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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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Florida Relays Leads Weekend
Another nice weekend of track and field in the books with the Florida Relays serving as the center piece. Florida didn’t disappoint with a Tyson Gay sighting, David Oliver debut and some hot running in the speed events. If early returns are any indication, this could be the Year of the Youth, as several young people stepped up into potentially starring roles. Take a look. Florida Relays Octavious Freeman (UCF) 11.02 (+1.2) – Freeman nearly became the year’s first sub 11. A hot PR so early in the season, says sub11 could be just around the bend. It looks like having a training partner at her level is passing…
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March Closes Out in Style
Now that’s the way to end a month of track and field – with some stellar competition! The Texas Relays officially signals the start of the relay season and went off in fine style. As is often the case, the it was the hot meet of the weekend – and as usual speed was on display. Take a look at the following results and comments. On the other side of the country, the Stanford Invitational saw tons of very good high school action with a smattering of high level elite competition thrown in. Scanning the results sheets I also noted some interesting/outstanding performances from several other meets this weekend. Following…
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The Outdoor Season Kicks it Up a Notch
It was only a couple of weeks ago that we were talking about the Indoor World Championships, yet here we are in the month of March and we have our first “sub” of the season! Sub meaning a mark under a typically accepted elite threshold – like a sub-10 100 for men, sub-4:00 1500 for women, or a sub 27:00 10,000 for men. Typically I would run a poll around the end of the month asking which event would see the first “sub”, but I won’t be doing that this year because we already have our first “sub” of the year courtesy of Mr.Wallace Spearmon (USA)! Scanning the results earlier…
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The Transition to Outdoors Begins
The World Championships was a great way to to end the indoor season. There was lots of great competition and performances. Now, if you’re like me, you’re chomping at the bit for more action. Unfortunately this time of year is sort of like dawn – that time of day where yesterday ends and today begins – because the outdoor season is just waking up as we put indoors to bed, and there just isn’t that much real action yet. So over the next couple of weeks or so, as things heat up, I’ll be taking a look at trying to preview the outdoor season. I’ll do that in sections –…