Men’s 60 Hurdles Birmingham Grand Prix, Men’s 60 Meters Adam Kszczot’s 1:44.57 Kirani James’ 45.19 Genzebe Dibaba’s 4:00.13 Anna Chicherova’s 2.06m / 6’ 9” Jenn Suhr’s 4.88m/16’ Indoor AR WL And by request the Men’s 4×1 final from Daegu Enjoy
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Adam Kszczot – A New 800 Challenger
Last week Adam Kszczot (POL) took the indoor world lead in the 800 with a 1:45.44 run in Dusseldorf – fast enough to prompt me to suggest that we get used to spelling his name. Yesterday he dropped his PR, and the world lead, down to 1:44.57 – in the process becoming the 3rd fastest indoor half miler in history! Only Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS, 1:44.15) and former outdoor WR holder Wilson Kipketer (DEN, 1:42.67) have run faster indoors. Combine that with his outdoor best of 1:43.30 from last year, and at 22 years old, the question I now ask is: can he provide WR holder David Rudisha with a challenge…
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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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2011 in Review – Men’s 800 Meters
Just as in 2010, David Rudisha (KEN) was the story of the 800 in 2011 – this time carrying the heavy mantle of WR holder. And, just as in 2010, the question on the table was whether or not Abubaker Kaki (SUD) would find a way to upset his rival. Rudisha wasted no time putting the target squarely on his back as he went out during the Australian summer season and scorched a 1:43.88 WL in Melbourne on Mar 3rd – a mark that only 5 men would get under the rest of the year! Another quick 1:44.80 in Sydney on Mar 19thand we wouldn’t see Rudisha again until the…