Then they discuss Lopez Lomong’s versatility, Lagat running a half marathon, match-ups to watch in this weekends NCAA Indoor Championships and the return of twitter questions.

The guys also discuss PEDs, a NCAA coaching scandal, track and field bucket lists and a glaring inaccuracy in Shawshank Redemption.

-Jason and I recorded a rather lengthy podcast this week.  Listen here. 

-Doctors say a supplement was to blame for Claire Squires’s death during the London Marathon last year.   Squires allegedly put a scoop of Jack3d in her water bottle before the race. Jack3d is the same supplement that got Michael Rodgers a 9-month ban in 2012.  

-In today’s “What They Won’t Be Doing” segment, Jessica Ennis says she will skip indoors and Vivian Cheruiyot will not defend her World Cross Country championship.   

-Kenyan javelin thrower Julius Yego is the subject of a great CNN video feature.  Awesome visuals in this piece.

-British Athletics announced their qualifying procedure for the World Championships.  It is 7 pages long and is quite convoluted.  I’m not sure why more countries don’t mimic the American policy.  It has yielded overwhelmingly positive results at Olympics and World Championships and is relatively easy to understand for most events.

-RunBlogRun interviews USATF CEO Max Siegel.  There is lots of business/marketing jargon, but Siegel does tease that USATF has “some exciting announcements coming in the next few months.”

-John Steffensen, best known for taunting in the third person and doing the Cat Daddy, has been suspend for 6 months by Athletics Australia. His federation didn’t take kindly to his claims that he was racially vilified and discriminated against.

-Aries Merritt is out of Saturday’s New Balance Grand Prix after suffering a cramp in training.  I’m guessing the sold out crowd probably wish they knew this before they bought tickets

-Drug testers came to Kenya to take the blood of many of their best athletes.  Fingers crossed that no deer antler spray was found.

Then, the guys talk about Yohan Blake’s watch, the end of the Turbaned Tornado and answer emails involving IN-N-OUT’s secret menu and some of the greatest races ever.

-Mary Cain continues her record book reconstruction tour and easily takes down the high school mile record at the New Balance Games.

-In Glasgow, Duane Solomon set the American record in the 600, Bernard Lagat won the 3,000 and an unknown defeated Carmelita Jeter in the 60.  You can find all of the videos here.  In the team competition, Russia and the United States tied with 58 points. Run-off or coin flip?  Neither?  Boo.

-Mo Farah will run the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in February.  Sure he beat the Bekele brothers, but how will he fare against 9 guys racing in Mardi Gras costumes? 

-First, Dayron Robles was sitting out 2013.  Then, he was retiring.  Now it sounds like he may just be doing some sort of NBA/NFL style holdout and plans on returning in 2014 for a new country. If Cuba is looking for a trade, it is definitely a buyer’s market for hurdlers right now.

-Jesse Squire highlights two overlooked performances of the weekend, Lawi Lalang in the 3,000 and Cas Loxsom in the 600, in his Weekly College Awards. 

-Track and Field News reports that Wallace Spearmon will move up to the 400 this summer.  Spearmon said previously that he was going to run the 200 and the 400 in 2013.  If he completely abandons the 200, Americans will have a huge hole to fill.  Spearmon was the only Olympic finalist in London and 100-meter stars Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey don’t appear to be keen on attempting the double this season.  Add in the questionable health of Walter Dix, and the Jamaican dominance in the 200 looks to be even more pronounced in the near future.    

Spearmon’s 400 potential is an interesting question.  His best time dates back to 2006, where he ran 45.22.  The 400 is not nearly as deep as the other sprints, but at age 28 Spearmon will be at the older end of the spectrum in an event that is currently dominated by a 20-year-old.  If nothing else, Spearmon could provide some help in the 4 x 400 where the Americans were upset by the Bahamas in London.

-Usain Bolt will run in the Oslo Diamond League meet on June 13^th. I’m very grateful for the head’s up, but wouldn’t it be better if we could get the start lists for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix first before we look to a meet that is more than 5 months away.

-The Tokyo Marathon will feature 2:04 tempo runner and the world’s most overqualified second place finisher, Dennis Kimetto.  

-Jim McDannald continues to work the Pac-12 broadcast beat.

-Ken Goe’s links also include an update on the Pac-12’s policy and what it means for the indoor meets in Seattle this winter.

-The Turbaned Tornado will retire from racing after the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24^th.

-This weekend’s action: Galen Rupp racing a mile in Boston, Bernard Lagat, Carmelita Jeter and several other A-Listers in Glasgow.

-Yohan Blake has a new, expensive watch that he will be wearing this season.

What it has:

-Asymmetrical case

-Handwound tourbillon movement

-“Beast bridges”

What it doesn’t have:

-GPS

-100-lap memory

-Airtight/bulletproof protective case, which would seem to be necessary for a $620,000 watch being worn during an athletic competition.

-Our podcast from Wednesday where Jason was in “studio” with me.

-Jim McDannald of Track Focus reports that the Pac-12 is currently blocking Flotrack, Runnerspace and any other outside enterprise from streaming or archiving meets that are hosted by a Pac-12 school.  This decision gets even more puzzling when you consider that the Pac-12 may not even broadest these meets themselves.  This was the case at last Saturday’s University of Washington Indoor Preview.  Because of the large amount of college/professional meets that Pac-12 schools host, this policy would blackout fans from watching several marquee meets that have been previously available for viewing.

The development of propriety conference networks, and the huge amount of money that follows, is often cited as the savior of non-revenue sports.   It is interesting that these same networks could play a role in limiting the publicity of their schools and their athletes.

-Mo Farah will run one, and only one, indoor race this season.  Meanwhile, training partner Galen Rupp will race for the second time in 2013 at next Saturday’s BU Terrier Invite.

-Tirunesh Dibaba and Matt Centrowitz are the latest entries to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

-Ken Goe’s Thursday links include a look at the relationship between Oregon’s football and track and field programs.

-Jesse Squire presents his College Notes.

-Our podcast from Wednesday where we discuss Mary Cain, the Boston Marathon field, Andy Murray’s acceleration and much more.

-Thanks to friend of the podcast Julian for notifying us that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is running indoors for what appears to be the first time in her career.  She told the Jamaican Gleaner over the weekend that she will use the indoor season to prepare for outdoors and will presumably race the 60-meters.  Does this mean we might see a women’s sprint world record this winter?  Discounting relays, hurdles and oddball events like the 100-yard dash or the 150-meters, the most recent women’s sprint record is from February 9, 1995.   That year, Irina Privalova of Russia equaled her mark of 6.92 in the 60-meters from 1993.   By comparison, virtually every men’s record has been broken (and re-broken) during that same time period.

Could Fraser-Pryce break the 18-year drought?  Perhaps, if she gets enough chances.  Her start and drive phase are the strongest part of her race and she has already run, according to the awesome, but highly addictive alltime-athletics.com, 6.88 en route to her win in the 100-meters at the 2009 World Championships.

She could run into some problems finding ample opportunities.  The IAAF lists only six “IAAF Indoor Permit” races this season, three of which are on the same weekend.  Of course that doesn’t include the Millrose Games and other non-IAAF affiliated meets, but I’m guessing she will want to attempt it at a bigger budget meet.  All this to say, Millrose should pay her a bunch of money to race for the record against Chris Johnson, Denard Robinson and Adrian Peterson.

-The international field for the Boston Marathon was released today.   Things got a bit tougher for Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan and the rest of the Americans.

-Alan Webb explains his new training under Jerry Schumacher of the Oregon Track Club Elite group in Portland.  Schumacher is Webb’s fifth coach since high school.

-Ken Goe’s links from Monday.

-The next stop on the Mary Cain Show will be Boston for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

-Sixteen-year-old Mary Cain ripped apart the American high school 3,000-meter record at the University of Washington Indoor Preview on Saturday.  Cain, who lives in New York but is coached by Alberto Salazar, ran 9:02.10 beating the existing outdoor record by over six seconds.  When considering conversions, she also bested all the existing high school records for the 3,200-meter and 2-mile.  The record itself isn’t a shock.  She already holds the 1,500-meter American high school record and held her own in the 800-meters at the Olympic Trials this past summer.   What is surprising is how fast she is running this early in the season.

Assuming that Salazar is using the same cautious and methodical approach that he has taken with Galen Rupp, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume Cain can run much faster.  With modest improvements, she would be an immediate contender outdoors in the United States, especially in the 5,000, which currently lacks depth.  But before we get too far, let us remember all the phenoms in track and field who ran their best races and times before they reached the drinking age and were never heard from again.  Cain appears to be an exception.  Her talent surpasses anything we have ever seen in the United States and she has the best distance running coach in the world to provide guidance. Salazar deservedly received much credit for guiding Rupp over a 12-year period from a high school freshman to an Olympic silver medalist.  If he can get Cain anywhere close to that level while avoiding the injuries, burnouts and breakdowns that often fell such a talent, it would be an even greater coaching achievement

-Also in Seattle, the aforementioned Galen Rupp opened his 2013 season with a 3:57 mile and an easy win.

-Brianna Rollins of Clemson set the collegiate record in the 60-meter hurdles running 7.78.  That time is only .06 seconds from Lolo Jones’s American record of 7.72.

-Houston Marathon recap

Weather: Bad

Meb: Sick (DNS)

½ Marathon Winners: Feyisa Lelisa (1:01:52) and Mamitu Deska (1:09:51)

World record: Not close

Americans:  Shadrack Biwott (1:02:23) and Lisa Uhl (1:13:28)

Marathon Winners: Bazu Worku (2:10:17) and Merima Mohammed (2:23:37)

Americans: Andrew Carlson (2:17:16) and Tera Moody (2:39:10)

-Dayron Robles will apparently sit out 2013 in protest over treatment by officials in Cuba.

-Prep Erin Finn is feeling better after running a 10:18 3200 in a workout.

-A judge found Ashley Gill-Webb guilty of throwing a bottle onto the track before the men’s Olympic 100-meter final.  It doesn’t look like jail time is likely but he will have to live with the name “Olympic bottle thrower” the rest of his life.

-Jesse Squire’s Weekly College Awards feature Cas Loxsom and his 1:46 800.

Tennis player Andy Murray became the latest athlete to have his bipedal locomotion mentioned in the same sentence as Usain Bolt.  In this occasion it was Murray’s trainer, Jez Green, comparing his pupil’s acceleration to the fastest man on earth.

He’s been clocked at moving at 10 metres per second over very short intervals, maybe even as short as a single step, which is as fast as Usain Bolt. I’m not saying that he is that fast over 100 metres but he has great acceleration when he is chasing down a drop shot.

It appears that neither Murray nor Green is aware of the Curse of Bolt, otherwise they would have steered clear, especially right before the Australian Open.  Green also said that Murray could run a 400 in 53 seconds, which doesn’t seem too unreasonable.

Jesse Squire previews the weekend’s best matchups.  There are lots of them.

Dan Rather Reports profiles the Kenyan Scholar Athlete Program.

Toni Reavis reflects on a conversation he had with the retiring Felix Limo.

The Bowerman released their women’s preseason watch list.

We posted our latest podcast yesterday. Topics include Ryan Hall running the Boston Marathon, the indoor television schedule, the fight at the Armory and Bev Kearney’s resignation.

Tuesday’s list of top moments of running-related violence neglected to mention Josephat Machuka punching Haile Gebrselassie in the head at the 1992 World Junior Championships. Thanks to reader Matthew B. for brining this to my attention.

An extreme race became too extreme for some participants in Washington and now there are lawsuits. This is just what Bill Bowerman dreamed of when he helped spark the running boom in the United States.

Construction begins Saturday on the first tartan track in Iten, Kenya. Iten is the home of Lornah Kiplagat, Wilson Kipketer, Mary Keitany, Linet Masai, David Rudisha….wait, they got this good without access to a professional track?

Galen Rupp and Matt Centrowitz will run the mile at Saturday’s University of Washington Indoor Preview.

Bernard Lagat, Lawi Lalang, Cam Levins, Evan Jager, Dathan Ritzenhein and German Fernandez are among the entrants for the Millrose Games two-mile on February 16th. Before we get too excited, remember that we will still be in the “I’m still just in my base phase” portion of the season.

Millrose also announced that Jason Richardson and Andrew Riley will race the 60-meter hurdles.

Marathoner Ryan Vail is the subject of a short documentary. He probably is the fastest marathoner/shoe store employee in the country.

Peter Vigneron discusses the role, or lack thereof, that marketability plays in elite athlete sponsorships.

The Bowerman released their men’s preseason watch list. I would put my money on someone who does more than one event. Three of the past four winners doubled and the fourth was named Ashton Eaton.

-Ryan Hall will be racing the Boston Marathon this April.

-Boston’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix added Galen Rupp, Jen Suhr, Dejen Gebremeskel and Hagos Gebrhiwet to their start lists.

-The fight during the boys 4 x 400 relay at the Hispanic Games on Saturday has once again put the issue of violence in running-related events in the spotlight.  Ok, not really.  Runners, jumpers and throwers are by and large a peaceful people and the incidents of them getting physical are remarkably rare.  I couldn’t even find enough good material to make a top five, so here are three notable track and field/cross country skirmishes:

In 2004, Florida State’s Antonio Cromartie, yes that Antonio Cromartie, pushed a Clemson runner off the track in the 400.  The gentleman from Clemson was not pleased.

In the 2011 World Cross Country Championships, Ethiopian and Eritrean runners “tussled” down the homestretch before awkwardly sprinting toward the finish line.

And finally, the gold standard.  Mehdi Baala and Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad fight exactly how would expect French distance runners to fight.

-While we are on the topic of violence, Edwin Rotich was tackled, or almost tackled, by a spectator in Brazil and still went on to win Kings Run in Sao Paulo.

-Nichole Porath, a 2012 US Olympic Trials finisher in the marathon, set a world record in the indoor marathon.  She ran 150 laps in 2:57:34 beating the old record by over 11 minutes.  Dizzying.

-No surprise, Veronica Campbell-Brown will not be racing indoors.

-Soon-to-be 2004 Olympic gold medalist Adam Nelson writes about structural changes that could improve track and field.

-Genzebe Dibaba and Bobby Mack were the big winners at the BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country race.  Dibaba beat a strong field which included Meseret Defar, Linet Masai, Sofia Assefa and Vivian Cheruiyot in what has to be one of the smallest fields ever assembled for a cross country race (14 women).

-Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson ran for 99 yards in the Vikings’ playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.  This isn’t a running story at all until you remember that last week Peterson said he wanted to train for the 2016 Olympics and even claimed that he could beat Usain Bolt.  Peterson’s relatively average performance over the weekend is that latest example of a football player falling victim to the curse of challenging the fastest man in the world.

Consider…..

At the beginning of the season, University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson proclaimed he could beat Bolt in a 40-yard dash and after an injured-filled season, Robinson ended the year playing tailback.

-Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans rushed for 2,000 yards in 2009, wanted to race Bolt soon after and hasn’t reached 1,400 yards in a season since.  Although, that hasn’t deterred him from still making wild claims.

Be warned footballers, call out Bolt at your own risk.

-USATF released the schedule for the 2013 USA Indoor Championships.  For the first time, the meet will feature (as an exhibition event) the 400-meter hurdles.  This rarely run race takes an already interesting event (the outdoor 400-meter hurdles) and adds in tight turns and the possibility of real person-to-person contact.  Let’s take a closer look:

How does it work?

Four athletes per race, four hurdles each lap, two laps of the track.  After the second turn, athletes can break out of their lanes to the inside.

Who has the world record?

Felix Sanchez, 48.78

What happens if one athlete knocks down a hurdle right in front of another athlete?

I have no idea, but the result should be entertaining.

-Jim McDannald tells you why you shouldn’t be that excited when you hear, “That’s the fastest time in the world this year.”

-University of Texas track and field coach Bev Kearney has resigned amidst revelations that she had an intimate relationship with one of her “adult student-athletes” in 2002.

-The Houston Marathon and Half Marathon takes place on Sunday.  Meb Keflezighi, Feyisa Lilesa, Caroline Kilel, Lisa Uhl, Bazu Worku and Buzenesh Deba are among the entrants.

Why Yohan Blake refused to be recognized as a World Champion at the IAAF Golden Gala:

Looking ahead to Usain Bolt vs. Yohan Blake in 2013:

Why would Bolt opt for the 400 and how fast could he could go:

Allyson Felix’s 400 future:

Favorite race call from London and how athletes use “the media” as motivation:

How he improved as a broadcaster between Beijing and London:

Which former athletes impressed him at the Golden Gala:

Pat also previews the Nike Cross Nationals, compares his age to Haile Gebrselassie’s and explains the benefits of a House of Run t-shirt.

Men

Wilson Kipsang: even

Moses Mosop: +140

Stanley Biwott: 3/1

Martin Lel: 8/1

Meb Keflezighi: 10/1

Gebre Gebremariam: 10/1

Field: 20/1

Women

Tiki Gelana: -150

Sharon Cherop: 3/1

Buzunesh Deba: 7/2

Edna Kiplagat: 7/2

Ana Dulce Felix: 12/1

Tatyana Arkhipova: 12/1

Field: 15/1

Kim Smith: 20/1

We posted two podcasts last week.  One, recapping the controversial finish at the Berlin Marathon and another featuring Ann Gaffigan of the Track and Field Athletes’ Association.

Also, ESPN’s 9.79* premieres Tuesday in the United States.  Here is our interview with the film’s director, Daniel Gordon.

Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia smashed the course record at the Chicago Marathon.  Kebede finished in 2:04:38 and led a 1-2-3 Ethiopian sweep.

Dathan Ritzenhein finished 9^th, but ran a huge personal best of 2:07:47.

In the women’s race Atsede Baysa edged Rita Jeptoo by one second, 2:22:03 to 2:22:04.  It was great to see a close finish between two runners where both actually appeared to be trying.

Usain Bolt announced that he will focus on the 100 and 200 at the 2016 Olympics and not experiment with the long jump or the 400.

Jim McDannald of Track Focus recaps racing results from across the state of Oregon.

Hyleas Fountain, Tianna Madison and Lolo Jones all took part in the U.S. bobsled push-start championships on Friday.

Zersenay Tadese won the World Half Marathon Championships in 1:00:19.

Allan Kiprono and Kim Smith won the BAA Half Marathon.

-Kevin

Then, the guys check in with Usain Bolt, the NCAA cross country season and respond to twitter questions.

-This week’s podcast featuring Ryan Fenton of Flotrack.

-Two strange doping stories.  Athletics Kenya is investigating drug suspicions raised by a German journalist and the Independent Observer reports that many Olympic athletes missed blood tests in London and were not penalized.  Both stories could be nothing or they could be something.  Hope that answers your questions.

-Jesse Squire created a useful chart listing which NCAA cross country teams are competing where this weekend.

-NPR’s story about when Uwe Horn threw the javelin too far.

-British discus thrower Lawrence Okoye will not pursue opportunities in rugby or the NFL and will instead focus on throwing.  Another Okoye (who also had a history of throwing) was pretty successful on the gridiron.

-A photo of Liu Xiang crashing into the first hurdle at the Olympics is being used in a Chinese hospital’s flyer about men’s sexual disorders.  I thought they had censorship for things like this.

-Geoffrey Mutai will be looking for the world record in the marathon in Berlin on Sunday.  Even if he runs 2:02, I doubt Athletics Kenya will be impressed.

-ESPN2 will broadcast the New York City Marathon live on November 4^th.

-This pile up from a cross country race in Alaska is phenomenal.

-Kevin

After the interview, Jason and Kevin preview Geoffrey Mutai’s world record attempt at the Berlin Marathon, debate the unionization of track and field athletes and read a couple inspirational running stories.

If you haven’t listen to our latest podcast with Daniel Gordon, the director of the documentary 9.79*, you can check it out here.  Also, here is the film’s official website, a recent Q and A with Gordon and the trailer:

Rio’s planned Olympic Park looks stunning.  Hope they can pull it off.

Calling this Outside The Lines feature on Eastern Michigan’s Latipha Cross “inspirational” would be an understatement.

Alberto Salazar puts Dathan Ritzenhein’s “2:06” comments in context in this piece by Toni Reavis

The fastest marathoner never to run in the Olympics, Geoffrey Mutai, will be racing on September 30^th in Berlin.

New York City assembled a nice little field for their marathon in November.  Mary Keitany is notably absent.  She and Central Park haven’t got along very well the last couple years.

Bernard Lagat shares his training philosophy with The Wall Street Journal.

Deadspin’s always interesting, and frightening, Misadventures in Jogging.

-Kevin

9.79* premieres in the United States on October 9th at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.

Tuesday’s podcast about Aries Merritt’s world record and the rest of the Diamond League news, including an interview with Flotrack’s Kevin Liao, is available for your listening pleasure.

From that episode, Jason and I discovered that Paul Ryan’s running past is a bit more distinguished than we realized.

In what I assumed was a very close vote, Merritt was named the USATF Athlete of the Week.

What do you do after you win a silver medal in the high jump as a rising college senior?  If you are Brigetta Barrett, sing the national anthem at a MLB game of course.

Lisa Uhl is leaving the Oregon Track Club Elite in Portland to train with her college coach in Ames, Iowa.  Looks like this time interminable cold won out over interminable rain.

We don’t usually cover many college coaching moves, but any time something happens at the University of Oregon it usually has a ripple effect throughout the rest of track and field.  Vin Lananna is handing over his college coaching duties to Robert Johnson so Lananna can focus more of his time on big picture projects in track and field.  Those projects may include the construction of an indoor facility in Eugene, a potential bid to host the IAAF World Championships and the first ever decathlon competition on the moon.

Usain Bolt will give his wild card spot in the 100 at next year’s World Championships to Yohan Blake.  I am assuming this means Bolt is keeping his free pass in the 200.

After injuries have scuttled his last two marathon attempts, Ryan Hall is considering getting a coach.

UK Athletics coach Charles van Commenee will step down from his post.  Good luck Great Britain finding someone else who is knowledgeable about track and looks exactly like Al Franken.

Martin Bingisser analyzes the height, weight and age of the hammer throwers in London.

The headline on this Sports Business article says, “IAAF’s Gabriel rejects talk of sea-change for athletics.”  Replace “rejects” with “embraces”  and you got it.

The Chicago Marathon announced their elite field including Tsegaye Kebede, Dathan Ritzenhein, Liliya Shobukhova and Werknesh Kidane.

Are Valerie Adams and Nadzeya Ostapchuk going to box?  Probably not, but if they do, Adams said she would do well because she “fought a few boys at school.”  Did she just go there?

-Kevin

-Here’s to the lane fillers from the host country who always finished two-tenths behind the field.

-Here’s to the flower girls who prematurely gave away their prize in Rome……

…and got run over by Usain Bolt in Oslo.

-Here’s to the rabbits in the women’s middle distance races, who this season got paid to basically do nothing but sprint 30 meters clear of the field for half of the race.

-Here’s to the Diamond League homepage where music played instantly in a manner not seen since the days of MySpace.

-Here’s to the seedy websites that provided streams of the meets.  They taught us how to close multiple pop-up windows and let us know that you are still able to purchase a bride from a variety of different countries.

-Here’s to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter for continuing their rivalry post-Olympics and giving fans three solid head-to-head races.

-Here’s to Bolt and Yohan Blake for not continuing their rivalry post-Olympics and giving us all something to get mad about.

-Here’s to Nickel Ashmeade, Charonda Williams and the other surprise Diamond Race winners who made us realize we don’t really pay attention to the Diamond Race all that much.

-Here’s to Angelo Taylor, Kaliese Spencer and the other members of the “Two Weeks Too Late “ club who used the Diamond League to help end their seasons on a high note after disappointment in London.

-Here’s to David Rudisha who decimated the field in New York in a way Americans had never seen….

….but then had the decency to let one of his opponents win in Zurich.

-Finally, here’s to the most convoluted and confusing “regular season” in sports.

See you in 245 days, Diamond League!

-Kevin

-The start lists for the final Diamond League meet in Brussels are posted.  We promise this is the last track meet of the year.  Ok, there is Rieti is on the 9th, but that is it.

-Hubert Lawrence of the Jamaica Gleaner argues that countries that have earned multiple wild cards to the World Championships should not be limited to four entries.  This situation arises when the Diamond League champion and the defending world champion come from the same country (but aren’t the same person).  Lawrence cites the men’s steeplechase where Ezekiel Kemboi is the defending champion and Paul Koech will win this season’s Diamond League.  This could happen (or already has happened) in at least four different events:

Men’s 100 (Usain Bolt/Yohan Blake)

Men’s 200 (Nickel Ashmeade/Bolt)

Men’s 110 Hurdles (Aries Merritt/Jason Richardson)

Women’s 5000 (Mercy Cherono, Vivian Cheruiyot) 

The U.S. won’t be in this position in the women’s 200, but it is interesting that American Charonda Williams is on the brink of winning the Diamond League title in the 200.  She can clinch with a first or second place finish or if Bianca Knight finishes lower than first.  Williams didn’t make the finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials and her results this year from the Diamond League show that consistency, not dominance, can win you the title:

Shanghai: 5^th

Oslo: 3^rd

Paris: 3^rd

London: 1^st

Stockholm: 1^st

Brussels: ??

Most American sprint fans probably aren’t familiar with Williams, but credit to her for making the most of the new wild card rule.   She capitalized on the absence of the big 200-meter stars and now looks poised to earn a trip to Moscow.  Perhaps others were not aware of this alternate route to the World Championships (this was the case with hurdler Dawn Harper) , but surely fewer will be in the dark next season.

-Jason and I tried to make sense of David Rudisha’s defeat, Oscar Pistorius’ comments and Paul Ryan’s marathon time in our latest podcast.  As always, you can subscribe/rate the podcast on iTunes.

-Days after the controversial post-race accusations by Pistorius, the South African Paralympic Committee has registered a formal complaint with the International Paralympic Committee.  That should calm things down.

-Olympians Amy Hastings, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom and Julie Culley will run the New York City Marathon in November.

-Haile Gebrselassie and Mo Farah were slated to race in the half-marathon at the Bupa Great North Run next weekend.  That was until Gebrselassie dropped out with an injury and Farah opted to run the two-mile instead.  Welcome to the imminent disappointment that is the off-season.

-Kevin

Oscar Pistorius angered, confused and disappointed many in the sporting world with his comments about fellow Paralympic athlete, Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira.  Now there is a discussion about how the fallout will impact his brand.

Want to take more than an hour off your marathon time?  Try the Paul Ryan Time Calculator.

Jeff Demps has been placed on injured reserve by the New England Patriots.  No more football for him this year.  If only there were another sport he could turn to……

Over the weekend in Berlin, Aries Merritt broke 13 seconds in the 110 hurdles for the seventh time this season.

Also in Berlin, former Oklahoma State star German Fernandez, ran a lifetime best in the 1500.  Jesse Squire breaks it down.

The preliminary start lists for the Brussels Diamond League meet have been posted.  As expected, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake will not be racing one another.  Here is an extended post on the non-reasons why they aren’t facing off.

Matt Tegenkamp and Renee Baillie won the Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race and the US 20K title in the process.

If you had the American women and the Eritrean men winning the World Mountain Running Championships, then I have great news for you.

-Kevin

“Athletics is a different sport,” Simms told The Independent. “It’s not like boxing. You have to train all year to peak on a certain day and that’s what these guys are aiming for. You can’t peak on 15 May and 15 June and 15 July and 15 August. It doesn’t work like that.”

Correct, athletics is a different sport, but if we wait for everyone to be in optimal shape, we will be waiting for Godot.  It would be great for athletes to be constantly at their peak, but nobody expects this and I think most fans wouldn’t even want it. People run fast before their peak and plenty of people run fast after their peak.

I understand that the priority of Ricky Simms is Usain Bolt and he has no motivation to expose his client to losses or to look out for anything beyond the Bolt brand.  This whole argument is the by-product of having a sport with no central leadership, but explain again why can’t they get into shape by racing against each other?  Or, after their peak, why can’t they continue?

 ”It makes the major championships even more valuable. That’s why the Olympics is so special. If we do this every week it will devalue the big day.”

Of all of the arguments, this is the one that is most absurdly backward. People would tune out the Olympics because the athletes have competed against one another too much?  The names would be so recognizable that viewers would change the channel?  As a sport, track and field is nowhere near the position to turn down rivalries for fear of over exposure.  Name a thriving individual sport and I will show you one where the sport’s biggest names compete against one another frequently.

Although Simms may not acknowledge it, racing Blake prior to the games enhanced Bolt’s wins in London.  His losses at the Jamaican trials added a storyline, introduced the world to his new (affable) antagonist and allowed Bolt to put his fingers over his lips and “shhhh” the doubters after beating Blake in the 200.

 ”It’s not a question of money. It’s just a question of physically what the guys need to do to run 9.5sec or 19.3sec.”

Simply put, nobody is expecting them to run 9.5 or 19.3 seconds every time they line up.  As is almost always the case in track and field, the competition is far more interesting than the time.

 ”The thing is they put so much energy into the Olympic Games. The times were exceptional in the 100 and the 200. I think Tyson Gay summed it up best. He said, ‘These guys have to dig so deep to run those very fast times. If they did it every week there would be arms and legs falling off. They would be getting injured all the time.”

But they are still racing, just not each other.  Sure, Bolt has an easier time when Blake is not in the race, but Blake has run hard in his meets in Lausanne and Zurich.   He ran the fastest time in his life in the 100 less than two weeks after the Olympics, and somehow his legs and arms are still attached.

 ”The Olympics was the most important thing for them. There’s no real motivation for them to race against each other now. Usain won two gold medals, three with the relay, so he’s pretty happy with where he is.”

Fantastic, I’m happy for him.  We are all happy for him.  However, consider this, by virtue of their respective byes (Bolt has one for the 200, Blake has one for the 100) for the 2013 World Championships, Bolt and Blake don’t need to race each other at the Jamaican trials next year.  If they really wanted to, they could go from the London Olympics to the Moscow World Championships, without lining up in the same race. The next year, 2014, is a non-championship year where the best meets are the Diamond League races, and many athletes cut their season short.

If you are Usain Bolt, this is fine.  Your legacy is secured, your celebrity is worldwide and you have basically nothing to gain.  What about Blake though?  You made your name by beating Bolt and without many opportunities to do so in the next two years, how do you jump ahead of him?

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.  All of these questions about peaking, injuries and motivation probably go right out the window if the dollar figure was right.  Even Blake, who would benefit the most from more head-to-head match-ups, said in the article:

“I’d love to race against him but you’d have to talk big money.”

At least that is a reason we can wrap our heads around.

-Kevin

We posted a podcast Tuesday covering all the story lines of the on/off season.

Coverage of today’s meet in Lausanne begins at 11 a.m. PST.  The best feed can probably found here on the CBC site.  Hooray Canada!

Track and Field News breaks down just how consistent how Aries Merritt has been in 2012.

More Aries, he raced some NBA players, including point guard John Wall, at the Reebok headquarters.  The most instructive portion of the video comes when legendary basketball coach Bobby Hurley is overheard bracing the basketball players for imminent defeat.

Ajee Wilson, winner of the 800 at the 2012 World Junior Championships, will defer her enrollment to Florida State.  By delaying her college career, Wilson hopes to have a better chance at qualifying for next year’s world championships.

The newly updated American top 40 list from Track and Field News.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova has some advice for Lolo Jones.

Usain Bolt gives an update on his post-Olympic plans including his thoughts on the long jump and the 400.  Wait, this news is too serious for Bolt.  Here we go, an article about a seven-year-old who made a model of Bolt out of vegetables!

Yohan Blake’s agent is upset at the low appearance fee offerred to his client by Birmingham meet director Ian Stewart.  Stewart also ruffled feathers earlier in the year when he barred Lolo Jones and Nick Symmonds from competing at the London Diamond League meet.  Prior to this summer, Stewart was only known to Americans as the guy who made Steve Prefontaine  have 4th street named after him.

-Kevin

We have reached the “two degrees of Usain Bolt” portion of the season.  All Bolt all the time.  Minor league baseball player Billy Hamilton is the latest non-track runner who thinks he can beat Bolt in a race.  Get it line Billy, Usain will get to you right after he takes care of Denard Robinson, Chris Johnson and whoever else decides that they are somehow faster than the fastest man in the world.  Ever.

More Bolt, gold medalist Greg Rutherford said he would not be intimidated if Bolt took a shot at Rutherford’s specialty, the long jump.  Agree that Bolt’s switch to the long jump wouldn’t be as easy as most assume.  Disagree that Rutherford wouldn’t be intimidated if Bolt somehow found his way to the long jump runway.

Yesterday in Budapest, Sanya Richards-Ross won the 200, Jason Richardson took 110 hurdles and Christian Taylor got the win in the triple jump.

In Linz, Austria the big winners were Kirani James, Felix Sanchez, Charonda Williams, Ginnie Crawford, Hannah England and Nickel Ashmeade.

Want to relive the action from London 2012?  NBC Olympics has all the events archived here.

There are Diamond League meets this week in Lausanne and Birmingham.  Thursday is Lausanne and Birmingham is on Sunday.  The Lausanne meet has many Olympic champions and several high quality fields.

Bolt headlines the meet in the men’s 200 which also includes bronze medalist Warren Weir, Wallace Spearmon and Jason Young.

In the women’s 100, all of the London medalists will be on the start line.  Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Carmelita Jeter and Veronica Campbell-Brown.  The men’s 100 features four of the eight Olympic finalists: Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey, Richard Thompson and Yohan Blake.

-Kevin

The Stockholm Diamond League meet is today.  It is not the Olympics, but it does have Ryan Bailey and Nesta Carter facing off at 100 and Edwin Soi and Thomas Longosiwa tangling in the 3,000.  I know, I’m reaching.

Morgan Uceny won’t be running in Stockholm, Dick Patrick explains why.

Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard was a guest on Letterman Thursday night.  The best exchange:

Lolo Jones was on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption program.

A woman in France tested positive for EPO and also tested positive for best reason why she tested positive.

Olympic marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich received $80,000 upon his return to Uganda.  He was also promoted to the title of Assistant Superintendent of Prisons.  Well done, Mr. Assistant Superintendent Kiprotich.

Results from the DecaNation meet in France.

Ato Boldon’s candid remarks about Carl Lewis.

For good reason, Valerie Adams is probably the unhappiest gold medal winner from London.

Sporting good stores in Trinidad and Tobago are preparing for javelin sales to spike after Keshorn Walcott brought home a historic gold medal.

-Kevin

But it wasn’t for lack of effort.  For nine days of competition in London, track and field threw everything it had at the general public.  The big names performed, the great fields materialized and the theoretical storylines became actual storylines.

Not only did Usain Bolt defend his 100-meter title, but he did it against his upstart teammate and in the deepest 100-meter field of all-time.  The three fastest men in history behind Bolt all made the final and they pushed him just enough to raise the race from an exhibition of his brilliance to a competition.  He then returned twice more to set the crowd on fire.  The narrative about the ubiquitous Sanya Richards-Ross and Allyson Felix going for their first individual gold medals was realized and they did so by beating their closest rivals.

There were even records.  Records in unlikely places too.  I don’t think the casual fan knows how hard it is to break a world record in a distance race in the Olympics, but David Rudisha did it effortlessly.  Ditto with breaking a women’s world record of any kind.  Yet, the American quartet in the 4 x 100 meter relay took one down.  Sure, a couple tenths off of Bolt’s times and a couple more world records would have helped, but the Olympic competition checked off so many boxes, you would have thought it was scripted:

Hometown heroes that sent the crowd into a tizzy?  Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis did that.  Inspiring athlete that captivates the masses? Oscar Pistorius was all over it. Unbelievable story that is equal parts crazy and inspiring?  Manteo Mitchell running the last 200 meters of his 400-meter relay leg with a broken fibula so his team could advance to the finals.

The disappointing and frustrating moments that bring home “the agony of defeat”? How about Liu Xiang hopping to the finish line after rupturing his Achilles tendon or Morgan Uceny slamming her hands on the track after she once again fell in a major competition.  The cannibalization of an American hurdle darling? Well, maybe not this last one, but even the dust-up involving Lolo Jones, Kellie Wells and Dawn Harper enhanced rather than distracted the coverage of the meet.  All of the disappointing and frustrating made for compelling viewing and the typical controversy or off-the-track headline-grabber never succeeded in moving the story away from the track.

In July, the buzz coming out the Olympic Trials centered around the dead heat between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh in the 100.  Mainstream antagonism shifted from the USATF (when it became known that they did not have a policy to break ties) to Jeneba Tarmoh herself when she declined to take part in the primetime run off.  Last year in the world championships, Bolt’s false start heard ‘round the world took the spotlight.  Two years prior, it was the gender controversy around Caster Semenya at the world championships that drew the interest of sports talk radio.  Recently, track could be counted on for waiting until the world is watching before shooting themselves squarely in the foot.

I waited for the same to happen in London, but nothing came.

Aside from the few cases of doping and suspected doping (I agree that few is still too many for track and field), there was nothing that overshadowed the athletes, the events and their performances.  It was hard for even the most disinterested Olympic viewer to not become enthralled with track and field in London 2012.

But that was almost one week ago.  Once the games ended, the conversations around track moved slowly away from the competition.  First comparisons of Bolt to Michael Phelps, then Bolt to Carl Lewis and finally of Bolt to a college football player who claims he could run faster than the fastest man on earth.  This last item signifies the final stop on the track and field popularity cycle.  The strange sports purgatory of only being mentioned in relation to other sports or whenever something extraordinarily good (a Bolt world record) or extraordinarily bad happens (large-scale doping), is where it will rest for the next 3 ½ years. Until we pick it back up again.

-Kevin

Men’s 100: Sunday, August 5^th 1:50 p.m.

Names to know: Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Yohan Blake (Jamaica), Asafa Powell (Jamaica), Tyson Gay (US), Justin Gatlin (US)

Chance of American medal:  65%

World record?:  Would be cool, but not this time

Why you should watch:  Bolt, Blake, Powell and Gay are the four fastest men in history and all have at least a slight chance to win.  Blake is a fashionable pick after upsetting Bolt twice at the Jamaican trials.

Some smart things to say:

Before: If all four of the aforementioned fastest men in history make the final, then: “The four fastest men in history are all in this final.”

If three of the four make the final, then: “Three of four fastest men in history are in this final.”

If two of the four make the final, then: “Two of the four fastest men in history are in this final.”

If one, or zero, makes the final, then immediately find out the whereabouts of any close friends that like track and field.

During: “That was a quick gun.”  It will assuredly be a quick gun to prevent another Bolt false start fiasco.

After:  If Bolt loses: “All that partying caught up to him/That false start in Daegu really affected him.”

If Bolt wins: “Bolt is now the first man to cross the line first* in two Olympic 100 meter races.”  *Important distinction about crossing the line first versus winning.  Carl Lewis won in 1984 and 1988, but finished behind Ben Johnson in 1988.

Women’s 100: Saturday, August 4^th 1:55 p.m.

Names to know: Carmelita Jeter (US), Allyson Felix (US), Tianna Madison (US), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica), Veronica Campbell-Brown (Jamaica)

Chance of American medal:  90%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  If this season is any indication, this race could boil down to a showdown between Jeter and Fraser-Pryce.  Campbell-Brown is a veteran with gold medals and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare is on a hot streak.  Also, this will be a good chance to see Felix’s form before she runs her better event, the 200, later in the week.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “There is no run off in the Olympics.  They will just give an extra medal if there is a tie.”

During:  “FRASER-PRYCE!”  You are covered here regardless of what she does because she will either have a great start like she did in Beijing or she will, literally, almost fall on her face.

After:  “Patience….. have we learned nothing from Eugene?  Those results on the board are unofficial.”

Men’s 200: Thursday, August, 9^th 12:55 p.m.

Names to know: Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Yohan Blake (Jamaica), Wallace Spearmon (US), Christophe Lemaitre (France), Churandy Martina (Netherlands)

Chance of American medal: 50%

World record?:  Probably not

Why you should watch:  Depending on the result on the 100, this race could go a long way toward determining the “legacy” of Bolt.  Blake’s personal best in this event is actually closer to Bolt’s than it is in the 100.  Spearmon lost his medal in 2008 when he was disqualified for stepping out of his lane.  Legacy and redemption implications in the same event?  Get ready for a killer Costas intro!

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Did you know that Blake is the first world-class runner to run the second 100 of a race faster than the first 100?”

During:  “Has Blake learned how to run a turn?”

After:  Depending on the results of the 100:  “Redemption (if he wins the 200 after losing the 100) /disaster (if he loses them both) /greatness (if he wins them both) for Bolt!”

Women’s 200: Wednesday, August 8^th 1:00 p.m.

Names to know: Allyson Felix (US), Carmelita Jeter (US), Sanya Richards-Ross (US), Veronica Campbell-Brown (Jamaica), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica)

Chance of American medal:  99%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  Assuming she doesn’t pull a huge upset in the 100, Felix will be seeking her first individual gold medal in the 200.  She was second in 2004 and 2008 to Campbell-Brown.  Felix will be the favorite this time, but we have been here before.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Nobody is catching Felix if she has a lead off the curve.”

During:  “Someone needs to be in front of Felix after this first 100 or it’s over.”

After:  If Felix wins(in a dramatic voice), “After 8 years and 3 Olympics, finally…..individual gold for Allyson Felix.”

If Felix loses, “She should have run the 400.”

Men’s 400:  Monday, August 6^th 1:30 p.m.

Names to know: Lashawn Merritt (US), Tony McQuay (US), Bryshon Nellum (US), Kirani James (Grenada), Luguelin Santos (Dominican Republic)

Chance of American medal:  90%

World record?:  Michael Johnson would be insulted you even asked

Why you should watch:  A race that looked to be heads-up dual between Merritt and James is now wide open.  Merritt was hurt and did not finish in his final tune-up race and James has been beatable.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  Oscar Pistorius probably won’t make the final but if he does, the conversation in your house will probably go something like this.

Person 1: He shouldn’t be running, those springy things give him an advantage.

Person 2: Would you like to trade places with him?

To avoid this, and other tiresome arguments, you can tell tales of Nellum’s comeback or Merritt’s doping ban.

During:  “McQuay got away well.”

After:  “Pretty slow winning time for an Olympic final.”

Women’s 400: Sunday, August 5^th 1:10 p.m.

Names to know: Sanya Richards-Ross (US), Amantle Montsho (Botswana), Novelene Williams-Mills (Jamaica), Antonina Krivoshapka (Russia), Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain)

Chance of American medal:  90%

World record?:  Have you looked at the women’s sprint records?

Why you should watch:  At least five countries will have a finalist and all of them have a chance to medal.  Richards-Ross has been all over your television screen the last few months and, like Felix, will be aiming for her first individual gold.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “I see five women that could win this.”

During:  During the last 100- “Can she get……her……….not……quite.”

After:  “Felix should have been in this race.”

Men’s 800: Thursday, August 9^th 12:00 p.m.

Names to know: David Rudisha (Kenya), Mohammed Aman (Ethiopia), Nijel Amos (Botswana), Adam Kszczot (Poland), Nick Symmonds (US), Abubaker Kaki (Sudan)

Chance of American medal:  45%

Chance of a world record:  Maybe, depends on how ambitious Rudisha gets

Why you should watch:  Rudisha, Rudisha, Rudisha.  He holds the world-record and for 1:42 just marvel at his excellence.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  During the opening ceremonies, the broadcasters mentioned that Rudisha would be the first member of the Masai ethnic group to win gold.  While impressive, it might be more relatable to your friends at home to mention that he would also be the first person to win gold while wearing a Garmin.

During:  “This is not fair.”

After:  “Who got second?  I wasn’t even paying attention because they were barely in the same shot.”

Women’s 800:  Saturday, August 11^th 12:00 p.m.

Names to know: Pamela Jelimo (Kenya), Fantu Magiso (Ethiopia), Alysia Montano (US), Caster Semenya (South Africa), Mariya Savinova (Russia)

Chance of American medal:  40%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  Races that involving Rudisha excluded, the 800 is the most exciting event in track and field. A diverse group of countries are always represented and in two thrilling minutes and it blends speed, endurance, contact and tactics.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Can Montano win by leading from the gun?”

During:  “_______(whoever is in fourth after the first lap) is lurking.”

After:  “And that is why you don’t want to take the lead until the last 100.”

Men’s 1500: Tuesday, August 7^th 1:15 p.m.

Names to know: Asbel Kiprop (Kenya), Silas Kiplagat (Kenya), Nixon Chepseba (Kenya), Nick Willis (New Zealand), Amine Laalou (Morocco), Matt Centrowitz (US)

Chance of American medal:  25%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  The trio on Kenyans could sweep this event, but Centrowitz did win a surprise bronze medal at the world championships last year.  Can he do it again?  Probably not, but in the 1500 nothing is for certain.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Asbel Kiprop, he can beat you with a kick, he can beat you by running from the front, you have to pick your poison.”

During:  “It’s really tactical now.”  Disclaimer: It is always tactical in the 1500 (slow beginning, fast finish)

After:  “Pretty predictable result for an event that is usually unpredictable.”

Women’s 1500:  Friday, August 10^th 12:55 p.m.

Names to know: Abebe Aregawi (Ethiopia), Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia), Asil Cakir (Turkey), Jenny Simpson (US), Morgan Uceny (US), Hellen Obiri (Kenya)

Chance of American medal:  40%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  There have been some really cracking (British accent) times this year.  So cracking that the woman with the fastest time was busted for doping.  The US should get all three of their runners to the final.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “I’ve really like how _______(pick someone) has run the preliminary rounds.”

During:  “If Uceny stays on her feet, maybe she can grab bronze.”

After:  “Hard to believe that just last year, the US had two gold medal threats.”

Men’s 3000 Steeplechase: Sunday, August 5^th 1:25 p.m.

Names to know: Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya), Brimin Kipruto (Kenya), Abel Mutai (Kenya), Evan Jager (US), Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (France)

Chance of American medal:  20%

World record?:  Small chance

Why you should watch:  Sure Kenya is poised for another sweep, but there is also an upstart American with irrepressible hair and an unlikeable French runner who has an affinity for mascot abuse.  What more could America want?

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Could an American really break the Kenyan stranglehold in this event?”

During:   “It is pronounced J-Gurr, with a hard J.”

After:  “Their hurdling isn’t pretty, but man are the Kenyans efficient.”

Women’s 3000 Steeplechase: Monday, August 6^th 1:05 p.m.

Names to know: Milcah Chemos (Kenya), Yuliya Zaripova (Russia), Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia), Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia), Emma Coburn (US)

Chance of American medal:  5%

World record?:  Small chance

Why you should watch:  For some reason, they did not have women’s steeplechase in the Olympics prior to 2008.  Will Russia build on  their one gold medal-winning streak?  Can Kenya rebound from only claiming silver in 2008?  These questions will be answered.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Did you know that this only the second Olympics with the women’s steeplechase?”

During:  “Looks like this is coming down to a good old-fashioned Russian-Kenyan-Ethiopian battle.”

After:  “Milcah, why can’t you be more clutch?”

Men’s 5000: Saturday, August 11^th 11:30 a.m.

Names to know: Mo Farah (Great Britain), Galen Rupp (US), Bernard Lagat (US), Lopez Lomong (US), Isiah Koech (Kenya), Dejen Gebremeskel (Ethiopia), Hagos Gebrhiwet (Ethiopia)

Chance of American medal:  33%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  The Americans haven’t medalled in the 5,000 since 1964 and Great Britain’s medal drought extends back to 1972.  Ethiopia is sending three runners that have run faster than 12:50 this year, but the real story is the depth of the Americans.  And Farah.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Yep, you are looking at that right.  A Brit and an American could both medal in a distance race.”

During:  “This is where team tactics might come into play.”

After:  Start your watch when they reach the last lap so you can tell everyone how fast the final 400 was.

Women’s 5000: Friday, August 10^th 12:05 p.m.

Names to know: Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya), Viola Kibiwot (Kenya), Meseret Defar (Ethiopia), Gelete Burka (Ethiopia), Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia)

Chance of American medal:  0%

World record:  Only if Ye Shiwen shows up

Why you should watch:  If Dibaba runs, she is listed as an alternate in the 5,000, it should shake out as another head-to-head battle with Cheruiyot.  We aren’t exaggerating with our 0% figure; American medal chances are very bleak.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Dibaba and Cheruiyot, round 2!”

During:  With three laps to go: “They are really starting to wind it up now.”

After:  “Score another one for Ethiopia/Kenya.”

Men’s 10,000: Saturday, August 4^th 1:15 p.m.

Names to know: Mo Farah (Great Britain), Galen Rupp (US), Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia), Wilson Kiprop (Kenya), Moses Masai (Kenya)

Chance of American medal:  15%

World record?:  World records don’t happen in distance races in the Olympics

Why you should watch:  Bekele will be racing for his third consecutive 10,000 gold, but will have to go through the Farah, who has been the best distance runner the last two years.  This is Rupp’s best chance for a medal.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “The hopes of 62 million rest on the slender shoulders of Mo Farah.”

During:  “They aren’t from the same country, but Farah and Rupp are training partners.  Maybe they are working together!?!”

After:  “After getting outkicked in Daegu, that has to feel good for Farah.”

Women’s 10,000: Friday, August 3^rd 1:25 p.m.

Names to know: Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya), Sally Kipyego (Kenya), Joyce Chepkirui (Kenya) Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia)

Chance of American medal:  1%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  Dibaba and Cheruiyot haven’t race over the last two years.  This is partly because of Dibaba’s injuries, but certainly also due to some gamesmanship.  Their performances this year have been building to an Olympic apex, but it is track so it probably will end up fizzling.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Forget Lochte/Phelps, Cheruiyot and Dibaba is the best Olympic rivalry.”

During:  Around the 8 minute mark: “The Kenyans and Ethiopians have really separated.”

After: “6.2 miles and they still have energy to run a lap with the flag.  Amazing”

Men’s 110 Hurdles: Wednesday, August 8^th 1:15 p.m.

Names to know: Liu Xiang (China), Dayron Robles (Cuba), Aries Merritt (US), Jason Richardson (US), Sergey Shubenkov (Russia)

Chance of American medal:  98%

World record?:  Possibly

Why you should watch:  Two Americans with gold medal chances, a mysterious Cuban, the pride of China and the world record is in play.   Also, there are obstacles.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Aries Merritt switching to a seven-step approach really took him to another level.”

During:   “He is finding his rhythm.”

After:  “An American medal!” – They have medaled in the 110 hurdles in every Olympics they have participated in, so you can say this before the event starts.

Women’s 100 Hurdles: Tuesday, August 7^th 1:00 p.m.

Names to know: Sally Pearson (Australia), Dawn Harper (US), Kellie Wells (US), Lolo Jones (US), Tiffany Porter (Great Britain), Brigitte Foster-Hylton (Jamaica)

Chance of American medal:  98%

World record?:  Small chance

Why you should watch:  Other than Rudisha, nobody has dominated their event like Pearson has over the past two years.  The US should get two into the finals and one might be Lolo.  And once you’re in the finals…….

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Is Pearson racing the clock, or her competition?”

During:  “She’s racing the clock now!!!!”

After:  “I know Lolo is supposed to be the comeback story, but Pearson went from silver in Beijing to absolutely unstoppable.”

Men’s 400 Hurdles: Monday, August 6^th 12:45 p.m.

Names to know: Javier Culson (Puerto Rico), Dai Greene (Great Britain), Angelo Taylor (US), Kerron Clement (US), Michael Tinsley (US)

Chance of American medal:  90%

World record:  No

Why you should watch:  No US sweep like there was in 2008.  Greene will get the crowd excited and Culson’s headband game is strong.

Some smart things to say:

Before: “No, there is no penalty for hitting into the hurdles.”

During:  “…you can’t run under them either.”

After:  “What happened to the US?  Four years ago a sweep and now…..???”

Women’s 400 Hurdles: Wednesday, August 8^th 12:45 p.m.

Names to know: Lashinda Demus (US), Perri Shakes-Drayton (Great Britain), Melaine Walker (Jamaica), Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica), Natalya Antyukh (Russia)

Chance of American medal:  90%

World record?:  Actually, maybe. Demus was only off by .13 last year

Why you should watch:  Did you know, the US has never won a gold medal in the 400 hurdles?  Demus might change that.  Because of this season’s results, this race has about seven co-favorites.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Speed, endurance and technique…this may be the most difficult event in track and field.”

During:  “How do you tell who is winning?  Look at who is getting to their hurdles first.”

After:  If world record is broken: “With so many women’s sprint records out of reach, this one is special.”

Men’s 4 x 100 Relay: Saturday, August 11^th 1:00 p.m.

Teams to know: Jamaica, US, France, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany

Chance of American medal:  80%

World record?: Likely

Why you should watch: If  you go in with the expectation that the something will cause the US to get disqualified, it really isn’t that painful.  Also, if Bolt, Blake and Powell are healthy, Jamaican probably takes the world record under 37 seconds.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Interesting choice to have Bolt run the _______ leg.”

During:  “The second leg is technically the longest…”

After:  If US finishes: “At least the US got the stick around.”

If the US doesn’t finish:  “It would be funny if it, wasn’t so sad.”

Women’s 4 x 100 Relay: Friday, August 10^th 12:40 p.m.

Teams to know: US, Jamaica, Germany, Nigeria, Ukraine, Trinidad and Tobago

Chance of American medal:  85%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch: If Jeneba Tarmoh is on the relay, and if she is passing the baton to Allyson Felix, there will be endless speculation about the manner in which she does it.  Jamaica should give the US a very good race.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “If Jeter gets the stick ahead, it is over.”

During:  “She is moving on the backstretch.”

After:  “_________ got bronze?  That’s a surprise.”

Men’s 4 x 400 Relay: Friday, August 10^th 1:20 p.m.

Teams to know: US, Belgium, South Africa, Jamaica, Poland, Bahamas

Chance of American medal:  99%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  The dream scenario of Bolt, Rudisha, Dai Greene, Lashawn Merritt and Oscar Pistorius all on the track at the same time is far fetched, but would be phenomenal to watch.  Merritt saved the American team last year with a clutch anchor leg to win in Daegu.  With their depth lacking this year, he might need more of the same to get gold.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “They haven’t looked as good as they normally do, but I’m still picking the US.  They don’t lose this event.  EVER.”

During:  “________ beat him to the inside!”

After:  “I guess we’ll have to wait until 2016 to see Bolt on that anchor leg.”

Women’s 4 x 400 Relay: Saturday, August 11^th 12:25 p.m.

Teams to know: US, Russia, Jamaica, Great Britain, Ukraine

Chance of American medal:  99%

World record?: Very small chance

Why you should watch:  Always great to end on a win.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “Felix and Richards-Ross have a lot of races in their legs.”

During:  “In a three-turn stagger, the second runner really does need to get out fast on the first curve.”

After:  “No strategy here, just plain speed for the US.”

Men’s Marathon: Sunday, August 12^th 3:00 a.m.

Names to know: Wilson Kipsang (Kenya), Abel Kirui (Kenya), Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya), Ayele Abshero (Ethiopia), Ryan Hall (US), Meb Keflezighi (US)

Chance of American medal:  10%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  These may not be the best teams that Kenya and Ethiopia could have sent.  As a result Hall (Keflezighi reportedly is on the mend or else you could include him) is just a debilitating cramp or massive dehydration away from the podium.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “If it gets much hotter/windier/wetter, it could start to affect them.”

During:  When the cutaway to the runner from a tiny country running way behind is shown. “That is what the Olympics are all about.”

After:  “It is interesting to think how different this race would have been if Kenya selected Patrick Makau and Geoffrey Mutai.”

Women’s Marathon: Sunday, August 5^th 3:00 a.m.

Names to know: Mary Keitany(Kenya), Edna Kiplagat (Kenya), Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia), Liliya Shobukhova (Russia), Shalane Flanagan (US), Kara Goucher (US)

Chance of American medal:  45%

World record?:  No

Why you should watch:  Keitany has a habit of going out fast in races and either turning in phenomenal performances or self-combusting.   This is only Flanagan’s third marathon and has beaten Keitany in the past.  Shobukhova plays the role of shadowy Russian very well.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  “US distance gets criticized an awful lot, but Flanagan could be looking at two consecutive Olympic medals.”

During:  If Keitany starts the race conservatively: “Looks like she learned from New York.”  If Keitany starts quickly: “Uh-oh, this could be trouble.”

After:  “I agree, they should be finishing in the stadium.”

Enjoy the track!

I excluded those that are not competing in the Olympics because they failed to meet the “A” standard, are injured, or are serving a drug suspension. I also considered alternates and relay pool runners off-limits.

What follows is complete non-sense, but I do think it will help you waste some time while you wait for Friday.

Kenya:

Best assets:  Geoffrey Mutai (marathon), Patrick Makau (marathon), Paul Koech (steeplechase), Consesius Kipruto (steeplechase) Eliud Kipchoge (5,000/10,000), Caleb Ndiku (1500), Bethwell Birgen (1500), Abraham Rotich (800), Leonard Kosencha (800) Linet Masai (5,000/10,000) Mercy Cherono (5,000/10,000), Florence Kiplagat (10,000/marathon), Lucy Kabuu (marathon),

Biggest needs: Sprints and field events, men’s 4 x 400

Ethiopia:

Best assets: Haile Gebrselassie (marathon), Tsegaye Kebede (marathon), Bezunesh Bekele (marathon), Firehiwot Dado (marathon), Imane Merga (5,000/10,000), Sileshi Sihine (5,000/10,000)

Biggest needs: Sprints, mid-distance, field events

Canada:

Best assets: Perdita Felicien (100 hurdles), Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (100 hurdles)

Biggest needs:  Everything but women’s 100 hurdles

Jamaica:

Best assets: Jason Young (200), Nickel Ashmeade (200), Lerone Clarke (100), Dwight Thomas (110 hurdles), Aleen Bailey (100/200)

Biggest needs:  Distance, field events, men’s/women’s 4 x 400

United States:

Best assets: Ginnie Crawford (100 hurdles), Kristi Castlin (110 hurdles), David Oliver (110 hurdles), Dexter Faulk (110 hurdles), Bershawn Jackson (400 hurdles), Ashley Spencer (400), Adam Nelson (shot put), Mike Rodgers (100), Kimberlyn Duncan (200), Mike Berry (400), Gil Roberts (400)

Biggest needs:  Mid-distance, distance, assorted field events

Russia

Best assets:  Sergey Litvinov Jr. (hammer throw), Darya Klishina (long jump), Aleksey Dmitrik (high jump), Kseniya Ustalova (400), Ekaterina Kostetskaya (800), Elena Arzhakova (800), Elenea Soboleva (1500) Svetlana Podosenova (1500), Ekaterina Kayukova (triple jump)

Biggest needs: Men’s events, 100/200, distance events

Great Britain

Best assets: Jenny Meadows (800), Emma Jackson (800)

Biggest needs: Sprints

And now for the mock trades……

Bershawn Jackson, USA-> Sergey Litvinov Jr., Russia

Kimberlyn Duncan, USA-> Ekaterina Kayukova, Russia

Russia is very weak in the men’s running events.  In the field, they do have two things that the United States could use to fill out their roster: a men’s hammer thrower and a women’s triple jumper.  The Americans have only one women’s triple jump qualifier and two men’s hammer throwers.  Russia left off Sergey Litvinov Jr. who Martin Bingisser tells me throws the hammer very far.  They also have triple jumper Ekaterina Kayukova.  For our first trade, the US sends one time medal favorite Bershawn Jackson to Russia for Litvinov and they swap Kayukova with Kimberlyn Duncan, giving Russia a sprint threat and a useful member for their 4 x 100 relay team.

Ginnie Crawford and Kristi Castlin, USA -> Linet Masai and Caleb Ndiku, Kenya 

The United States women have a medal threat (or at least a top 8 threat) at every track event except the 5,000 and 10,000.  In order to add more strength to their squad they part with two top 100-meter hurdlers to get Masai. Ndiku could help to break out a Kenyan sweep in the men’s 1500.

Perdita Felicien, Canada-> Kseniya Ustalova, Russia 

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Canada -> Bezunesh Bekele, Ethiopia

Canada doesn’t have much.  Lopes-Schliep and Felicien have both won medals at major championships and missed the team in somewhat fluky occurrences.  Russia needs someone to break up the American points in the high hurdles and Ethiopia gets a medal threat in exchange for Bekele.

Lerone Clarke, Jamaica -> Jenny Meadows, Emma Jackson, Great Britain

Great Britain has medal hopes in many events, but not much depth.  Their only two assets are in the women’s 800, where their federation decided to take their trials champion, rather than three runners with the “A” standard.  By acquiring the Lerone Clarke they get a potential finalist in the glamour event of their home games, and they also bolster their 4 x 100 relay chances.

David Oliver and Dexter Faulk, USA -> Paul Koech, Kenya

David Oliver was probably the biggest name not to make the American team.  After the emergence of Evan Jager, the United States is looking to put a dent in the Kenyan men’s steeplechase dominance.  What better way to do it than to acquire Koech, who would probably be the favorite if he were in this race?  The US also throws in Dexter Faulk, another potential hurdle finalist, to make the deal fair.

Dexter Faulk, Kenya-> Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia

They wouldn’t actually use him in the Olympics, but they might trade for him just to screw with Ethiopia.

Aleen Baily, Jamaica-> Mercy Cherono, Kenya

Kenya has no sprint hopes.  Jamaica has nothing in the distances.  Perfect match.

Darya Klishna and Alexsey Dmitrik, Russia -> Patrick Makau, Kenya

It doesn’t seem right that the world-record holder in the marathon won’t be in the games.  Darya Klishna and Alexsey Dmitrik are solid medal hopes in the women’s long jump and men’s high jump.

Tsegay Kebede, Ethiopia-> Mike Berry and Gil Roberts, USA

The uber-consistent Kebede fell victim to Ethiopian selectors obsession with fast times.  He would be a great pick-up for the United States who is a little thin in the marathon.  In exchange, the US sends two top-fifteen, 400-meter runners.

Gil Roberts and Mike Berry, Ethiopia-> Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaica

Ethiopia then flips Roberts and Berry to Jamaica for Nickel Ashmeade, who is currently sixth in the world this year.  Jamaica is looking to bulk up their 4 x 400 relay to take a run at the surprisingly vulnerable US team.

Mike Berry, Jason Young, Jamaica-> Geoffrey Mutai, Kenya

The anonymous Jason Young has enormous value after running 19.86 in the 200 two weeks ago in Luzern.  Only Blake and Bolt have run faster this year.  Kenya will be looking for sprinters, especially long sprinters, to help keep them in contention in the 4 x 400 relay.  Young and Berry should be enough to get Kenya to part with 2011 Boston and New York City Marathon champion, Geoffrey Mutai.

Ashley Spencer, USA-> Firehiwot Dado, Ethiopia

Spencer opted out of the US Olympic Trials and went on to run 50.50 at the World Junior Championships.  Dado could fill the gap for an apparently injured Desiree Davila.

To recap:

Tsegay Kebede and Paul Koech now run for the US, Jamaica obtained Geoffrey Mutai, Kenya picked up Ginnie Crawford and David Oliver, Ethiopia acquired Nickel Ashmeade and Russia has Bershawn Jackson and Kimberlyn Duncan.  Sounds about right.

Instead, Jason came up with idea to see who could generate the most winnings (or fewest losses) from 1,000 hypothetical dollars.  The rules are simple.  Each person had to make between 5-10 bets and each bet must be between $50-$400.  Aside from that, you could allocate your $1,000 however you wish.  All odds were based on the best odds listed on the outright winners section of Odds Checker.

 Kevin’s Picks

1) Women’s 4 x 400: United States

Odds: Even

Amount bet: $300

Per my understanding, even odds mean you win what you put down.  Seems like an easy $300 to make as a first bet.

2) Women’s 400 Hurdles: Lashinda Demus

Odds: 4/1

Amount bet: $300

At 4/1, Demus is the favorite.  This event has been very difficult to predict this year, but I think under-raced Demus will peak at the right time and win gold.

3) Men’s Shot Put: Reese Hoffa

Odds: 3/1

Amount bet: $100

Since he has appeared on the podcast and is the most interesting man in the track and field, I guess this qualifies as my only sentimental selection.  There are probably seven men that can win this event, but I am expecting the Americans to have a big meet after their debacle in Daegu.

4) Women’s Steeplechase: Milcah Chemos

Odds: 4/1

Amount bet: $75

Do I think Chemos will win? No, I think it is much more likely that she will meltdown in the final like she did at the world championships last year.  But since we aren’t betting on meltdowns, I will put down the 75 pretend dollars on a woman that is undefeated and has the fastest time in the world this year.

5) Men’s 5,000: Bernard Lagat

Odds: 10/1

Amount bet: $75

Somehow, Lagat became undervalued.  He was a close second to Farah in Daegu, and beat him in the 3000 at this year’s indoor world championships.  At 10/1, I’ll take a shot that he gets his first gold.

6) Men’s 110 Hurdles: Dayron Robles

Odds: 12/1

Amount bet: $50

I would feel better about this if I actually knew that Robles was going to show up in London.  There are no results to his name since May 27^th (at least that I could find) and he has trouble getting a Visa to compete outside the country in the past.  Still, he should have won gold last year and will have the “mystery-factor” on his side.

7) Men’s 400 Hurdles: Kerron Clement

Odds: 28/1

Amount bet: $50

Clement has only run one major race in 2012; a 48.89 in Eugene that placed him 3^rd.  If he can get into race shape that quickly, I am betting he still has some room to improve.  Experience + fresh legs + 28/1= I’ll take it.

8 ) Women’s 1500: Morgan Uceny

Odds: 40/1

Amount bet: $50

The American trio looks to be just a bit too far behind the world this year.  However, I had $50 left and I remembered that times don’t mean a whole lot in the 1500.  40/1 seems like awfully good odds for someone that was one bad break away from gold last year.

Possible winnings: $6,850

Jason’s Picks

1) Men’s 10,000: Mo Farah

Odds: 3/2

Amount bet: $400

Mo Farah is a big favorite in this event but I think he should be even bigger.  I could see him winning this 3 out of 4 times so to get 3/2 odds is ridiculous value.  I’ll bet the max $400 we are allowed and make myself $600.

2) Women’s 4×400: United States

Odds: Even

Amount bet: $200

Even money seems like a bargain for a team who should be pretty large favorites and the chances of dropping the baton are minimal….hopefully.

3) Women’s Marathon: Mary Keitany

Odds: 11/8

Amount bet: $100

The marathon is always a tricky event but I think Keitany is at least an even money bet.  In this case the odds are good enough to lay my $100 hypothetical dollars out there.

4) Women’s 100: Carmelita Jeter

Odds: 11/4

Amount bet: $100

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce should be, and is, the favorite in this event but Jeter has been the second best in the world this year and won the World Championships last year.  I think almost 3/1 is good value.

5) Men’s 110 Hurdles: Dayron Robles

Odds: 12/1

Amount bet: $50

Aries Merritt has been on fire lately and is the favorite for gold, Liu Xiang is a close 2nd and Dayron Robles has barely run. But you are giving me the world record holder at 12/1 in an event as crazy as the 110m hurdles? I’ll take it.

6) Women’s 400: Amantle Montsho

Odds: 6/1

Amount bet: $50

Sanya Richards-Ross is definitely the favorite in this event, but Montsho might be the most consistent in the field running under 50 seconds four times this year.

7) Women’s 800: Alysia Montano

Odds: 40/1

Amount bet: $50

I would be surprised to see Montano actually win this event especially the way she runs from the front, but she is the 2nd fastest in the world this year and at 40/1 that seems like a bargain.

8 ) Women’s 1500: Jenny Simpson

Odds: 33/1

Amount bet: $50

When we were coming up with this game Kevin had mentioned he liked Morgan Uceny at 40/1 for this event. I haven’t seen his picks but I’m guessing he choose that so instead of stealing his pick I’ll go with Jenny Simpson under probably the same logic that this race will probably be tactical and she does have a world championship gold to her name.

Possible Winnings: $5,762.50

With that in mind, Jason and I looked at the chances of an American medal in all 44 events (sorry race walking) and put them in order. The strength of the American team, competition, injuries and the tactics of the particular event all played a role in determining the likelihood of a top three finish.

Group 1: The 99% (and 98%) Percent

1. Women’s 200
American chance of a medal: 99%
American team: Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter, Sanya Richards-Ross

Allyson Felix wants gold in this event. You know this because every media outlet will be telling you repeatedly before, during and after her race how much she needs this gold. With gold being the goal, she seems assured of at least a top three finish. Factoring in how good Jeter and Richards-Ross have also been, there is no way the Americans come away from this event empty handed.

2. Women’s 4×400
American chance of a medal: 99%
American team:  Sanya Richards-Ross, Dee Dee Trotter, Francena McCorory, Lashinda Demus and others in pool of runners

With Richards-Ross and Felix on the team, it would be a huge upset if this squad did not win gold. A medal is a certainty, unless they manage to get disqualified, which would be impressive even by American relay standards.

3. Men’s 4×400
American chance of a medal: 99%
American team: LaShawn Merritt, Tony McQuay, Bryshon Nellum, Angelo Taylor and others in pool of runners.

Since the event’s creation in 1912, the United States has failed to medal only four times. This includes the gold from 2000 that was stripped due to a positive drug test and the 1980 boycott. The 2012 squad doesn’t look overwhelmingly strong, but it is the depth that always puts the Americans over the top. Can you name two or even one team that has a shot at beating them?

4. Men’s Decathlon 
American chance of a medal: 98%
American team: Ashton Eaton, Trey Hardee

Only two entrants in this event, yet the odds are still great that they walk away with at least one medal. This is what happens when you have the world record holder and the 2011 world champion on the team. I could see gold-silver, I could see gold-bronze. If they both have some bad luck, you could even say silver-bronze, or just one bronze. But, no medals? Won’t happen.

5. Men’s 110 hurdles
American chance of a medal: 98%
American team: Aries Merritt, Jason Richardson, Jeff Porter

Since 1896, the United States has medaled in this event in every single Olympics in which they have competed. Every. Single. One. Don’t think that changes this year with Merritt looking like the slight gold medal favorite and Richardson close behind.

6. Women’s 100 hurdles
American chance of a medal: 98%
American team: Dawn Harper, Kellie Wells, Lolo Jones

Good money says that all three of these women will make the final. From there, the odds are in their favor. Australia’s Sally Pearson looked like a sure thing for gold until Wells beat her a few weeks ago.

7. Men’s Triple Jump
American chance of a medal: 98%
American team: Christian Taylor, Will Claye

Similar to the decathlon with only two entrants, but two very strong entrants. Taylor and Claye went 1-3 last year in Daegu and have the top three marks in the world this year. Taylor is talking more about getting a world record in London than his competition. Good sign.

Group 2: Sure Things

8. Men’s Shot Put
American chance of a medal: 95%
American team: Reese Hoffa, Ryan Whiting, Christian Cantwell

Prior to the World Championships last year, there were discussions of a sweep in Daegu. The opposite happened and none of the Americans medaled. No way that happens two years in a row, right? All three could win gold on a given day.

9. Women’s Long Jump
American chance of a medal: 95%
American team: Brittney Reese, Chelsea Hayes, Janay Deloach

All three have at least one jump in the top ten this year. Reese is the favorite for the gold, but the margin of error in this event is so small it wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t win. Hayes had a big jump at the trials and Deloach could definitely sneak onto the podium.

10. Women’s High Jump

American chance of a medal: 95%

American team: Chaunte Lowe, Brigetta Barrett, Amy Acuff

Now that Croatian Blanka Vlasic is out with an injury, this competition could come down to the three Russians versus Lowe and Barrett. Acuff is mildly experienced (this will be her fifth Olympics) and could pick up the scraps if the favorites start going down.

11. Women’s 400 hurdles

American chance of a medal: 90%
American team: Lashinda Demus, Georganne Moline, T’erea Brown

Lots of parity in this event. Demus should be fresh and peaked perfectly last year. I don’t think there is enough chaos that the other two could get involved, but Brown had a big win in New York and Moline was sensational at the trials.

12. Women’s 10o

American chance of a medal: 90%

American team: Carmelia Jeter, Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix

All three have run under 11 seconds this year and at least one should be “on” come August 4th. The three Jamaicans will be the main competition as well as Blessing Okagbare from Nigeria who now has two Diamond League wins in a row.

13. Women’s 400
American chance of a medal: 90%
American team: Sanya Richards-Ross, Francena McCorory, DeeDee Trotter

Richards-Ross is the favorite for gold. The other two would be surprised medalists. The 400 is very deep this year with Montsho, Williams-Mills, Krivoshapka, Gushchina and Ohuruogu all showing medalist type form in 2012.

14. Men’s 400
American chance of a medal: 90%
American team: LaShawn Merritt, Tony McQuay, Bryshon Nellum

Merritt suffered from what he described as a cramp in Monaco. Until then, he had looked like a definite medalist and likely winner. Is it bad that he hasn’t tweeted since then? The good news for the Americans is that Kirani James of Grenada hasn’t been as fast or as dangerous as he did in 2011 when he won the gold in Daegu.

15. Men’s 400 hurdles 
American chance of a medal: 90%
American team: Michael Tinsley, Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement

After a rare shut out at the world championships last year, the Americans still finds themselves in good position to get at least one medal. Dai Greene of Great Britain and Javier Culson of Puerto Rico have been the only mainstays in 2012. Keep your eye on Clement, who did basically no racing prior to the Olympic trials and still made the team.

Group 3: 85%-60% of the time, it works every time 

16. Women’s 4×100

American chance of a medal: 85%
American team: Carmelita Jeter, Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Jeneba Tarmoh in pool of runners

Barring the results of the individual events, the Americans will come in as the favorites to win. Can they get the stick around? If they do, they will medal. Very simple, but the run-through in Monaco was not good for the confidence.

17. Men’s 4×100
American chance of a medal: 80%
American team: Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey, Trell Kimmons in pool of runners

Jamaica is big favorite. France and Trinidad and Tobago will push the US, but it can’t be said enough: Get the stick around. Also, don’t show up to the race with race bibs looking like a 3rd grader drew on them.

18. Men’s High Jump
American chance of a medal: 75%
American team: Jamie Nieto, Erik Kynard, Jesse Williams

World champion Jesse Williams almost didn’t make the team after having an off day in Eugene. Now that he is in, he is dangerous as ever and Kynard and Nieto could also have a good day and finish in the top 3.

19. Men’s 100
American chance of a medal: 65%
American team: Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay, Ryan Bailey

American chances would have gone up dramatically if Walter Dix were healthy. Bailey is solid though, and all three Americans can make the final. If Bolt really is hurt, then this event opens up tremendously.

20. Women’s Pole Vault
American chance of a medal: 60%
American team: Jenn Suhr, Becky Holliday, Lacy Janson

Suhr has the best mark of the year, but has competed sparingly. Holliday and Janson figure to be farther back.

Group 4: The Coin Flips (or runoffs)

21. Men’s Long Jump
American chance of a medal: 50%
American team: Marquise Goodwin, Will Claye, George Kitchens

No American is particularly strong in this event, but the long jump doesn’t have many clear-cut favorites. Attention Panamanian long jump fans: Irving Saladino may just be back!

22. Men’s 200
American chance of a medal: 50%
American team: Wallace Spearmon, Maurice Mitchell, Isiah Young

Only Spearmon will be in contention, but he looks to be in good shape to finish behind Bolt and Blake. That was more likely before Monaco where he lost to Nickel Ashmeade and Churandy Martina, but that race has been his only hiccup this season.

23. Men’s 800
American chance of a medal: 45%
American team: Nick Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, Duane Solomon

Provided David Rudisha doesn’t want to keep all the medal for himself, there will be a silver and a bronze up for grabs. The race for 2nd and 3rd is open with no runner stepping up after Abubaker Kaki has spent most of the summer disintegrating. Symmonds has done well making finals, Robinson has a ton of experience and Solomon’s third place finish in Monaco was a breakthrough.

24. Women’s Marathon
American chance of a medal: 45%
American team: Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila, Kara Goucher

Davila is not at a 100% and may not even start the race. That is a huge blow for the Americans, whose depth in this event could feasible produced a medal. Still, after the three Kenyans, three Ethiopians and Liliya Shobukhova, there aren’t many that can beat Flanagan, or even Goucher.

25. Women’s 800
American chance of a medal: 40%
American team: Alysia Montano, Geena Gall, Alice Schmidt

Montano is the best chance by far. Her aggressive tactics mean there could be wild fluctuations in her place.

26. Women’s 1500
American chance of a medal: 40%
American team: Morgan Uceny, Shannon Rowbury, Jenny Simpson

Last year Simpson won gold and Uceny won the Diamond League. So why only 40%? Odds are always going to be a bit lower in the 1500 and also everyone decided to run the 1500 fast this year.

27. Women’s Discus
American chance of a medal: 40%
American team: Stephanie Brown-Trafton, Aretha Thurmond, Gia Lewis-Smallwood

Brown-Trafton won gold in 2008, but will have a tough time repeating against Nadine Muller, Sandra Perkovic and Darya Pishchalnikova. This concludes our knowledge of the discus……

28. Men’s Pole Vault
American chance of a medal: 40%
American team: Brad Walker, Jeremy Scott, Derek Miles

Walker has the fourth best mark of the year, Scott and Miles on paper look like they could make the finals.

Group 5: Do you believe in unlikelihood?

29. Men’s 5000
American chance of a medal: 33%
American team: Galen Rupp, Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong

By now, everyone knows the incredible fast times that were posted in Paris. That won’t matter in a more tactical race in London. The Americans have two sub-13 runners and one 13:11, while stopping a lap too soon and restarting, runner. All three should make the final and all three have versatility to succeed in any type of race. No medals since 1964 in the men’s 5000.

30. Men’s 1500
American chance of a medal: 25%
American team: Leo Manzano, Matt Centrowitz, Andrew Wheating

Asbel Kiprop’s sensational race in Monaco makes it appear that there are only two medals available. However, this is the 1500 so you never really know. It is entirely plausible for no Americans to make the final, but it is also conceivable that all three do it. Wheating has been dealing with plantar fasciitis recently and Manzaoo has been battling with his usual inconsistenitis

31. Women’s Shot Put
American chance of a medal: 25%
American team: Jill Camarena-Williams, Michelle Carter, Tia Brooks

It is widely assumed that Valerie Adams of New Zealand and Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus will get the gold and silver in some order. Camerena-Williams, and to a lesser extent Carter, will be battling the field for the bronze.

32. Men’s 3000 Steeplechase 
American chance of a medal: 20%
American team: Evan Jager, Donn Cabral, Kyle Alcorn

This number would have been closer to 0% until Jager ran an American record in Monaco. The Olympics will be only his 6th race at this event and he is behind one non-Kenyan on the top marks of the year list. Kenya has shown the capacity to sweep this event and his inexperience may become a factor, although it hasn’t slowed him down yet.

33. Men’s 10000
American chance of a medal: 15%
American team: Galen Rupp, Matt Tegenkamp, Dathan Ritzenhein

Rupp is the only medal threat of the three. Farah will occupy one of the spots, so then it is Rupp battling the field for the other two. This year he has shown he can kick with the best in the world, but the Kenyan and Ethiopian depth is what puts this at only 15%. As with the 5000, no medals since 1964.

34. Men’s Marathon
American chance of a medal: 10%
American team: Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman

Keflezighi and Hall are very consistent so they could benefit from a few off days by their competitors and sneak out a bronze. Unfortunately, their ceiling isn’t as high as the others either. However, Kenya and Ethiopia bungled the selection processes and are not sending their strongest teams. Can the Americans capitalize?

Group 6: So you’re telling me there’s a chance?

35. Women’s 3000 Steeplechase
American chance of a medal: 5%
American team: Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek, Shalaya Kipp

Emma Coburn is a cut above the other two, but doesn’t appear quite ready to bridge the gap toward the top group. Milcah Chemos has dominated the event this year but has serious BUP (blow up potential).

36. Women’s Heptathlon 
American chance of a medal: 4%
American team: Hyleas Fountain, Sharon Day, Chantae McMillian

Fountain has a silver from 2008 and the best American mark this year. Jessica Ennis and Tatyana Chernova and a group of Ukrainians look pretty solid for medals as far as heptathlons go.

37. Men’s Hammer Throw
American chance of a medal: 3%
American team: Kibwe Johnson, A.G. Kruger

Only two Americans met the A standard, which shrinks American hopes.

38. Women’s 10000
American chance of a medal: 1%
American team: Amy Hastings, Lisa Uhl, Janet Bawcom

Tirunesh Dibaba and Vivian Cheruiyot and the rest of the Ethiopians and Kenyans should lock up the medals.

39. Women’s Hammer Throw
American chance of a medal: 1%
American team: Amber Campbell, Amanda Bingson, Jessica Cosby

Cosby’s best mark puts her in the top 15 of the world, but still a long way back.

40. Women’s Javelin
American chance of a medal: 0%
American team: Brittany Borman, Kara Patterson, Rachel Yurkovich

Boorman’s dramatic trials victory was a great story, but she and the other three Americans are significantly behind the podium spots.

41. Women’s 5000
American chance of a medal: 0%
American team: Julie Culley, Molly Huddle, Kim Conley

If Huddle was in American record holder form, then there might be an argument. Since that isn’t the case, making the final is a more realistic goal for her, and the other two. Use this race as an opportunity to get to know the Kenyans and Ethiopians that you met in the 10000 a little better.

42. Men’s Discus
American chance of a medal: 0%
American team: Lance Brooks, Jarred Rome, Jason Young

Can the Americans wake up the echoes of Mac Wilkins? Probably not.

43. Men’s Javelin
American chance of a medal: 0%
American team: Craig Kinsley, Sean Furey, Cyrus Hostetler

No medals in this event since 1972 and this year doesn’t look much better. Top two at the trials didn’t make the team because they didn’t have the standard. Practice your Finnish.

44. WTJ
American chance of a medal: 0%
American team: Amanda Smock

If the Smock medals in the triple jump, it will be Billy Mills, Rulon Gardner and the “Miracle on Ice” combined.

Jason and I posted our weekly podcast yesterday.  We cover Usain Bolt’s injury, Tarmohgeddon, David Rudisha, the guy who thinks he can break two hours in the marathon and much more.

Tomorrow, the two-day London Diamond League meet begins.  Start lists are posted here.

18-year-old British sprinter Adam Gemili won the 100 at the World Junior Championships in 10.05.  He will compete for the host country in the Olympics. Jacko Gill also won.

The IAAF announced that Oscar Pistorius can run any leg of the 4 x 400 relay.  Last year, he was required to run first to “avoid danger to other athletes.”  This keeps my dream anchor leg situation intact with Pistorius vs. Bolt vs. Rudisha vs. Merritt vs. Greene.  The chances this actually happens, not good.  But…..

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports, who has the most menacing byline photo on the internet, writes that Pistorius should not be allowed to run in the Olympics.

A trailer has been released from the upcoming documentary, Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive.  You can see sprint coaches cringing when Bolt explains how he looks side-to-side at least twice in his typical race.

Two Canadian hurdlers who didn’t make the Olympic team ask questions of the selection process.  I wonder why.

Olympic Trials champion, and prolific neck chalker, Reese Hoffa discusses the Olympics, juggling and his height in a USA Today interview.  Check out our interview with Hoffa from December 2011.  It is a good one.

Want to stream the Olympics online?  Read this first.

Usain Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, will now represent Galen Rupp.  Michael Johnson was Rupp’s previous agent.

My Athletic Life lists the Twitter handles for the entire American team.  50k race walker John Nunn is not listed.  Come on, John!!

I’m sure it is no consolation prize for missing the Olympics, but Walter Dix won the ESPY for best track and field athlete last night.

-Kevin

Men

100

1)   Yohan Blake

2)   Usain Bolt

3)   Tyson Gay

4)  Justin Gatlin

5)   Asafa Powell

It had been almost two years since Bolt lost a race until Blake took him down twice in Kingston.  Now there are questions around Bolt’s health and Gay is back in the picture. Welcome to 2010!

200

1)   Yohan Blake

2)   Usain Bolt

3)   Wallace Spearmon

4)   Churandy Martina

5)   Warren Weir

Does it hurt or help Spearmon that he has zero competition in the United States this year?  Bolt was supposed to be more invincible in this event, but it is starting to seem like Blake has more potential in the 200 than he does in the 100.

400

1)   Lashawn Merritt

2)   Kirani James

3)   Luguelin Santos

4)   Tony McQuay

5)   Kevin Borlee

Merritt ran the fastest time of 2012 in the Olympic Trials.  James has kept a low profile.  Americans have swept this event in the last two Olympic games.  This year they will assuredly get one medal, but it will be difficult to get anything more.

800

1)   David Rudisha

2)   Abubaker Kaki

3)   Mohammed Aman

4)   Timothy Kitum

5)   Nijel Amos

Dear Mr. Rudisha,

While we continued to be awed by your dominance, you have succeeded in ruining what is usually the most exciting event in track and field.  Your preposterously large margins of victory (over four seconds this past week in Paris) have spoiled the drama and made your gold medal a foregone conclusion.  We saw that in Paris you ran with a Garmin on your wrist.  This gave us an idea.  Is there any way you can continue to wear heavier and heavier pieces of jewelry and/or other accessories to even things out? Eventually, you will find the right handicap that will still allow you to win, but that will also make the spectators, and your competitors, think that someone else has a chance.

Thanks,

Kevin

1500

1)   Asbel Kiprop

2)   Silas Kiplagat

3)   Nixon Chepseba

4)   Ayanleh Souleiman

5)   Caleb Ndiku

The Kenyan Trials went Kiplagat, Chepseba, Kiprop.  Other than that, all quiet on the 1500 front.

5000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Dejen Gebremeskel

3)   Isiah Koech

4)   Hagos Gebrhiwit

5)   Galen Rupp

The 5,000 universe got flipped-turned-upside-down in Paris.  Gebremeskel won the race in 12:46, the fastest time since 2005, and five others broke 12:50.  However, before the British fans bail on Mo Farah and start having visions of  Andy Murray, remember that he beat four of the seven at the Pre Classic.  Does Rupp belong? Yes, he was only one second behind Koech at Pre and he just beat Lagat.

10000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Kenenisa Bekele

3)   Tariku Bekele

4)   Wilson Kiprop

5)   Moses Masai

No changes here.  The 10,000 will be Kenenisa Bekele’s only race in London.  Unless it’s not.

110 Hurdles

1)   Liu Xiang

2)   Aries Merritt

3)   Jason Richardson

4)  Dayron Robles

5)   Jeff Porter

Merritt finally broke through the 13-second barrier in his win in Eugene.  Richardson broke it twice in the same day.  Robles should be higher, but he hasn’t produced enough results to elicit confidence.

400 Hurdles

1)  Javier Culson

2)   Dai Greene

3)   Michael Tinsley

4)   Angelo Taylor

5)   Felix Sanchez

Culson won another Diamond League race and now holds four of the five fastest times of the year.  Greene was a close second and is free from the wrath of Bershawn Jackson after Jackson did not qualify for the Olympics.

3000 Steeplechase

1)   Paul Koech

2)   Brimin Kipruto

3)   Abel Mutai

4)   Ezekiel Kemboi

5)   Jarius Birech

An all-Kenyan top five.  Koech rebounded nicely from his usual altitude induced disaster in Nairobi to win in Paris.  With an assault charge lingering, Kemboi will still compete in London.  That’s so NFL/NBA.

Women

100

1)   Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

2)   Carmelita Jeter

3)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

4)   Tianna Madison

5)   Kerron Stewart

Just when it looked like America had the upper hand in this event, Fraser-Pryce went and ran 10.70 at the Jamaican trials.  Jeter quelled any doubts by winning in Eugene and Madison is so focused on London she didn’t even stop to get her flag.  Or show up to the press conference.

200

1)   Allyson Felix

2)   Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

3)   Carmelita Jeter

4)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

5)   Sherone Simpson

Felix’s incredible 200 at the trials will be the most cathartic race of the season until she wins gold, unless Asafa Powell becomes clutch in the next 3 weeks.  Fraser-Pryce’s 100 overshadowed her 200 where she also ran a person best.

400

1)   Sanya Richards-Ross

2)   Amantle Montsho

3)   Antonina Krivoshapka

4)   Novelene Williams-Mills

5)   Yulia Gushchina

Richards-Ross hasn’t lost since May and had the best time in the world until Krivoshapka ran 49.16 and Gushchina went 49.28 (the other Russian to be named later) in the Russian championships.

800

1)   Pamela Jelimo

2)   Fantu Magiso

3)   Alysia Montano

4)   Janeth Jepkosgei

5)   Mariya Savinova

Jelimo ran a blistering 1:56 in Heusden on Saturday.  Magiso is the only one to beat her this year.  Montano ran the rounds and the finals at the trials from the front.  Last year’s world champion Savinova checked in with a 1:57 last week.

1500

1)   Mariem Selsouli

2)   Abeba Aregawi

3)   Genzebe Dibaba

4)   Hellen Obiri

5)   Asli Cakir Alptekin

Fresh off a doping ban, Selsouli won with ease in Paris in a new personal best.  Prior to her, the name you needed to know in this event was Aregawi.  Before that it was Dibaba.  I’m guessing there will be more turnover before the Olympics end.

5000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Viola Kibiwot

Dibaba was not named to the Ethiopian team in this event, so she may not end up being a factor in London.

10000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Linet Chepkirui

Only change is Chepkirui who finished 3^rd and the Kenyan trials.

100 Hurdles

1)  Sally Pearson

2)   Dawn Harper

3)   Kellie Wells

4)   Brigitte Foster-Hylton

5)   Tiffany Porter

If Sally Pearson doesn’t win in London it isn’t because she peaked in the spring.  She ran 12.40 in Paris and now has the best three times of 2012.  Foster-Hylton won her trials, as did Harper.  Lolo is conspicuously inconspicuous in 6^th.

400 Hurdles

1)  Lashinda Demus

2)   Natalya Antyukh

3)   Irina Davydova

4)   Vania Stambolova

5)   Melaine Walker

Demus won in Eugene, Walker won in Kingston and Antyukh and Davydova ran fast.

 3000 Steeplechase

1)  Milcah Chemos

2)   Yuliya Zaripova

3)   Habiba Ghribi

4)   Sofia Assefa

5)   Mercy Njoroge

Chemos didn’t run in Paris depriving everyone who plays fantasy track and field of a sure ten points.

-Kevin

If you are nostalgic for the Olympic Trials, you can always relive the action by listening to the daily podcasts we posted:

Day 1 with Jim McDannald of Track Focus

Day 2 with Joe Battaglia of NBC Olympics

Day 3 with Ryan Fenton of Flotrack

Day 4 with co-host Jason

Day 5 with Ato Boldon of NBC

Day 7 with Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated

Day 8 with Joe Battaglia of NBC Olympics

The Diamond League meet in Paris is today.  In a few hours in fact.  The meet will be headlined by David Rudisha’s attempt at another world record in the 800.

South African officials named Oscar Pistorius to the Olympic team in the 400 and the 4 x 400 relay.  Previously, they stated he would need to run under 45.30 twice this season to be eligible to represent South Africa (he has run under that time once this season).  Not a huge deal as he has run under the “A” standard in 2012 and 2011, but the waffling by governing bodies this year has been difficult to keep track of.  South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia should unite under an umbrella organization called Arbitrary Athletics.

Usain Bolt will not run in the Monaco Diamond League.  He was planning using the race as his final tune-up before London, but appears to be nursing an injury after losing twice to Yohan Blake at the Jamaican Olympic Trials last week.

Courtesy of @JasonC1975, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad doing what he does.

Over at the Daily Mail in Great Britain, there is apparently not much to write about.

Flotrack features Ryan Hall.

-Kevin

Also, Joe shares his biggest surprises from the meet, the most interesting potential stories for London and the prospects of Eugene hosting the trials in 2016.

Tim also shares his thoughts on Usain Bolt’s first loss and looks ahead to the events and athletes that will be making news in London.

Men’s 200 Vacuum

The men’s 200 has developed into a story more about who is not running than who is.  Walter Dix, Justin Gatlin and Mookie Salaam all scratched from the first round today.  If he wasn’t before, Wallace Spearmon is now the clear favorite and probably the only medal hope for the Americans.  Who benefits from all the scratches?  NCAA champions Maurice Mitchell and Jeremy Dodson looked good, but perhaps this leaves an opening for one of the veterans.  A pair of 34 year olds, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford and 2003 World Championship silver medalist Darvis Patton, now have a realistic path to London.   Not sure many would have predicted that at the beginning of the year.

Women’s 200: Best Event of the Meet?

As Ato Boldon mentioned on Thursday’s podcast, the women’s 200 features the most interesting and competitive sprint field of the entire meet.  After today, that is now very clear.  The top four women (or is it three?) in the 100, the 400 champion and the NCAA 200 champion are all in the final.   This field is so tough that last year’s silver medalist, Carmelita Jeter, will be in lane 8 for the final.  Adding an extra layer of drama, Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh were separated by only one one-thousandth in the semifinals.  Sound familiar?

Dead Heat Drama Moves to Mixed Zone

In their four combined appearances in the mixed zone since the 100, Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix are undefeated: In not talking to the media.  This approach (both walked straight through accompanied by their coach, Bobby Kersee, and a USATF representative with nary a glance to the side) only seemed to create more interest in the dead heat. In a moment of levity, a journalist shouted a question to Kersee about Felix’s form to which Kersee offered a useful, “she looked good,” without breaking stride.

False Starts:

The two words that no track athlete or fan wants to hear have yet to make a substantive impact on these trials.  Today, however, we did see it crop up in two races.  In the semifinals of the women’s 400 hurdles, 2008 Olympian Queen Harrison false started and was initially disqualified before running under protest and being reinstated.  I’m not sure how much of an effect it would have made as she finished last in her heat and was running in lane one, but the fairly lengthy conversation she had with the official after the first gun certainly did not help.  In the fourth preliminary heat of the men’s 110 hurdles Fredrick Townsend false started by a mile.  He was not expected to be a factor by any means, but it was a good reminder how quickly one mistake can end an athlete’s meet.

The A Game

The elimination of Alice Schmidt and Russell Brown in the women’s and men’s 1500 semifinals, leaves the women’s field with just four “A” standard holders (Morgan Uceny, Jenny Simpson, Anna Pierce and Shannon Rowbury) and six for the men (Andrew Wheating, Jeff See, Matt Centrowitz, Leo Manzano, David Torrence, and Robby Andrews).  The chances that either gender runs fast enough in the final to add any new “As” is very small so the three tickets to London should come from those groups, regardless of their overall place in the final.

-Kevin

Ato gives some distance analysis about men’s and women’s 5000 and explains how he help Galen Rupp learn how to sprint.  Finally, Ato previews the races and stories to follow from the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston.

In a revealing piece from Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated, photo finish examiner Roger Jennings stated that he though Tarmoh won the race, but was unable to prove it through the finish photo.

At Wednesday’s press event, there was no shortage of opinions on the issue, or ways to resolve it.  For 110-meter hurdler Aries Merritt, the perception of switching the initial result from a Tarmoh 3^rd place, to a tie, did not sit right.

“I just that think that whatever they put up at first, they should just stick with those results because it kind of makes us look silly,” Merritt said Wednesday.  “It kind of looks fishy and so I didn’t really like that they did that because now there is this big controversy with it, it’s silly now.”

Fellow hurdler Jason Richardson watched the race with a keen eye.  His training partner Carmelita Jeter won the race and he considers Tarmoh and Felix part of his Los Angeles extended family.  “I was very moved because you never want such an important goal and dream to come down to, literally, the milli-milli-mili second or the fate of a coin toss so I know it is very difficult for them,” Richardson said.

Long and triple jumper Will Claye, who is Tarmoh’s cousin, said his family considers her “on the team in the 100,” but wished for a quicker solution to the problem.  “They could have done it in a better way, they could have went to the next part of their body that crossed the line first, maybe whose hips crossed the line first, something like that.”

And what of other possible solutions?   Those varied from the complex to the simple.

David Oliver suggested extending the deadline for team declarations (USATF says the team will be named by the end of the meet Sunday) and building a meet around a Felix/Tarmoh run-off on July 3^rd and 4^th.  His plan involves inviting network television and including other events that have incomplete Olympic teams, such as the decathlon.  “Wherever there’s an event where there is still one spot where they can get the A standard just let them go out there and compete again. I think that would be pretty cool.”

American record holder in the shot put, Jillian Camerena-Williams said if pressed she would opt for a run-off, or throw-off, but added, “we have things in place for tiebreakers….the next best throw.  We prepare ahead.”

Other press conference highlights:

Jason Richardson comparing his hair to Aries Merritt’s:

“I definitely have the better hair. I definitely think that dreads are a commitment to excellence I find that braids come and go, but dreads last for a really long time.”

David Oliver is a huge fan of the Denver Nuggets and Miami Dolphins, I got his thoughts on both because I’m sure he was tired of people asking him about hurdles:

“I like the squad as is, signed Javale McGee to a nice little long-term deal, he seems like a promising guy, you know, (George) Karl can always develop pretty good talent.  I like the roster.  Fernandez probably won’t come back, maybe we get another shooting guard, and hopefully Miller will re-sign and provide some more leadership.”

“Ah man, I think it’s going to be rough this year, but I like some of the moves.  The coach, I think he is going to be good.  I wish we probably could have got like Flynn.  It’s football, it takes 22 players.  Our defense is super-solid, we just need to execute in that offense.”

Will Claye on whether on not he has another celebration planned involving the Bible:

“You never know, when your in moments like that, anything can happen,…it wasn’t planned.  Whatever comes into my mind.”

Best Comeback:

Many great contenders for this category.  Tyson Gay came back from an injured hip that kept him out of racing until 2 weeks ago to finish second in the 100.  Bryshon Nellum not only had to recover from failing to qualify for the final in the 400 at the NCAA Championships, but also from gun shot wounds in both his legs in 2008 that threatened his running career.

On the distance end of the spectrum, Dathan Ritzenhein and Amy Hastings both bounced back from fourth place finishes in the Olympic Marathon Trials in January to earn spots on the 10,000 team.

Biggest Upset:

2008 gold medalist Bryan Clay will not make the team after finishing 12^th in the decathlon.  Clay was in third coming into the final day, but disaster stuck in the first two events of day two, the 110 hurdles and the discus.  After hitting the final two hurdles, and for a period being disqualified, Clay finished last in 16.81.  After he fouled all three attempts in the discus any chance of making the team was gone.

For anyone that has been following track and field the last two years, Jeremy Wariner’s 6^th place finish was not a surprise.  Still, any time a multiple time world and Olympic medalist fails to make a team (or even qualify for the relay pool), it is a bit jarring to see.

Best Performance:

Ashton Eaton.

Best on Track Interview:

After he won the 400 with the fastest time in 2012, Lashawn Merritt put an exclamation point on his performance.  In the post-race interview he wished himself a happy birthday, giving him the best self-reverential statement since Carmelo Anthony took his hat off to, himself.

Bizarre Behavior Award:

Saturday night, Tianna Madison ran her fastest time ever in the 100 and qualified for her first Olympic team.  Cause for celebration?  Not exactly.  Madison skipped the post-race interview (notice her conspicuous absence at 3:23 in the this video), the medal ceremony and even the official press conference that usually features the top three in each event.   She plans to compete in the 200 and long jump in this meet, so there are many more awkward absences to look forward to.

Best Press Conference Moment:

Khadevis Robinson pokes fun at Nick Symmonds after Symmonds mentions his sports psychologist and “incredible dates.”

Best Mixed Zone Performance:

Depending on your preference, this award could vary.  Justin Gatlin is incredibly loquacious and eager to share with any and everyone who asks a question.  Tyson Gay takes the opposite tact and has mastered the answer-the -question-without-breaking-stride move, to perfection.

Best Press Release:

The USATF released the dead heat procedure on Sunday in response to the tie in the women’s 100 between Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix.  Although the decision to include a coin-toss element is a bit controversial, we at least learned the proper technique for flipping a coin.

“each athlete shall face each other and the USATF representative shall bend his or her index finger at a 90 degree angle to his or her thumb, allowing the coin to rest on his or her thumb. In one single action, the USATF representative shall toss the coin into the air, allowing the coin to fall to the ground.”

Best Example of Being Really Excited after Qualifying and Then Saying Something Ridiculous:

Justin Gatlin, for suggesting a unique solution to the dead heat in the women’s 100 involving red jello.

Most Successful Use of Neck Chalk

No question, shot put champion, Reese Hoffa.

See you Thursday!

-Kevin

Ashton Eaton’s decathlon world records

Galen Rupp’s Olympic Trials record in 10,000

Redemption for Amy Hastings and Dathan Ritzenhein

Who advanced and who did not in the 800 and 400 prelims

Today, I head to Eugene for the Olympic Trials. While there, I hope to post nightly recap podcasts after all eight days of competition. Also, look for live chats each day on the site.

Earlier this week, we posted the Non-Track Fan’s Guide to the Olympic Trials. Additionally, we posted a couple podcasts. Episode 103 is a quick primer for new/casual fans and Episode 104 is a full preview including all running and field events.

In Episode 104, Jason showed his skills as a degenerate gambler  Vegas insider and generated odds and over/unders for the some of the races in Eugene. I added a couple in and I thought I would post some here so that you can fictitiously bet on fake odds with your fellow track enthusiasts.

Men’s 100m
Over/under a time of 9.85 for Tyson Gay in the final
Under: +130
Over: -150

Will it be raining at the start?
Yes:- 150
No: +250

Decathlon:
Over/under 3.5 event wins by Ashton Eaton
Under: -150
Over: +120

Over/under 2.5 Kardashian’s present at opening ceremonies
Under: -300
Over: +250

Women’s 200m
Felix: -160
Richards-Ross: +120
Carmelita Jeter: +220
Duncan: 8/1
Field: 20/1

Men’s 400m
Over/under 1.5 college athletes (competed in the 2011 NCAA season) in the top 3
Over: +180
Under: -160

Women’s 400
Over/under 2.5 references to Aaron Ross
Over: -150
Under: +150

Men’s 800m
Odds Charles Jock is leading after first lap: -400

Odds of Charles Jock winning: +700

Odds of Paris Hilton shows up to watch Nick Symmonds run
Yes: +750
No: -500

Women’s 1500m
Uceny: -130
Simpson: +110
Rowbury: 2/1
Field: 8/1

Men’s 5000m
Team will be Rupp, Lagat and Lomong: -600
Any other combination: +500

Men’s 10000m
Dathan Ritzenhein over/under 27:45
Under: -120
Over: Even

Men’s 110 hurdles
Richardson: -200
Oliver: +150
Merritt: +150
Field: 5/1
Race will be run under protest: 2/1

Women’s 100 hurdles:
Odds that the US made a terrible call who they decide who to promote in the women’s hurdles
Yes: -110
No: -110

Will there be a feature in the broadcast with Lolo Jones containing the song “Call Me Maybe”?
Yes: +600
No: -900

Men’s 400 hurdles

Bigger victory (based on percentage difference to second place) Bershawn Jackson vs. field OR Dark Knight vs. The Avengers

Batman the movie: -250

Batman the hurdler: +250

Men’s and Women’s 3000 Steeplechase
Over/under 1.5 viral videos created
Under: -200
Over: +150

See you in Eugene and remember to play responsibly!

-How many laps is this one?

-When is the relay?

-Why aren’t they drinking any water? 

-Has Bolt raced yet?

100- Saturday June 23, 5:52 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Carmelita Jeter, Allyson Felix, Tianna Bartoletta (formerly Madison), English Gardner,

Why you should watch: Jeter won the gold in this event last year at the world championship, but she has been beaten this season a couple times.  Felix is now confirmed in this race as part of a 100/200 double, but making the team is far from a sure thing.  Gardner will throw a local story in the mix and has a legitimate chance of qualifying.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Yeah, you’re seeing that right, a sprinter…….from Oregon.”

During:  ”Look at Jeter’s drive phase! Look at Jeter’s drive phase!”

After:  “Was the wind legal?” (This is good time to explain to your fellow viewers that any tailwind above 2.0 meters per second nullifies a performance for record keeping purposes).

200- Saturday, June 30th, 6:50 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross, Carmelita Jeter, Kimberlyn Duncan

Why you should watch:  If all goes as planned, the three favorites in this race will be trying to cap off sprint doubles.  Felix should prevail and she may even wear a bodysuit.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Duncan is solid, but I don’t know, she has had a long season college season.”

During: “Wow, (person in first) flew off that curve!”

After: “Fast time, but with a pretty strong tailwind and you know what they say about this Hayward Field track.”

400- Sunday June 24, 4:35 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Sanya Richards-Ross,Francena McCorory, Diamond Dixon, Natasha Hastings

Why you should watch:  With the absence of Felix, Richards-Ross will get almost all of the attention.  And for good reason.  She has four of the five best America times ever run and is married to NFL football player Aaron Ross.

Some smart things to say:

Before: “Name me a more athletic husband and wife combination than Sanya and Aaron.  Come on, try.”

During: “Wait for it (when they are on the backstretch)… wait for it (when they are on the last curve)…… here she goes!! (last 75 or so meters).”

After:  “You would be that out of breath too if you just ran a 50 second quarter.” (calling the 400 the “quarter” is imperative to show credibility).

800- Monday June 25, 6:50 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Alysia Montano, Maggie Vessey, Erica Moore, Alice Schmidt, Molly Beckwith

Why you should watch:  On paper, Montano is a big favorite and may blow away the field like she did at the Prefontaine Classic a few weeks ago.  She also runs with a flower in her hair.  Behind her however, is a logjam of at least 6 women who can claim a legitimate shot at a top three placing.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Montano will take this out hard, but will anyone go with her?”

During:  ”They let her gap them by too much, that’s all she wrote.”

After:  ”Good first 3 for the Americans, but I’m not sure we have enough to contend with the Kenyans and Ethiopians this year.”

1500- Sunday July 1, 4:23 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Morgan Uceny, Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury, Anna Pierce

Why you should watch:  Simpson was a surprise world champion last year in a race that easily could have gone to Uceny if she did not fall with just over a lap left.  Their medal hopes don’t look as bright this year, but the 1500 is always wild.     At least as wild as track can be.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”17-18 seconds.  Yeah, that is how much you add to make it a mile.”

During:  ”(name of a runner that is running in lane 2 or 3) is spending an awful lot of energy running wide.”

After:  ”I don’t have any idea what that is around Uceny’s neck either.”

5,000- Thursday June 28, 7:15 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Molly Huddle, Jackie Areson, Lisa Uhl, Julia Lucas, Lauren Fleshman

Why you should watch:  This race could be heavily influenced by the outcome of the 10,000 with many women scrambling to find a spot on the team.  Huddle is the American record holder and darkhorse Lauren Fleshman has only been able to train 10 miles a week and makes her own energy bars.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Nope, they don’t get water in this one.”

During:  More than likely there will be another field event cut-in during this race.  For the triple jump if you can work in a “really solid in all three phases” or a “oh, way too vertical on the step” you will be money.

After:  ”Call me crazy but I hardly think Vivian Cheruiyot and Tirunesh Dibaba are worried.”

10,000- Friday June 22, 7:20 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Shalane Flanagan, Amy Hastings, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, Lisa Uhl.

Why you should watch:  Olympic Marathon Trials champion Flanagan will make an appearance and probably win.  However, she will focus on the marathon in London and thus forego her spot.  She is running primarily as a training run and to help out her teammate, Uhl.  Or, she is doing it to confuse the fans.  Hastings finished in the unenviable fourth position at Olympic Trials marathon.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Just so you guys know, Shalane Flanagan will not be racing in this event in the Olympics, so really, 4^th place is as good as 3^rd.”

During: “Keep your eye on 4^th.”

After:  ”Tonight, redemption is spelled A-M-Y.”

110 High Hurdles- Saturday June 23, 5:45 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Dawn Harper, Kellie Wells, Danielle Carruthers, Kristi Castlin, Lolo Jones

Why you should watch: Due to the Lolo effect, this may be the most watched race of the entire meet.  She probably has less than a 50/50 shot of making it, but if she can make the final, stranger things have happened.  Harper won gold in Beijing and Carruthers has a silver medal from Daegu, but did you hear about Lolo and Tebow?

Some smart things to say:

Before:  Lolo is pretty mainstream at this point so there will be much talk amongst those you are watching with. When you hear someone say how horrible it was when she fell on the last hurdle in Beijing immediately jump in with, “actually, it was hurdle number 9.”

During:  ”She’s clean through 6 hurdles!” (could be made in reference to anyone in the race).

After:  ”Lolo, what a story!” (if she makes it). “Lolo, another heartbreak” (if she doesn’t make it).

400 Hurdles- Sunday July 1, 4:02 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Lashinda Demus, T’erea Brown, Queen Harrison, Georganne Moline

Why you should watch: Demus holds all the cards in this race.  She should win easily, but after that it will be hotly contested.  Moline is a collegiate who had a bad finish to her season and Brown appears to be peaking at the right time.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”World championships, American record, the only thing left for Demus is Olympic gold.”

During:  ”______________ is switching her lead leg ef-fort-less-ly.”

After:  ”If (fourth place) didn’t break her stride off that last hurdle, she would be on he way to London.

3,000 Steeplechase- Friday June 29, 4:45 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek, Shalaya Kipp, Sara Hall, Delilah DiCrescenzo

Why you should watch:  DiCrescenzo of “Hey There Delilah” fame is in this race, which will give you a reason to remember that it has been five years since that song was a hit.  Coburn and Kipp are college teammates at the steeplechase factory known as Colorado.

Some smart things to say:

Before: “The shoes they wear can help drain the water, but their feet still get wet.”

During:  ”The good ones look beyond the water barrier. ”

After:  ”More like, ‘Hey There, Milcah,’ am I right?”  (a reference to Kenyan steeplechase star Milcah Chemos)

That’s it you are now ready for the Olympic Trials.  Of course, I also recommend listening to our upcoming podcasts where we further preview the meet.  Enjoy the Trials!

Once every four years, you join serious track fans like myself in enjoying the spectacle of the Olympic Trials and the Olympics.  Track die-hards appreciate the influx of attention that the sport receives, but we also like how instantly the sport becomes palatable for the general public.  In Olympic years the confusing racing schedules, the infrequent appearances by star athletes and strange obsessions with times give way to a very simple formula.

For the Olympic Trials, which begin on Thursday, the only number anyone needs to know is three, as in top three advance* in each event and the rest go home (they don’t actually have to go home, they just don’t qualify for the Olympics).  No prior knowledge is necessary.  The system is so simple it has been accused of being unforgiving, but I believe it is the main reason that it draws in an audience outside of the usual suspects.

*As with everything in track and field, there is a catch.  Qualifiers also have to meet a time/distance standard for performance.  This should only impact a small amount of events.  For a more in-depth explanation of the “A” and “B” standards see this post from Track Focus.

To help those who are just now tuning in, I created the Non Track Fan’s Guide to the Olympic Trials.  It is 2012, and with greater access to information comes higher expectations for even the most casual of viewers.  Regardless of whether you are watching the meet with knowledgeable track fans, or neophytes such as yourself you need to be equipped with some basic knowledge and handy one-liners that can improve your reputation as a well-rounded sports fan.

Today we will cover the men’s events and tomorrow we will go through the women’s.  All the times listed are in PST and are for that event’s final.

100- Sunday June 24, 4:48 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, Walter Dix, Mike Rodgers, Jeff Demps

Why you should watch: Gay appears to be back from injuries, but has only raced once in the last calendar year.  Will America embrace Gatlin, a former gold medalist who returned in 2010 from a four-year doping ban?  He has represented the United States since his return, but the Olympics are something different.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Gay hasn’t been fully healthy since 2007, his first 30 meters will tell us a lot.”  If Gay isn’t in the race, you can substitute anyone in his place and even the distance. i.e. “Gatlin’s first 40 meters will tell us a lot.”

During:  ”Wow, he really reacted to the gun!” (you don’t need to specify who because the race will be almost over by the time you say it).

After:  ”I think Jamaica is going to pretty nervous/confident.”   If the top 3 are under 9.90 choose “nervous,” if the top 3 are over 9.90 choose “confident.”

200- Sunday, July 1^st, 4:50 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Wallace Spearmon, Walter Dix, Doc Patton, Maurice Mitchell

Why you should watch:  This will be the last final on the last day of competition.  The third spot appears to be wide open behind Spearmon and Dix.  Also, this event always seems to have a high percentage of people pulling up with cramps if that sort of thing interests you.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Call me sentimental, but ever since Spearmon got disqualified for stepping out of his lane in Beijing I have been pulling for the guy.”

During:” ________(whoever looks to be ahead) is really making up the stagger.”

After:  ”Trust me, I know he looks really tall, but Spearmon is only 6’3.”

400- Sunday June 24, 4:20 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Lashawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner, Tony McQuay, Mike Berry

Why you should watch:  Merritt is the heavy favorite, but after that it is battle of youth versus experience.  Collegians Berry and McQuay should battle Wariner (the guy with the sunglasses who won gold in 2004) for the remaining spots.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Jeremy Wariner hasn’t been the same since leaving his coach, Clyde Hart, in 2008.”

During: “Merritt is moving up really well on the backstretch” (you need to say this when they are running on the backstretch).

After:  ”And to think, one year ago Merritt didn’t even know IF he was going to even be eligible to run in the Olympics.”

800- Monday June 25, 7:47 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Nick Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, Charles Jock, Robby Andrews

Why you should watch:  The 800 is always exciting and it was especially so in the 2008 trials.  Symmonds is the hometown favorite and is openly pursuing Paris Hilton.  Jock runs fast from the start and spent his early years in a refugee camp in Africa.  Also, who doesn’t like diving at the finish line?

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”With no rabbit in this race………. anything can happen.”

During:  ”Keep your eye on Symmonds!”  (In the rare event that Symmonds is not in contention, or is clearly in front, pick a runner that is in about 4^th or 5^th place that is be gaining on the others.)

After:  ”What a race, but I can’t help thinking how far in front David Rudisha would have been.”

1500- Sunday July 1, 4:37 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Matt Centrowitz, Andrew Wheating, David Torrence, Leo Manzano

Why you should watch:  This should be the most unpredictable of all the events.  Some of the names listed above may not even make it through to the final.  Think of the 1500 as the 5 vs.12 match-up in the NCAA basketball tournament.  You have established favorites, but many times it comes down to who has the hot hand.  Wheating and Centrowitz are both former Oregon Ducks, which will get the crowd going.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”So many talented guys in this field, you would hate to see it come down to a kick.”

During:  ”Why are they leaving it to a kick?”

After:  ”_______(race winner) kicked last, and he kicked best.”

5,000- Thursday June 28, 7:38 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Bernard Lagat, Galen Rupp, Lopez Lomong, Dathan Ritzenhein

Why you should watch:  Lomong is the guy you have been seeing in the Visa and Tide commercials who is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.  You would think he would be the fan favorite in this race, but Lagat has a charisma and competitiveness that people find irresistible.  That aside, Rupp, Lomong, and Lagat should make a really great race, but I’m not sure if anyone else will emerge to make it a fight for a top three placing.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”Quick trivia, who holds the trials record in this event………?  Come on, take a guess….?”   When your fellow spectators correctly guess the only name that they are familiar with, Pre, it will be a moment of shared expertise.

During:  Is Lagat ever in the wrong spot during a race?

After:  Lagat. What more can you say?

10,000- Friday June 22, 6:45 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein, Chris Derrick, Matt Tegenkamp

Why you should watch:  What should be a 25 lap coronation for Galen Rupp will be made a bit more interesting by the possibility of a team dynamic in the race.  Rupp’s teammate Ritzenhein, still needs the Olympic “A” standard (27:45) so he and Rupp may need to push the pace a bit in the first half.  Still not interested?  Ok, Rupp taking off his mask is bizarrely compelling television.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”This race is all about who has the standard.” (note: not even passionate track fans have a clue about how the always changing A/B standard works, so you are in the clear here as long as you mention “A,” “B,” and “they can’t chase this year,” in your explanation).

During: In all likelihood they will cut away at some point during this race to show field events.  If they go to high jump or pole vault commenting on the “hip height” always works.  Long jump is also in action that day, so feel free to throw in a good, “he really attacked the board.”

After:  ”But does (name of 3rd place) have the standard?”

110 Hurdles- Saturday June 30, 6:40 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Jason Richardson, David Oliver, Aries Merritt, Dexter Faulk

Why you should watch: Someone will get left off the Olympic team who could make the Olympic final.  Also, someone probably will false start in the final, which always raises the ire of track fans.  Jason Richardson is as athletic as his NBA counterpart and David Oliver could move mountains.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”They have to do something about this false start rule!” (only say this if there is a false start).

During:  ”Oliver did not get out well.”

After:  ”Hard to believe (name of 4^th place) won’t be going to London.”

400 Hurdles- Sunday July 1, 4:12 p.m. NBC

Names to know: Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor, Jeshua Anderson, Micheal Tinsley

Why you should watch: This is the event that Robert Griffin III could have dominated if he opted for the lucrative path of professional track instead of deciding to slum it in the NFL.  It is also the event that has seen the most early season trash talk.   Bershawn “Batman” Jackson has the best, and most widely used, nickname in the sport.

Some smart things to say:

Before:  ”America has been so dominant in this event, but I’m not sold on any of these guys yet.”

During: ” ______________ is taking it out fast, BUT (lots of emphasis on “but) is it too fast?”

After:  Ad-lib an interesting story about how Bershawn Jackson got his nickname.

3,000 Steeplechase- Thursday June 28, 6:30 p.m. NBCSN

Names to know: Evan Jager, Donn Cabral, Billy Nelson, Dan Huling

Why you should watch:  For those of you who enjoy the pain and suffering of others, there is always the potential for someone to fall either over a barrier or in the water pit.  This event won’t produce any medal threats for the US, but Cabral and Jager are both up-and-comers going for their first Olympic team.

Some smart things to say:

Before: “7 ½ laps. 28 barriers. 7 water jumps. For just 3 spots to London.” (must be said in a dramatic tone).

During:  ”He was really choppy coming  into that last barrier.”

After:  ”I still don’t see any threats to Kenya.”

More tomorrow!

David also shares the story of a transgender Olympic track and field hopeful, discusses the issue of gender within sports, and explains new anti-doping procedures.  Also, David gives some insight about his story about the life and death of Sammy Wanjiru and his own time in Kenya.

The second iteration of the Kenyan Olympic marathon controversy includes Patrick Makau’s agent releasing email contradicting the statements made by Athletics Kenya.

Joe Battaglia argues that conducting an Olympic Trials race for Kenya is the ultimate solution.  I second that.

Jesse Squire writes that the individual entities in track and field need to find common goals and USATF could use a communications manager.

Flotrack tours the grounds of the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.  If you ever wondered where the next great American archer would be found, this video will answer some questions.

Pat Price asks America’s favorite rabbit, Matt Scherer, five questions.

The Jamaican Gleaner reveals their men’s picks for the Jamaican National Championships.  Including their controversial discus selection.

Ron Bellamy of the Eugene Register-Guard writes that Russell Brown is busy on and off the track.

The Indianapolis Star on Ashley Spencer not running in the Olympic Trials.  This story still continues to confuse me for a number of reasons.  If she does end up making the team for London, her season would only be two weeks longer then it will be if she makes it to Barcelona for the World Junior Championships.  That seems like a reasonable trade-off for the Olympic experience.

Second, the 400 is an event that is frequently dominated by athletes under the age of 20.  Sanya Richards-Ross finished 6^th in Athens in 2004 when she was 19.  In those same Olympics, a 20 year-old Jeremy Wariner won gold.  Last year, Kirani James was 18 when he won the world title in Daegu. In “400 years,” Spencer actually isn’t that young and there is no guarantee she will be at this level again in 2016 or 2020.  That said, she is going to crush in Barcelona.

ESPNHS is folding.  This includes the popular high school running website, Dyestat.

-Kevin

The guys also delve into the NCAA Championships and recap the most exciting races and finishes; including Andrew Riley’s double, Tony McQuay and Mike Berry’s battle and Ashley Spencer’s big win.  Kevin also looks at the collegians that could have the greatest impact at the Olympic Trials.

Finally, Jason answers Twitter questions and explains why track and field is in a better place than boxing and horse racing.

Moses Mosop withdrew from the Kenyan Olympic marathon team yesterday due to injury.  He will be replaced by Mutai.  Emmanuel Mutai.  Not Geoffrey Mutai the guy that crushed Emmanuel in New York about 7 months ago and who has the course records in New York and Boston.  Patrick Makau, the world record holder was also not chosen.  It took me awhile, but I finally figured out how to predict the decisions made by Athletics Kenya.  You take what is reasonable, logical and objective and then go with the complete opposite.

Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini was on The Tonight Show last week.  These come courtesy of listener/reader Sam.  Incredible stuff, thanks Sam!

Track and Field News released their updated men’s and women’s  Olympic Trials form charts.

Mariya Savinova’s 1:57.95 800 was the headline from the Moscow World Challenge meet.

Fox Sports recounts the anguish and frustration of Wallace Spearmon after he was disqualified from the 200 in the Beijing.

Days after the end of 2012 campaign, Jesse Squire previews the 2013 NCAA track and field season.

Curtis Anderson of the Eugene Register-Guard looks at the Oregon Ducks who have Olympic Trials plans.

Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva talks to Joe Battaglia about the 2008 Olympics.  On Skype nonetheless.

Bernard Lagat does some race visualization for NBC Olympics.

-Kevin

A few links before the updated SPEED Rankings:

Usain Bolt was involved in a car accident in Kingston on Sunday.  There were no injuries reported.

Yesterday in Vancouver, Andrew Wheating won the 1500 in 3:35.89, while Matt Centrowitz finishsed fourth in 3:37.22.

A final look back at the NCAA Championships from Jesse Squire.

Andrew Riley’s historic 100/110 hurdles double was the highlight of the meet, but what does his future hold?

On the Guardian’s US sports blog, I wrote about Tyson Gay’s first race in almost a year.

Joe Battaglia writes about the David Rudisha’s jaw dropper and whether drawing a more favorable lane can lead Oscar Pistorius to London.

Now for the rankings…..

The track and field world goes relatively dark for the next couple of week.   These will be the last rankings until July 2^nd- when the “trials” season is over.  Remember, the rankings are subjective and completely unscientific.

Men

100

1)    Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Justin Gatlin

4)   Asafa Powell

5)   Tyson Gay

In just one race (and a B race at that) Gay has put himself back on the map.  I don’t see any signs yet that Bolt is beatable this year, but Gay is in the thick of the silver medal discussion.  His 10.00 on Saturday was actually faster than Blake’s 9.90 when adjusted for wind.

200

1)   Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Wallace Spearmon

4)   Churandy Martina

5)   Nickel Ashmeade

Ashmeade and Martina both went under 20 seconds in New York.  As was the case in 2011, this event is starting slowly.

400

1)   Lashawn Merritt

2)   Kirani James

3)   Luguelin Santos

4)   Tony McQuay

5)   Mike Berry

Santos won in New York, but McQuay had the best weekend.  He posted two of the top four times this year at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines.  Also, he anchored Florida to the win in the 4 x 400 in a low 44 split.

800

1)   David Rudisha

2)   Abubaker Kaki

3)   Mohammed Aman

4)   Leonard Kosencha

5)   Nick Symmonds

Rudisha put significant space between himself and the rest of the world in New York.  His time of 1:41.74 was .73 off the world record and was enough to win the race by a preposterous margin- almost 3 seconds.

1500

1)   Asbel Kiprop

2)   Nixon Chepseba

3)   Ayanleh Souleiman

4)   Silas Kiplagat

5)   Caleb Ndiku

Kiprop ran a world leading time in the mile of 3:49.22 at the Bislett Games and held the lead from far out.  Ndiku, who posted good results indoors, was 2^nd.  Bernard Lagat beat Ayanleh Souleiman in New York, but since Lagat doesn’t plan on racing much at 1500 I left him off.

5000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Bernard Lagat

3)   Isiah Koech

4)   Galen Rupp

5)   Dejen Gebremeskel

The race in Oslo had a heavy Ethiopian presence and three men were able to go under 13 minutes.  Gebremeskel was first in 12:58.92 and will get the rotating 5^th spot this week.  Kenenisa Bekele ran a season’s best, but was only 5^th.

10000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Kenenisa Bekele

3)   Tariku Bekele

4)   Wilson Kiprop

5)   Moses Masai

No reason to change anything here.  You could make an argument that Bekele should drop by virtue of is 5,000 showings, but I think at this point in his career he will fare much better at 10,000.

110 Hurdles

1)  Liu Xiang

2)   Dayron Robles

3)   Aries Merritt

4)   Jason Richardson

5)   David Oliver

It was a false start party in New York.  After the fourth attempt, Richardson won the race.  By that time, Merritt had been disqualified and everyone else looked completely out of sync.

 400 Hurdles

1)  Javier Culson

2)   Angelo Taylor

3)   Bershawn Jackson

4)   Jehue Gordon

5)   Jeshua Anderson

Culson won again in Oslo and has the three fastest times in the world this year.  Gordon was 2^nd and now makes his SPEED Rankings debut.

3000 Steeplechase

1)   Paul Koech

2)   Richard Mateelong

3)   Abel Mutai

4)   Ezekiel Kemboi

5)   Roba Gari

No steeples this week=no changes.

Women

100

1)   Carmelita Jeter

2)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

3)   Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

4)   Tianna Madison

5)    Murielle Ahoure

Much more movement with this event than I anticipated. Fraser-Pryce won in New York ahead of Madison, Jeter and Allyson Felix.  Is this the last we see of Felix in this event in 2012?  What do we make of Jeter?  After a great start in Kingston, two sub-par races in the United States.  Last year she timed her peak perfectly, so she gets the benefit of the doubt for now.

200

1)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

2)   Allyson Felix

3)   Jeneba Tarmoh

4)   Kimberlyn Duncan

5)   Sanya Richards-Ross

Richards-Ross ran the fastest time in the world on Saturday, unfortunately the cameras stopped rolling at that point for American viewers.  As expected, Duncan easily won the NCAA 200.

400

1)   Sanya Richards-Ross

2)   Allyson Felix

3)   Amantle Montsho

4)   Francena McCorory

5)   Novelene Williams-Mills

Montsho had an easy win in Oslo and McCorory just edged Williams-Mills in New York.  How sharp is Richards-Ross right now?  See above.

800

1)   Fantu Magiso

2)   Pamela Jelimo

3)   Alysia Johnson

4)   Janeth Jepkosgei

5)   Mariya Savinova

Magiso won in routine fashion in New York.  None of the others in the top five raced.

1500

1)   Abeba Aregawi

2)   Genzebe Dibaba

3)   Hellen Obiri

4)   Btissam Lakhouad

5)   Morgan Uceny

Aregawi won again, so I did her the honor of actually spelling her name correctly this week.  Dibaba was a closer second in Rome.  Another steady performance for Uceny with a 4:05 for sixth.

5000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Viola Kibiwot

The baby-faced destroyer keeps inching closer back to her destroying form of old.  She won in New York over Defar with a punishing last two laps to finish in 14:50.

10000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Florence Kiplagat

No changes.  Very interested to see how the Kenyan trials shake out in Nairobi.

100 Hurdles

1) Sally Pearson

2)   Dawn Harper

3)   Kellie Wells

4)   Brigitte Foster-Hylton

5)   Kristi Castlin

Pearson was brilliant in Oslo with a world-leading 12.49.  Castlin made it closer than expected running a lifetime best of 12.56.  The American trials in this event will be fun to watch.

400 Hurdles

1) Kaliese Spencer

2)   Lashinda Demus

3)   Vania Stambolova

4)   Irina Davydova

5)   Ti’erra Brown

This event has been all over the place in 2012.  Brown upset Spencer in New York.  The week prior Spencer looked very good beating Demus in Rome.

3000 Steeplechase

1)  Milcah Chemos

2)   Yuliya Zaripova

3)   Habiba Ghribi

4)   Sofia Assefa

5)   Hiwot Ayalew

Chemos won again and broke all sorts of records in the process.  Her time of 9:07.14 was the fifth fastest ever.

-Kevin

Oslo’s stop on the Diamond League was Thursday and although the fields were a bit diluted with the New York meet on Saturday, there were still some significant takeaways.

Asafa Powell looked like a bona fide silver medal contender.  He lost to Usain Bolt, but he ran a season best time of 9.85 and appeared to run all the way through the line.

Yes, Bolt did almost take out the flower girl.

Abebe Aragawi is shaping up to be the Morgan Uceny of 2012.  Last week she won in a fast 3:56 in Rome, yesterday she ran a smart, savvy race to win in 4:02.  The sample size is very small, but so far she has shown the versatility to make her a favorite the rest of the summer.  As for the real Uceny, she finished 6^th in 4:05.  She didn’t really get going last year until after the U.S. championships, so I wouldn’t count her out yet.

There was good news and bad news for Lolo Jones.  The good, she ran a season best time of 12.75 and beat last year’s silver medalist Danielle Carruthers.  The bad, the extraordinarily deep American 100 hurdles field, got even deeper with the emergence of Kristi Castlin.  After a stellar indoor season, Castlin finished 2^nd yesterday in 12.56.  Sally Pearson’s dominance would be boring if she wasn’t so fun to watch.

Is Kenenisa Bekele improving or flat lining?  He ran his fastest time of the season, 13:00.54, but finished only 5^th.  Worse than that, he lost to his younger brother and everyone knows how awful that is.  Oslo was his fourth Diamond League race of the season and he has shown steady improvement, but has yet to have the breakthrough race that truly signals his return.

There are still two more days of racing in Des Moines at the NCAA Championships.  Jesse Squire gives you the low down on day three.

If you are watching the NCAA meet for runners that will have an impact at the US Olympic Trials, keep your eye on Kimberlyn Duncan, English Gardner and Octavious Freemon in the women’s 100, Tony McQuay and Mike Berry in the men’s 400 and Harry Adams and Maurice Mitchell in the men’s 100.

What to watch for at Saturday’s Diamond League meet in New York.

Desiree Davila answers Joe Battaglia’s questions

Battaglia also features the frequently overlooked Kelly-Ann Baptiste.

NBC’s Rock Center profiles Oscar Pistorius.

The Tonight Show went to Chula Vista, California and sampled some track and field events.

-Kevin

Tyson Gay will make his 2012 debut in New York at the Adidas Grand Prix on Saturday.  Gay will be in the “B” section and will not be racing head-to-head with 2011 world champion Yohan Blake.   Gay, and his agent Mark Wetmore, cited preparedness issues as the reason he would not be racing in the premiere section.  In the same article, Wetmore says that Gay could be ready for something in the 9.9s on Saturday.

Whether or not that is realistic is debatable, but the fact that it is even being considered seems to undermine the unpreparedness  argument for why Gay needs to be in a separate section.  Nobody begrudges him if he needs a tune-up race and can’t touch a sub-10 yet, but claiming he isn’t race-ready and then floating 9.9 is highly contradictory.  Regardless, this should be the most anticipated “B” section of 2012

The most recent start lists for New York can be found here.

The NCAA Championships begin on Wednesday and run through Saturday.  Track and Field News produced women’s and men’s form charts.

The most recent start lists for the Bislett Games, Oslo’s stop on the Diamond League have been posted.  Some races to keep an eye on:

Can Usain Bolt improve on his world leading 9.76 in the 100 “against” Asafa Powell? 

Lolo Jones will try to get back on track in the 100 hurdles against Sally Pearson, Kristi Castlin, Tiffany Porter and Jessica Ennis.

Kenenisa Bekele, Tariku Bekele, Dejen Gebremeskel, Imane Merga and the rest of the strong Ethiopian contingent will battle for Olympic spots in the men’s 5000. 

American Morgan Uceny will try to close the gap on breakout Ethiopians Abeba Aregwai, Genzebe Dibaba in the 1500.    

Ken Goe’s links from Monday.

Writer David Davis is writing a book on the first woman to run a marathon, Merry Lepper.  Hard to believe it was in 1963.

Start list for the Portland Track Festival, which features Dathan Ritzenhein and Lauren Fleshman.

-Kevin

Men

100

1)    Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Justin Gatlin

4)   Asafa Powell

5)   Walter Dix

Bolt went 9.76 in Rome, Powell didn’t hear the gun and then ran in two different lanes, Gatlin won the Prefontaine Classic in 9.90 and who knows how hurt Dix is.

200

1)   Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Wallace Spearmon

4)   Christophe Lemaitre

5)   Nickel Ashmeade

Bolt has not yet raced at this distance in 2012.  Spearmon won in Eugene and Ashmeade joins the top five by virtue of his 9.93 100 time on Saturday.

400

1)   Lashawn Merritt

2)   Kirani James

3)   Luguelin Santos

4)   Mike Berry

5)   Martyn Rooney

Merritt narrowly won over James, but you won’t see it in the results because James false started and ran under protest.  Berry’s time at the NCAA regional meet (44.86) looks even stronger.

800

1)   David Rudisha

2)   Abubaker Kaki

3)   Mohammed Aman

4)   Leonard Kosencha

5)   Nick Symmonds

Kosencha won in Rome, while Kaki beat Aman and Symmonds in Eugene.  The pecking order is pretty well defined at this point in the season.  Rudisha versus the clock on Saturday in New York.

1500

1)   Asbel Kiprop

2)   Nixon Chepseba

3)   Ayanleh Souleiman

4)   Silas Kiplagat

5)   Mekonnen Gebremedhin

The Bowerman Mile results were a bit confusing.  Kiprop won, but after that it was chaos.  Kiplagat and Bernard Lagat were 13^th and 14^th.  Souleiman has been very consistent thus far.

5000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Bernard Lagat

3)   Isiah Koech

4)   Galen Rupp

5)   Kenenisa Bekele

More Americans than Kenyans or Ethiopians in the top five?  SPEED Rankings history!  Farah’s 12:56 in Eugene looked smooth, but Lagat has yet to show his hand at 5,000 outdoors.

10000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Kenenisa Bekele

3)   Tariku Bekele

4)   Wilson Kiprop

5)   Moses Masai

Kiprop and Masai went 1-2 at the Kenyan Olympic Trials.  Rupp probably deserves to be in here, but I will wait to see how he looks in the 10,000 at the trials.

110 Hurdles

1)  Liu Xiang

2)   Dayron Robles

3)   Aries Merritt

4)   Jason Richardson

5)   David Oliver

Xiang equaled the world record, Robles never got to Eugene, Merritt broke 13 seconds for the first time and Oliver finished 5^th at Pre.

400 Hurdles

1)  Javier Culson

2)   Angelo Taylor

3)   Bershawn Jackson

4)   Dai Greene

5)   Jeshua Anderson

Culson beat Jackson in Rome.  Dai Greene withdrew with an illness.  Angelo Taylor opted for the flat 400.  Still don’t have a solid read on Anderson.

3000 Steeplechase

1)  Paul Koech

2)   Richard Mateelong

3)   Abel Mutai

4)   Ezekiel Kemboi

5)   Roba Gari

Koech just missed the world record in Rome and crushed the competition (including Kemboi) in the process.  I still believe Kemboi will be ready when it counts, but the Kenyan steeplechase team, as usual, is going to be very difficult to make.

Women

100

1)   Carmelita Jeter

2)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

3)   Kelly-Ann Baptiste

4)   Allyson Felix

5)    Murielle Ahoure

I’m not entirely sure what to read into Jeter’s 5^th place 22.78 200 at Prefontaine Classic.  For the time being I will chalk it up as a bad race.  Nobody has emerged as of yet to take her place.  Ahoure ran a personal best of 11.00 to win in Rome.

200

1)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

2)   Allyson Felix

3)   Jeneba Tarmoh

4)   Kimberlyn Duncan

5)   Carmelita Jeter

Jeter drops a couple of places after losing to Tarmoh, Felix, Blessing Okagbare and Bianca Knight.  I don’t expect her to stay there.  Keep an eye on Kimberlyn Duncan.  She still has the fastest time in the world this year and could run even quicker at the NCAA Championships this weekend.

400

1)   Sanya Richards-Ross

2)   Allyson Felix

3)   Amantle Montsho

4)   Novelene Williams-Mills

5)   Francena McCorory

Richards-Ross shoots to the top of the rankings after her win and world-leading time at Pre.  I will stop ranking Felix if she doesn’t run the 400 at the trials.  I promise.

800

1)   Fantu Magiso

2)   Pamela Jelimo

3)   Alysia Johnson

4)   Janeth Jepkosgei

5)   Mariya Savinova

Magiso beat Jelimo and Jepkosgei in Rome and Johnson obliterated the field in her opener in Eugene.  I know I said I wouldn’t drop Semenya from the rankings regardless of how poorly she ran, but she was only 8^th in the Rome.

1500

1)   Abebe Arigawa

2)   Genzebe Dibaba

3)   Hellen Obiri

4)   Morgan Uceny

5)   Btissam Lakhouad

So much for Dibaba being unbeatable.  Arigawa took her, and the rest of the deep field, apart for a 3:56.54 win in Rome.

5000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Viola Kibiwot

Cheruiyot beat Defar in the 5,000 by a hair and Dibaba won the 10,000 in Eugene.  Kipyego lost the 3,000, but will do much better over the extra 2,000 meters.  Kibiwot was a strong 3^rd in Rome behind Cheruiyot and Defar.

10000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Florence Kiplagat

Dibaba look good, but beatable in her first track race in several years.  Marathoner Florence Kiplagat pushed Dibaba to the line.

100 Hurdles

1)  Sally Pearson

2)   Dawn Harper

3)   Kellie Wells

4)   Brigitte Foster-Hylton

5)   Tiffany Porter

Foster-Hylton is coming down to earth after starting the season with two big wins.  Harper and Wells are interchangeable at this point.  Who will get that 3^rd American slot for London?

400 Hurdles

1)   Kaliese Spencer

2)   Lashinda Demus

3)   Melaine Walker

4)   Vania Stambolova

5)   Irina Davydova

No idea what happened with Melaine Walker in Rome.  Kaliese Spencer looked like the Kaliese Spencer of 2011.  Still waiting for the Demus break out race, which I believe will come shortly.

3000 Steeplechase

1) Milcah Chemos

2)   Yuliya Zaripova

3)   Habiba Ghribi

4)   Sofia Assefa

5)   Hiwot Ayalew

Chemos has to be the most successful athlete in Diamond League history.  I know that history only dates back a few years, but she races pretty much at every event and wins at pretty much every event.   The only change is flip flopping Assefa and Ayalew.

-Kevin

The Prefontaine Classic concluded yesterday at Hayward Field in Eugene with its typical array of fast times and competitive races.  Aside from that, the meet also featured Liu Xiang attempting to dance, Allyson Felix bringing back the bodysuit and Abubaker Kaki shaving a Nike swoosh into his hair (at about 2:05).

Full results from the meet can be found here.

Much of our post-race discussion on the live chat centered around the uncertainty of the American men in the 1500.  Andrew Wheating, Lopez Lomong and Leo Manzano were all non-factors in the Bowerman Mile, as was Bernard Lagat, who will be focusing on the 5,000 at the Olympic Trials.  Friday’s International Mile did not provide many answers, as Matt Centrowitz looked rusty. David Torrence and Russell Brown were the lone bright spots, but neither has made an international team.

Justin Gatlin won the 100 in 9.90 and appears ready, willing and able to take on the villain role throughout the summer.  His past history of doping (of which he has never admitted) stands in stark contrast with the charisma and universal popularity of Usain Bolt.  9.90 is a long way from the 9.76 Bolt just ran in Rome a few days ago in Rome, but Gatlin is putting up consistent enough times that he could pose a threat.  Also, the two seem to have some history (see the last 5 paragraphs of this story where Bolt alleges Gatlin spit in his lane at a meet last year).

With each race it becomes clearer that Gatlin will make the American squad for London.  Tyson Gay has yet to surface and Walter Dix suffered an injury yesterday that casts some doubt on his form.  Even accounting for those two, it is tough to envision a scenario where Gatlin is outside the top three.  An even more difficult proposition is seeing a way that Gatlin, even in the red, white and blue in London, is fully embraced by American fans, much less the world.  Not so much for the doping past and the brash statements, but because he will be in opposition to Bolt, the track and field uniter.

Ken Goe’s meet story focuses on Mo Farah and Galen Rupp’s performances in the 5,000.

George Schroeder on the excitement of Liu Xiang.

-Kevin

The second day of the Prefontaine Classic gets going at noon (PST) today on NBC.  Last night was an all distance affair.

Wilson Kiprop won the Kenyan Olympic Trials men’s 10,000 in an exciting stretch run over Moses Masai.  Bitan Karoki was third.  Although this race has been promoted as the trials race for Athletics Kenya, I would hardly say those names are set in stone.  As Joe Battaglia said on our podcast this week (and wrote about extensively), the controversy and inconsistency of the Kenyan marathon selection process leaves little to be confident about.  Even in the days prior to the 10,000, it was difficult to get a definitive answer on whether selectors would choose the first two or the first three from Friday’s race.

So congrats, Wilson Kiprop, Moses Masai and Bitan Karoki on making the Kenyan Olympic team!!!*

*Prices and participation may vary.  No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.  Subject to change without notice.  Other restrictions may apply.  For a limited time only.  Cannot be combined with any other offer.

The hyped International Mile fizzled when the pace lagged a bit behind the rabbits.  With one lap to go rabbit Jordan McNamara was visibly urging the pack behind him to pick up the pace.  Nobody really responded and Kenya’s James Magut won the race.  No “A” standards were achieved despite the effort of placing a second photo finish camera at the 1500 mark.  I hope they can get their money back for the camera.

Last season’s bronze medalist Matt Centrowitz made his outdoor debut and finished 8^th in 3:57.44, his first race since the Millrose Games in February.  Last year, in his lead up to his surprise win at the U.S. Championships; he raced ten times between March and June.  This year, only once.

Prediciting the women’s 1500 at the Olympic Trials became a bit more difficult after Alice Schmidt held off Jenny Simpson for a 4:05.64 win.  Schimdt, who made the American team last year at 800 meters, also beat Anna Pierce, Shannon Rowbury and Gabrielle Anderson.  The American 1500 team looked very strong last year, with Simpson taking the gold and Morgan Uceny winning the Diamond League.  This year, the depth remains, but the task is much tougher.  Three women, two Ethiopian and one Kenyan, have already broken four minutes this season.  Nobody went under four in all of 2011.

Alysia Montano channeled the namesake of the meet and ran away with the women’s 800.  Montano ran an aggressive first lap of 55 seconds and then passed the rabbit en route to a 1:57.37.  This was her first race of the season and it puts her in the company of recent Diamond League winners Pamela Jelimo and Fantu Magiso.

It was closer than expected, but Tirunesh Dibaba won the women’s 10,000 in 30:24.39.  Kenyan marathoner Florence Kiplagat was just behind in 30:24.85.  This race was billed as the de facto Ethiopian Olympic Trials.  If that is the case, then Beleynesh Oljira and Werknesh Kidane will join Dibaba in London.

Full results of all races.

The Oregonian the Eugene Register-Guard recap day one.

-Kevin

The Rome Golden Gala meet  was yesterday and the Prefontaine Classic begins today.  Here is a quick recap of Rome:

Usain Bolt allayed doubts, Lolo Jones crashed out of the hurdles (and Dawn Harper won the race), Javier Culson look strong in the 400H (and Felix Sanchez hit the track), Vivian Cheruiyot and Meseret Defar went the full 5,000 meters and Paul Koech just missed the world record.  Abebe Arigawa and Fantu Magiso also starred.

Track and Field News has Bolt’s performance the 5^th best all-time after adjusting for wind.

Full results from Rome.

Curtis Anderson of the Eugene Register-Guard gives event-by-event previews for the Pre Classic.

Anderson also writes about Friday night’s Kenyan 10,000 trials race.  Live coverage is on preclassic.com.

Start list for all the events in the Pre Classic.  Dayron Robles is a scratch from the 110 hurdles.

George Schroeder on Steve Prefontaine.

The Los Angeles Times of Los Angeles profiles Bernard Lagat.

Ezkysas Sisay was disqualified from the New York City Marathon after testing positive for doping.  He will also be banned from competition for two years.

-Kevin

Make sure to check out our most recent podcast with Joe Battaglia of NBC Olympics.  Joe gives a great preview of the Prefontaine Classic and the Rome Golden Gala and also comments on the hype surrounding Lolo Jones, Allyson Felix’s double and the Kenyan Olympic selection process.

Speaking of Joe Battaglia, he introduces the 14 men running in the Kenyan Olympic 10,000 Trials at Hayward Field on Friday night, and previews today’s meet in Rome.

Dai Greene is out of the 400 hurdles in Rome with an illness.  Apparently, policing all of track and field can get pretty taxing.

Add “Visa issues” to the list of items that ail track and field.  Cuban hurdle superstar Dayron Robles may be out of the Prefontaine Classic due to a delay in obtaining his Visa.

TYSON GAY SIGHTINING TYSON GAY SIGHTING.  He only runs about 30 meters on a high school track, but there is a real starter’s pistol and he is using blocks.  In all seriousness, there is a chance that he will debut this weekend on his home track in Clermont.

Asafa Powell believes he can win it all in London.  He is serious this time.

2000 gold medalist Cathy Freeman reflects on her Olympic experience and says she doesn’t have much advice for her countrywoman, Sally Pearson.  The only advice should be:

1) Wear a bodysuit

2) Dominate the last ¼ of your race

Desiree Davila and Edna Kiplagat will meet next week in the NYRR New York Mini 10k.  Despite its name, it is still 10 kilometers.

Pat Price asks Augustine Choge 5 questions.

-Kevin

Men

100

1)   Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Walter Dix

4)   Justin Gatlin

5)   Asafa Powell

Don’t count me among those who believe Bolt’s “slow” 10.04 means the sky is falling.  He did get a horrible start, but he still won by a comfortable margin on a track that produced no fast times.  Unless he was concealing an injury, I am going to chalk it up to an off-race in slow conditions.  It was just a few weeks ago he ran the fastest time in the world (9.82) in Kingston.  Blake ran 9.84 in the Cayman Islands and Walter Dix posted a windy 9.85 at Mt. SAC.

200

1)   Usain Bolt

2)   Yohan Blake

3)   Wallace Spearmon

4)   Walter Dix

5)   Christophe Lemaitre

Bolt appears more unbeatable in this race than in the 100, but if Blake focuses more on the 200, he could provide a push.  Dix withdrew from Ostrava and in the process, missed a head-to-head match-up with Wallace Spearmon.

400

1)   Lashawn Merritt

2)   Kirani James

3)   Luguelin Santos

4)   Mike Berry

5)   Martyn Rooney

Merritt is off to a hot start in his first full season since 2009.  He ran a great anchor leg at the Penn Relays and won in Doha in 44.19.  James was beaten indoors, but looks to be back on track.  Santos has been the biggest revelation of the outdoor season.  He has broken 45 seconds twice and is only 18.  Remember when Kirani James used to be the young guy in the 400?  Mike Berry, running in an Oregon jersey, at Hayward Field in the Olympic Trials will be a must watch.

800

1)   David Rudisha

2)   Abubaker Kaki

3)   Adam Kszcot

4)   Mohammed Aman

5)   Leonard Kosencha

Rudisha pulled out of a scheduled race last week, but still holds the fastest time of the year.  Aman, who is even younger than Luguelin Santos, has won twice this season.  Kaki is racing at Prefontaine this weekend and Rudisha will run in New York the following weekend.

1500

1)   Silas Kiplagat

2)   Asbel Kiprop

3)   Nixon Chepseba

4)   Ayanleh Souleiman

5)   Abdalaati Iguider

The top three have all broken 3:30 and are the favorites to represent Kenya in the Olympics.  Iguider won gold indoors, and ran a 3:34 in Rabat on Sunday.

5000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Bernard Lagat

3)   Augustine Choge

4)   Isiah Koech

5)   Vincent Chepkok

I probably should have held these rankings until after the Pre Classic because there will certainly be shake-ups in the 5,000.  Farah, Koech, Choge, along with Kenenisa Bekele, are all on the start list for Saturday.  Chepkok has the fastest time in the year thus far.

10000

1)   Mo Farah

2)   Kenenisa Bekele

3)   Tariku Bekele

4)   Lelisa Desisa

5)   Geoffrey Mutai

Ditto from above.  The Kenyan Olympic Trials race on Friday night at Hayward Field will give a glimpse as to who is in good form from Kenya.  Athletics Kenya will pick the top two from Friday’s race, and then choose a wild card to fill out the team.  I think that third selection could be Mutai, who drew the short stick in the marathon selection process and just won a 10k road race in Ottawa.  Then again, predicting what Athletics Kenya will do is a lot like looking into the mind of Metta World Peace.  Ethiopia had their “trials” last week and Tariku Bekele and Desisa finished 1-2.

110 Hurdles

1)   Liu Xiang

2)   Dayron Robles

3)   Jason Richardson

4)   Aries Merritt

5)   David Oliver

Xiang is the only one under 13 seconds this year and will face Robles, Richardson, Merritt and Oliver at Pre in what some (me) are calling…….The Olympics.

400 Hurdles

1)   Javier Culson

2)   Angelo Taylor

3)   Bershawn Jackson

4)   Dai Greene

5)   Jeshua Anderson

No clear favorite in this event yet.  Culson has the fastest time, Taylor has the Diamond League win and Jackson has been the most consistent.  I included Greene directly below Jackson just to stoke the flames.

 3000 Steeplechase

1)   Ezekiel Kemboi

2)   Paul Koech

3)   Richard Mateelong

4)   Roba Gari

5)   Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad

These rankings are premature, as the steeplechase season doesn’t begin until Kemboi dances.  Stay tuned.

Women

100

1)   Carmelita Jeter

2)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

3)   Kelly-Ann Baptiste

4)   Allyson Felix

5)   Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Felix’s 10.92 and defeat of Campbell-Brown provided a big surprise in Doha and complicated Felix’s racing plans.  Jeter ran 10.81 from Kingston, which is the fastest time in the world this year.

200

1)   Veronica Campbell-Brown

2)   Allyson Felix

3)   Carmelita Jeter

4)   Kimberlyn Duncan

5)   Bianca Knight

Duncan shot to the top of the world list with her 22.22 at the NCAA regional on Saturday.  Other than that, not much has happened in the 200 in 2012.

400

1)   Novelene Williams-Mills

2)   Amantle Montsho

3)   Allyson Felix

4)   Sanya Richards-Ross

5)   Russian to be named later

Williams-Mills is two-for-two with wins over Montsho and Richards-Ross.  Felix has not run an open 400 this season, but looked good on her relay leg at Penn.  We will find out the name of the Russian to be named later in July.

800

1)   Pamela Jelimo

2)   Janeth Jepkosgei

3)   Fantu Magiso

4)   Caster Semenya

5)   Yuneisy Santiusty

Jelimo is on fire, but the entire event has been pretty quick this year.  Jelimo ran 1:56 in Doha and then a 1:58 in Hengelo.  Semenya will hover between two and five for the duration of the SPEED Rankings.

1500

1)   Genzebe Dibaba

2)   Abeba Arigawa

3)   Btissam Lakhouad

4)   Morgan Uceny

5)   Hellen Obiri

As Jason and I mentioned on the podcast, Dibaba has “Rudisha” potential in this event.  Thus far she has made tactics wholly irrelevant and could make this entire event uninteresting in 2012.  Uceny is off to a modest start and Obiri won gold in the 3,000 indoors.

5000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Sylvia Kibet

Not many major 5,000s this year, but Cheruiyot won the 3,000 in Doha and appears to not have missed a beat.  Kipyego has been crushing the competition in America for the past couple months.

10000

1)   Vivian Cheruiyot

2)   Tirunesh Dibaba

3)   Meseret Defar

4)   Sally Kipyego

5)   Linet Masai

Even fewer results for this event.  Dibaba, and many other Ethiopians, will race on Friday at the Prefontaine Classic.

100 Hurdles

1)   Sally Pearson

2)   Brigitte Foster-Hylton

3)   Kellie Wells

4)   Tiffany Porter

5)   Dawn Harper

I was tempted to list 2-5 as “everybody else” because Pearson has been dominating this event for the past two years.  Foster-Hylton has two wins and Wells will be race ready for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

 400 Hurdles

1)   Melaine Walker

2)   Vania Stambolova

3)   Kaliese Spencer

4)   Muizat Odumosu

5)   Lashinda Demus

The only major surprise thus far was Demus’s sixth place finish in Ostrava, but it is far too early to read anything into her opener.  Don’t worry, I don’t know who Muizat Odumosu is either.

 3000 Steeplechase

1)   Milcah Chemos

2)   Yuliya Zaripova

3)   Habiba Ghribi

4)   Hiwot Ayalew

5)   Sofia Assefa

Chemos won in Shanghai ahead of Assefa.  Zaripova was under the radar last year until she won gold in Daegu.

-Kevin

After a brief hiatus, the Morning Run is back!  In my time away, it appears Lolo Jones took over television and the entire internet. The latest today involves another write up and an article in the new edition of Rolling Stone.  Clearly, she, and her marketing team, deserves enormous amounts of credit for being open, personable and remaining relevant in a sport that has a large amount of turnover, especially within four-year Olympic cycles.  She is the perfect mix of inspiration, glamour with a twist of polarization that plays perfectly in the current sports media landscape.

The only problem is she is far from a lock to make the team.  The story of “Will Lolo Win Gold,” really should be amended to, “Can Lolo Make the Team?”  This is no slight to her as the US women’s 100 meter hurdle team is at the top of the list of most difficult teams to make in the world (If you’re looking at past performances, you could put it ahead of the Kenyan men’s marathon squad).

Nonetheless, Lolo represents an incongruity that track faces between who is the best and who is marketed to be the best.  Dwain Chambers, who is currently not on anyone’s list of the top ten sprinters in the world, frequently gets put in the same conversation as Usain Bolt.  Granted, this occurs in other sports but in track there exist very objective measures for determining performance that are far easier to blur in other sports.  Even the American selection process for the Olympics itself, first three across the line, leaves little to be debated.

If Jones succeeds, the transition from Olympic hopeful to Olympian will be seamless and the general public will have a track star other than Bolt that they are familiar with in London.  And if she doesn’t finish in the top three in Eugene? Track will still have benefited from having one of their own on ESPN and HBO, but some confusion will exist over why the woman they were told was an Olympian in May, isn’t on the team come August.  The chances of grabbing new fans comes few and far between for track and field, and the sport is now in a position to bet heavy Lolo.

The rest of the Morning Run:

Joe Battaglia previews Friday’s meet in Ostrava, featuring none other than Lolo herself.

An update on the racing plans of prep sprint star Marvin Bracy.

The NCAA Championships sort of kick off today with regional meets in Austin, Texas and Jacksonville, Florida.  Here are the entries, in bracket format.

Usain Bolt makes a bunch of money.

Ngoni Makusha, last season’s NCAA champion in the long jump and 100, is hurt and will not represent Zimbabwe in the Olympics.

Tom Jordan, meet director of the Prefontaine Classic, is running out of adjectives to describe his meet.

Ken Goe’s Thursday links.

-Kevin

There is still about 1 day to get in the House of Run fantasy track and field league.  If you would like to join, go here and join the league “House of Run Podcast.”  The league pin is 167961.  Make your picks for Shanghai!

There are two meets to keep an eye on this weekend.  First, the Occidental High Performance meet on Friday will have 800, 1500, 5000 and 3000 steeplechases races featuring many of the fastest Americans.  I will be helping out with the free, live coverage that begins at 6:30 pm PST.

The Diamond League’s second stop is Saturday’s meet in Shanghai.  Joe Battaglia of NBC Olympics runs down all the races to watch and the storylines to follow.

Asafa Powell says, “Many track and field people know that if I stay relaxed and run my race like I’m supposed to, I will be the winner at the Olympic Games.”  The “ifs” have always been Powell’s problem.

Flotrack interviews the 2011 triple jump world champion, Christian Taylor.

Ken Goe’s links from Thursday, including a brief interview with Jerry Schumacher, the coach of the Oregon Track Club/Portland.

Bonnie Ford of ESPN interviews the American marathon Olympic team.  The key revelations are that Ryan Hall knows exactly how far the Olympic village is from the stadium, Abdi Abdirahman thinks a four-mile walk is a workout, and Meb Keflezighi is no fan of U-turns.

Rich Perelman wants a NCAA track and field playoff.

Paavo Nurmi’s win in the 1924 5,000 makes The Guardian’s “50 Stunning Olympic Moments” list.

I’m off to Oxy (and to eat here first)!

-Kevin

Yesterday, we posted our podcast recapping the Doha Diamond League and previewing the upcoming meets in Shanghai and Occidental.  Jason also mourns the loss of his Chicago Bulls.

The 2012 House of Run fantasy track and field league kicks off this weekend.  If you would like to participate, go here and join the league “House of Run Podcast.”  The league pin is 167961.  Any and all are welcome.

Ahead of Saturday’s meet in Shanghai, many of the world’s fastest ran in Daegu on Wednesday.

A year removed from his death, ESPN revisits the life of Sammy Wanjiru.

NBC’s “visualization” videos feature Lolo Jones, Bershawn Jackson and Dwight Phillips. I would make a joke about viewers needing to visualize live Olympic coverage too, but NBC is ditching the tape delay this year.

The Wall Street Journal profiles the carefree Abdi Abdirahman.

Dai Greene says he never disrespected the American 400 hurdlers, but stands by his statements about Lashawn Merritt.

Speaking of Merritt, he decided to wade into the Oscar Pistorius issue.

Flotrack interviews Santa Monica Track Club founder Joe Douglas about the importance of communications, and even acting classes, for track and field athletes to appeal to the general public.  So if you were wondering where Carl Lewis got the idea he could act from………

The popular “30 for 30” series on ESPN will return and produce a documentary on a steroid user in track and field.  Completely uncharted territory for them.

What happens when a group of ultra-marathoners run down a really steep hill?  Some of them fall, but one of them sets a world record.

Jesse Squire distributes his college athlete of the week awards.

-Kevin

On Saturday, we posted our interview with Adharanand Finn, the author of Running with the Kenyans.  If you haven’t yet listened, please do, especially if you are interested in what makes the Kenyans so dominant.  We will post our recap podcast for the Doha Diamond League, NCAA conference championships and much more tomorrow.

All of the results from the NCAA conference championships can be found here.

More in-depth conference recaps on the Big 12, SEC and the Pac 12.

Jesse Squires analyzes the attendance from the NCAA conference championships.

Ashton Eaton hurdles over a model.  A model wearing a $4,490 dress nonetheless.

Dan Rubenstein and Matt Ufford of SB Nation highlight the best fails in track and field.  Gabriela Szabo getting lit up on the long jump runway still makes me cringe.

ESPN’s Outside the Lines profiles University of Alaska-Anchorage runner Marko Cheseto and his tale of survival in the Alaskan wilderness.

Lashinda Demus: “we know that we are competing in a dying sport.”

Nike’s new speed suits feature “golf ball-inspired dimples” and claim to reduce times by .023 seconds over 100 meters.  By my math, that can be extrapolated out to 2.3 seconds for the 10,000 so look for skinny distance runners to start sporting the dimples.

Asafa Powell does what he normally does after he loses a race.  Also, Justin Gatlin calls Powell, “just a runner.”

-Kevin

Our podcast from yesterday, which started as a recap of the results from Kingston, but ended as a referendum on the movie Without Limits, is up.

The IOC will retest doping samples from the 2004 Olympics.

The Guardian speculates about a potential match-up between David Rudisha and Usain Bolt in the 4 x 400 at the Olympics.  Throw in Oscar Pistorius, Lashawn Merritt and Dai Greene and we would have something akin to a running apocalypse.   Also, you have to love Rudisha’s epic understatement, “Bolt is fast, he has speed, that I don’t have.”

Bolt says he needs to run fast and win in London.  Not sure why this still qualifies as news.

Joe Battaglia profiles Julius Yego, the Kenyan javelin thrower.

Carmelita Jeter, Yohan Blake and Novelene Williams-Mills will all be running at today’s Cayman Invitational.

The preliminary start lists for the Oxy High Performance meet are out.  The mid-distance races are filled with big names.

Does Asafa Powell get a fair shake in Jamaica?  I vote yes, almost too fair.

Jesse Squire names another member of his Dual Meet Hall of Fame.

Ken Goe’s Tuesday links.

-Kevin

Toni Reavis wants stadiums to turn off the Jumbotron.  Sometimes.

How much do track and field athletes make?  Jack Wickens tried to find out.

Preliminary start lists for the Doha Diamond League were released this morning for both men and women.  Most anticipation match-ups: David Rudisha vs. Mohammed Aman in the 800.  Shelly Ann Fraser vs. Veronica Campbell-Brown in the 100.  Kellie Wells vs. Brigitte Foster-Hylton in the 100 hurdles.  Silas Kiplagat vs. Asbel Kiprop vs. Nixon Chepseba vs. Abubaker Kaki in the 1500. Imane Merga’s elbows vs. the field in the 3,000.

Dick Fosbury’s flop, and gold medal, make the Guardian’s “50 stunning Olympic Moments.”

Jeremy Wariner now considers himself under the radar in a 400 field that includes Kirani James and Lashawn Merritt.

Joe Battaglia succinctly recaps the weekend in track and field and road racing.

Dwain Chambers apologizes for at least the 300^th time.

In a cool feature for the Independent, Ben Salmon goes through the same paces that track athletes will experience at the Olympic stadium.

Jesse Squire inducts Hayward Field into his Dual Meet Hall of Fame.  Finally, Hayward gets some recognition.

Pat Price asks Bridget Franek five questions.

In the most Scottish news of the day, a man in Chicago ran a half-marathon in a kilt.

-Kevin

The Jamaica Invitational headlines this edition of the Morning Run.  Despite running woefully behind schedule (so much so that the satellite window closed before the men’s and women’s 200m races) the meet featured several gold medal favorites and the deepest sprint fields thus far in 2012.

Usain Bolt had his fastest debut ever in the 100 with a 9.82 win.  Michael Frater and Lerone Clarke pushed him, but Bolt, and the jersey featuring his face, was too much over the last 30 meters.

Sanya Richards-Ross lost her race, and her world lead, to Novelene Williams-Mills in the 400.

Carmelita Jeter didn’t look at the top of her game, but she still ran a world-leading 10.81.

A bulked up Yohan Blake won the men’s 200 in 19.91.   Last year, it took Bolt a few months to look like his old self after putting on muscle in the off-season.

In a mild upset, Bianca Knight ran down Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce in the women’s 200.

The rest of the professional results, including Bershawn Jackson and Brigitte Foster Hylton, are here.

In Kawasaki, Allyson Felix won the 100 in 11.22, Liu Xiang went 13.09 in the 110 hurdles and Amantle Montsho ran 50.52 in the 400.

Andrew Wheating returned to racing at the Oregon Twilight and won in “epic Wheating fashion.”  Bridget Franek also starred with a world-lead in the steeplechase.

It was a two steps back weekend for Alan Webb at the Duke Twilight.

Jesse Squire’s first member of his dual meet hall of fame.

The New York Times on Ashton Eaton, his coach Harry Marra, and the potential of a US sweep in London.

-Kevin

In light of Rich Perelman’s post about track and television yesterday, Ken Goe’s lead in to his morning links is particularly perceptive and spot-on.  As has been said many times before, the control and focus of the sport lies with the coaches and athletes, when it should be geared toward the fans.

Saturday’s Jamaica Invitational will be a great opportunity to see many Olympic favorites, including Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Sanya Richards-Ross and Carmelita Jeter.  The meet begins at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST and will be streamed live (for free) here.

Glen Mills, coach of Bolt and Blake, think the two can coexist and flourish in the same training group, despite the naysayers.

Sanya Richards-Ross relives the 4 x 400 from the Beijing Olympics.  Spoiler, the US still catches Russia on the homestretch.

Tim Layden analyzes the components of the 100-meter dash in this NPR feature.

Martin Bingisser provides 10 reasons why you should watch the hammer throw in 2012.  The 11^th reason should be keeping tabs on Martin’s own quest for a fourth consecutive Swiss national championship, while being a full time tax attorney.

American distance runner Chris Solinsky will not compete in the Olympic Trials due to injury.  He seems upbeat, but four years is a really long time to wait.

Lashinda Demus tells USA Today about the Olympic Trials, having her mom as a coach, drug testers and more.

Joe Battaglia digs deeper into Patrick Makau’s exclusion from the Kenyan marathon team.

Polakoff Communications lists “5 Things Every Athlete Needs to Know Before London.”  Bring your own food, was not listed.

The Penn Relays enjoyed its best television ratings since 2003

-Kevin

If you haven’t do so yet, check out the podcast from this week. In it, Jason and I discuss the Penn Relays, Lopez Lomong’s miscalcuation, Wallace Spearmon’s record and Michael Jordan’s executive skills.

Asafa Powell may not race in Kingston on Saturday.  Whether it has been injuries or an overly selective race schedule, Powell is slowly fading from being a significant figure in the sprinting world.

Patrick Makau says he dropped out of this year’s London Marathon because he thought he had already secured a spot on the Olympic team.  Geoffrey Mutai is probably the only person who believes this.

A new angle of the Katy Andrews steeplechase fall has been posted.  In the last two days, the video has been featured on ESPN, USA Today and Deadspin.  Track may not be mainstream, but falling into water certainly is.

In his second article on the topic, Rich Perelman thinks “track and field and TV need to get married.”  It is very difficult to argue with the benefit of more television exposure and the ideas that Perelman presents are the type of dramatic changes that are needed to see track and field grow.  More on this tomorrow.

Toni Reavis wants to see more participation in road races in the Olympics.  I agree.

Jesse Squire looks at Cam Levins’ “unusual year.”

NBC Olympics asks Trey Hardee about playing guitar.

What do elite distance runners eat for breakfast?  Flotrack’s Ryan Fenton found out.

-Kevin

Today brings more analysis from the BOA/WADA ruling, which struck down the British lifetime Olympic ban rule.  Science of Sport agrees with the decision, as does Philip Hersh, who calls the proponents “dopey.” I wonder if his pun was intentional.

Alan Abrahamson thinks that the case was a “slam dunk,” but that all sides may have found a way to win.

Mo Farah and Kenenisa Bekele will face off in the 5,000 at the Prefontaine Classic.

In light of USATF naming a new CEO, Rich Perelman looks at the balance between track athletes, and the fans.

Today’s track meet in Guadeloupe features Angelo Taylor, Lashawn Merritt and Dayron Robles.

Nesta Carter says he doesn’t “get the recognition that I should get being the fourth fastest man in the world.”  Reasonable, but also expected when the 1^st and 3^rd fastest are actively competing and reside in your country.

Former prep and college pole vault star Tommy Skipper is attempting a comeback.

Jesse Squire’s top collegiate marks from the weekend.

Ken Goe’s Monday links.

Video of the day:  A very well produced training montage of Princeton’s Donn Cabral.

-Kevin

The Drake Relays, Penn Relays and the Payton Jordan Invitational headlined a full weekend of track and field.  Our podcast tomorrow will break it all down.  Provided Jason is still alive.

Lopez  Lomong miscounted his laps, stopped and still had time to win the 5,000 at the Payton Jordan meet in world-leading time.  Fast forward to 12:10 in the view to catch the final, confusing and highly entertaining 600 meters of the race.

Joe Battaglia compares Lomong’s miscalculation to early celebrations in other sports.

The perplexing year (and career) of Alan Webb continued last night.  This time it was in a good way.

All total, there were 6 world-leading marks from Payton Jordan.

At the Drake Relays Wallace Spearmon ran 20.02 in the 200, while Jenny Simpson opened her outdoor season with a win.

At the Penn Relays, it was a US sweep.

Highlight videos from the Penn Relays.

WADA finds that the British Olympic Association bylaw banning dopers for life is not in compliance.  The end result is that that Dwain Chambers, and others with past drug bans, are free to run.

Jason Henderson of Athletics Weekly in the UK thinks the ruling shouldn’t all be about Chambers.

Lashawn Merritt comments on Bershawn Jackson getting his back in the Dai Greene dust-up.  If you are keeping track, this is the response to the response to the response.

Jesse Squire’s college track and field scoreboard.

-Kevin