Top Elite Track Athlete of the Year: The Next Challenge

For the next couple weeks everyone will be talking about who had the biggest season. And for good reason. Usain Bolt had a mind boggling season that shocked even his most ardent critics. Yes, Sanya Richards sealed her legacy in the sport and Kenenisa Bekele added another chapter to an already hall of fame career.

But this debate is officially closed.

This year Usain Bolt’s answered the one of the last questions for the Jamaican superstar. The Jamaican megastar proved that he can win great competition in the 100 meter race and also shattered his own 100 and 200 meter world records. It’s the litmus test of greatness. Carl did it. Michael did it. At the World Champions in August, Bolt bettered a Tyson Gay who said before the meet that he was in the best of his life by a comfortable margin.

That’s what the great ones do.

The other pressing issue is whether Bolt is big enough to save the sport. Sure it’s a lot of pressure for any athlete and especially in track and field. Legend Michael Johnson remarked this summer that he believes the sport is in decline. Rather than another article bemoaning the sport’s ills, we should focus on the man who can do something about changing the tide.

Sure Usain Bolt astonishes every time he gets in the blocks. But can the three-time world record holder put butts in the seats, sell overpriced hot dogs, and give the average sports fan a single reason to care even a morsel about the goings on in elite track and field?

That’s what the great ones do.

Bolt puts on a show and that is good for the sport. He is not afraid to pull up before the finish line or strike a pose after a win. He is quickly becoming a global superstar on the track. The next challenge is to do so off the track.

Considering his track record, you would be a fool to beat against him. Stay tuned and you may want to get your popcorn ready.

IAAF adopts “no false start” rule beginning in 2010

BERLIN - The IAAF Congress on Wednesday approved a new rule that will disqualify athletes the first time they false start in any given race. The rule will take effect January 1, 2010.

The rule will replace the current false-start policy of the first false-start being charged to the entire field, with only subsequent false-starts resulting in disqualification. Implementation is set for 2010 in order to enable athletes to become accustomed to the rule well ahead of the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Speaking in support of the rule change, IAAF President Lamine Diack pointed to the NCAA’s longstanding no false start rule as evidence that such a rule is practical and enforceable. He stated his belief that “the current rule gives sprinters the chance to play the system,” he said, “to deliberately false start but not be punished for it.”

The rule change was approved by a vote of 97 to 55, with six abstentions. The IAAF Congress on Wednesday also approved defining masters as age 40 and over for long-distance running and road racing.

The IAAF Congress is being held in Berlin prior to the start of the 12th IAAF World Outdoor Championships, which begin Saturday and conclude August 23.

For more information on the World Championships, visit www.usatf.org

Universal Sports Live TV & Webcast of the London Grand Prix

Tomorrow, the Aviva London Grand Prix begins.  Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay take to the track at the Crystal Palace for Aviva London Grand Prix.  Universal Sports has live coverage of this 2-day Super Grand Prix.  Below is event coverage webcast and TV coverage.

Aviva London Grand Prix
London, GBR

UniversalSports.com
Friday, July 24
12:45pm – 4:00pm ET (LIVE)

Saturday, July 25
Universal Sports.com
9:00am – 1:00pm ET (LIVE)

Universal Sports TV
(www.UniversalSports.tv)
Friday, July 24
3:00pm – 5:30pm ET

Saturday, July 25
3:00pm – 6:00pm ET

Gay, Phillips, Richards, Harper, Clement & Vessey conquer in Rome

Press Release Courtesy of USA Track & Field.

Tyson Gay, Dwight Phillips, Sanya Richards, Dawn Harper, Kerron Clement and Maggie Vessey all were winners in their respective events Friday at the 2009 Golden Gala, AF Golden League meet in Rome, Italy.

Reigning world 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay surged to the front of the pack midway through the race before crossing the finish line first in the men’s 100 meters in 9.77 seconds. Gay’s performance is the fastest time in the world this year and equals his American record originally set in the quarterfinals at last year’s Olympic Trials.

Former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica was the runner-up in 9.88 seconds, with reigning USA Outdoor champion Michael Rodgers finishing sixth in 10.03.

2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Outdoor champion Dwight Phillips, who posted the longest jump in the world since Mike Powell set the world record in 1991 with his leap of 8.74 meters/28 feet 8.25 inches in winning the Nike Prefontaine Classic on June 7, won easily today on his first attempt when he sailed to 8.61m/28-3. 2008 Olympic gold medalist Irving Saladino of Panama was the runner-up with a best of 8.27m/27-1.75.

2008 Olympic bronze medalist Sanya Richards stayed alive in the Golden League competition with her victory in the women’s 400 meters, finishing in 49.46 seconds. 2008 Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams from Jamaica was the runner-up in 50.31, with two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time defending World Outdoor 200m champion Allyson Felix finishing fifth in 50.94.

2008 Olympic 100m hurdles gold medalist Dawn Harper was victorious in her specialty, stopping the clocks in 12.55 seconds. Harper’s nearest pursuer was runner-up and 2008 Olympic Games fifth-place finisher Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica, who finished in 12.67, with fellow Jamaican and Olympic finalist Brigitte Foster-Hylton third in 12.68.

Reigning World Outdoor champion and 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Kerron Clement won the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.09 seconds. Jamaica’s Isa Phillips was second in 48.11, with L.J. van Zyl of South Africa, who finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics, third in 48.37.

USA Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Maggie Vessey won the women’s 800 meters in a dramatic finish in 2:00.13, which bettered her previous career best time of 2:00.18 from her win at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic.  The 2005 NCAA Outdoor runner-up while at Cal Poly SLO, Vessey finished just ahead of Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione, who finished in 2:00.14. Spain’s Mayte Martinez was third in 2:00.21, with reigning U.S. champion Hazel Clark finishing seventh in 2:01.41.

Elsewhere, 2008 USA Outdoor Championships women’s 1,500m runner-up Christin Wurth-Thomas finished second in her specialty and cracked the four-minute barrier for the first time in her career with her finish in 3:59.98. Wurth-Thomas bettered her previous personal best of 4:01.72 from her fifth-place finish June 7 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

Also setting a personal best was 2008 NCAA 1,500m runner-up and 2009 USA Outdoor Championships third-place finisher Dorian Ulrey, who finished 12th today in 3:35.23. With his performance Ulrey bettered the 2009 World Outdoor Championships “A” qualifying standard of 3:36.20 and he’ll now join Bernard Lagat, Leonel Manzano and Lopez Lomong as the Team USA men’s 1,500m contingent that will compete in Berlin.

For more information on the 2009 Golden Gala, including complete results, visit: www.iaaf.org.

Usain Bolt run 19.59 at Lausanne Super Grand Prix

Golden League Meet In Eugene?

Is it possible?

Doug Logan in his speech at the USA Track & Field convention on December 7, left little doubt that he will put every ounce of his energy in landing major track meets in the U.S.

“We will not be taken seriously in the corridors if the IAAF until we host an outdoor World Championship competition on our shores,” said Logan. “Therefore, we pledge to find both a venue and financing and will successfully bid on the outdoor World Championships for 2015.”

This year is beginning with some big potential news.  The IAAF is looking to expand the Golden League series from six to twelve meets and Eugene is on the short list with Beijing, and Doha, Qatar to be added.

“The actual final composition of the new tour will not be known until the summer at the earliest, once negotiations have revealed who wants to be a part of it,” IAAF spokesman Nick Davies told The Associated Press.

Simply put, hosting a Golden League meet means a larger purse, international media attention, and the ability to attract the world’s best runners to U.S. soil in the absence of an Olympic Games being held here.

Hosting a IAAF Golden League in the U.S., is the necessaru infusion of energy to maintain the momentum gained from the 2008 U.S. Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene.  Whether or not Eugene lands the meet, it indicate real progress in terms of the U.S. being legimiate player on the international stage, and that there are real effors in place to propel elite track and field in this country to the next  level.  Either way, this is a good new for track in the field in North America.

Instant Analysis - Asafa Powell Shows Up

-Stuttgart, Germany - It looked like another Jamaican track practice. Asafa Powell made overtures about breaking the 100-meter world record after running 9.87 in the rain of Gateshead, 9.72 in Lausanne and 9.82 in Brussels.

The chilly weather thwarted Powell’s run at the record but he had two impressive runs. He ran 9.77 to win his heat and, within an hour, 9.82 to win the final.

Preview - IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final

Catch all of the live action on Sept. 13 - 14, at Universal Sports TV and Universal Sports.com.

The IAAF World Athletics Finals from Stuttgart, Germany brings together some of the sports top performers for the conclusion of the 2008 IAAF Track & Field Season. Athletes are competing for $30,000 in prize money and $100,000 for any new world records established at the meet.

It will be open season without Usain Bolt on the scene. It can be expected that Asafa Powell is will be running loose and bring a fast time.

The U.S. decathlon record may very well be in jeopardy. Bryan Clay is making a run to challenge the existing record which is currently held by the former World record holder Dan O’Brien, who in 1992 achieved 8891 points.

How much noise can they make in Stuttgart? Adam Nelson, Christian Cantwell, and Reese Hoffa struggled in Beijing, and hope to finish the end of the season on a much better note.

Look for a major collision in the 110-hurdles. Olympic bronze medalist David Oliver is fresh off a recent win over the Olympic gold medalist Dayron Robles of Cuba.

How fast can the most influential runner over the last year cover a lap against LaShawn Merritt? There are doubters, but look for Jeremy Wariner to make a huge statement with his performance and time.

It’s been a long and tough season for the sport’s most exciting athletes this season. Can Lolo Jones continue her near-domination in the 100-meter hurdles?

These three men know each other extremely well. The 400-meter hurdles has the usual suspects of Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement, and Bershawn Jackson. Currently, Taylor is riding the hot hand as he is coming off an Olympic victory and a seasons best time of 44.30 in the open 400-meters. But that was then and Clement and Jackson can grab victory at a moments notice.

By Jay Hicks.

Instant Analysis: Bolt Fabulous in Brussells

-Brussells, Belguim–It’s the Usain Bolt Show!

ESPN interrupted its normally scheduled programming to deliver news that Usain Bolt ran 9.77 over 100-meters–track is coming slowly coming back. This afternoon, rainy weather, a slow start, and fatigue could not keep Bolt from ending arguably one of the greatest seasons recorded. Bolt is headed on a plane back to Jamaica, while Powell heads to Rieti, Italy where he set the 100-meter world record a year ago. The Jamaicans took the top four places with Asafa Powell, about a half second back in 9.83.

A crowd of 47,000 came out to see the new Jamaican star at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme in Belguim.

She’s rich. Or should we say a $1 million richer as Pamela Jelimo easily won the 800-meters in 1:55.16 and ran away with $1 million as the straight up winner of the ÅF Golden League Jackpot.

Without LaShawn Merritt in the mix, Jeremy Wariner (44.44) won in a commanding fashion. and Kerron Clement followed suit in the the 400 hurdles-winning in 48.29.

It’s been a long season and fatigue is starting to show. In a rare occurrence, Lolo Jones (12.71) took second in the 100-hurdles to Jamaica’s Delloreen Ennis-London in 12.65.

It is impressive to see a young, up and coming sprinter get a late season win. Everyone is tired, so no one would think twice if she cruised the race. But Marshevet Hooker (22.62) scored a victory at 200-meters over Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (22.76).

We Finally Get Bolt, Gay, and Powell In Brussels

The Golden League race from Belgium set to run on Friday at 2 p.m. EST.

After the long awaited 100-meter show down featuring the big three is finally going to happen. The wait was extended after Tyson Gay did not make the Olympic 100-meter final in Beijing. The fans and media will finally get a glimpse of the showdown between Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Asafa Powell at Van Damme Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

Sure, Tyson Gay is still working to get back to top form after his hamstring injury, but he is coming off a win at 200-meter (20.26) on Sunday at Gateheads, Great Britain.

Gay recently said, “looking forward to it” but “I’m not at 100% yet”. Making the race more compelling is that Asafa Powell just ran a personal best time of 9.72 and Usain Bolt put down 19.63.

The race is ripe for an upset. With the kind of times that Powell is capable of running in non-major race, Bolt will have to fight through fatigue and bring his big race in order to deliver a late season win.

The meet will be webcast live at Trackshark.

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