Athletics Discussion thread

[hassan918]

Britain's Neita wins European 200m silver​

Daryll Neita came within one hundredth of a second of a first major title as the Briton claimed 200m silver at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.

Neita, 27, embraced Mujinga Kambundji following a dramatic photo finish, with the Swiss champion clocking 22.49 seconds to edge the gold.

That GB medal came after 22-year-old British team-mate Megan Keith won 10,000m bronze, her first senior medal, in 31 minutes 04.77.

Neita's silver secured Great Britain's 11 medal overall, on the fifth and penultimate night of action in the Italian capital.

European Athletics Championships 2024: Britain's Daryll Neita wins 200m silver

Great Britain's Daryll Neita wins women's 200m silver and Megan Keith wins 10,000m bronze at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Britain's Neita wins European 200m silver

Daryll Neita came within one hundredth of a second of a first major title as the Briton claimed 200m silver at the European Athletics Championships in Rome.

Neita, 27, embraced Mujinga Kambundji following a dramatic photo finish, with the Swiss champion clocking 22.49 seconds to edge the gold.

That GB medal came after 22-year-old British team-mate Megan Keith won 10,000m bronze, her first senior medal, in 31 minutes 04.77.

Neita's silver secured Great Britain's 11 medal overall, on the fifth and penultimate night of action in the Italian capital.



BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Keely Hodgkinson defended her European 800m title with a dominant victory despite struggling with illness, as Great Britain also won women's 4x100m relay gold on the final night of action in Rome.

Hodgkinson, 22, led throughout and held off her rivals in the closing stages to win in one minute 58.65 seconds.

However, following her victory the Olympic and two-time world silver medallist revealed she had become unwell a day earlier.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Warner-Judd provisionally diagnosed with epilepsy

British runner Jessica Warner-Judd says she has been provisionally diagnosed with a form of epilepsy after suffering a seizure during the women's European 10,000m final on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old dropped out with 600m to go in Rome and while being assessed in the medical centre, said she had a further seizure which led to her being sedated and spending the night in hospital.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter,, external Warner-Judd added she was "not sure what the future holds [at the moment]".

In March, she suffered a similar mid-race seizure during a 10,000m event in the United States.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

US legend Johnson launches new athletics league

American track legend Michael Johnson has launched a lucrative new athletics league.

Grand Slam Track will aim to bring together the world's elite runners, offering $100,000 (£78,683) as a top prize.

Starting in April 2025, the new format will be have a prize fund of $12.6 million (£9.9m) split over four events.

Grand Slam Track will feature four meetings each year, with two hosted in the United States.

Athletes will compete in two events each and 48 will be contracted to the league.

"We're revolutionizing the track landscape," said four-time Olympic champion Johnson, who is now a BBC athletics pundit.

American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion, has been announced as the first athlete to join the league.

"I firmly believe that this is the step forward that track needs to take it to another level," she said.

Finances in athletics has become a talking point in recent months, with World Athletics announcing in April it would pay prize money to Olympic athletes.

Earlier this month, the governing body announced a new global championship to start in 2026 with gold medallists receiving $150,000 (£118,000).

World Athletics said its championship would have $10m (£7.87m) available in prize money.

The Diamond League currently offers a $30,000 (£23,610) prize for those athletes winning an event across its 15 meetings.

"They deserve to be compensated," added Johnson, 56. "The structure of the sport in the past has not compensated those athletes to take that risk to go and compete against the best athletes in the sport."


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

US athlete Roberts handed doping ban for second time

United States athlete Gil Roberts has been handed an eight-year suspension after testing positive for banned substances for a second time.

An out-of-competition test taken by Roberts in September detected multiple banned substances including ostarine, which boosts muscle growth.

In 2022, Roberts, 35, was given a 16-month ban after testing positive for ostarine and andarine.

He avoided suspension in 2017 after he was found to have ingested probenecid - a banned diuretic and masking agent - by kissing his girlfriend, who was taking medication containing the drug for a sinus infection.

The US Anti-Doping Agency's chief executive officer Travis Tygart said it was important to "apply the full force of the rules".

"All athletes deserve a level playing field so that their hard work and talent are rewarded,” Tygart said.

Roberts was a member of the United States' gold medal-winning 4x400m relay team at the Rio 2016 Olympics.


BBC

 

[hassan918]

GB's Caudery sets British pole vault record with new world lead​

Molly Caudery set a new British women's pole vault record, and recorded the world's best height of the year so far, to win the Toulouse Capitole Perche meet in France.

The 24-year-old, who became the world indoor champion in March, cleared 4.92m for the seventh-best jump of all time.

Not since 2021 has any female pole vaulter jumped higher.

Caudery's mark beat Holly Bradshaw's previous British record of 4.90m, set in 2021.

Caudery's previous best was 4.86m, set in February, which was the previous world lead for 2024.

Earlier this month, she cleared 4.73m to win bronze in the European Championships in Rome.

Source: BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

McLaughlin-Levrone breaks world record for fifth time

Defending Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own 400m hurdles world record as she qualified for the Paris Olympics on Sunday at the US trials in Oregon.

McLaughlin-Levrone, 24, recorded a time of 50.65 seconds, which was 0.03secs faster than her previous best when she won the World Championships at the same track in 2022.

She was almost two seconds ahead of second-placed Anna Cockrell, who ran 52.64secs.

It was the fifth time she has broken the world record.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

GB's Pozzi retires from athletics after ankle injury

British sprint hurdler Andrew Pozzi has announced "with great sadness" that he is retiring from athletics following "a serious ankle fracture".

British Athletics said, external the 32-year-old was set to be picked for the 2024 Olympics in Paris but he has turned down his selection "following the outcome of detailed scans and tests".

Pozzi won the World Indoor 60m hurdles title in Birmingham in 2018 and, in 2017, he also claimed the European indoor 60m title.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Norman criticises UK Athletics after Olympic snub

Britain's leading 3,000m steeplechase runner Phil Norman has criticised the decision not to pick him for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 34-year-old was just 0.15 seconds off the standard set by UK Athletics (UKA) to be picked for Team GB's athletics squad for Paris.

However his time of 8:18.65 put him high enough in the world rankings to be invited to take part in Paris, but UK Athletics’ policy is to decline such invites where the athlete has not met their standard.

Norman, from Barnstaple, ran at the last Olympics in Tokyo and made the final of the 2022 European Championships.


BBC

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

Paris Diamond League tomorrow

Arshad Nadeem in action, sadly no Neeraj but Kishore Jena representing India.
Hope to see medals for the two nations here.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Pattison goes second on British 800m all-time list

Ben Pattison moved second behind Sebastian Coe on the British men's 800m all-time list as Monaco hosted the penultimate Diamond League meeting before the Paris Olympics.

World bronze medallist Pattison, 22, ran a personal best of one minute 42.27 seconds for fifth place in a high-quality race.

It moved him above Steve Cram and leaves Coe - who ran a then-world record 1:41.73 in 1981 - as the only British man to run the two-lap event faster.

Dina Asher-Smith finished third in the women's 100m in 10.99 seconds, as training partner Julien Alfred, of St Lucia, took victory in 10.85secs from American Tamari Davis.

Britain's world indoor champion Molly Caudery cleared 4.83m for third in the women's pole vault, won by Australia's world champion Nina Kennedy with a best of 4.88m.

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen produced a statement performance in the men's 1500m, clocking a European record 3:26.73 as he builds towards his Olympic title defence and a showdown with world champion Josh Kerr.

Neil Gourley, who will contest that event at Paris 2024 alongside fellow Britons Kerr and George Mills, was fifth in a season's best 3:30.65 and Elliot Giles finished 13th (3:40.72).

Australian Jessica Hull set a women's world record in the rarely run 2,000m, clocking a sensational 5:19.70 just five days after she finished runner-up behind Faith Kipyegon's record-breaking 1500m run in Paris.

Melissa Courtney-Bryant, who missed out on an Olympic place, was second in a British record 5:26.08, while in the women's 5,000m Hannah Nuttall was 14th in 15:37.21.

The final Diamond League meeting before the Paris 2024 Games takes place in London on Saturday, 20 July.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Hudson-Smith & Hodgkinson shine at Diamond League

Matthew Hudson-Smith smashed his European 400m record and Keely Hodgkinson set a national 800m record as Great Britain's Olympic gold medal hopes produced statement performances at the London Diamond League.

World silver medallist Hudson-Smith, 29, clocked 43.74 seconds to set the fastest time in the world this year, six days before the Paris 2024 opening ceremony.

Olympic silver medallist Hodgkinson, 22, improved her world-leading time in 2024 to one minute 54.61 seconds and led British team-mates Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell - second and third respectively - to personal bests in a stunning performance.

In the final event of the day at a sold-out London Stadium, American world champion Noah Lyles ran a personal best of 9.81 seconds to take victory in the 100m, ahead of South African Akani Simbine and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo.

Britain's rising sprint star Louie Hinchliffe - soon to make his Olympic debut - was fourth in 9.97, while team-mates Zharnel Hughes and Jeremiah Azu were sixth and seventh respectively in 10.00 and 10.08.

Dina Asher-Smith was third in the 200m in 22.07, with compatriot Daryll Neita fourth in 22.20.

American world silver medallist Gabrielle Thomas finished strongly to edge victory in 21.82 from St Lucia's Julien Alfred, who ran 21.86.

Britain's world indoor champion Molly Caudery was third in the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.65m, while Katarina Johnson-Thompson produced a long jump best of 6.54m to finish fifth.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Ingebrigtsen beats Olympic champion Hocker in rematch

Jakob Ingebrigtsen blew away 1500m men's Olympic champion Cole Hocker with a dominant performance at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne.

The 23-year-old Norwegian had been the heavy favourite to win gold at Paris 2024, but misjudged the race which allowed Hocker of the United States to claim top spot on the podium.

Ingebrigtsen ultimately ended that race in fourth as Great Britain's Josh Kerr and American Yared Nuguse also passed him in the closing stages of the race.

There were few signs of a hangover from Ingebrigtsen at Stade Olympique de la Pontaise as he powered to an emphatic victory in three minutes 27.83 seconds.

Hocker finished second in 3:29.85 while fellow American Hobbs Kessler came third.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Ingebrigtsen & Duplantis break world records

Jakob Ingebrigtsen obliterated the 28-year-old 3,000m world record by more than three seconds before Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record at the Diamond League meeting in Silesia.

Norway's Ingebrigtsen looked in disbelief as he crossed the finish line in seven minutes 17.55 seconds, breaking the previous record of 7:20.67 set by Kenya's Daniel Komen in 1996.

Komen's time had been the longest-standing men's athletics world record in an individual track event.

In the pole vault, Sweden's Duplantis cleared 6.26m, one centimetre higher than his previous best set as he won Olympic gold in Paris earlier this month.

His second-attempt clearance on Sunday was the third time the 24-year-old has broken the world record this season, and his 10th overall.

Duplantis was joined by American Sam Kendricks and Greece's Emmanouil Karalis - who won Olympic silver and bronze respectively - in jumping 6m.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Britain's Giles breaks men's road mile world record

Britain’s Elliot Giles set a new road mile world record of three minutes 51.3 seconds as he won the New Balance KO Meile in Dusseldorf.

The Olympic 800m semi-finalist held off a strong challenge from US middle-distance runner Yared Nuguse, who took bronze in the men's 1500m at the Paris Games.

Nuguse's time of 3:51.9 was also well within the record of 3:56.13 set by his fellow American Hobbs Kessler at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga.

Both men also eclipsed the mark of 3:54.6 which is pending ratification – recorded this year by Kenya's Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

The men’s one mile track world record is 3:43.13, set by Morocco’s Hicham el Guerrouj in July 1999, with Giles' best time on the track standing at 3:51.63.

The distance on the road was only recognised as an official world record event 12 months ago, however the event has a long and rich history.

Sydney Maree has held the men's Fifth Avenue mile record in New York since 1981 with 3:47.6.

At the same US race, which is ineligible for record purposes, Josh Kerr ran 3:47.9 last year, while Britain's Laura Muir, winner in 2022, hold the women's record with 4:14.8.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Thomas among stars at lucrative Athlos NYC event

Many of the world's top women's track athletes are set to compete for record prizes when the inaugural Athlos NYC gets under way on Thursday.

American Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and Kenyan 1,500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon are among the stars in action at the women's-only track invitational.

Alexis Ohanian - Reddit co-founder and husband of 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams - has launched the event which boasts a record $500,000 (£374,000) prize pool, external for a women's track meet.

Winners across six disciplines will receive $60,000 (£44,900).

The Diamond League, in comparison, offers a $15,000 (£11,200) first prize across its 15 series meetings, rising to $30,000 (£22,400) for the final.

"I asked these women, I was like, 'Hey, so what is your top prize at the end of a season for winning?' And they said $30,000," Ohanian told Reuters.

"And I said, 'Great, I'm going to double it for one single race'."

There are two Brits in action with Daryll Neita racing in the 100m and Katie Snowden competing in the 1500m.

The Athlos meeting continues wider investment in the sport and its athletes, with World Athletics paying Olympic champions for the first time at the Paris Games this year.

In June, American legend Michael Johnson announced the launch of a lucrative new athletics league starting in April 2025 called Grand Slam track, with a total of $12.6m (£9.9m) in prize money.

And last week, the Diamond League said it would raise its prize money for the 2025 season.

"It's a great sign when there are other people seeing what you're doing and racing to be a part of it too," said Ohanian.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Kenya's Chepngetich breaks marathon world record

Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich broke the world record to win the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

The 30-year-old clocked a time of two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds to surpass Ethiopian Tigst Assefa's previous record by nearly two minutes.

Chepngetich is the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and 10 minutes.

Assefa set the previous record with victory at the 2023 Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds.

"I feel so great, I'm proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true," said Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion.

"I've fought a lot thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it."

Victory for Chepngetich is her third in Chicago, where she missed out on breaking compatriot Brigid Kosgei's then-world record by 14 seconds in 2022.

Four of the five fastest women's marathon times have been run on the flat Chicago course over the last six years.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

World's strongest man and British shot put record holder Capes dies

Geoff Capes, British shot put record holder and two-time world's strongest man, has died aged 75.

Capes set the record for the furthest shot put throw by a British man with a distance of 21.68m in 1980.

In a statement, Capes' family said: "The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October.

"Britain's finest shot putter and twice world's strongest man."

Capes had an illustrious career, twice winning shot put gold at the Commonwealth Games and the European Indoor Championships.

He was a three-time Olympian and came closest to winning a medal with a fifth-place finish at the 1980 Games in Moscow.

Capes, who was born in Lincolnshire, was also a six-time world champion competitor at the Highland Games.

His victories in the prestigious world's strongest man event came in 1983 in Christchurch, New Zealand and 1985 in Cascais, Portugal.

Following his retirement from competition Capes took up coaching and helped many aspiring athletes, as well as appearing on two reality television shows.


BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Kejelcha sets new world half-marathon record​

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha has set a new world record on his way to winning the Valencia Half Marathon.

Kejelcha, who also holds the indoor mile world record, set in Boston in 2019, finished in 57 minutes 30 seconds in wet conditions in the Spanish city.

The 27-year-old's time was one second quicker than Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo's mark from Lisbon three years ago.

The women's race was won by Agnes Ngetich of Kenya, who moved to second in the world all-time rankings with a time 63:04.

In only his sixth half marathon, Kejelcha settled in behind the pacemakers from the start, making his move around the three-kilometre mark and eventually breaking away from Kenyans Daniel Mateiko and Isaia Kipkoech for victory.

Kejelcha is a two-time world indoor 3000m champion but could only finish sixth in the 10,000m final at the Paris Olympics earlier this year.

Yomif Kejelcha sets new world half-marathon record in Valencia victory

Ethiopian athlete Yomif Kejelcha sets a new world record on his way to winning the Valencia Half Marathon.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

GB Olympian Williams retires from athletics

British Olympian Jodie Williams has announced her retirement from athletics.

Williams, 31, competed at three Olympic Games and was part of Team GB's bronze medal-winning women's 4x400m relay team at Paris 2024.

Among her individual honours, Williams won European and Commonwealth 200m silvers among nine major international medals at senior level.

"Dear track and field, the time has come for us to part ways," Williams posted on social media.

"You allowed me to achieve my childhood dreams and have taken me from an awkward little girl with no confidence to a just as awkward but much more confident woman."

Williams specialised in the 200m and is the sixth-fastest British woman over that distance, with the 22.46 seconds she clocked for European silver in 2014.

Later in her career she also had success in the 400m, winning Commonwealth bronze in Birmingham in 2022.

She earned her first global medal as a member of the women's 4x400m team in Paris, competing in the heats before Victoria Ohuruogu, Laviai Nielsen, Nicole Yeargin and Amber Anning finished behind the United States and the Netherlands in the final.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Nageeye and Chepkirui win New York City Marathon

Abdi Nageeye surged past former champion Evans Chebet in the final stretch to win the men's race at the New York City Marathon in two hours, seven minutes and 39 seconds.

Dutch runner Nageeye finished six seconds ahead of 2022 winner Chebet, with Albert Korir taking third place and last year's winner and Olympic champion Tamirat Tola placing fourth.

"I was so focused. When I reached the finish, the emotion was not there. It felt like I was dreaming," said Nageeye, a silver medallist at the 2020 Olympics.

Kenyan runner Sheila Chepkirui, 33, won the women's event in 2:24.35, finishing 14 seconds ahead of 2023 winner Hellen Obiri.

Chepkirui, who won the 10,000m bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, led an all-Kenyan podium, with Vivian Cheruiyot taking third place.

"This means a lot to me. It means my training has been good. I had to really dig in and it was really hard. I pushed myself to the limit and I am so happy," said Chepkirui, after winning her first World Marathon Major.


BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Killers of Ugandan Olympian sentenced to 35 years

A court in Kenyan has sentenced two men to 35 years each for the murder of Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat at the end of last year.

The Olympic steeplechaser was stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve in the town of Eldoret, known as a top training centre for athletes.

“Your actions were cruel to a defenceless person whose life you cut short,” Justice Reuben Nyakundi told Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere during the sentencing hearing in the High Court in Eldoret.

Kiplagat’s murder shocked people in Kenya, which has seen the killing of a number of other elite athletes in recent years.

Benjamin Lagat: Killers of Ugandan Olympian sentenced to 35 years

Steeplechaser Benjamin Lagat was stabbed to death in Kenya on New Year's Eve last year.

www.bbc.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

16-year-old sprinter faster than Usain Bolt breaks another record that stood for decades

Sprinting starlet Gout Gout has broken another record in Australia as his extraordinary rise continues.

The 16-year-old has already run faster than Usain Bolt in 2024 after catching the eye at the Under-20 World Championships in August.

Gout broke the event record in the 200m, which had been set by a 15-year-old Bolt in 2002.

He has now smashed more records at the All Schools Queensland Championship in Australia.

The teenager won both the 100m and 200m at the event as well as recording the fastest time by an Australian for 31 years.

In the heats for the 200m, Gout crossed the line in 20.29 seconds.

It is the fastest time in the event by an Aussie sprinter since 1993 as well as a record for Queensland.

Gout also now holds the under-18 and under-20 records for Australia and Oceania.

He went on to claim victory in the 200m final with a time of 20.52 seconds.

His performances have even seen Gout become the fourth fastest under-18 200m sprinter of all-time.

Meanwhile, he continues to edge closer to the Australian national record of 20.06 seconds.

Peter Norman set the long-standing record in the 200m back in 1968.

Gout's performances in Queensland are the latest landmarks in his remarkable year.

He was signed by Adidas last week, penning a sponsorship deal with the sports clothing brand.

It comes after he claimed a stunning silver medal at the under-20 World Championships in Peru earlier this year.

Gout was only beaten to the gold by 0.08 seconds as he finished behind South Africa's Bayanda Walaza.

The Aussie teen's manager James Templeton has attempted to cool widespread comparisons to Bolt, but admits the future looks incredibly bright.

"I’ve avoided using the 'UB' comparison. I think that’s unfair to a young athlete," Templeton said on the ABC Sport Daily podcast.

"For 18 months I've basically said a blanket 'no' to every media outlet in Australia that has asked. We just want to allow him to be a normal kid at school. We don't want him to have any distraction.

"It's all going to be ahead of him. We want his life to be as normal as possible for as long as possible.
"But the modern world with viral videos, despite saying no to media he has gone viral and everybody is starting to get to know him."

Teenage sprinter faster than Bolt breaks another record that stood for decades

Sprinting starlet Gout Gout has broken another record in Australia as his extraordinary rise continues. The 16-year-old has already run faster than Usain Bolt in 2024 after catching the eye at the …

talksport.com

https://talksport.com/sport/2228597/gout-gout-athletics-usain-bolt-record/#

 

[hassan918]

GB's Neita joins Johnson's Grand Slam Track league​

Sprinter Daryll Neita has become the first British woman to join Michael Johnson's new athletics league.

Neita, 28, was part of the Great Britain 4x100m relay team that took silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Grand Slam Track, launched by American legend Johnson in June, will aim to bring together the world's elite runners, offering $100,000 (£78,683) as a top prize.

Starting in April 2025, the new format will have a prize fund of $12.6m (£9.9m) split over four events.

Neita joins 1500m runner Josh Kerr and 400m star Matthew Hudson-Smith, both silver medallists in Paris, as the British athletes confirmed for the competition.

Alongside Neita, Kenya's 800m world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Mary Moraa and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, a former world champion who won 400m silver in Paris, were also announced as competitors for 2025.

"I'm really excited to be the first British woman announced as joining Grand Slam Track, and can't wait to start racing in this fresh new league," said Neita.

"I love the concept and getting to race twice in a weekend is fun and exciting for all of us as racers. It’s an amazing opportunity to compete at the highest level in a whole new format that’s going to bring a lot of energy to the sport."

Grand Slam Track will feature four meetings each year, with two hosted in the United States.

Athletes will compete in two events each and 48 will be contracted to the league.

Money in athletics has become a talking point in recent months, with World Athletics announcing in April it would pay prize money to Olympic athletes.

In June, the governing body announced a new global championship to start in 2026 with gold medallists receiving $150,000 (£118,000).

World Athletics said its championship would have $10m (£7.87m) in prize money.

The Diamond League currently offers a $30,000 (£23,610) prize for those athletes winning an event across its 15 meetings.

"They deserve to be compensated," said 56-year-old Johnson, who is a BBC athletics pundit.

"The structure of the sport in the past has not compensated those athletes to take that risk to go and compete against the best athletes in the sport."

Source: BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

'I'm just a kid' - 16-year-old breaks 200m record in 20.04secs​

Australian teenage sensation Gout Gout has entered the record books by becoming the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m.

He ran the distance in 20.04 seconds during the Australian schools championships in Brisbane on Saturday, breaking the national record set by Peter Norman when he won silver at the 1968 Olympics.

Gout's time is the fastest ever by a 16-year-old and the second fastest by an athlete under the age of 18 - behind Erriyon Knighton's 19.84 as a 17-year-old in 2021.

"It's pretty crazy," said Gout.

"Right now I can't process it, but I guess tonight when I go to bed, I'll think about it. These are adults. And me, I'm just a kid, and I'm running them (down).

"I've been chasing that record, but I didn't think it would come this year. I thought it would come maybe next year, the year after that."

Gout, who turns 17 later this month, ran the fourth-fastest 100m by an Australian with a time of 10.04 on Friday.

At 6ft 2in, Gout's speed and running style has earned him comparisons with Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.

Australian broadcaster ABC said Gout will travel to the United States next month to train with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.

The son of migrants from war-torn South Sudan, Gout lives in the Brisbane suburb of Ipswich.

The 2032 Olympics will be held in the Australian city, when Gout would be 24.

Gout Gout: Australian 16-year-old breaks 200m record in 20.04secs during school championships

Australian teenage sensation Gout Gout enters the record books by becoming the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200 metres.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Olympic triathlon champion Yee to run London Marathon

Great Britain's Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee will race in the 2025 London Marathon.

Yee, 26, has won four Olympic triathlon medals - including individual gold and mixed relay bronze at Paris 2024.

The London-born athlete - who previously ran for Great Britain on the track and in cross country - will compete over the marathon distance for the first time on Sunday, 27 April.

"Committing to the London Marathon for me was a no-brainer. It is an event that has given me so many memories," said the five-time Mini London Marathon finisher.

"Taking part in a full marathon has always been an itch I've wanted to scratch and there isn't any another place than London that I would want to start that journey."

Yee overhauled New Zealand's Hayden Wilde in the closing stages in Paris to win his first Olympic title in August, before winning the world title for the first time in October by finishing third in the final in Spain.


BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Seb Coe sends word of warning to Gout Gout after Usain Bolt comparisons

A young Australian sprinter caught the world’s attention earlier this month when he surpassed another of Usain Bolt's records.

Gout Gout became the fastest 16-year-old in history in the 200 metres, achieving an impressive 20.04sec at the Australian All Schools Championships.

Despite his undeniable talent, Lord Seb Coe, the head of the IAAF, has revealed one thing Gout should be cautious of.

There have been a lot of predictions surrounding Gout’s future, particularly around whether he will go on to break Bolt’s world records in the 100m and 200m.

And Coe has issued a word of warning.

“The toughest transition any athlete is going to make is from the upper echelons of juniors into the senior ranks,” Coe said.

“Any coach will tell you that probably is the toughest element in coaching.

“Identifying talent and nurturing it is a huge part of it. But taking an athlete safely, securely, mentally and physically from 18 and 19 into the early 20s is tough.”

“A lot of athletes that even win World Junior Championships don't actually make it into their senior national team.”

Coe has also said he is excited about the arrival of the Aussie.

He hopes he can bring a new audience into the sport, much like Jamaican legend Bolt once did.

“He is a huge attraction,” said Coe.

“You’ve only got to see what response he gets every time he competes. He is clearly an outstanding talent.”

Gout’s time, at the Australian All Schools Championships, was also the second-quickest ever by an Under-18 after Erriyon Knighton’s 19.84sec in 2021.

He also broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old Australian senior record.

Gout told fans to 'remember it' after smashing the Australian 200m record.

He said: "Remember it. I've been chasing that record, but I didn't think it would come this year. I thought it would come maybe next year, the year after that.

"Right now I can't process it, but I guess tonight when I go to bed, I'll think about it. These are adults. And me, I'm just a kid, and I'm running them (down). It's pretty crazy."

Bolt recently admitted that Gout ‘looks like a young me,’ with the Queensland-born star also proving his potential in the 100m with a 10.04sec.

Gout would unsurprisingly be overjoyed with this comparison from Bolt.

Given that Bolt is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time with eight Olympic gold medals.

Bolt is also the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.

Next up for Gout is a training camp with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in Florida in January as he looks to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.

Seb Coe sends word of warning to Gout Gout after Usain Bolt comparisons

A young Australian sprinter caught the world’s attention earlier this month when he surpassed another of Usain Bolt’s records. Gout Gout became the fastest 16-year-old in history in the 200 m…

talksport.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israeli bowlers banned from World Indoor Championships

Israeli players have been banned from competing in next month's World Indoor Bowls Championships.

The World Bowls Tour said in a statement there had been a "significant escalation in related political concerns" following the involvement of Israeli bowlers at the Scottish International Open in August.

Three Israelis were expected to compete at the World Indoor Championships - which will take place in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk - but their invitations have been withdrawn.

Daniel Alomin can no longer compete in the singles, while Amnon Amar and Itai Rigbi have been pulled out of the pairs.

"This decision was not taken lightly and has been made in the best interests of the event's success and integrity," the statement added.

MP Rupert Lowe, whose Great Yarmouth constituency includes Hopton-on-Sea, said he was "genuinely disgusted" by the decision and would "fight" it.

"As far as I am concerned as the local MP, these individuals are welcome in our constituency," Lowe posted on social media platform X.

"Sport should be a unifier, and it should be above politics."

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: "There can be no justification for this overt act of discrimination against Israeli participants, who are excluded solely on the basis of their nationality."

The sport's governing body, World Bowls - which is separate to the World Bowls Tour, said Israeli players were still welcome to play in its events.

In an email to members, World Bowls said: "At our recent World Bowls Junior Indoor Championships in Hong Kong China in early December, we were pleased to have Israel represented."

The 14-month war between Israel and Hamas began when Hamas-led gunmen carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

The figures are often disputed by the Israeli government, which says almost 20,000 "terrorists" have been killed, but they are broadly accepted by United Nations agencies.

BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Oldest Olympic gold medallist Keleti dies at 103

Agnes Keleti, the world's oldest living Olympic gold medallist and a Holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 103.

Five-time Olympic champion Hungarian gymnast Keleti won her first gold aged 31 at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, before winning four more in Melbourne in 1956 to become the oldest female gymnast to win gold.

Her 10 Olympic medals, including five golds, make Keleti the second most successful Hungarian athlete of all time.

Keleti was born in Budapest in 1921 and won her first Hungarian championship in 1940, but later that year she was banned from all sports activities because of her Jewish origin.

According to the Hungarian Olympic Committee (HOC), Keleti escaped deportation to Nazi death camps by hiding in a village south of Budapest with false papers. Her father and several relatives died in the Auschwitz death camp.

A year after the Melbourne Games, Keleti settled in Israel, where she married and had two children while coaching gymnastics.

Keleti died on Thursday at Budapest Military Hospital, where she was being treated for heart failure and breathing difficulties, says the HOC. She would have turned 104 on 9 January.

Agnes Keleti: Oldest Olympic gold medallist dies at 103

The world's oldest living Olympic gold medallist Agnes Keleti dies at the age of 103.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

UK Athletics charged with manslaughter over death of Paralympian

UK Athletics has been charged with manslaughter over the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei.

Hayayei died aged 36 after a metal cage fell on him while training at Newham Leisure Centre, London in July 2017.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged UK Athletics Limited with "corporate manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence".

Keith Davies, the head of sport for the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships, has also been charged with "gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence".

UK Athletics and Davies, 77, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 31 January.

Hayayei was training for the World Championships in London at the time of the incident.

The United Arab Emirates thrower had been set to compete in the F34 shot put, discus and javelin events.

Hayayei, a father of five, finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put when making his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

London 2017 was due to be his second appearance at a World Championships. At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, Hayayei finished fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.

A moment of silence was held in honour of Hayayei during the opening ceremony of the World Championships at London Stadium.

Abdullah Hayayei: UK Athletics charged with manslaughter after Paralympian's death

UK Athletics is charged with manslaughter over the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei.

www.bbc.com

 

[hassan918]

Marathon great Kipchoge to race London in April​

Distance running great Eliud Kipchoge will return to the London Marathon in April.

Kenyan Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic marathon champion, is the record four-time winner of the men’s race in London, where he last competed in 2020.

The 40-year-old former world record holder described his mid-race drop-out at his final Olympic Games in Paris as “demoralising” but still believes he can compete for a fifth victory in London.

“Sport is full of challenges. I’m still working hard to get better, trying to inspire people and sell the power of sport,” Kipchoge said.

“I still think I can compete. I am training in a good way and competing with the youngest people.”

The 2025 London Marathon takes place on Sunday, 27 April.

London Marathon CEO Hugh Brasher said this year’s event boasts “the greatest elite field in the history of the London Marathon”.

Women’s world record holder Ruth Chepngetich, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and silver medallist Tiger Assefa - the three fastest women in history - have been confirmed in the women’s race, which will see Eilish McColgan make her debut.

Emile Cairess will lead British interest in the men’s race, where he could have Mo Farah’s British record in his sights and will be joined by Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee..

London Marathon 2025: Eliud Kipchoge to chase fifth victory

Distance running great Eliud Kipchoge will return to the London Marathon in April.

www.bbc.com

 

[hassan918]

Cram & Weightman coaching Olympic medallist Muir​

Laura Muir has announced she is being coached by Steve Cram and her former rival Laura Weightman.

The Olympic silver medallist, 31, had been working with UK Athletics' former endurance programme manager Steve Vernon in the lead up to Paris 2024.

That followed splitting from long-time coach Andy Young in 2023, who guided her to the 1500m runner-up spot in Tokyo, as well as world bronze and European and Commonwealth titles.

Cram himself won Olympic silver over 1500m in Los Angeles in 1984 and fellow English middle distance runner Weightman won European and Commonwealth medals.

Writing on Instagram, Muir described her new coaches as "truly inspiring people, both of which I have been fortunate to know for over a decade".

And she added: "Steve, someone who has commentated on practically every major race of my career, coached Laura W and ran pretty well himself over 1500m….and Laura an amazing competitor and dear friend who I raced and trained alongside for many a year.

"A massive thank you to my previous coach Steve Vernon who supported me in 2023/2024. Good luck with your new ventures!"

Source: BBC

 

[hassan918]

Hodgkinson voted Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year​

Olympic 800m gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson has been voted the 2024 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

The 22-year-old ended her wait for a global title with victory at the Olympic Games in Paris last summer and won BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December 2024.

Hodgkinson also retained her European 800m title and became the sixth-fastest woman of all time when she improved her British record to one minute 54.61 seconds at the London Diamond League.

Hodgkinson follows last year's winner, England goalkeeper Mary Earps, athlete Eilish McColgan, and tennis player Emma Raducanu, who won in 2021.

The shortlist for the 2024 award was dominated by Olympic medal winners with Hodgkinson scooping it ahead of 1500m runner Georgia Bell, showjumper Laura Collett, cyclist Emma Finucane, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, trampoline gymnast Bryony Page, shooter Amber Rutter and Paralympic cycling great Sarah Storey.

Elsewhere, diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix was named the newspaper's Young Sportswoman of the Year after she won bronze in Paris.

Storey picked up the Disability Sportswoman of the Year after she added two more golds to her medal collection at the Paralympic Games.

Rowers Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson, Georgina Brayshaw and Hannah Scott won the Team of the Year for their dramatic victory in the women's quadruple sculls at Paris 2024.

Ultra runner Jasmin Paris won the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration, while retired PE teacher and cycling enthusiast Val French won the Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year.

BBC radio presenter Eleanor Oldroyd's contribution to sports broadcasting was also recognised with a special Editor's Choice Award.

Source: BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Athletics spectator killed by hammer throw in US

A spectator has been killed after he was accidentally struck by a hammer thrown by an athlete at a high school indoor athletics event in the United States.

The incident occurred on Sunday during the competition at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus.

A spokesperson for the university said a spectator "was killed when a hammer thrown by a participant cleared certified barriers and struck him".

The man who died, named by El Paso County Coronor's office as Wade Langston, 57, was the father of a competitor and reportedly died, external while shielding his wife and son from the hammer, which can weigh up to 7.26kg (1st 2lb).

"We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved," said University of Colorado Colorado Springs chancellor Jennifer Sobanet.

A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department did not comment, beyond saying it was a "non-criminal incident".


BBC

 

[hassan918]

Britain's Bell wins mile race at Millrose meeting​

Britain's Georgia Bell ran a personal best to win the mile race at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York.

Bell, Olympic 1500m bronze medallist at last year's Paris Games, finished in four minutes 23.35 seconds at what is regarded as the world's premier indoor athletics meeting.

She gave a dominant performance and finished strongly to hold off the challenge from American pair Heather MacLean and Nikki Hiltz.

Compatriot Josh Kerr, the 1500m world champion and Olympic silver medallist in Paris, was unable to run in the night's final event, the men's mile, after falling ill.

However, America's Yared Nuguse ensured there was a fitting end to the 117th edition of the meeting by winning with a new world indoor record time of 3:46.63.

Earlier, Grant Fisher also set a new world record when beating Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker in the 3,000m.

The US pair duelled throughout the race before Fisher, the 5,000m and 10,000m bronze medallist in Paris, passed compatriot Hocker on the final turn.

He won with a time of seven minutes 22.91 seconds - beating a record set by Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma in 2023.

Hocker crossed the line in 7:23.14 - also beating Girma's previous record of 7:23.81.

"That was a battle for the ages right there," said Fisher.

Elsewhere, Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell won the 60m hurdles in a world-leading 7.76secs before Dylan Beard also set a world-leading time of 7.38secs in the men's 60m hurdles.

The men's 60m was won by Marcellus Moore in 6.56secs, with Jacious Sears' world-leading time of 7.02secs landing her victory in the women's 60m.

Source: BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Ingebrigtsen breaks two indoor world records

Jakob Ingebrigtsen has smashed the indoor world records for both the mile and 1,500m in a race at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in France.

The 24-year-old Norwegian finished the mile in a time of three minutes 45.14 seconds at the Arena Stade Couvert in Lievin.

That saw the reigning Olympic 5,000m champion beat a time of 3:46.63 ran by Yared Nuguse of the United States at the Millrose Games in New York last Saturday.

Ingebrigtsen also broke the indoor 1,500m record he set on the same track three years ago, clocking 3:29.63 and then holding on for the final half-lap to add the mile record.


BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Fisher sets second world indoor record in six days

American Grant Fisher broke his second world indoor record in six days by setting a new mark in the 5,000m on Friday.

The 27-year-old clocked 12 minutes 44.09 seconds at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational, to smash the mark of 12:49.60 set by Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele in 2004.

He was well clear of France's Jimmy Gressier who finished in a new European indoor standard of 12:54.92.

Fisher, who won bronze in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at last year's Paris Olympics, set a new 3,000m record at the Millrose Games in New York last Saturday.

Friday's achievement came a day after Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen improved both the mile and 1500m records in a race at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in France.

BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

Kiplimo runs sub-57 to shatter half marathon record​

Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo became the first person to run a half marathon below 57 minutes as he shattered the world record by 48 seconds in Barcelona.

The 24-year-old ran 56 minutes and 42 seconds to eclipse Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha's previous world record of 57:30 set in Valencia in October.

Kiplimo's time is the best single improvement on the men's world half-marathon record.

"I am very excited about what I did today," said the former 10,000m Olympic and World Championships bronze medallist.

"I wanted to have a great race, but I didn't expect to break the world record.

"I started very strong in the first two kilometres to get away from my rivals. As the kilometres passed and I saw that I was going at record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what it took."

He also set a world best of 39:47 for 15km during the World Athletics event, which was held in perfect conditions of 13ºC with no wind.

Kiplimo's compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor finished second (58:44) ahead of Kenya's Samuel Mailu (59:40).

Jacob Kiplimo breaks half marathon world record by 48 seconds

Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo shatters the half marathon record at a World Athletics event in Barcelona.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Olympic stars compete for British titles in Birmingham

Olympic stars Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Georgia Hunter Bell are among those competing for British titles at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham this weekend.

The two-day event, live on the BBC, will double as the British trials for the European Athletics Indoor Championships, which take place in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands, from 6-9 March.

Johnson-Thompson, who ended her wait for an Olympic medal with heptathlon silver at Paris 2024, is entered in the 60m hurdles and shot put events at Utilita Arena.

Olympic bronze medallist Hunter Bell will seek to defend her British indoor 1500m title, while world indoor champion Molly Caudery competes in the women's pole vault.

Laura Muir will aim for her 10th British title as she races in the women's 3,000m, and former world 1500m champion Jake Wightman is also in action.

An exciting women's 400m features Olympic relay medallists Amber Anning, Victoria Ohuruogu, Lina Nielsen and Hannah Kelly.

The top two finishers in each final will secure a place on the team for the European Indoor Championships, provided they have achieved the qualification standard or a world ranking place in their event.

Keely Hodgkinson is one high-profile name missing after the Olympic 800m champion suffered a hamstring tear earlier in February.

The European Indoor Championships are followed by the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, from 21-23 March.

The latest athlete entry list is available on the British Athletics website., external

BBC

 

[hassan918]

Mills wins indoor title with championship record​

George Mills broke a championship record to win the men's 3,000m at the British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

Mills finished 0.17 seconds clear of James West to claim victory in a time of seven minutes 40.16 seconds.

The 25-year-old was watched by his father, former England footballer Danny Mills, as he broke the previous championship record by almost 10 seconds.

His performance has qualified him for the European Indoor Championships.

"I came here to do a job - that was to first of all qualify for the European Indoor Championships and put my name in the hat again for worlds and obviously, to win," Mills told BBC Sport. "Delighted to do that.

"When I go to races now in these championships, I'm going to win medals, so that's what I'm aiming to do.

"I really give everything to this sport and I just want to be the best athlete I can."

In the women's 3,000m, Hannah Nuttall earned victory ahead of Laura Muir, who was second.

Nuttall beat Muir by more than half a second after overtaking her late on to finish in a time of 8:49.49.

Both will also feature at the European Indoor Championships.

"I did think today I could potentially come out with the win if I had my best possible race but to actually execute it and do it is another thing," said Nuttall.

"I thought I'll just follow her [Muir] and see what I have left in the tank at the end; I had another gear and when I went past her and she didn't have anything left.

"The nerves the last few days have been off the scale."

Elsewhere, 17-year-old Otis Poole won with a best jump of 2.20m despite only receiving an invitation to compete earlier that day. Poole's previous personal best jump was an attempt of 2.09m.

The European Indoor Championships take place in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, from 6 to 9 March.

Source: BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Duplantis breaks pole vault world record for 11th time

Armand Duplantis improved his own men's pole vault world record to 6.27m at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

It is the 11th time Olympic and world champion Duplantis has broken the world record in his career.

The Swedish 25-year-old secured victory at the event with a clearance over 6.02m before he attempted to improve his record mark, set in August, by one centimetre.

Duplantis did so with his first attempt, five years after breaking the record for the first time with a height of 6.17m in February 2020.

He improved the world record to 6.25m when winning a second successive Olympic title at the Paris 2024 Games last summer and then went a centimetre higher in late August in Poland - the third occasion he improved his mark in 2024.

Duplantis' first world record, which he achieved aged 20, beat a mark set by France's Renaud Lavillenie that had stood for nearly six years.

He has continued to progress the record in one-centimetre increments ever since, while securing 10 major international titles in the process.

In Paris, Duplantis became the first man to retain the Olympic pole vault title since American Bob Richards in 1952 and 1956, while in 2025 he will have the opportunity to complete hat-tricks of gold medals at both the indoor and outdoor world championships.

Caudery clinches World Indoor Tour Gold title

Britain's Molly Caudery claimed the overall World Indoor Tour Gold title with victory at the final meeting of the series in Madrid.

Reigning world indoor pole vault champion Caudery, 24, cleared a season's best 4.85m as she took maximum points and beat Slovenia's Tina Sutej to the title.

Sutej, who had led the standings going into the final, was the only other athlete to clear 4.70m but she had no response to Caudery's first-time vault over 4.75m.

It meant England's Caudery, who added to her win in Karlsruhe and second place in Lievin, accumulated 27 points with her best three series performances - three points ahead of Sutej.

She will be one of Britain's medal hopes at next week's European Indoor Athletics Championships, one year after winning her first major title at the World Indoors in Glasgow.

The European Indoor Championships take place in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands, from 6-9 March.

Also competing will be fellow Briton Bianca Williams, who ran a personal best time of 7.16 seconds in the women's 60m to place second on the night in Madrid.

That performance came one week after Williams lowered her best to 7.19 secs when winning the British indoor title for the first time.

BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

London Marathon field set to break world record

The 2025 London Marathon is set to make history as the world's largest field in the discipline.

More than 56,000 runners are expected to complete the 26.2 miles on Sunday, 27 April.

That would exceed the current record of 55,646 finishers set by the New York Marathon in November.

Since the first London Marathon in 1981, more than 1.3 million runners have completed the event.

More than 840,000 people applied for the ballot to enter this year's race, breaking the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.

Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.

"The 45th edition is a landmark year for us, and it would be wonderful to mark that by becoming the biggest marathon ever staged anywhere in the world," said Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events.

"Marathon Day is an extraordinary day when communities come together to celebrate the very best of humanity as tens of thousands of participants take on the legendary 26.2-mile challenge from Greenwich to The Mall and raise tens of millions for charity on the way."

Distance-running great Eliud Kipchoge is returning to the London Marathon this year for the first time since 2020.

Women's world record holder Ruth Chepngetich, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and silver medallist Tigst Assefa - the three fastest women in history - have been confirmed in the women's race, in which Eilish McColgan will make her debut.

Emile Cairess will lead British interest in the men's race, where he could have Mo Farah's British record in his sights and will be joined by Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee.


BBC